Most of the "consumer" grade diesel engines are NOT what we are told, lifetime engines, that can go 700,000 miles before a partial rebuild. You have to get to a higher level to have that motor under your hood, mostly found in HD truck and industrial machines. The Diesel engine probably found under the hood of pick-up trucks are known as throw away diesel engines because the are not meant to be rebuilt but replaced.
One advantage to owning a diesel in a pick-up is the heavier duty parts that accompany the diesel engine, Trans and drive-line, cooling system, front suspension.
I had a Diesel in a 2000 Ford Excursion, I had no problems with that 7.3 turbo Powerstroke engine and eventually sold it with 135,000 miles I could not believe the resale value I received on that truck.
I also own a MotorHome with a 415hp Cummins M11 and a Allison 4000 series trans. That engine is a true 700,000+ mile engine the 7.3 Powerstroke was not.
If I was going to replace my Motorhome I would be looking for a pre-def engine in a used RV.

Duramax and Powerstroke are consumer engines and designed to last a reasonable amount of time over a consumer duty cycle. They are V-8's whereas all other commercial on-highway diesels manufactured by everyone else are either I-4 or I-6. V's only come into play off-highway when you get over around 25L. But for consumers a V-8 has always been an "upgrade" over and I-6 so they perpetuate that even though it's not a real issue.

Cummins Ram truck engines are based on commercial engines that are expected to last a long time, but the specific engine configuration is still unique to the Ram and detail designed according to consumer needs - higher power and torque ratings (but for intermitted power, not constant) compared to commercial engines due to marketing, and components sourced for consumer cost and duty cycle.

If you want a real long-life Cummins, buy a commercial one in a commercial truck. The Heavy Duty engines (starting at the ISM11 and up) have replaceable cylinder liners and can be rebuilt several times to get to 1M miles or more.

no pickup but work van related,

Ihave a 2005 Ford E350 Diesel,

apparently that model year or a close range had a gas tank delamination problem,

so at 110K, with 0 issues, I got stranded in it 4 times over the past 2 yrs, it's back in the shop again, and I will pick it up this week,


picking up it's replacement tomorrow, 2023 T-250 gas,
not sure what it is rated re mpg,



re the comments on the fuel system rebiuld,

stranded due to stopped up fuel filter, from the tank delaminating, however the dealer said it was the Fuel Control Modulator,

new filters, new control bit and then

got stranded agian,

this time the said they could not find a tank, so they flushed it out, redid the fuel system, and all was well,

till a boot between the motor and intake came loose, fortunately a quick roadside fix,


a month or 3 later, stranded at the gunshow, batteries managed to come loose, only person to touch the batteries was the dealer, and one terminal was less than hand tight,



then,, about a year later, stranded again, same issue, the boiling of the tank did not work. stranded again,

new fuel tank (finally someone made a replacement) and a few bits, and good to go,

ran like a scalded dog, no issue no drama,

till 2 weeks ago, low pressure pump took a shit,


so, stranded again, oddly at the same gunshow,


so, replacement is due,


when it was not breaking down, the 6.0 got 15 MPg, empty or loaded,

pull a trailer, it got 8MPG,


never had a problem pulling the trailer or while the back was loaded, and loaded it full and likely overwieght a few times,


my point to the long post, if you have it when the fuel system goes, be sure the dealer is capable of addressing it the first time

I've spent way too much in the past 18 months on tow bills and repairs,

In general I love diesels, I have owned a Ford Diesel pickup truck since the very first one was produced, I have them in boats, agricultural equipment, construction equipment etc. etc.
But I would not buy a modern diesel in a pickup truck unless you have a very, very, specific use.
The economics are just not there. And in fact are terrible. Between the extra cost of the engine up front, the extra costs of maintenance, the extra repair costs, the extra costs of fuel, (literally everything costs more and sometimes by a lot) you need to drive an unbelievable amount of miles towing heavy loads to make it pay. Like mileage no average person is ever going to obtain. I tow, a lot, and decently heavy loads.And the rated capacity of the gas engine is fine. In my most recent F350 purchase the diesel engine offers you exactly 1600lb of extra capacity. If you need it fine, if you don't you just spent a ton of money for no reason. I can say towing is more pleasant with the diesel, but so what when it costs you thousands and thousands extra every year. Avoid at all costs.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: hrcjon,

Yes, the new gas trucks can pull the heavier trailers, and may be more cost effective. But the grin on your face when you’re pulling that trailer up a hill behind your diesel making 2-3 times the amount of torque is priceless.

I am in the diesel camp. I have had four Duramaxes through the years. My neighbor currently owns my 2002 and it has 325k miles on it. I currently drive a 2013 and get 20 plus mpg.


Jim

You also can’t order at the drive through with a diesel engine running

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
You also can’t order at the drive through with a diesel engine running

Yeah you can. You just need to yell louder...

I went through a similar decision process about 1.5 years ago. I needed a HD truck, primarily for a full sized composite camper shell my wife and I plan to use for long-ish term travel. I was all set on a diesel...then I started doing research and was surprised to discover how complex the new diesels have become. The total cost of ownership for newer diesel will be higher than a similar HD gas rig. I then started to look at the old HD diesels which are now 'collectible' and ridiculously expensive...and they are OLD. Ultimately, I bought a slightly used F450 7.3L gasser with the 10 sp. Gas mileage is not great, but not terrible either. Plenty is power for my use...with nearly 1000 ft/lbs on the newer diesels, you need to ask yourself if you really need that kinds of power.

DJM

I have been very happy with my 2003 F350 regular cab with the 6.8L V-10 engine. I bought it new and I only have 55K miles on it. I don't drive it much but it is always loaded with 10-15K Trailer weight. This truck cost $22K brand new and I think I could get that for it today. A diesel was $6K more if I recall correctly. The engine/drivetrain has never needed any repairs beyond a fan belt.

I have never felt underpowered and I have run up some pretty steep grades. I don't need any more power. The current F250/350 gas engines look good to me.

The EPA ruined diesel engines in 2009.

quote:

Originally posted by petr:

Yeah you can. You just need to yell louder...

Like this:

quote:

Originally posted by petr:

quote:

Originally posted by darthfuster:
You also can’t order at the drive through with a diesel engine running

Yeah you can. You just need to yell louder...

I had a Fast Food worker tell me she could not hear me a few times, so I shut the van down to order


was a a McDonalds near a gunshow, getting lunch on the way to the show, and the damn thing shut down, and would not restart, (battery connection issues related to a dealer repair) and had the Mcdonalds workers push me out of the drivethru,,,,,