Posted by Brett in AK on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 at 12:25PM :
In Reply to: Diesel question posted by Gordon Maney on Monday, April 30, 2001 at 11:19PM :
Gordon,
From what I've seen, the Cummins consistently achieves better fuel mileage. I own a 93 F250 Turbo Diesel (Pre Powerstroke) and am pretty satisfied with it overall. It is a 5 spd with 4:10's, so plenty of power, but can't pass the filling station. I pull a 25' Airstream and the best I can realize is just under 12 mpg. Empty it's probably closer to 16. My old 6.9 IH easily got 22 mpg when empty. I do believe the Cummins will last longer and is designed to be rebuilt whereas the 7.3 is essentially a throw away engine. I had to replace the injector pump at 59 thousand, fortunately it was covered under the emmission warranty! Other than that, no other significant problems other than glow plugs. The GM / Chevrolet 6.5 diesels I wouldn't look twice at. The do run well, but just don't hold up. Where I work here in Alaska, the company bought a fleet of 200, year 2000 GMC 4x4 Crewcabs. In less than a year over 50% of them have had the injector pumps replaced. Nuff said! The early models weren't much better. As far as ride and comfort I think the GMC and Chevrolet can't be beat. If the new Duramax Isuzu diesels prove themselves with the Allison automatic transmission I think we have something to look forward to! There was an earlier comment to stay away from the automatics, and that is probably good advice for the automatics that have previously been available. Both the Cummins and IH are capable of much more horsepower than what they've been set at. The reason they're detuned is that the automatics wouldn't hold up. A long time mechanic told me that regardless what engine is up front, if the Allison is behind it, you've got a good setup. Only time will tell, but Isuzu has been making diesels for over 65 years and have enjoyed a reliable reputation. It's a hard choice to make. With any of the diesel pickups costing over $40,000 it's pretty hard to justify the cost, particularly if you are unable to write it off as a business expense. Given the purchase price, cost of parts and maintenance and the ever increasing price of fuel (which we'll probably never see go back down, since they've seen we're willing to pay), a gas engine looks better every day. The current offerings of gas engines are pretty darn reliable and are easily capable of lasting several hundred thousand miles if maintained properly. It seems as though all diesel owners stress the longevity of the their engines, and I've done that too, but realistically, how many of us keep a truck for that long? Not many. When I bought my 93, I swore to my wife that this was the last one I'd buy and we'd drive it forever, as it was everything I ever wanted. Well then the Powerstrokes came along, and now the new GM diesel. So it never ends!! But I will, just a few thoughts on the subject. Take care!
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