Help, I cant decide.

[Canine]

Good looking truck and camper.I wouldn't worry about the engine if a mechanic checks it out.Personally,I would be much happier with a truck and camper than a motor home.Me and Vic sold our 29 ft camper and bought and remodeled a 16 ft camper.We had it for a year and I swear it got smaller every week.We sold that and bought a 31 ft camper and a 2000 Chevy half ton van to pull it with.We do like our comfort.

 

[DannyB1954]

Danny you where told wrong about Dodge being the only rebuildable diesel.  I don't know where they came up with that one.  this summer I will have a thread on rebuilding a 6.2 diesel.  I am curious what RV do you have with what diesel motor?  if its the right one I might be interested in it if you ever decide to get rid of it.  highdesertranger

I was told you can't bore out most diesels. The compression ratio is already so high that if you increase the bore it will be too much of a strain on the internals. I had a ford pickup with the 6.9 International, (predecessor to the 7.3). A cylinder cracked and water was getting into the cylinder. I replaced the head gasket hoping that was the deal, (the crack was not seen). I pumped air into the cylinder through the glow plug hole. At top dead center the air didn't go anywhere. At bottom dead center it would come out the radiator, (I should have done that test to begin with). The repair costs to replace the engine was about $8,000. The truck was worth less than half of that if it was in perfect condition. Had it been a gas engine I might have spent the 2 grand to replace the engine. The truck went to China instead.

My RV is kind of a custom deal. The owner before me was a farmer and put a lot of mods into the rig. It is a Kings Highway 1974  I believe. 30'. The engine is a Detroit Diesel 6v53 , ( V6 with 53 cu" per cylinder two stroke). The transmission a 6 speed Allison. There is also a three speed drive shaft transmission which provides super granny gear with a little bit of overdrive. If you wanted to take a chance with it you could probably go rock climbing with it. 

I bought it about three years before I retired, (I had been living on boats up until that point). That was about 2006. Monday through Friday I lived in it in the San Francisco Bay Area in the RV. On weekends I had a house in the mountains near Sonora Ca. I set it up to pull my pickup and when I moved here to Pahrump Nv, it pulled it OK. (going up the mountain pass top speed was only about 45, but it got it over the hump). That cost me a bundle to modify the truck. When I put on the RV brakes, the truck breaks come on as well. In hindsight I would have been much better off to buy a car trailer. Then I could put any car on it. I am wanting something smaller, so if you are interested we can do some horse trading.

 

[highdesertranger]

again someone is giving you bad advice. when you bore out a motor you actually lower the compression ratio, all things being equal. that 6.9 could have been sleeved. would it have been worth it? I don't know. when you are ready to sell that Motor Home PM me. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

If you are increasing the volume of what is to be compressed, and push it into the same small area in the head, how does that lower the compression? More stroke or more bore pushed into the same area will raise the compression. Then do you have to re calibrate injectors, remap the computer etc?
The thing that troubles me about advising someone to buy a high mileage diesel is they get it, go down the road and something happens, maybe throw a rod. Being miles from home they tow it to a shop that tells them that diesel repair is going to cost them six grand, maybe more.
Odds of a failure? I really don't know, but someone considering an out of warranty diesel needs to know it can cost 4 times or more to repair a diesel if something does go wrong. Most situations have advantages and disadvantages, so I just don't want prospective buyers to believe they will buy a diesel with 200,000 miles on it and live happily ever after. They will have lots of power, good fuel economy, and then they are blindsided with a high dollar repair that they may not be able to afford. My buddy has a Ford 6.0 diesel. I could buy a nice truck for what he has spent on that engine.
I like the story about the King who has no clothes. Just because "everybody" says something is great, doesn't make it so.

 

[highdesertranger]

because you are not compressing "into the same small space" the space is larger by the amount of the over size of the piston. in other word the volume of the chamber has been increased. no recalibration needed the amount of the compression difference is minimal. I didn't recommend to by a high mileage diesel, did I? if I did I would recommend the older ones with no computer. I would never ever recommend a Ford blow up motor AKA 6.0. your buddy should have done some research before buying a 6.0. no one is saying a diesel is the way to go for everybody. but for some people they are fine. what you saying in the above post only applies to the newer computer controlled diesels especially the DEF ones. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

because you are not compressing "into the same small space"  the space is larger by the amount of the over size of the piston.  in other word the volume of the chamber has been increased.  no recalibration needed the amount of the compression difference is minimal.  I didn't recommend to by a high mileage diesel,   did I?  if I did I would recommend the older ones with no computer.  I would never ever recommend a Ford blow up motor AKA 6.0.  your buddy should have done some research before buying a 6.0.  no one is saying a diesel is the way to go for everybody.  but for some people they are fine.  what you saying in the above post only applies to the newer computer controlled diesels especially the DEF ones.   highdesertranger

I was mostly addressing Post #10. Cyndy717 is looking to buy a 2002 Ford with 196,000 miles. Many people hear the line about a diesel getting 500K miles, and I just wanted to make sure she knows that there is a risk involved in choosing an out of warranty diesel. You pay more for the truck because it is a diesel, then if anything goes wrong, you pay again. Seems like a bad deal to me all the way around really. 

On the compression thing, the piston comes all the way up to the top in a diesel putting the fuel air mixture into the combustion chamber and not the cylinder. About the only thing that I can see would lower the compression back down is a very thick head gasket, or pistons designed with the top lowered or dished out to compensate for the added bore. This may be the case with aftermarket over size pistons now that I think about it. 

I don't hate diesels. I really would just like to make people aware of all the facts. Everyone has to weigh what advantages and disadvantages suit them best. You can't do that if you don't get the whole story. Public opinion says good fuel economy, lasts forever, can pull a stump out of the ground etc. Lets talk about what that all could end up costing them as well. Many times people will buy and only afterward find out the dark side. Eg. a Ford 6.0 Some people sell their high mileage diesel before it starts getting into their pocket for repairs. Next guy can do the injectors, fuel lift pump, injection pump etc.

 

[Canine]

Is it possible that you have drifted from logic and facts into a personal animosity toward diesels for some reason?I know many people with diesels and most seem happy with them.I will probably never have one because I don't like the noise of the older ones and the new quieter ones are beyond my resourses.

 

[DannyB1954]

Is it possible that you have drifted from logic and facts into a personal animosity toward diesels for some reason?I know many people with diesels and most seem happy with them.I will probably never have one because I don't like the noise of the older ones and the new quieter ones are beyond my resourses.

Call it animosity or experience. I had a diesel truck that would cost more to repair the engine than the whole truck was worth. Here is an article that describes why fleet owners often prefer gas over diesel, and they are talking about new low mileage units. When a diesel needs major work, the costs can skyrocket. 

http://www.government-fleet.com/art...nvestment-only-fleet-managers-know-about.aspx

 

[Cyndi717]

I do appreciate the discussion as the only experience I have with diesel is 18 wheelers. Lol

 

[akrvbob]

This thread is terribly off-topic and not being helpful to the original question. Here is the original post, let's get back to it and see if we can be helpful to this fellow member:

"Hi everyone. Im trying to make a decision on what to live in, but I cant decide. I have a pickup with small camper I am living in now, and I have a class C motorhome. The motorhome needs cosmetic work finished inside. I dont know what would be better. I see advantages and disadvantages going either way. So I hope your thoughts, ideas, and opinions might help me decide. Thanks."

Bob

 

[akrvbob]

My first thought is that is a pretty extreme leap, have you considered selling them both and something in-between like a bigger camper on a full-size truck?
Bob

 

[Cyndi717]

Hey Akrvbob
I'm the one who hijacked the original post that was a couple of years old. Sorry it's my first experience with a forum like this. 
Your post is right on for consideration.  I finally made up my mind. I pick up my 2002 f250 7.3 4x4 lariat. It even has a cassette player so I can dig into the box I've been carrying around for years!.
I also just put money down on a 2005 keystone outback 28flrs that I will be trading my motorhome on. I will put the small camper on consignment or add to the deal depending on where we go with the trade.
I'm hoping to make it out to flagstaff by the end of June so I can meet everyone! 
Thanks