Buying a diesel truck

[RG]

An issue that will eventually be a problem on the newer Ford powerstrokes is that the cab has to be removed from the frame to get to the top, or at least the top rear of the engine.  Not many guys have a high ceiling and hoist in their shop and it has to add a big $ to the bill when it comes to having it done at a garage.  I heard that from a mechanic at the Snohomish County mainenance shop then saw it in person at Bickford Ford in Snohomish.  Hopefully they have to have a lot of miles on them before that becomes necessary but, wow.  I like Fords but I can work on my Dodge in my driveway.

LMAO!!! I don't know where you guys come up with some of this stuff but it sure is entertaining.

 I have had my entire 7.3L out and I can assure you the cab did not need to be removed.................thats pretty funny though.

Ha!  I told you I don't make this stuff up...

[predatorpro]

I have an 03 dodge and a 05 with the 6 speed stick and deisel. They pull hard... IMO the best combination for owning a dodge. One point i would make about the 03  is SOME of the 03 have a frame mounted fuel pump.  Could have lost my injector pump when mine went out. Most after that vintage have an in the tank pump system. Why is this important? In the tank pumps self lubricate lasting longer. When lifter pumps go out often your injection pump works itself to death trying to lift the fuel and squirt it.  Lifter pumps are cheep Injector pumps... not so much...

Spot on.  A fuel pressure guage is cheap insurance for this.

in tank is a rip off, crazy expensive and arent any better, they wont last any longer...my 03 dodge diesel lost its lift pump and i replaced it with a napa oem replacement for $170, works great! my buddies dodge lost a lift pump he did the conversion with a mopar in tank pump, it went out within a few months so mopar warrantied it..got a new one...it went out again within a few months so he went and did the same thing and bought a cheap oem replacement lift pump and went back to stock and never has failed since... and with 03 dodge as soon as your lift pump fails the failsafe kicks in immediately and kills all power to your truck...no lights no nothing! if you turn the key off and back on it will run for about 2 seconds and turn off again so you dont ruin your injector pump

[huntnphool]

An issue that will eventually be a problem on the newer Ford powerstrokes is that the cab has to be removed from the frame to get to the top, or at least the top rear of the engine.  Not many guys have a high ceiling and hoist in their shop and it has to add a big $ to the bill when it comes to having it done at a garage.  I heard that from a mechanic at the Snohomish County mainenance shop then saw it in person at Bickford Ford in Snohomish.  Hopefully they have to have a lot of miles on them before that becomes necessary but, wow.  I like Fords but I can work on my Dodge in my driveway.

LMAO!!! I don't know where you guys come up with some of this stuff but it sure is entertaining.

 I have had my entire 7.3L out and I can assure you the cab did not need to be removed.................thats pretty funny though.

Ha!  I told you I don't make this stuff up...

Maybe it's faster for the dealer to do it that way but I can assure you it's not necessary on the 7.3.

[JohnVH]

the cab doesnt have to come off a duralemon either, did that myself in frame.

[jackelope]

I have an 03 dodge and a 05 with the 6 speed stick and deisel. They pull hard... IMO the best combination for owning a dodge. One point i would make about the 03  is SOME of the 03 have a frame mounted fuel pump.  Could have lost my injector pump when mine went out. Most after that vintage have an in the tank pump system. Why is this important? In the tank pumps self lubricate lasting longer. When lifter pumps go out often your injection pump works itself to death trying to lift the fuel and squirt it.  Lifter pumps are cheep Injector pumps... not so much...

Spot on.  A fuel pressure guage is cheap insurance for this.

in tank is a rip off, crazy expensive and arent any better, they wont last any longer...my 03 dodge diesel lost its lift pump and i replaced it with a napa oem replacement for $170, works great! my buddies dodge lost a lift pump he did the conversion with a mopar in tank pump, it went out within a few months so mopar warrantied it..got a new one...it went out again within a few months so he went and did the same thing and bought a cheap oem replacement lift pump and went back to stock and never has failed since... and with 03 dodge as soon as your lift pump fails the failsafe kicks in immediately and kills all power to your truck...no lights no nothing! if you turn the key off and back on it will run for about 2 seconds and turn off again so you dont ruin your injector pump

Never heard of this fail safe feature you're talking about. I'm almost positive there is no such thing. There is a SKIM module that will cause the truck to start/stall quickly if the truck is equipped with SKIM but its got nothing to Do with wether the lift pump works or not. It is an anti-theft function.

[JohnVH]

Anyone with a diesel, and half a clue, installs a fuel pressure gauge ASAP.

[predatorpro]

I have an 03 dodge and a 05 with the 6 speed stick and deisel. They pull hard... IMO the best combination for owning a dodge. One point i would make about the 03  is SOME of the 03 have a frame mounted fuel pump.  Could have lost my injector pump when mine went out. Most after that vintage have an in the tank pump system. Why is this important? In the tank pumps self lubricate lasting longer. When lifter pumps go out often your injection pump works itself to death trying to lift the fuel and squirt it.  Lifter pumps are cheep Injector pumps... not so much...

Spot on.  A fuel pressure guage is cheap insurance for this.

in tank is a rip off, crazy expensive and arent any better, they wont last any longer...my 03 dodge diesel lost its lift pump and i replaced it with a napa oem replacement for $170, works great! my buddies dodge lost a lift pump he did the conversion with a mopar in tank pump, it went out within a few months so mopar warrantied it..got a new one...it went out again within a few months so he went and did the same thing and bought a cheap oem replacement lift pump and went back to stock and never has failed since... and with 03 dodge as soon as your lift pump fails the failsafe kicks in immediately and kills all power to your truck...no lights no nothing! if you turn the key off and back on it will run for about 2 seconds and turn off again so you dont ruin your injector pump

Never heard of this fail safe feature you're talking about. I'm almost positive there is no such thing. There is a SKIM module that will cause the truck to start/stall quickly if the truck is equipped with SKIM but its got nothing to Do with wether the lift pump works or not. It is an anti-theft function.

well MY 03 dodge diesel did it and its bone stock and according to every other dodge nut told me yep they wont do anything when the lift pump fails...no power to anything...maybe i was just imagining it tho when i was stuck on the side of the road...turned the key three times and the on board diagnostic system that is stock on it threw a code on my dashboard for a lift pump, replaced truck started right up and havent had a problem since

[6x6in6]

I have an 03 dodge and a 05 with the 6 speed stick and deisel. They pull hard... IMO the best combination for owning a dodge. One point i would make about the 03  is SOME of the 03 have a frame mounted fuel pump.  Could have lost my injector pump when mine went out. Most after that vintage have an in the tank pump system. Why is this important? In the tank pumps self lubricate lasting longer. When lifter pumps go out often your injection pump works itself to death trying to lift the fuel and squirt it.  Lifter pumps are cheep Injector pumps... not so much...

Spot on.  A fuel pressure guage is cheap insurance for this.

in tank is a rip off, crazy expensive and arent any better, they wont last any longer...my 03 dodge diesel lost its lift pump and i replaced it with a napa oem replacement for $170, works great! my buddies dodge lost a lift pump he did the conversion with a mopar in tank pump, it went out within a few months so mopar warrantied it..got a new one...it went out again within a few months so he went and did the same thing and bought a cheap oem replacement lift pump and went back to stock and never has failed since... and with 03 dodge as soon as your lift pump fails the failsafe kicks in immediately and kills all power to your truck...no lights no nothing! if you turn the key off and back on it will run for about 2 seconds and turn off again so you dont ruin your injector pump

Never heard of this fail safe feature you're talking about. I'm almost positive there is no such thing. There is a SKIM module that will cause the truck to start/stall quickly if the truck is equipped with SKIM but its got nothing to Do with wether the lift pump works or not. It is an anti-theft function.

well MY 03 dodge diesel did it and its bone stock and according to every other dodge nut told me yep they wont do anything when the lift pump fails...no power to anything...maybe i was just imagining it tho when i was stuck on the side of the road...turned the key three times and the on board diagnostic system that is stock on it threw a code on my dashboard for a lift pump, replaced truck started right up and havent had a problem since

Actually, it was the FCA (fuel control actuator) which is a solenoid controlled part on your CP3 (injection pump) which is on the low pressure side of the pump that threw the code to the ECM.

Your lift pump was dying a slow death and you never knew it.  Get a fuel pressure gauge installed so you know when it's happening again, and it will happen again, so you don't get stuck on the side of the road.   

[predatorpro]

I have an 03 dodge and a 05 with the 6 speed stick and deisel. They pull hard... IMO the best combination for owning a dodge. One point i would make about the 03  is SOME of the 03 have a frame mounted fuel pump.  Could have lost my injector pump when mine went out. Most after that vintage have an in the tank pump system. Why is this important? In the tank pumps self lubricate lasting longer. When lifter pumps go out often your injection pump works itself to death trying to lift the fuel and squirt it.  Lifter pumps are cheep Injector pumps... not so much...

Spot on.  A fuel pressure guage is cheap insurance for this.

in tank is a rip off, crazy expensive and arent any better, they wont last any longer...my 03 dodge diesel lost its lift pump and i replaced it with a napa oem replacement for $170, works great! my buddies dodge lost a lift pump he did the conversion with a mopar in tank pump, it went out within a few months so mopar warrantied it..got a new one...it went out again within a few months so he went and did the same thing and bought a cheap oem replacement lift pump and went back to stock and never has failed since... and with 03 dodge as soon as your lift pump fails the failsafe kicks in immediately and kills all power to your truck...no lights no nothing! if you turn the key off and back on it will run for about 2 seconds and turn off again so you dont ruin your injector pump

Never heard of this fail safe feature you're talking about. I'm almost positive there is no such thing. There is a SKIM module that will cause the truck to start/stall quickly if the truck is equipped with SKIM but its got nothing to Do with wether the lift pump works or not. It is an anti-theft function.

well MY 03 dodge diesel did it and its bone stock and according to every other dodge nut told me yep they wont do anything when the lift pump fails...no power to anything...maybe i was just imagining it tho when i was stuck on the side of the road...turned the key three times and the on board diagnostic system that is stock on it threw a code on my dashboard for a lift pump, replaced truck started right up and havent had a problem since

Actually, it was the FCA (fuel control actuator) which is a solenoid controlled part on your CP3 (injection pump) which is on the low pressure side of the pump that threw the code to the ECM.

Your lift pump was dying a slow death and you never knew it.  Get a fuel pressure gauge installed so you know when it's happening again, and it will happen again, so you don't get stuck on the side of the road.   

im just telling yall what my truck did when the lift pump went out, every part in a truck is dying a slow death from the first time you drive it off the lot...

[6x6in6]

I have an 03 dodge and a 05 with the 6 speed stick and deisel. They pull hard... IMO the best combination for owning a dodge. One point i would make about the 03  is SOME of the 03 have a frame mounted fuel pump.  Could have lost my injector pump when mine went out. Most after that vintage have an in the tank pump system. Why is this important? In the tank pumps self lubricate lasting longer. When lifter pumps go out often your injection pump works itself to death trying to lift the fuel and squirt it.  Lifter pumps are cheep Injector pumps... not so much...

Spot on.  A fuel pressure guage is cheap insurance for this.

in tank is a rip off, crazy expensive and arent any better, they wont last any longer...my 03 dodge diesel lost its lift pump and i replaced it with a napa oem replacement for $170, works great! my buddies dodge lost a lift pump he did the conversion with a mopar in tank pump, it went out within a few months so mopar warrantied it..got a new one...it went out again within a few months so he went and did the same thing and bought a cheap oem replacement lift pump and went back to stock and never has failed since... and with 03 dodge as soon as your lift pump fails the failsafe kicks in immediately and kills all power to your truck...no lights no nothing! if you turn the key off and back on it will run for about 2 seconds and turn off again so you dont ruin your injector pump

Never heard of this fail safe feature you're talking about. I'm almost positive there is no such thing. There is a SKIM module that will cause the truck to start/stall quickly if the truck is equipped with SKIM but its got nothing to Do with wether the lift pump works or not. It is an anti-theft function.

well MY 03 dodge diesel did it and its bone stock and according to every other dodge nut told me yep they wont do anything when the lift pump fails...no power to anything...maybe i was just imagining it tho when i was stuck on the side of the road...turned the key three times and the on board diagnostic system that is stock on it threw a code on my dashboard for a lift pump, replaced truck started right up and havent had a problem since

Actually, it was the FCA (fuel control actuator) which is a solenoid controlled part on your CP3 (injection pump) which is on the low pressure side of the pump that threw the code to the ECM.

Your lift pump was dying a slow death and you never knew it.  Get a fuel pressure gauge installed so you know when it's happening again, and it will happen again, so you don't get stuck on the side of the road.   

im just telling yall what my truck did when the lift pump went out, every part in a truck is dying a slow death from the first time you drive it off the lot...

I know what you are telling us.
I was just trying to explain to what your truck did and why it did it and which part it is on the truck that threw the code that it did.

[Special T]

funny it didn't do it on my truck? 

[M_ray]

For you guys complaining about the mileage of these trucks you do realize that aren't even broken in until about 75-80k miles right?

Where do you guys come up with this stuff? 

Not talking your initial break in but have you owned one of these engines? They will get their their optimum mileage at 75-80 cause the engines are so tight ... in other words I've known guys with the 7.3 that started with 14 miles per gallon and by the time they were at 70k they were getting 17-18 or better ... I bought mine with 30k on it and about 15 per mile and by the time I reached 80 I was getting 19 per gallon. I was driving a semi at the time and our mechanics worked on my truck and told me this is normal.

[snocohunter]

Getting pretty frustrated with the search. Seems like literally every truck with decent miles dealers and private sellers are $3-4k over KBB. Sometimes more than that. And nobody seems to want to haggle price at all. Even with me putting 25% down. Makes me want to just buy a tundra and sell it when diesel trucks come back down. It's hard to overcome what I want though. I am trying to be patient, but driving my dads spare car a bright yellow Chevy tracker is getting to me. It needs tires and I don't want to drive it in the snow.  Not to mention the looks I get

[huntnphool]

Makes me want to just buy a tundra and sell it when diesel trucks come back down.

dont count on that happening!

[Boss .300 winmag]

Sure glad I bought mine in 2004, dodge quad cab 8' bed cummings. 137000 and keeps on trucking. Oh did I mention It's paid for.