Stay away from Ferd. There ticking time bombs... Aka PAPERWEIGHT!!!
Dont ask me how i know....
Get the Dodge best combo you can get. The simplicity of the cummins inline 6 5.9 makesit the million mile motor!
I have a 2005 ccsc 2500 it tows my 15k 5thwheel amazing. It is modded but its been modded by me. The truck is fast to say the least but the mods are reliable! Most diesel owners turn there trucks into rice burners. Big exhaust, intake, programmer, and they think they are the coolest people around. Usually its beat to hell on.

When looking for a dodge, ask to see his maint. Logg, carfax, check for mods, go inside cab. Turn key to ON not start but ON! CLICK IT TO ON THEN OFF 3 TIMES, AND END WITH ON. If theres any codes it will display them usuaully starting with a P. Codes mean problems..

Goodluck and have fun with the greatest motor in the world!!!

one of the most intellegent things i've heard here chickenhauler.. ford 6.0 problems are an easy fix .. it takes a little cash & you must do THE FEARED MODS.. after that no sweat.. & you have a good truck.. fact is if you buy a ford & dont look for certain mods.. & hope they are done, dont buy it.. less you do them yourself near immediately.. go to bulletproofdiesel.com.. READ.. LEARN...PEOPLE FEAR WHAT THEY DONT KNOW..

chickenhauler said:

I've never dealt with bio-diesel so can't really attest to it. On our 3406's and our 251 V-16 ALCO's we always change our filters at 250 operating hours. We have never had a problem with fuel in the US, but be always sent it through a fuel oil purifier before it was used. I do think that the injectors on the 3406's were more forgiving than the nozzle's on the ALCO's. I have seen fuel in such places as Costa Rica come in 'sewage trucks', and that's not too reassuring.

dave57 said:

easy fix? since when is swapping a turbo, installing egr delete kits, installing head studs and heads, installing numerous injectors easy. if it's that easy they should do it for a third of what they charge in labor:smirk:

Do a little reading on what causes the main issues there champ. It usually stems from the EGR system and cluster ****s from there on. You seem to be a more book smart on the subject that 1st hand experience. Nothing wrong with that, seems like great and booming work right now.

Years of working on a farm, truck driving short haul and ice road, and rig work in the AB patch . . . that's where you learn 1st hand diesels, what works, what doesn't, and why. If things like installing an EGR delete, coolant temp gauge and filter install and a few other items are A) too difficult, or B) too expensive to add to a truck to significantly increase the truck's life, then maybe a diesel isn't for you. Diesels are expensive period . . . plenty of guys running 4-600rwph 6.0's as daily's and hauling heavy that have done the reliability mods. Making them just as reliable as my dino 7.3.

You want the cheapest, simplest diesel. 1st Gen 12-valve, 5-spd no options. Go through hell and back on just oil and fuel filter changes. Would love to find a nice reg cab long box 12v to drop some twins into . . .

Edit - Some reading:
http://www.internati...0_problems.html

http://www.dieselpow...ne/viewall.html

sniper_101 said:

Just some conversation here, I had to Government trucks, both of which were the 6.0 Powerstroke. Both were 1-tons, supercab and a crew cab (DRW) 4x4's. Regularly pulled 8-12,000 pounds with zero issues. I think, personally that the 6.0's were hit or miss but trucks though were absolutely awesome.

CRF450XNUT said:

Agree'd, some farmers and ranchers here toasted stock 6.0's by baby'ing them. On the other hand, the construction company guys towing 10,000lbs+ of equipment behind the trucks 24/7 worked great because they were constantly running them hard. As well as a few high school and farm kids I grew up with who bagged the crap out of them, some lasted, some didn't.

----

Also keep in mind, the early 6.0's had issues that Ford addressed in 06/07'. Still not 100% obviously, but the last years are the most desired. I'm not a 6.0 expert so I can't say too much more that I know.

When people jump into a diesel thread and say "Stay away from the 6.0, or Fords" is like someone saying, avoid Cummins because the autos are weaker, or a Duramax because of the IFS. It's no reason to avoid a truck, it's something to be aware of when looking for, or buying a truck. All three brands have their issues, you just have to pick which has the issue that you're willing to live with or fix.

Guess a lot of it is brand loyalty and being a fan boy, but either way. Every thread on this site that is diesel related ends up one brand versus another, and the the uneducated drop the "Avoid the 6.0" line, it's kind of funny for a while, then irritating.

chickenhauler said:

I found out about that last line 2x in the last month. Damaged spindle destroyed 2 wheel bearings. At first I just thought the dust cap came off and the grease dried out and I didn't notice and it was my fault as everything looked like it was fine. 2 weeks later after hitting a dog, same damn thing happens and when I pulled it apart there was a visible bend in the snout on the spindle. Waiting on a pair of custom fabbed spindles to arrive for it now.

sniper_101 said:

I've worked on tons of 6.0's. And the majority of them that had injector, turbo and head issues had EGR delete kits put on quite some time before that all happened. it runs the whole gammet. they are a major POS. I even had one crack a head internally the other day and completely fill the coolant system completely with diese.

sniper_101 said:

It has nothing to do with brand loyalty for me. I own both chevy's and fords. One of my kids had a 6.0, one has a duramax. I personally put an old mechanical cummins in an 05' Superduty at work because we simply got sick and tired of working on the damn thing. Now it's a running MOFO.

chadk66 said:

That's the ticket right there, 5.9 Cummins in a Crew Cab Ford.:thumbsup:

CRF450XNUT said:

It's the shiat

Did you ever see the Diesel Power mag where they did that exact same mod? What did you do for the transmission and wiring harness and so on?

CRF450XNUT said:

had the stock 5 speed automatic. That was the worst part because it's all computerized. Stock it uses about twenty four sensors/inputs from the 6.0 to do what it does. With that gone there's nothing for it to read. So you have to install a stand alone tranny controller. It comes with a bare bones set of programming. You have to make alot of runs with a laptop hooked up and build a data log. You send that in and they look it over and make up a new file and send it to you. You have to install it and do another data log. Took me twenty some reprograms to get it perfect. It was pretty cool but time consuming. Doing that transplant with a manual tranny would be very easy and it would go pretty quick. It was pretty fun. I jacked the 5.9 up to around 325-350 horse with the pump turned way up and different injectors. A different exhaust housing on the turbo to remove the stock turbo lag. It ran like a scalded ape on a big heavy truck that weighed in at 11,800 without tools in it.

chadk66 said:

I would love to put a 5.9 in my 96 F350. It seems to be a lot easier than a newer truck from what I have read

mxredneck said:

actually I don't think it is. there's more room under the hood on the newer ones. But it can be done. About a year ago I stopped in at my usual morning coffee shop at a gas station. It was cold and windy and I was walking with my head down. I walked past this white vehicle and as I passed I noticed it was the sound of a cummins. And as I got about half way to the building it hit me that this wasn't a new vehicle. I turned around and looked and it was an awesome looking all white Dodge Ram Charger. Probably late 90's that had a retro Cummins in it. I got wood right then and there.:smirk:

CH has a good point about fuel. I bought bio blended once so I could save 10 cents a gal. It took me 6 months and a couple hundred bucks in fuel filters to get all the crap out, not to mention a bunch of powerservice. Bio sucks, fuel comes out of the injectors at a very high presure. A chunck of junk in there can ruin an injetor. Happened to a buddy of mine. Not sure I am totally sold on the AAM 60 front axel under my truck. Ball joint and uni bearing this weekend. Only, 90k on the truck. I am not sure what I am going to do if I start eating front end parts. My truck was chipped or tuned and reflashed by the dealer. It had been used and abused. Found race horse papers along with a recipt for a "blow -n-go." Was owned by a construction company owner/horse racer/drunk. GN hitch installed, bumper, cab, and bed crunches were you would expect them. SO I knew the truck was used and abused, but I got it for a good deal.

there are complete kits available to install a 7.3 international, a cummins, a cat , & a few others into the ford platforms.. basically a plug & play.. they have been out for years.. personally i'm not the biggest fan of my 6.0 , but they can be upgraded to be good trucks.. i spent about 4k to do it..its a strong running durable motor now .. but like any diesel will eventually hang me with a nice fat shop bill ..it just goes with the turf.. the vt365 { 6.0} were used in a marine application trouble free for many years.. the trash ford added killed them, as is the way of many manufacturers.. the late model dodges have a ton of electric & sensor issues.. your damned if you do & damned if you dont.. we used big cats offshore for years.. they were simple long lasting motors.. freightliner used cats with blowers & they run really well .. the big three dont want to give you THE BEST truck.. they want you to buy more.. they all have big claims & all have some bullshit issue.. its the way of the world.. personally i'm looking for a good low mileage 7.3 powered truck.. they are out there for a price.. still wont get rid of my 6.0 though.. BUT I WILL MODIFY THE PISS OUTA WHATEVER I GET.. amazing how this went from A DONT USE A MODIFIED TRUCK TO ALL THE MODIFICATION TALK.. THE TRUTH SURFACES..

WHATEVER YOU GOT I'D LOVE TO PULL THE GUTS OUTA IF FOR YOU WITH MY SORRY OLD MODIFIED JUNK 6.0 .. :banana::banana::p:p dont even speak.. it wont help .. just bring it & your wallet .. ANY OF YOU THAT KNOW HALF OF WHAT YOU CLAIM KNOW WHERE THE HORSPOWER IS..

CRF450XNUT said:

250 hours....that'd be about 15k miles for on-highway usage (long haul).

Sewage trucks? Really? :eek:

chadk66 said:

Dirty work? Yeah. Rocket science? Not by a long shot.

If my lush cousin can follow the instructions and get it right the first time, it's not all that hard.