Been starting to look at diesel pickups for my next truck. Most of the ones that I have been looking at are in the higher mileage range ( 240k – 270k). I know that diesels last a lot longer than gas engines, but is this starting to get into the range where I can expect problems?
What is the life range of a diesel engine? What problems should I be looking for in this mileage range.
Thanxs for any info
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>>>What is the life range of a diesel engine?
Much like gas engines, it mostly depends on how it was treated. Regular oil changes are critical; fuel quality too. I've got one that's at 250K and shows no sign of wear, but it has been babied it's whole life. I fully expect it to go to at least 500K before any major work.
They can last a very long time, and are cheaper to run, but if you have to do repairs they can be VERY expensive to fix. So far I've been able to handle any work that mine has needed, basic stuff like alternator, vacuum pumps, water pump, rad, etc.
Scott.
Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.â€
I drive a 97 1-ton Dodge Ram with Cummins diesel. I have about 110k miles on it.
I changed all the oils and filters regularly myself and took good care of the truck. I expect to get 500k miles out of it, with a change of the injector pump at about 250k.
I have replaced the batteries once, the tires about four times at close to $1000 for a set, and I am on my third set of shocks. The original shocks were cr@p, as they were on my three previous Dodge Ram Diesels. The Ranchos, which were supposed to last a lifetime, made it about five years. I am now on Monroes, and after two years, they seem flaky too.
Big negatives: The front end is underdesigned (IMO). I have heard this from many people, especially farmers. This goes for all Dodge diesels from 97 and back. I don't know about current problems in this area. My guess is they did not fix this problem.
I had to spend about $3000 a year and a half ago at about 95k to replace the ball joints. Many people had told me about this weakness previously, but I did not want to believe it. I did not have enough miles on my previous three Dodges (about 100k between them) to get to this problem, so I hoped that maybe they had addressed it. Not!
As far as the front end goes, the Dodge is not Ford Tough. On the other hand, it is not Found on the Road Dead. In all fairness, I have not seen too many trucks of any make dead on the freeway in recent years. My first pickup was a Ford, and it was found dead a few times. With four Dodges in 15 years, I have only had one breakdown On the road, which was caused by bad diesel fuel which my wife purchased in Illinois on Hwy 55 on a trip to Chicago (her home town). I only mention it because I am still angry at any gas station that would not keep their tanks clean and at any State that does not make that happen.
I have heard, in my initial research (vintage 92) that the Ford diesels require a new injector pump much sooner.
I had a great 62 Jimmy in 1978-9. I drove it all over Europe with a huge slide-in camper. Once, as I was halted in a busy intersection in Munich, on the way to Austria, a pedestrian pounded enthusiastically on my hood and gave me a thumbs-up with a big smile. It was a 6-banger gas engine. Like my current Dodge, the paint was faded and pealed, but it ran very dependably. I finally sold it to a Yugoslavian immigrant who tricked out the camper quite well before a heart attack got him. I can only believe it is still cruising around Europe, raising eyebrows, and gettin slapped on the hood.
I have a large love and a small hate relationship with my current Dodge. I will do all the maintenance myself, as I have learned not to trust the dealerships. I will go to a mechanic when the cost of tools is too much. Either way, unless I win the lottery, I plan to drive it to my cremation.
Hi Matt,
Sounds like your budget is about what mine was when I was looking. I couldn't believe how little I could get. Which is why most of the guys I knew went ahead and bought new.
I wanted at least 3/4 ton to pull a substantial trailer, plus 4x4. Probably not appropriate for you, but I ended up with a 35k mi deuce-and-a-half for the money. Truly the answer to my dreams. Which don't include commuting to a job in a 7 ton 8 mpg truck.
FWIW, my Dodge van's (gas 5.2 L) odometer died at 202k, about 6 yrs ago. I'm guessing around 300k now. Compression is 145-150 on all cylinders. Anymore, the tranny's the weak link. Look into that for whatever you're considering.
Hope you're doing well. I'll let you know if I see anything promising.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Hey Tom!!!!
Been thinking about you off and on. One of these days Ill get out to see you. Im going on a self-imposed vacation towards the end of June so may I can hook up with you then sometime.
7-8 mpg is about what I get with my '78 GMC 1-ton 4x4 (thats with what they call full time 4x4). I had been using an '89 Toyota van as my everyday work vehicle, but now thats in the shop ( they're having a hard time finding parts for it), which got great mileage for everything it was hauling ( about 15 -17 mpg filled to the rim with tools).
Hope your doing well.
-MattLive by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
Give a yell, I'm still here (most of the time). Yuengling's on hand.
We drive full-sized vans (Dodge and Ford). Pretty hard to beat for utility and cost. Parts everywhere and the mileage is as good as your Toyota. The deuce-and-a-half works as the pickup (7 ton load? no problem) and will pull a decent pintle trailer. Even those parts are plentiful (via UPS) and cheap.
Those GMC full-time 4x4's were always gas hogs. Sounds like you've driven one longer than anyone else I know.
Diesel maintenance is almost nothing, until you need engine work. The idea is to send it to somebody else before then. I've got 5 diesels here, definitely my preference. Not a difficult conversion to waste vegetable oil (WVO) if you really want to save on fuel. Get a burger and fill up. LOL Not quite that simple, but close.
The high price for high-mileage (200k) diesel pickups still mystifies me. Yeah, the engine should last about forever, but everything else has to be replaced. Not anything I'd buy.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
"Not a difficult conversion to waste vegetable oil (WVO) if you really want to save on fuel."But you've got to be really careful where you get your soon-to-be-recycled oil, 'cos it's whiffy when burning, I'm told. Get it from Dunkin' Donuts and you'll have nothin' but grief.;^)soj
(Why hello, Officer . . . )
Not anything I have experience with but I'm told by 10yr veterans that the oil really doesn't matter. Heating it properly does. Critical. The reports of engine damage were with unheated or minimally heated oil.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
"Not anything I have experience with but I'm told by 10yr veterans that the oil really doesn't matter. Heating it properly does. Critical. The reports of engine damage were with unheated or minimally heated oil."I have to admit I was just going for the (very) cheap cop 'n' donut joke, but I have been wondering about the nuances of the practical application of biodiesel. So thanks -- I learned something new today! soj
You're welcome. Sorry I missed the humor. There're a bunch of people on the internet who're very serious about the subject. I browse.
BTW, biodiesel is not waste vegetable oil. It's oil that's been processed to behave like diesel, no heating required. The choices are modify your vehicle (heat the oil), or your fuel. Lots of proponents for both.
Guess you know you can also run your (gas) car from the gas produced by careful wood-burning? More than a few guys doing it. I'm not, but I looked into the potential for a stationary power plant. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
" There're a bunch of people on the internet who're very serious about the subject. I browse."You browse; I've only been grazing. I've run across some of that extremely serious information, and I've not yet really set to understanding it completely (or, apparently, very well). I've become more curious with the rising economic interest in biofuels in general (ethanol, switchgrass), but mostly from an agrarian/cultural/economic perspective. "Guess you know you can also run your (gas) car from the gas produced by careful wood-burning? "I recall a wood-fired/steam generating truck in a Mother Earth News article. I'm thinkin' the Stanley Steamer-type wood-burning trucks would not be very popular among the emissions-control folks. :^) But a quick google turns up the concept of gasozenes/wood gasification, which I suspect is what you meant . . . hmmm. And now I've learned another new thing today. I should've paced myself. ;^)Interesting concept as a power plant, though. Too bad the home-based fuel cells (such as Plug Power had been developing) aren't getting into widespread production too quickly.Again, thankssoj
(Sorry to all for the thread drift -- swerve? :^))
But a quick google turns up the concept of gasozenes/wood gasification, which I suspect is what you meant . . . hmmm.
YahooGroups has a woodgas forum. That's where I learned I didn't want to try it for a stationary power plant. Although there is a guy there doing that, large system. Haven't heard from him for awhile. No steam, just gas. Wood, I've got.
I rarely drive anywhere. My interest is off-grid potential for the homestead. Something that could double for automotive propulsion is always interesting. Still looking. Microhydro's next. 25 kw is plenty (that's the PTO generator that lives here), whether from WVO, biodiesel, woodgas, ... Actually bought the spare deuce-and-a-half partly cause it's got a great engine.
Digress? Who'd do that?
There you go. We're back to something Matt can use: my spare truck, well within his budget. If not exactly what he had in mind. Sure would impress his co-workers. Always gets the ROW on back roads here. Real cheap to run if he minimized the dino diesel. Hmmmm... IIRC it's still set up for multi-fuel.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Glad you pointed out the difference between WVO (waste vegetable oil) and Biodiesel. It's a big one- lots of people have racked up many tens of thousands of happy miles on biodiesel, usually with no modifications to their car or truck at all. WVO use requires modification of the fuel system, for better filtering, heating the oil, and starting and stopping the vehicle on biodiesel or petro-diesel.
And lots of things matter: heat is very important, but so is the quality of the oil, the quality of your filtration/drying, the stoutness of your injection pump/injectors, etc. Warm WVO, if it's full of suspended moisture and free fatty acids, can do expensive damage to an engine, if not immediately, within a few thousand miles.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
Yup. An Irish guy just posted the post-mortem results of his first WVO experiment. He's still perfectly happy with WVO, strong proponent, but learned what it can do to your engine if you don't treat it with respect. Wasn't pretty.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Back in 2000 I had a brand new f350 4wd, man I was something I never had a new truck before let alone a 4wd diesel ,Man I went up and down the east coast working on industrial / quarry equip. ----then I went in for my first factory service ---$380.00---not all that bad but gee whizz, went in again for the second factory dealer at 10,000 , $750.00--owch ole bud, I started changing my own durn oil and filters after that, if you make a lot of long trips and can get the engine really heated up you have a lot less trouble with a either huffer ---a lot of stop and go driving or short trips a deisal will seem to slowly die before your eyes. The old rusty trusty f350 I have now takes about a 80 mile contenous trip just to start hitting her stride. I'm just a shade tree mechinic minus the shade but I have been modifiing and babying junk and getting it to run for a long time.---That reminds me- I need to go out and get some more duct tape. DW
Do you have the high mileage/ heavy hauling needs that require a diesel? (Be honest with yourself). If not, why diesel? They're more expensive to buy, maintain and replace. You need to do a lot of miles to get those up front costs back. Engine replacement - always a possibility at the mileage you're looking at - is at least twice what the equivalent gas engine would cost. Think hard on this one.
Ohh quite bringing logic and reality into this!!! Those are good questions, ones which Ive thought about but havent really looked into ( should set up an excel sheet to figure out the cost/ break even point).
I dont need a diesel for its towing capacity, rarely ever tow anything. I do carry a lot of tools though, so there is the hauling weight associated with that. Mileage wise, Im probably driving one-way to a job site 15- 20 miles on average.
Purchase price of the vehicles for me is a wash ( for numbers sake lets just say that Ive got 5k to spend, whether its gas or diesel). What I dont know, need to find out, is what are the operating costs, lets say per year, of gas versus diesel. Everyone says they'r more expensive to maintain, but how much more expensive!!??
Live by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
"What I dont know, need to find out, is what are the operating costs, lets say per year, of gas versus diesel."I imagine the yearly operating costs depend on the year you're having! I have a Dodge Ram 1500, 5.9 gas engine; I've always toyed with the idea of a diesel for better towing, but just could never justify it enough. I also suspect you'll get more in a gas truck than a diesel for something like 5k. As one of the previous posters mentioned, it's not the engine but the stuff around it that needs help, and it can get pretty pricey.For example:
Heavy-duty ball joints: 3000. (Sasquatch posted this above)
1500 ball joints: Under 1000. (My experience)For some extra carrying capacity, you can have an extra leaf put in the spring pack of the lighter duty truck. I've done this on two Dodges, price ran from about 300 at a spring shop/corporate rate to 700 at my general mechanic's, some few years later. It does help. I've also upgraded the weight rating on my tires. Having said all that, I'd still love a heavy-duty diesel! :^) Whatever you decide to do, good luck in your hunt. (And, by the way, Dodge engines have great longevity but suck gas.)Dodge = Dirty Ol' Doggone Gas Eater !soj
(Pickups are cool. ;^))
I'll put in a plug for a van too. I bought a 2000 GMC 3/4 ton V6 back in April for $9000 CDN (almost the same as US now!). Had a bit under 100,000 miles on it. I put in shelves and load it up with all the usual finisher tools and it still gets 18-20 mpg.
Everything is under cover and lockable. No leaving trailers on job sites for the punks to mess with. No crawling around on hands and knees in pickup canopies, and there's that handy sliding door at the front of the cargo area. 10 feet of clear space to the back of the seats, wide enough to lay down sheets of ply or drywall. 12 foot material can fit in between the seats. Longer stuff goes on roof racks. Really big loads get delivered. Lignum est bonum.
I drive an awesome truck. 2003 Dodge 2500, 5.9HO, 6-speed, 4x4, 8ft bed.
I have about 113K on it now, with all reagular maint. I have added a AFE Stage III cold-air intake and have only replaced the U-joints with aftermarket ones; ones with grease fittings.
I change the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, and clean the air filter every 3000-4000 miles.
I use only Rotella oil and NAPA Fleet parts.
I pull a 12000lbs trailer with no problem, there is so much power left it scares me.
I have buds that drive all big rig diesels, I like the Dodge for the engine but the rest have great points. I was told I could get over 500K if I keep it up the maint.
It is what you can afford and what you like in a truck.
If I had to get another I'd buy my bosses old truck, back in 1990. A 1988 3/4 ton Chevy, awesome truck.
Best of Luck
Man you should have bought ole trusty rusty awhile back I'm still driving her almost everydayof course she wouldn't pull a sick HO off of a pee pot , but I just can't kill her, there is a fellow In Floyd co. that deals in used ton fleet trucks got, some pretty good deals, most are Ford or Dodge deisels, with a smattering of gas engines thrown in on an adverage the cost is arounf 5 to 8 grand per truck with out beds, What are you looking for? Heck man it's only a few hours south of you' i'll see if I can find his phone # if you want.
I dont know what I want!!!! :) What I want and what I should get are two different things. I'd like an x-cab or crew cab pickup with 4x4. Now do I really need 4x4? NO! Ive already got one that I use when I really need to, but it would be nice to have 4x4 on my everyday vehicle. A van would acually would be a better than a pickup ( able to fit more tools in it), but there's just something about a pickup.
If you can find the number, send it to me, might be worth a look.
Thanx,Live by the sword, die by the sword....choose your sword wisely.
Usually it isnt gonna be the motor that gets you at that mileage range. It'll be the ball joints and the tranny, tie rods and tires, brakes and shocks.
It all depends on who drove it last. If it was a die hard diesel head, youll be ok (unless it was his test lab truck, in that case you cant run away fast enough) but if its just joe blow who thought all there was to owning a diesel was just making sure you put diesel in when the tank was empty....... look out.
The Dieselstop.com has got a ton of good advice for ya.
Buy a diesel though, best decision youll ever make.
This is up my alley. Random thoughts:
A diesel engine, or at least the variety that get put on our roads, typically have a life expectancy of 350000 miles. Most of the manufacturers (I don't mean Ford, but more like Nav, Cummins, etc) even post on their website what they're expecting the middle of the bell curve to look like. And as said, a lot depends on proper maintenance.
On a diesel, your air filter and fuel filter are much more important items than you're used to with a gas engine. There are places that can give you a very decent read on how the engine is doing via an oil sample. Blackstone labs is about 20 bucks for a report, and they'll look at all the trace elements in the sample, and tell you what parts of the engine they come from, what's normal, high, low, and a short report detailing how they interpret the results. You need to know the kind of oil and the miles on the sample when you send it in.
Oil is very important, and subject to a lot of argument. Some engines it matters more than others. Take the powerstrokes for example. The 7.3 and 6.0 run on a HEUI style injector and the injectors get their hydraulic pressure from the engine oil via a high pressure pump. Those engines seem to last longer on full synthetics. Each engine is going to have its own little idiosyncrasies like that. As will each brand. Now I say that based on experience, owning one, and seeing dozens of blackstone reports on various brands. So I can say pretty assuredly that for the 7.3 that I own, the best thing going seems to be Chevron Delo.
Even on a piezo injected engine though, your oil could still be running through the turbo as well, another piece of expensive equipment.
Maintenance costs are higher than gas, period. The whole vehicle is bigger and weighs more, so you're going into bigger and heavier rated tires, heavier ball joints, bigger drivelines, pretty much anything under the body is stronger. Again, just my own ride, an oil change is 4 gallons of oil. My transmission holds 19 quarts. So changing either isnt 25 bucks at jiffy lube. I changed my whole fuel system so now I dont use FOMOCO filters and can buy a DPP for $15 and change it in about a minute.
And as a rule, the simpler the configuration (work truck vs show truck) the cheaper it is in the long run to maintain. You just dont have the bells and whistles to worry about, and you'll see things like manual hubs vs automatics (and manuals are more reliable).
Ballparks. Oil change about $100. Tires, E rated, about $250 ea. Fuel filters 15-20, air filters (which are a good place to really research performance and aftermarkets) a reusable, cleanable intake kit might be $250-$300 but you only buy it once. Dont get sucked into advertising like K&N. Their filters continuously have performed the worst in the analysis reports I've read. The Ford AIS (which they call a severe duty) and the stock 6.0 filter by Donaldson perform the best. Which of course doesnt do squat for you on a cummins or duramax but just be aware that some extras out there are actually very worthwhile in the long run.
If you find one you think you want, try to get maintenance records. If its been serviced at a dealership they have them. Whether or not they'll give them to you is another thing. You can take a 4oz sample and send it to blackstone, check fluids for anything obvious like burnt tranny fluid, check under it for leaks from the engine - the rear main, the oil pan, the heads. If you open the hood and find the turbo, if its boost leaking often you'll see sooting on the firewall next to the pipe. You can pull the intercooler boots off and check inside for residue. A tiny bit of oil will probably be there, but any particulate matter is bad. You can also see the turbo wheel when you pull the boots off and what condition thats in. Dirty is ok, theres going to be soot. If its worn, particulate matter can erode the blades and make them look sandblasted. Thats a "dusted" turbo. And grab the center of the fan and try to move it. If it does anything at all but rotate, you have too much shaft play and its time for a replacement.
Check if its been chipped. And tread cautiously. I'm all about more power but theres a lot of chips out there and very few that do what they do safely as far as the engine is concerned. Lots of guys start damaging pistons, heads, cams, rods with the stuff. So watch for any magic little boxes on the dash, old adhesive or velcro, holes where the wires would have come through, etc. And if you want to chip it check with the cream of the crop shops like DPTuner (7.3) Long Island Diesel (6.0) . . . I'm sure the Cummins and Dury crowd have theirs too. You can find a world of info out on specifics for years and engines on forums.
Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Hey,
I've got a 95 Ford F450 with the 7.3 PSD and a 12by8' flat bed. I think that as far as used diesels go the Ford 7.3 PSD (made by navistar I believe) is the one to get. There are far and away more of them on the road than any other type. They have far and away the most aftermarket support and support groups (the folks at deiselstop.com are just CRAZY about them).
As you have discovered they do command a higher price used just make sure its been taken care of (the engine AND the truck). Low 200,000 is what you would want max.
Here's the crazy thing about diesels. You can put in a freer flowing exhaust and intake and a chip and it will abosultely make more power AND get better gas mileage. In CA you don't have to smog diesels which is a plus for sure.
Here's what not to do. Don't go buy an F450 and think your extra cool cause its more manly than an F350. Everything about a F450 is more expensive. Don't buy it just because it has low miles for a diesel (100,000) eventhough you don't have maint records for it. Don't forget to check the axle code to realize you have the super high 5.31 ratio POSI rear end making the truck useless for long freeway hauls (anyone want to swap??). Oh, then cause its an F450 changing the gears to a more sensible 4.11 becomes verrrrrry expensive. Don't buy the first ever big truck you test drive (you can't tell that the weird floaty feeling that the front end has is because all the kingpins-balljoints-tierods are shot to a tune of AT LEAST ~$2500). Even with everything that was/is wrong with the truck I got it for so cheap that in the long run its going to be cheaper for me to keep it and fix/mod as opposed to buying a newer one in better shape.
p.s. does anyone know a good Ford Diesel mech in the SF bay area?
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
LMAO. I was searching for a good ford diesel mechanic in the east bay too. I gave up and sold my 96 powerstroke, for more than I paid for it, no less. It was too big of a truck for city use anyway, IMHO.
I got a peugeot turbo diesel wagon, 1984. Starts instantly, gets 30 mpg on the highway, and I can carry 16 foot trim on the roof rack easily.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
Wait a second..when you and your lovely wife stopped by the new place were'nt you driving a big newer looking diesel truck? Is that the one you sold??
We don't drive the dang thing to the store its used just for hauling and its the perfect size to haul all our Burning Man crap (art, art vehicle, camping gear, waaaay to much propane, the 16kW diesel generator for our camp, etc)
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Yeah, that was a 96 F-250 I had. They're great trucks for what you're doing with them- hauling a bunch of stuff way the heck into the desert and back. It was a good vehicle for a work rig where I'm from, in eastern washington, too. But we've just got one vehicle here, so that thing was the grocery getter, the go-to-the-beach rig, etc. Pain in the neck for that sort of stuff, and it only gets 14 or 15 mpg in the city.
Hey, how's the big structural remodel going? I've been really busy lately, I haven't seen if you've added to your thread recently.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
As many of you with diesel experience probably know, the mileage of a diesel varies much more with engine RPM than does a gas engine. The fabled fuel mileage of a diesel is generally obtained when the engine revs are near or under 2000 rpm. I have a 94 Chevy 6.5 turbo diesel and generally get about 17-18 mpg. If I had the patience to put along at 55, I could probably get over 20. I was surprised that when pulling a heavily loaded trailer at 55mpg, I appeared to be getting better mileage than I did when cruising with no load but at my usual highway speeds. I bought my 94 Chevy 2500 about three years ago for $5000 and feel that I got more than my money's worth. It was high mileage (218K) and now at 288K but should give me quite a few more miles of service. The 6.5 gives far few horsepower than the new Duramax trucks, but they are also considerably less expensive to purchase. Mine is certainly powerful eough to pull whatever I have wanted. There are a few potential problem areas of the 6.5 that one should be aware of before purchasing one, however. The "Diesel Page" ( http://www.thedieselpage.com ) is a good resource for Chevy/GMC diesels. It does cost $20/yr to get access to the good stuff, however.Here is some of what the Diesel Page has to say about fuel mileage:"Diesel engines have about half the useable rpm range as compared to a gas engine. A gasoline engine will produce acceptable fuel economy over a fairly wide rpm range. The diesel engine has a relatively narrow rpm range that will produce acceptable fuel economy."The relationship of gearing to fuel mileage has to be the single most misunderstood aspect of the GM diesel engine. A typical 6.5TD with 3.42 gearing will produce in excess of 20 mpg at 65 mph because the engine rpm at that speed is right at the engine's torque peak of about 1800 rpm. A truck with 4.10 gearing is running at about 2250 rpm at the same speed, which typically produces about 15 mpg. A 500 rpm difference might not sound like much, but in a diesel, that's about half of the useable rpm range."6.5TD engine rpm (4L80E automatic transmission) and typical fuel economy at 65 mph: * 3.42 gearing 1880 rpm (21 mpg)
* 3.73 gearing 2050 rpm (17 mpg)
* 4.10 gearing 2250 rpm (15 mpg)
Good points all. 5.31 is crazy unless you're riding on a 40" tire. Ive got 35" commercial treads and 4.56 and thats plenty steep. Makes me want a gear vendor. I think 4.30 would have been just about right.
If you DO want to change gears though, labor is less than a day, and Randy's Ring & Pinion whos out in your neck of the woods can set you up for not to much mulah. They're an online retailer too, but customer service is very good, as are the prices and the advice you get on the other end of the phone.
I regret getting a limited slip. They're just about worthless in a handful of situations that are just the scenarios most people think the posi is going to help them out. Shoulda done a Detroit locker. Shoulda shoulda. Real trucks dont have sparkplugs
Yea I agree its crazy the 5.31 posi is the most expensive rear end option too...Story goes original owner owned a concrete comp and special ordered the truck with the crazy low end...don't know what he was towing with it but I swear I could pull a house off its foundation in idle with the damn thing...
Nother crazy thing about the rear end...its so high that on the freeway when I am going 65 I'm way out of the power band of the diesel (which makes peak torque around 2000rpm) and its pretty gutless! At 30mph I could probably drive up a vertical wall. But to go up any kind of hill with a load I have to slow down to 45-50 which really pisses off the guys in the big rigs who want to go 65.
Thanks for the tip about the rear end place...it is on my list to do after the front end redo...which I can afford right after it starts raining money.
Daniel Neumansky
Restoring our second Victorian home this time in Alamdea CA. Check out the blog http://www.chezneumansky.blogspot.com/
Oakland CA
Crazy Homeowner-Victorian Restorer
Edited 6/15/2007 10:05 pm by madmadscientist
I'd think unless you have larger than factory fitments under you, 5.31 at 65 has got to be over redline.
456 and 35s I'm 2700 at 65. You steep the gears and shrink the rubber . . . thats bad mojo. But I know the song you sing . . . last winter I pulled a gal out of a snowbank that she was in good. Guy in his Toyota had tried and it didnt budge. (I think he just had a lack of weight really) I said I got tow chains. He said you think you can pull her out? I said yeah, I might even touch the pedal. I didnt.
I always expected the sweet spot to be about 2000rpms for power and efficiency but I've dyno'd a couple times now and on mine at least the powerband peaks closer to 2400. I think Marty still has me licked but I'm going to have an unexpected block inspection hole if I add any more gusto without rebuilding the whole bottom of the block and swapping rods and such. So he's gonna just have to be content with winning for a while.
This is my "bad" topic. Some people won't shut up about their kids, or their pet, or the vacation, or their cause. I'm drawn to anything involving diesel like a boozehead to Stoli.Real trucks dont have sparkplugs