Gas vs Diesel

[tripper]

Forgot to add for Chevy gas trucks get an HD for towing there are 2500 and 2500 HD. The HD trucks have much bigger frames and stronger axles. Most Chevy 3/4 tons are HD models, but there are a few that are not.

 

[speedhighway46]

This may be a bit redundant to what has already been said, but it is based upon my experience and not just my opinion. In 2003 I purchased a new Ford Excursion with the 7.3 diesel. I owned a business rigging and moving printing equipment and needed to tow 8,000-10,000 pounds on a regular basis. The vehicle responded well to this requirement.

Oil changes were expensive and regular maintenance was also. In all fairness, any service done at a dealership is expensive, so I can't blame that on the "diesel." However, the Excursion was a weak front end. I have replaced both front universals, the lock-out hubs and a few other items. Except for a poorly installed lower radiator hose, from the factory, the engine has been bullet proof.

I sold the business in 2012 but kept the Excursion. Just last week the truck turned 185,000; still relatively low miles for the expected life of the 7.3. However, other "stuff" on the vehicle continues to fail; power windows, heater and AC controls, etc. Its not maintaining the engine that costs gobs of money; its everything else.

However, unless you really need the towing capacity and are going to use that capacity regularly, I'd stick to gas. And, as several folks have mentioned, including John61CT, when diesels need repair is going to be lots of $$.

Hope this helps.

Speed Gray, K8SG
Grand Rapids, MI
Peterbilt 379 Motorhome

 

[DannyB1954]

On cheap tranny rebuilds, Auto Vs Manual. A friend had a Ford with the 7.3 diesel. The clutch started slipping so I helped yank it out and we put in a new clutch. It still slipped so OK we should have resurfaced the flywheel. Out it came and went back in. Still slipped. The problem turned out to be Ford engineering. The diesel would put out more torque than the tranny could handle so they put clutch disks INSIDE of the FLYWHEEL.
They called it a dual mass flywheel. Not rebuildable. That part was something like $1,800 from the dealer. He already lost work in his roofing business from the truck being down so he just bit the bullet to make the next job happen. The good news was the next one he needed was aftermarket and a steal at $800.

 

[highdesertranger]

yep dual mass flywheels are a bitch. bottom line is you AWAYS turn the flywheel when you put a clutch in. so it should have been known the first time.

my question would be why didn't you replace it with a solid flywheel right off the bat. the dual mass flywheel was an factory option. Ford sold the same truck with a dual mass or a solid flywheel.

highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

yep dual mass flywheels are a bitch.  bottom line is you AWAYS turn the flywheel when you put a clutch in.  so it should have been known the first time.

my question would be why didn't you replace it with a solid flywheel right off the bat.  the dual mass flywheel was an factory option.  Ford sold the same truck with a dual mass or a solid flywheel.

highdesertranger

It wasn't my truck, but we were not told a solid flywheel was available.  The thinking at the time was the diesel would tear up the tranny with too much torque. Hence the reason for the dual mass. The dealership said Ford went to a solid flywheel but that was a different year and different transmission. The first time we didn't turn the flywheel because there was no evidence of heating or warping. The machine marks were still on the face. When we did have the flywheel turned, (the second time we pulled the tranny), the machine shop didn't say it was bad. It seemed solid to us, but at that time we did not know about the friction disks inside the flywheel. We learned that just before the third time we pulled the tranny. We got pretty good at pulling that heavy sob with just a floor jack.

My friend had other issues such as the fuel pump UNDER the intake manifold went bad, (who else would make you take the intake off to replace a mechanical fuel pump?), and the fuel water separator broke spilling fuel all over the top of the motor and onto hot exhaust manifolds. He also had a time with the glow plug controller as I remember. I know he had a ton of money tied up into that truck.

 

[John61CT]

Except for a poorly installed lower radiator hose, from the factory, the engine has been bullet proof.

I sold the business in 2012 but kept the Excursion. Just last week the truck turned 185,000; still relatively low miles for the expected life of the 7.3.

Yes, you have got a great run out of the low-cost portion of its life.

Someone seeking a low-cost secondhand rig, without wrenching skills, buying your rig today **may** also be lucky for another year or two, 40-60K miles, but at **some** point the diesel-specific servicing requirements will result in a much higher cost per mile / year.

 

[WILD@HEART]

My dodge is a work horse-power house & has a HD towing package.  I use a reese electric brake controller unit, trailer has reese HD weight distribution (trunion) & sway control hitch mount, and suits my towing needs, . Allison transmissions have a solid reputation depending on what your using it for. A similar (gas) a similar make (chevy/ford) and model of truck would probably be suitable as well for my application. Although if i had the choice i would opt for a 2500 series...and I do like diesel. It also depends on what you can find in the used market and all that goes with a used vehicle (miles, maintenance, repair, how well it's been taken care of or abused.  Dielsel has it's pluses and minus's, and also depends what you're using it for. Avoid the ford 6.0 L powerstroke diesel (major concerns especially over 100,000 miles) and the 6.4 L  for major repairs it requires the lifting of the cab. Good Luck hunting!
Diesel info: 

Diesel vs. Gas