thinking about getting a Diesel. Help!

[high country]

look under the hood of all 3, if you think you are handy one peek at the turbos and glow plugs on the v8's will make you sick. at least dodges can be worked on. as far as 10k drain intervals on a d-max.....not mine. it might say I can wait, but if I changed my dodge every 5k and it holds a gallon more oil, I doubt I can stomach going 10k miles to save 30bux. diesel soot is not the worst thing for your oil.......extended idle can allow raw fuel into the oil.......not good, but not the worst either......crappy air filtration is the #1 cause of silicates in your engine oil. diesel maintence in general is important not just oil.

[sisu]

Josh, it's nine pages!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alanger]

Buy Ford.  Don't buy anything from Government Motors or those Italians  

Isn't Ford the only one who has weathered throught the economy and not take any handouts and now showing profits the last 4 quarters?   

come on now, bailouts have nothing to do with quality of the vehicle. the only reason GM needed bailouts is because they spent tremendous amounts of money on research and development for new technology for their vehicles, while ford just uses the same ol same ol.

Hey buddy if ya havent noticed that same ol same ol is still producing more and better than obama motors EVER has.

[Bulldozer]

P.S. The manual says to change oil when the computer tells you to on a duramax. Mine typically is about 10k miles as well as my dad truck. How ofter does yer Cumapart manual tell you to change it. FYI Cumaparts are a very dirty running engine (old technology) that is why you gotta change more often. More soot in oil. Also why they had to change to a new motor to meet the new emitions standards

Dodge says don't even think about oil change till 7500 and 15000 if your driving highway. If your waiting for the goverment motors computer to tell you when to change your oil its been to long. My wife has one and it never comes up the same even though it goes the same place same route every day. If we are going to tow something we take the Dodge.

[jackelope]

this is right off of Chrysler's dealer website...and also out of the owners manual for a 2007 dodge ram with a 6.7 cummins.

Oil Change Indicator System
Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change indicator system. This system will alert you when it is time to change your engine oil by displaying the words “Oil Change Required�? on your Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). The engine oil change indicator system is duty cycle based, which means the engine oil change interval may fluctuate depending on your personal driving style. Driving styles such as frequent stop and go type driving can increase the frequency of the engine oil change. This is the result of more frequent regeneration of the exhaust aftertreatment system, which can decrease the life of the engine oil. Failure to change the engine oil per the maintenance schedule can result in internal engine damage.

[jackelope]

it then goes on to say that you should change your oil on a 7500 mile interval regardless of whether the light comes on or not.

Miles  7,500  15,000  22,500  30,000  37,500   (Kilometers)  (12 000)  (24 000)  (36 000)  (48 000)  (60 000)   [Months]  [6]  [12]  [18]  [24]  [30]   Change engine oil and engine oil filter. (Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 7,500 miles (12 000 km) or 6 months, which ever comes first). X X X X X

[jackelope]

P.S. The manual says to change oil when the computer tells you to on a duramax. Mine typically is about 10k miles as well as my dad truck. How ofter does yer Cumapart manual tell you to change it. FYI Cumaparts are a very dirty running engine (old technology) that is why you gotta change more often. More soot in oil. Also why they had to change to a new motor to meet the new emitions standards

Dodge says don't even think about oil change till 7500 and 15000 if your driving highway. If your waiting for the goverment motors computer to tell you when to change your oil its been to long. My wife has one and it never comes up the same even though it goes the same place same route every day. If we are going to tow something we take the Dodge.

I'm not sure where you got the 15k interval from unless you're running a 5.9L.

[timberghost72]

Buy Ford.  Don't buy anything from Government Motors or those Italians  

Isn't Ford the only one who has weathered throught the economy and not take any handouts and now showing profits the last 4 quarters?   

Isn't dodge owned by the Germans (daimler, ie: mercedes benz)?
*
Look at construction site's, mostly Fords, Heavy equipment crews, mostly Fords, Look at what the old guys with the really big 5th wheels use, mostly Fords (just drive through one of the seasonal parks in arizona).
2 people that i know (1 uncle, 1 an old neighbor) uncle worked for the port, heavy equipment guy that has owned diesel's his whole life and tows big loads alot, buys 2 new trucks every other year, always buys Fords, i trust his input. The other, my old neighbor had his own trucking/heavy equipment business and spent years in alaska working the pipeline, always bought Fords. Both those guys i feel no there Sh*t and i trust there opinions when it came to heavy duty/working/getting it done trucks, both also left them stock...

Daimler has sold their share of Chrysler Corp.  Now Fiat owns 'em

Bankruptcy and Sale to Fiat
In April 2009, Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. The reorganized company would be partially owned by Italian automaker Fiat as well as the United Auto Workers union upon its emergence from bankruptcy.


 

[jackelope]

Daimler unloaded Chrysler quite a while before Fiat bought them. Some investment company bought controlling share of Chrysler from Daimler probably 2 years ago(off the top of my head...might be +/-)

[high country]

I know this much, anyone running a oiled element filter better not have long engine life dreams with 15k d&r's.......unless you live on the wetside..........regardless of truck make

[whacker1]

I have done the research and decided that I can't justify a diesel.  The increased purchase price, more costly replacement parts, ride, and larger turning radius are the reasons, I have chosen to get another half-ton.  I don't tow often enough to justify the diesel.  Loads of significance are infequent.  I would like the increased mileage, but 17 on a newer half ton Ford is the same as the new Ford, Dodge and Chevy adhering to the new admissions requirements. 

However, back to the topic - If I were in your position looking at the 2000-2003 timeline,  I would also buy a 7.3 powerstroke.  As most have mentioned, the largest issue is the transmission.  I would change the exhaust to something more free flowing.  I would also look at programmer to maximize gas mileage. 

Big question - this topic has reached 9 pages, and not one person has mentioned a gear vendor or split differential system.  Why not?  or are they just not well known enough? 

Bearpaw - ideal for you and driving patterns like yours.  lots of freeway driving long trips - pick up 3 miles per gallon at those speeds when not loaded and drop 700 rpm's or so, increasing the overall length of the motor and transmission.

[fishcrazy]

anyone running a oiled element filter better not have long engine life dreams  

Fixed it for you.

Them oiled elements are a big Joke. K&N are the leaders in fooling people. Independent test show they do little to filter air and clog up first. Not sure about other trucks but in testing the factory AC Delco is about as good as it gets for filtering and long life. I think my filters run about $20.00
I love the claims they make about added power and mpg. It's just a bold face lie. You can get better mpg by just keeping a fresh filter in.

Kris

[kenzmad]

gotta watchout for the air filter box on the 99 and up powerstrokes. if you take it off and look back through the hose you can see daylight around the seal. this allows unfiltered air into the motor. I use an international truck filter. it is huge and clamps on the pipe leading to the engine. every truck maker has its pors and cons. if I could build one it would be the cummins motor, allison tranny ford body dodge folding back seat dodge center console chevy ride. wishful thinkin I'm sure

kenzmad

[Buckmark]

Buy Ford.  Don't buy anything from Government Motors or those Italians  

Isn't Ford the only one who has weathered throught the economy and not take any handouts and now showing profits the last 4 quarters?   

Isn't dodge owned by the Germans (daimler, ie: mercedes benz)?
*
Look at construction site's, mostly Fords, Heavy equipment crews, mostly Fords, Look at what the old guys with the really big 5th wheels use, mostly Fords (just drive through one of the seasonal parks in arizona).
2 people that i know (1 uncle, 1 an old neighbor) uncle worked for the port, heavy equipment guy that has owned diesel's his whole life and tows big loads alot, buys 2 new trucks every other year, always buys Fords, i trust his input. The other, my old neighbor had his own trucking/heavy equipment business and spent years in alaska working the pipeline, always bought Fords. Both those guys i feel no there Sh*t and i trust there opinions when it came to heavy duty/working/getting it done trucks, both also left them stock...

Daimler has sold their share of Chrysler Corp.  Now Fiat owns 'em

Bankruptcy and Sale to Fiat
In April 2009, Chrysler filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. The reorganized company would be partially owned by Italian automaker Fiat as well as the United Auto Workers union upon its emergence from bankruptcy.


 

I have not looked it up, but i am talking Dodge, not chrysler, as jackelope said the chrysler division was sold awhile ago and may have been picked up by fiat, but i am probably wrong but Dodge is there fullsize truck line and still controled by Daimler? Not arguing just asking.
Buy a Ford....

[Buckmark]

Ok so i think i answerd my own question.
from my research, fiat aquired most of chryslers assests (controling) which also included the dodge brand.
Now for some more confusion, isnt fiat owned by Gm? which means Gm (government motors) has the controlling interest in dodge (you can get onstar in a dodge now) So the 2 automakers who got a bailout are actually deep down inside the same company and the 2 combined still can not build a truck like a Ford or pay there bills/make a profit..