Which diesel motor is more dependable?

[GAGator]

I'm thinking of trading my F-150 in on an F-250 diesel, and a friend who is MUCH more knowledgeable on diesel motors than I am, recommended I stay away from anything other than a Cummins. What say you guys? Note: I've been a Ford truck guy my whole life.

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by GAGator

I'm thinking of trading my F-150 in on an F-250 diesel, and a friend who is MUCH more knowledgeable on diesel motors than I am, recommended I stay away from anything other than a Cummins. What say you guys? Note: I've been a Ford truck guy my whole life.

I drive a RAM3500 6.7 cumming, I love the truck but I call bull hockey, all three are good motors when it comes to the 6.7 (ford and RAM), I think Chevy has a 6.6 duramax, all good motors, now if you are looking at used I would stay away from the 6.0 ford diesel unless the whole engine has been bullet proofed, there have been a lot of probelm's with the ford 6.0 motor. Buy what you like, they all have there pros and cons. Just an reminder, this is coming from a RAM guy. :-)

[5picker]

OH boy!...
This is a LOADED question.

I'm not trying to be a smart alec but this topic is debated daily here and quickly turns into trouble.
There are YEARS worth of reading on what is 'best' if you do a forum search.

[GAGator]

Originally Posted by wildcatter

I drive a RAM3500 6.7 cumming, I love the truck but I call bull hockey, all three are good motors when it comes to the 6.7 (ford and RAM), I think Chevy has a 6.6 duramax, all good motors, now if you are looking at used I would stay away from the 6.0 ford diesel unless the whole engine has been bullet proofed, there have been a lot of probelm's with the ford 6.0 motor. Buy what you like, they all have there pros and cons. Just an reminder, this is coming from a RAM guy. :-)

The only thing I know about the truck I'm considering is that it is a Powerstroke Turbo V8 Diesel on an F-250. Is that a 6.0?

[GAGator]

Originally Posted by 5picker

OH boy!...
This is a LOADED question.

I'm not trying to be a smart alec but this topic is debated daily here and quickly turns into trouble.
There are YEARS worth of reading on what is 'best' if you do a forum search.

I did do a search and there are millions of gas vs diesel, ford vs chevy vs dodge, etc, etc, etc. I didn't see any discussing the merits of specific motors. Just looking for a little advice - never owned a diesel before.

[spock123]

I have a Silverado 3500 diesel that has 125,000 miles and have had no problems with the engine, only the def part. I had a 08 2500 Silverado and put 80,000 miles on it, no problems with the engine. Ford, GMC/Chevrolet and Ram Cummings is just a personal choice. It's what truck you like, all are good trucks.

[5picker]

Understood... best of luck.

[Islander]

What year is this F250 you are considering?
...and what are you planning to haul or pull?

Islander

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by GAGator

The only thing I know about the truck I'm considering is that it is a Powerstroke Turbo V8 Diesel on an F-250. Is that a 6.0?

What year? The 6.0 was from mid 2003 to 2011, here is a link to read up on the problems with the 6.0 if that is what you are looking at. A friend of mine has a 2004 F250 6.0, he just spent 2500 dollars on replacing the EGR cooler, this is one of the items that should have been bullet proofed but wasn't. Just do your research on the year that you are looking at, there is a lot of good knowledge and experience out there. I'm not saying the 6.0 is a total piece of junk, just be careful and do your research on all makes and models you are looking at.

https://www.littlepowershop.com/comm...ues-and-fixes/

[GAGator]

Originally Posted by Islander

What year is this F250 you are considering?
...and what are you planning to haul or pull?

Islander

2005 Ford F250 4x4 Crew Cab Lariat with 178,000 miles and I'll be pulling my 26' Wildwood Lite with it.

[ralphieracer]

Depends on what you are doing and what brand you like.
Cummins been around so long, they are trend setters. Do you need a diesel and or a big truck?
Had a 08 F350 diesel, 39' 5th wheel, it pulled like a freight train, but gave poor mileage. Had 2012 F250 gas, with 20" tires, pulling 38" TT, poor mileage, poor ride, poor wet weather handling, Traded for 2012 F350 Diesel dually, pulling 38' unit, pulled like a dream, very good mileage loaded and empty, great ride. Now I use a 2016 F150 Crew Cab with Eco Boost 6, and it does a pretty good job except mileage is poor when under load, which is expected with a twin turbo 6 pulling the load. Like I said earlier, all depends.

[wildcatter]

Originally Posted by GAGator

2005 Ford F250 4x4 Crew Cab Lariat with 178,000 miles.

I would take it to a ford diesel mechanic and have an inspection done on it, the few dollars it will cost you may save you thousands in the long run. My son drives a 2007 F350 6.0 that hasn't been bullet proofed and so far no problems, we can all have problems, I would spend the few dollars and have an inspection done. I would do that with any used truck/diesel I was looking at.

[BandJCarm]

Oh Lordy. A diesel truck war! LOL

I don't drive Fiats. I have a Chevy because I think it's in the Bible somewhere. Not really sure. But that's what I heard. I'd own a Ford, though.

[GAGator]

Originally Posted by wildcatter

I would take it to a ford diesel mechanic and have an inspection done on it, the few dollars it will cost you may save you thousands in the long run. My son drives a 2007 F350 6.0 that hasn't been bullet proofed and so far no problems, we can all have problems, I would spend the few dollars and have an inspection done. I would do that with any used truck/diesel I was looking at.

Good advice, but I'm starting to get cold feet after visiting that link you gave me earlier (https://www.littlepowershop.com/comm...ues-and-fixes/). I think I'm going to keep looking and do some more research. Thanks.

My F-150 5.4 Triton does a decent job, so I may just stick with it a while longer.

[Cowracer]

Can open, worms everywhere.

taken as a whole, ANY modern diesel is a great motor. Relatively clean, surprisingly quiet, astonishing power, and moderately decent mileage.

You may hear from people saying "I had a X and it was junk". Bear in mind that there are lemons in ANY group if the sample size is large enough.

With that said, if I had to spend my money, I would be very hard pressed to choose between the GM or the Ford. For no other reason than I like V8s. Now I would not turn down any truck if it was given to me.

Tim

[510Rick]

Please just visit a few Ford truck dealers and see how many have the cab off of them . Then decide what you want .

[rskeans]

Ifk WILDCATTER'S dates are correct you are looking at a 6.0. DON'T DO IT. The 7.3L powerstroke is solid and the 6.7 are solid. Stay away from the 6.0 and 6.4.

As said by others current engines are all good. The Cummins is a straight 6 and is less complicated than the other brands which are all V8's.

[bshort]

There's plenty of 6.0 Powerstroke engines out there doing what they're supposed to do without even a hiccup.

[bshort]

Originally Posted by 510Rick

Please just visit a few Ford truck dealers and see how many have the cab off of them . Then decide what you want .

GM too.

[Rich5117]

Maintenance is a must with diesels, while the vehicle is out of warranty, you may be able to go to a ford dealer and get a print out of anything done during warranty and things done at a dealer provided it was entered into the system.

Mileage is not bad for a 2005, but as wildcatter has said I would take it to a good diesel mechanic for a check. Specifically oil cooler, EGR coolers and common rear engine leak. A good general check as wildcatter said can save you thousands.