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So, are the Chevrolet Duramax motors with the Allison transmissions good? I know I may be asking for more problems but I want to stick with an auto tranny. This will be my daily driver too.
Another good point as good as the cummins is the auto tyrannys are shit unless they built but I believe this is the case for any diesel truck. Even the mighty Allison shows its limits at about 500hp witch is easily achieved with a tuner, exhaust, and intake with a dirtymax. Also the dodge and Chevy tend to have front end problems more so with the dodge. Fords have shity breaks and keep in mind the big diesel V8s are a PITA to work on you have to lift the cab off the frame to do anything major like a turbo, or injectors. With the cummins being a inline 6 its super easy to work on especialy the first gen witch is what I own with over 350,000 miles and I wouldn't hesitate to drive it anywhere
If you plan on keeping the truck stock any stock tranny will be fine with proper maintenance. The problems occur when you add power and torqe and as you know it's verry easy to unlesh the beast in these trucks most of the motors are rated under 300 hp but it takes nothing to make 500hp. The 12v is rated 180hp and 450 ft/lb but it just takes a few screws turned, a $100 fuel plate and exhaust and your in 400hp and 600ft/lb area and you transmission just isn't built for that
People forget that don't they, beefing up one part means you have beef it all up.Originally Posted by soldier-of-the-apocalypse
My 05 3500 dodge
i got 135,000 miles out my factory transmission, and i pull heavy, 15,000 pounds plus when we would tow our fifth wheel and jeep, used in my construction business to pull my equipment trailer and tools, regularly 5000 lbs and more
the peoiple who use these trucks as a daily driver to commute 15 miles into town and run out to the movies will kill the tranny everytime. the truck was meant to work and work hard, hammer the crap out it and it will thank you everyday. if it is not banging up against the governor then they are not happy at all. if you are not towing with it then park it, using it as a commuter will kill it, they hate city driving unless you are starting a heavy load
i got 80,000 miles out of my first set of brakes,
i got 145,000 miles out of my first set of injectors, installed the new ones myself, they are not that hard to do.
the truck currently has 166k miles on it and it runs great.
the new tranny has a triple lock tc, upgraded valve body and all heavy duty internals should last forever,
the only complaint i have about this truck is that it eats tires, but i finally got pissed off enough last night and fixed that factory defect, the factory adjustment would not allow for enough caster in the passenger side, a little drilling, alittle welding and we are all set. every time it was aligned i would get the same story, there isn't enough caster adjustment, that is as close as we can get it.
Last edited by rockhound; 06-24-2013 at 08:37.
Self control: The minds ability to override the body's urge to beat the living sh.. out of some ass.... who desperately deserves it.
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Thomas Jefferson
Obama, so full of crap it is a miracle Air Force One can even get off the ground,
Tranny rebuild between 150k - 200k. Make sure the front bearings and u joints are in good condition. If there is play in the steering wheel it may need a new gear box. Check the wiring harness works if you want to tow.
Overflow bottle is clean, not seeing a big issue there. Those do crack over time. The air filter being red, if its a k&n, its letting dirt in. If its afe, youre fine.
Otherwise, look over the truck. Known plenty of folks who dont beat their trucks into the ground, but like lift/wheels. Working on the 7.3 is not terrible either. A cummins is easier, but you can get the turbo off without moving the cab, same with injectors, and most anything else on that engine.
What Ive seen, in the year/price range you are looking at:
at 10k, you arent buying a dmax
at 10k, you arent buying a 03+ dodge
you can afford the ford.
Ford has better brakes than the 02 and back dodges by a long shot, better front axle than the 03+ dodges. Ford has a real axle over chevy independant. The cummins will pull better mileage than the 7.3, and the dmax will be close to the cummins. The 7.3 isnt bad for mileage, but likely 18 will be the highest youll see, more like 16 being realistic. I think all autos are pretty scrap metal, but youre not buying me a truck either! Crew/short is probably the most popular setup, so those truck are going to sell fast, especially with a 7.3. The only faster mover would be with a 6speed in it.
Pop the intake tube and check the turbo for wear/play, check for smoke, otherwise general look over, and go. One nice thing is numbers wise, there are a lot more fords built than dodges, so it you do need something the parts are fairly available.
I have been driving a 7.3L 250 for about the past year.. this truck is really good at what it was made for,, but diesel is a pain the ass for me.... I will tow occasionally, but nothing more then my 6.L gas chevy could handle (when it was running lol). deisel is more like a life style then a truck... lol
I don't know that you would want any Dmax you can get for under $10K. It would an LB7 and be prepared for the $2000 for injectors anywhere from 5K miles to 100K miles. There is no warranty, so if you get 1K miles out of them, then you get to pay for another new set. If you do find a newer one, check the transfer case, as they have a metal clip inside that like to break and then wears a hole through the case. For $2500, it is easily replaced. I have had to have the front end rebuilt once for $450, and was told it will have to be done again after another 80K miles. I regularly pull heavy trailers, the lightest being 7K pounds. I pulled a 10K lb Airstream to Albuquerque from Canon City yesterday and averaged 15mpg. It's not the fastest or strongest, but it gets the job done.
I agree with the guys on the Cummins auto trannys. The four we had all began slipping at under 100k miles and all of the trucks were stock. One started slipping at 32K miles. My father traded off his 93 cummins with a newly rebuilt auto tranny, and we are still wishing we hadn't. The 03 Cummins seems to be having a lot of problems. I know of three people with them, all three have had to rebuild the front end multiple times and the transfer case has gone out of two of them. My brother has an 01 Cummins with a 6 speed manual. It is a beast, still running strong with 105K on it.
My suggestion to you would be find an older Dodge Cummins 12v for $5-6K and put some money in it. You may not have the fastest or prettiest, but it will be one of the best diesels for your price range. It was $3200 to put a heavy duty rebuilt tranny in my father's '93. It had 290K on it, and ran like a dream.
I think I found one I like. I am waiting on a response for more information on the truck.
Thoughts on this one?
http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3994890130.html
$13K - Ford F250 7.3 liter power stroke turbo diesel; 162,000 miles. Clean, one owner, runs great. Leather interior, tool box, ranch-hand bumper and grill guard, IPF lights.
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