F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

[xeddog]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

Sorry 109 - I just remember reading that the DMAX was built by Isuzu. At the time that was enough for me. Now it seems to be owned by Government Motors, which is just as bad.

Wayne

 

[Fingernip]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

The early 6.0s did have their share of problems but they have a nice power improvement over the 7.3L at the cost of some fuel economy. I got my 2001 F250 2wd diesel about 2 years ago and its been great so far. It has 298,000 miles on the clock with no major repairs needed. It still gets around 20mpg being a regular cab 2wd Base model. Winter starting can be a problem if your batterys are weak or the glow plugs are weak. I wont even try starting mine under 30?F unless its been plugged in overnight.

 

[glengold]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

I've never owned a diesel truck, my step-dad has a Ford Super Duty (F350 I think) and he told me it takes a TON of oil and cost an arm and a leg for an oil change.

Put it this way, he runs synthetic in everything besides the Diesel because it cost so much with just regular oil in it. (He changes oil himself)

I believe it was more than 10 quarts....

I'm Interested in what others have to say about maintenance costs....

 

[Fingernip]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

I've never owned a diesel truck, my step-dad has a Ford Super Duty (F350 I think) and he told me it takes a TON of oil and cost an arm and a leg for an oil change.

Put it this way, he runs synthetic in everything besides the Diesel because it cost so much with just regular oil in it. (He changes oil himself)

I believe it was more than 10 quarts....

I'm Interested in what others have to say about maintenance costs....

Lol yeah They do take ALOT of oil. It really doesnt cost too much more than a gas truck oil change unless you buy expensive oil. Autozone sells diesel dino oil in 5 gallon buckets and its less than what i spend for synthetic for my car.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

Ha. I have a bypass filtration system on my truck, which ups it to 16 qts. Straight up 4 gallons. i use Amsoil, too, which is about $125 in oil and filters.

That being said, it's good for a minimum of a year...possibly 2 years with an oil analysis.

That being said, I think next time I'm going to go dyno. Rotella at Walmart is supposed to be the best non-synth oil around, and the cheapest option at walmart, too.

I like the diesel rattle. Mine's all juiced up so of course it's loud, obnoxious and smokey when I give it the go.

My take on diesel...if you're going to drive a big truck on the daily, and can afford the extra cost of the diesel motor, it's the way to go. upper teens vs. lower teens in mileage, plus, generally a lot more maint. free...engine wise.

Of course a big truck is going to need more and more expensive maint. Ball joints, tires, tie rods, oil changes, etc...everything is bigger and gets more wear than your little vehicle.

Anyway, good luck...let us know what you end up with...and don't forget to look at the straight sixes.

 

[skargo]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

I've never owned a diesel truck, my step-dad has a Ford Super Duty (F350 I think) and he told me it takes a TON of oil and cost an arm and a leg for an oil change.

Put it this way, he runs synthetic in everything besides the Diesel because it cost so much with just regular oil in it. (He changes oil himself)

I believe it was more than 10 quarts....

I'm Interested in what others have to say about maintenance costs....

My Cummins takes 3 gallons of oil, which I change myself at every 10K miles. I am on that interval on the recommendation of Blackstone labs, where I have sent oil samples to be analyzed because it's silly to throw good oil away.
Gas motors typically require more frequent changes, so the costs aren't that out of line. I do change my fuel filter when I change my oil too, but I get a deal on my parts and oil.
I've never had to replace a spark plug either

Diesels aren't for everyone, but if you tow a lot, and need the extra power and fuel economy AND buy used you will actually come out ahead. I paid cash for mine and have owned it for 8 years. Bought it with 65K miles on it and have 165K on it now and it runs very well, and has been very reliable and efficient.

Plus you can have some big fun with them, I have big power and a race trans...
I'm the 2nd truck in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR5Nx8_TNn4

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

my 99 7.3 has 306,000 miles on it.... I still beat it like a red headed step child. It is a crewcab dually 4x4 and with installed accessories it weighs in right at 10,000 lbs. It doesn't get very good fuel mileage but rides/drives great and compares to a half ton like a cannon compares to a squirt gun. If I didn't need that big of a truck I would have a gas chevy... 96 and up 5.7 half ton or an 8.1 3/4 or 1 ton....

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: F250 diesel w/ 140k miles?

I'll ad to the caution about the 6.0 Powerstroke. There's lots of info in regard to problems with them.

I doubt the owner had his truck replaced over a tranny problem, not to mentioned the fact that the tranny problem would be irrelevant if it was a complete replacement of the vehicle.

The 7.3 litre Powerstrokes are pretty reliable, but when things do go wrong, the repair bill can be hefty. I've driven them extensively (F250 & F550) and found them to be very reliable. When used in heavy commercial service, the motors tend to hold up well and the trannies seem to be the weak link. On the older, auto transmission F250s (90s), there is a known poblem with the cooling fins on the torque converter - they were not welded on very well and tend to "pop" off. Once fixed, however, they do fine.

I have no experience with the 6.4 litre motor, but have heard that it is an improvement over the 6.0.

As for fuel economy, everything is relative. Don't expect to get numbers in the 20+ range with a crew cab F250. Further, as soon as you put something on the back of the truck, your numbers are going to take a dive pretty quickly.

My personal view of diesels are that they can make sense if you have a real need for them, but they are not a set up that I recommend for "impulse reasons." They do tend to last a long time, but I have never found them to be any less expensive to own than a comparible truck with a gas engine, unless you are in a stituation where the loads that you deal with, would just beat a gas engine to death.



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