On the fence about going to a Diesel - looking at Cummins

[faster]

As much as I would like to have an old 12V Cummins for the reliability and simple factor, I need a crew cab to fit my son and my dog. Not to mention I'd like to find something with relatively low miles and be nice to ride in.

As far as the trans issue goes, it seems everything out there has someone complaining that the transmissions are crap, with exception of the Alison. Keep in mind I currently tow with a toothpick Dana 44 and the same auto that can be found in the 350Z. Some guys blow the Nissan transmissions sky high on their first trip, while others tow quite a bit with no issues. I figure if you have a good trans cooler, have a trans temp gauge (and watch it), and drop down a gear to keep the TC locked (1.00:1 is what I am always in on flat surfaces) then your trans should not grenade.

Once you've lived with the torque of the diesel you will not go back to the gas platform. The Ford has the biggest most comfortable cab and best ride of all three. The Dodge rides hard the Chevy bounces. I have a Chevy, I have a Ford and I've borrowed my friend's Dodge. I will never give up my Ford and I will never buy another Chevy/GMC. All three are about the same as far as repairs maintenance but they are maintained very well. The Ford is by far the most stable towing platform I've used for my 35' 15K lb. horse trailer. No real fuel mileage advantage to any of them. The Ford's axles, braking and suspension is bigger heavier and stronger. My 99 F350 has the best braking and stopping power by far also. My Chevy and my buddy's 06 Dodge will not come close to stopping my trailer as short as my Ford.

Smart driving, cool trans temps, good fuel and all three will perform fine. What do you want in comfort, and stability?

A lot of people don't like the Ford 6.0's but with the correct aftermarket EGR cooler and an engine stud kit they are fine. Just stay 05, 06 or 07. There are plenty out there in spectacular shape and done already.

The newer trucks get poor mileage compared to the 07 and earlier trucks.

Mikey

 

[turbojoe1]

Ram Mega Cab is by far the biggest. Everyone who knows diesel know Cummins is the way to go.

 

[BuickMike]

Well, I may just say forget it. My worry is that I'm going to get into something that costs $10k more than what I already own free and clear, and then end up dumping in another $3000+ in upgrades / repairs over the next year. All so I can go 10-15mph faster up a hill.

IMO the Cummins would be the motor to go with from a simplicity / dependability standpoint. It's just the rest of the truck that sucks

 

[TurboDave]

Ram Mega Cab is by far the biggest. Everyone who knows diesel know Cummins is the way to go.

Everybody has their opinions, and that's all they are. Mine is however somewhat different. I'm the original owner of my 2001 Ford Excursion, 7.3L diesel (the best of all the powerstrokes).
It has a total of 177,000 miles, and so far, to date, I've spent a grand total of $90(cam sensor) on repair parts (other than normal maintenance). I don't know what you would consider brake calipers, but I've had a couple of those replaced.

 

[9SECV6]

7.3 is a international engine and they are quite nice I have replaced injectors in a few also cam sensors. I have a 04 dodge 3500 dually with the 5.9 with some work done and it seams like it would pull my house down the road and get great mileage doing it. I have had 7000 lbs in the bed and I have towed backhoe's no problem they are pricey though

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[BuickMike]

7.3 is a international engine and they are quite nice I have replaced injectors in a few also cam sensors. I have a 04 dodge 3500 dually with the 5.9 with some work done and it seams like it would pull my house down the road and get great mileage doing it. I have had 7000 lbs in the bed and I have towed backhoe's no problem they are pricey though

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What trans is in your 04 Dodge? How many miles have you put on it?

I have no interest in the 7.3's because their old now and I'm looking for something with low miles. Plus, I've had 2 friends now with 7.3's that had to pull the cabs off the trucks to get into the motor to replace something. One was the high pressure oil pump and the other may have been the injection pump. Those are known for weak transmissions too.

No interest in a truck that requires me to replace the head studs on. I had 3 friends in my neighborhood alone with 6.0's that had head / motor issues. One went through 2 motors before going to a Duramax. He then scaled down and went back to a gas truck to save the hassle.

I'd only be interested in a LBZ Duramax, but can't afford one right now.

I'm thinking that all the tranny problems people have are related to them leaving them in O.D. while towing. If I did that in my Titan I would grenade my trans on my first trip for sure.

 

[Rubicon 327]

Just another plug for a dmax!

http://www.thedieselpage.com/duramax/750kduramaxc.htm

 

[9SECV6]

48re self built with a friend in my garage shifts hard as hell it chirps 1-2-3 and slams 4th it has about 115,000 on the clock and geta 34 mpg hwy

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[BuickMike]

48re self built with a friend in my garage shifts hard as hell it chirps 1-2-3 and slams 4th it has about 115,000 on the clock and geta 34 mpg hwy

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What did it take to kill that trans in the first place?

 

[9SECV6]

Abuse hot rodding it racing people it still worked when I pulled it. it just would not go anywhere where I beat on it but if it was driven normally it worked fine.

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[Chuck Leeper]

I see Nissan is now offering the Cummins engine....I don't drive import stuff, so I didn't read the entire ad.

 

[BuickMike]

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2013/08/nissan-announces-next-titan-will-have-a-cummins.html

Not so sure about the new V8 platform. It will have to prove itself for a few years before anyone buys into it.

 

[BuickMike]

I'm going to go look around this weekend, but will probably shelf the whole idea for at least a year if not 2. I will wait until I have enough cash to buy a newer truck with low miles and put in the supporting mods to make it last. I haven't had a car payment in years and don't want to start now.

 

[oldsracer]

Like others have said, a powerful, reliable, and very easy to maintain truck is the cummins 5.9. I'm obviously partial to cummins but what ever you buy, get an older version. Buy a truck that doesn't have any emissions or DPF crap. Their milage is cut in half and if emissions matter you cant even get rid of them either. Your best bet would be around an 05 cummins six speed. Everybody's bashing the auto's but its not like they all are blowing up. Typically they blow up quick when their beat on. My brothers got 185K on his 05 auto quad cab and has yet to touch anything. Synthetic fluids, fuel additives, and don't make every trip a race and it'll last you forever. Oh and he does scraping on the side and pulls a fully loaded construction trailer with cars piled high on it and you would never even know it was back their.

 

[notacarlo]

I had a 7.3 great power very loud. Had a 6.0 much better. Did the correct parts replacements and it pulled case 580's all day long on a 35' trailer. They are all international diesels until you get into the 550-650 range and up. Then you have the option for cummins, international, or cat. (At least you used to have those options). The 6.0 tranny is very strong as opposed to the 7.3 tranny. With the studs and egr cooler the 6.0 is every bit as reliable as the 7.3.

That being said, I have also had much seat time in all manor of cummins. Loud..powerful. the problem with those is the rest of the truck is poorly built. I dont care what year. The running gear is stout though. No real experience with the dura/suzu other than getting my arse handed to me with highway punches. Towing wise ill take either the 7.3/6.0 or cummins. That's what I see mostly towing big loads. Most emergency vehicles are Fords...so that has to say something. Or maybe they're just cheaper than the competition.

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[CGASTON]

Anyone know what the Cummins 6.7 and the Duramax is getting for gas mileage in the 2013 models?

 

[87_we4]

My buddy's 2012 cummins gets about 16 hwy. We just did dpf, egr, intake and programmer on it don't know what it is getting now only been two weeks since we did it all

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[bad V6]

Anyone know what the Cummins 6.7 and the Duramax is getting for gas mileage in the 2013 models?

My 2011 Duramax averaged 20.3 MPG from Bowling Green, KY to Destin, FL and back running 80 MPH. If I keep it around 70-72 it will get 22.3 MPG on the highway.

 

[CGASTON]

My 2011 Duramax averaged 20.3 MPG from Bowling Green, KY to Destin, FL and back running 80 MPH. If I keep it around 70-72 it will get 22.3 MPG on the highway.

Loaded? Enclosed? Open? What it get not loaded?


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[bad V6]

It's a 4x4 crew cab, this was running empty, just the family and luggage. Sold my 2000 Ford Powerstroke and picked this up a few months back. It seems just as stout as the modded 7.3. I'm happy with it so far.