Furd Owners

[CBlack]

I married into a Furd family. When I bought my Ram, they all said, "nuttin but a damn Dodge. "



I get that from a lot of Ferd and Bowtie owners. I always ask, have you ever owned one?



Of course they all answer no, but I heard from a friends, friend's uncle's cousin that it broke down all the time. Or they say nothing at all except they're crap.



And you can ask them anything about their engine and the only answer is it is a Furd Powerjoke, er stroke.



Why do you guys think that is?



Think it's engine envy?



Mine runs better than yours!

 

[Rattler]

I've heard all the Dodge jokes. I have been driveing Mopar only for 34 years now and it never ceases to amaze me how quick the chevy and ford guys are to talk about Dodge, but just as soon as you say something about what they are driveing they swell up like an old toad. Randy:-laf:-laf

 

[HBarlow]

I grew up long ago in a family that drove GM products. (GM was a private company then, not an arm of the government. As an adult I drove a few Furds including a '94 Furd F-250 HD big block. I was never a MOPAR fan.

In spring of '01 I had heard of the Cummins HO/six speed. I drove one! Whoooopie! When I felt the torque just above idle of the might Cummins it was almost as good as sex. It made me a believer.

I put almost 325,000 almost troublefeee miles on my first one, 230,000 miles in less than two years on my second one, and over 60,000 on the current one. I like the Dodge platform as much as the Cummins engine.

I laugh at and ignore the Furd/GM guys. They are simply ignorant of what a real diesel light truck can do. I chuckle when I see the Furds broken down alongside the highway. Sometimes I stop to offer my assistance because it gives me a big grin for them to know what I am thinking and what I know.

 

[CBlack]

Sometimes I stop to offer my assistance because it gives me a big grin for them to know what I am thinking and what I know.

HA... I can't wait for that to happen.



The only similar instance I know of is when my father-in-laws Furd was wrecked in Canton, Tx and a guy with a '97 2500 Ram pulled his gargantuan 5th wheel back home doing about 80. He said, "Damn dodge out pulled what my Furd could have done. "



I especially like when you say that they don't have real diesels, only wanna be block V8s.

 

[CurtLee]

I married into a Furd family. When I bought my Ram, they all said, "nuttin but a damn Dodge. "



I get that from a lot of Ferd and Bowtie owners. I always ask, have you ever owned one?



Of course they all answer no, but I heard from a friends, friend's uncle's cousin that it broke down all the time. Or they say nothing at all except they're crap.



And you can ask them anything about their engine and the only answer is it is a Furd Powerjoke, er stroke.



Why do you guys think that is?



Think it's engine envy?



Mine runs better than yours!

This story sounds so familiar:-laf



My father in law was so hard on me after i bought my truck. "Why'd you buy a dodge?" "And why'd you buy a manual? You'll hate it at my age!" Thats all i heard after the first two or three years. Now he doesn't say a thing



Its whatever you want to call it. I bought the right one without making a mistake the first time

 

[Rattler]

I was picking at a friend of mine about using turd polish on his old chevy car. You would have thought i slapped his wife or something, he didn't like it at all. Randy:-laf:-laf

 

[HBarlow]

I should offer this public confession here in the pages of TDR. I learned to drive before many (most?) of you were born when Chevrolets, and most other cars were powered by inline six cylinders or inline flathead eights. By the time I was a teenager in the middle '50s Chevrolet, Plymouth, Dodge, Pontiac, and other popular car lines were offering high performance overhead V8 valve engines that almost any family could afford. These new engines completely revolutionized the automobile industry. V8s were king, inline six cylinders were for grandparents.

I became an RVer when I was young and paid attention to trucks. In the late '80s/early '90s I was aware of Dodge pickups with Cummins engines but Dodges were ugly, rattled, and didn't appeal to me and in my naivete and basic ignorance I thought, "why would anyone want a small displacement inline six when they can have a big displacement V8?" I was simply uninformed, ignorant if you will!

In '94 I was shopping for a new 3/4 ton pickup to pull a heavy triple axle Airstream. I test drove a Dodge w/Cummins and 47RE. I was completely unimpressed. The 47RE might have made a good washing machine, it was IMO a lousy slipping slush box. The engine offered no acceleration to speak of and was rpm limited to about 2500 rpm. I decided I wouldn't take one if they were free and bought a Furd F-250HD w/ 460ci gas V8. Furd offered the Navistar 7. 3 that year (pre-Powerstroke) but it was available with an add-on turbo not fully integrated into the engine fueling and was manual five speed only.

The gasser Furd did an adequate job pulling my trailer and I put 155,000 miles on it but I read the RV/Truck magazines and read about the Cummins 24 valve with expanded rpm range. I began to replace my ignorance of the operating characteristics of inline six cylinder engines and V8 blocks with understanding of the torque producing capabilities of an inline six as well as basic advantages like fewer moving parts, stronger components, greater durability and service life, better fuel economy, etc. I told friends, "if Dodge ever offers a six speed I'm gonna buy one. "

Whooopee! In late 2000 the first 24valve six speeds were offered. In late 2000 the 2001 HO/six speed was introduced. As I wrote above I drove one. Now I wouldn't drive a free GM or Furd V8 diesel. They simply cannot compare.

No Furds OR GMs in my future.

 

[MAllen1]

I owned a 95 Ford PowerJoke, and I doesn't compare as far as the power on my 99. Now, those that know the stock power of both engines (along with my 95 was an auto and my 99 is a manual) will argue, as well you should. Here's why I went to Cummins, MAINTENANCE IS EASIER, AND CHEAPER. The 3 years I had the PowerJunk, the brake booster went out twice (once with 10000 pounds and I found out about in coming up on a red light doing 60 m. p. h), the glow plugs went out, the water pump went out, the front hubs went out 3 times (I think that had more to do with putting auto hubs on a truck with an engine that has the low end torque a diesel has), and the torque converter went out. All within 150000 miles. At that point I bought a my Dodge. Since then, i've put 250000 miles on this truck, and didn't even have a water pump go bad untill 200k, which, is the only repair i've had to do to the engine, or truck, other than maintenance.

 

[JMetzger]

Harvey, who is older you or me? I was born in 1936 & I remember all the old cars also. My first car was a 1939 Nash that my Grand mother gave me. Loved that old car.

 

[HBarlow]

Jack,

Wow, I thought I was older than dirt. You were already here when dirt was created.

I was born in July 1942. I'm 67.

The first car I owned was a '28 Ford Model A rumble seat coupe. I bought it in 1956 when I was 14 and had just received a driver's license. The Model A cost me $50 of lawn mowing money. It started and ran good but had misadjusted mechanical brakes. It was basically dangerous for a skinny little 14 year old kid to drive, even at 45 mph, because the brakes didn't work well enough to do anything more than slow it down a bit.

Back in the '50s a 14 yo kid could get a license in Texas. A few years later legislators tightened that requirement to age 16.

 

[JMetzger]

Yes Harvey those were the good old days & I wish that they were still here. I tried to get a job pulling new RV's like you did but they wouldn't accept a short (6 ft bed) so I never got to do it but would have loved to. I to have had to rescue several Ford (and I use the name loosely) who have broke down. One owner said that it was his last Ford. The other thought his Ford was the best thing sliced bread & apple pie & I asked him if he thought it was so grest why was I pulling his trailer to a campground. . The third one was just thankful that I stoped to help him.

 

[Grizzly]

My first car was a 1950 Mercury with a flat head V8 when I was in high school. Paid $150 for it. Wish I still had it.



I too had a Furd F250 with a 390 gas engine, which was the worst vehicle I've ever owned. I bought it new, but it was so bad, I gave it away.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I laugh at and ignore the Furd/GM guys. They are simply ignorant of what a real diesel light truck can do. I chuckle when I see the Furds broken down alongside the highway. Sometimes I stop to offer my assistance because it gives me a big grin for them to know what I am thinking and what I know.

I've had occasion a few times to bail out my Ford lovin', Dodge hating RV friends - always amusing to see the open disgust on their faces when MY rig finishes what THEIRS could not... :-laf



This is a pic of my big-mouthed Texan, ford-lovin' RV buddy's '99 Powerstroke on the rollback, after thoroughly trashing his auto transmission a few years back on an RV trip over along the Oregon coast, about 60K miles on his truck at the time - he was genuinely doubtful my lowly '02 Dodge could actually PULL his overloaded 33 foot Alpenlite 5er - and THEN once THAT doubt was erased, questioned whether the Dodge brakes could STOP the moving load - that's when I hit my brakes, and nearly put him and his wife thru the windshield! :-laf



#ad




But then, they all CAN - and usually do - fail at some point in their lifespan - and I'd be the first to admit that throughout my driving life, I've had FAR more Fords and GM than Chrysler vehicles, and fully enjoyed and appreciated them all.

Harvey, who is older you or me? I was born in 1936 & I remember all the old cars also. My first car was a 1939 Nash that my Grand mother gave me. Loved that old car.

YUP - and I'm another '36 vintage TDR member - first car was a '37 Plymouth coupe my dad got stuck with at a farm auction, I think I was about 15 or 16 at the time - cost $65...



Fact is, I am - and always have been - a car/truck hotrodder car nut. I have always bought and then used various brands and types of vehicles based upon the JOB they were intended for - sometimes that was purely for show-and-go, other times, purely for work and basic transportation. Sometimes they were GM or Ford - a very few foreigners in the mix - and as said above, I was well satisfied with them all, both at the time, and in memory.



That is certainly true of the last '91 Dodge/Cummins I put 120K miles of RV towing on, and even more-so the current '02 that I'll probably be buried in...

 

[Wingate]

This story sounds so familiar:-laf



My father in law was so hard on me after i bought my truck. "Why'd you buy a dodge?" "And why'd you buy a manual? You'll hate it at my age!" Thats all i heard after the first two or three years. Now he doesn't say a thing



Its whatever you want to call it. I bought the right one without making a mistake the first time

Same here... When I was introduced to my in-laws by my soon to be (then) bride... I got criticized for driving an old noisy rattling 89 250 4x4. . I mean, everybody in her family told me just how it was an inferior product when compared to the mighty 7. 3l... .

I never said a thing, EVERY time I brought that old rattling noisy P. O. S. to THEIR rescue... I can't tell ya how many times I drug my bro-n-laws PSD out from under a loaded gooseneck and backed that old 350K mile Dodge under it. It has always been a two-fer trip too... Haul the trailer home, unload the doublestacked round bales... then go back to scene of the crime and load his broke down truck on the trailer and drag it home... .

9 years later. . I still do this with my 06 model. And, when the back porch conversations turn to new trucks, pulling and hauling heavy loads..... My inlaws let me know JUST how SUPERIOR that Dodge is with that Cummins engine... . and how they've ALWAYS known that its the ONLY truck to buy... Some things just aren't worth bringing up... I'm just really lucky to have such knowledgable in-laws to keep me on the right track!!. .

 

[JUeckert]

I married into a Furd family. When I bought my Ram, they all said, "nuttin but a damn Dodge. "



I get that from a lot of Ferd and Bowtie owners. I always ask, have you ever owned one?



Of course they all answer no, but I heard from a friends, friend's uncle's cousin that it broke down all the time. Or they say nothing at all except they're crap.



And you can ask them anything about their engine and the only answer is it is a Furd Powerjoke, er stroke.



Why do you guys think that is?



Think it's engine envy?



Mine runs better than yours!

yep, never really understood this attitude some people have. my father in law hated fords until after a couple of years of being in the family. things got a little better for me when his own sons 95' ford had to pull his 5th wheel home. his 24v left him stranded in a walmart parking lot 2hrs from home, just another vp44 victim. many time's i've been asked why i bought a junky a** dodge, especially back in the first and second gen days. after owning 3 diesels and 1 gasser of the first gen vintage, i understand now why i was asked that. at the same time i know of a least 2 first gen owners[ 1 gas, 1 diesel] that worked them and did so for many miles, both had very few issues. my second gen's same thing, early and late . third gens also. i have had issue's with all, seen many others who had issues as well. seen many who owned those same vehicles and had few or no issues. my 3rd gen has been my best dodge so far,and after all the 6. 7 issues i have witnessed, i dont think i will be tradeing in on one of those anytime soon. i did this same thing with my fords, the 6. 0 was giveing to many issues so i passed on that one. a few things i have learned/noticed with age; why do some gm owners now think that have the right to talk trash to someone in a dodge or ford after all these years? learn the facts before running your mouth, first hand experience is often worth more then what you read. dont make fun of someone else's ride when they have issue's, the next time this happens it may be you. and why does it seem like some people make excuses when their brand of vehicle breaks, but when someone else's chosen brand fail's, it's just junk? in the end, drive what get's the job done for you, and cross your fingers it dosent leave you on side of the road.

 

[CBlack]

Some good stories and posts in this thread!

When my in-law decides to trade the bowtie in, I'll be pushing him to get a Dodge (assuming they're still in business).

 

[Grizzly]

Some good stories and posts in this thread!



When my in-law decides to trade the bowtie in, I'll be pushing him to get a Dodge (assuming they're still in business).

Not to worry, they will be!

 

[Ncostello]

I owned a 95 Ford PowerJoke, and I doesn't compare as far as the power on my 99. Now, those that know the stock power of both engines (along with my 95 was an auto and my 99 is a manual) will argue, as well you should. Here's why I went to Cummins, MAINTENANCE IS EASIER, AND CHEAPER. The 3 years I had the PowerJunk, the brake booster went out twice (once with 10000 pounds and I found out about in coming up on a red light doing 60 m. p. h), the glow plugs went out, the water pump went out, the front hubs went out 3 times (I think that had more to do with putting auto hubs on a truck with an engine that has the low end torque a diesel has), and the torque converter went out. All within 150000 miles. At that point I bought a my Dodge. Since then, i've put 250000 miles on this truck, and didn't even have a water pump go bad untill 200k, which, is the only repair i've had to do to the engine, or truck, other than maintenance.

While there is no denying a 99 Cummins is far superior to the first Powerstroke... pretty much all the problems you list are irrelavent in an engine comparison. Brake booster, Hubs, torque converter? And given the mid 95 was the direct-injection Powerstroke introduction... and the 99 ISB was a refined 24V Cummins release... there really is no reason to compare. Thats like comparing an 88 Cummins to a 2003 7. 3L Powerstroke. Which nobody can argue the 7. 3L wasn't a decent engine. It was.



I'm sure you can find plenty of people who had to replace life pumps, injection pumps, front ends, 5th gear nuts, entire auto transmissions, etc etc on Dodges. I had a 99. And it had its share of issues. None were cheap or easy.



You say you have 250K on the original lift pump and injectors then? Thats pretty good!

 

[EricBu12]

Nicely said JUeckert!!

I have had my 01 for 9. 5 years and has been trouble free for the most part other than the 53 block problem. . Just had multiple problems and didn't want to waste multiple $$$0000 on it to repair it. . I am sorry to see it go but after all the reviews of the 09 68rfe Trans, I thought I'd never get an Auto. . So far, so good on this. . Acceleration is great... , smooth, no lag power. . Just Awesome. .

I see a lot of Fords on the side about 2-3:1 of ford and chevy to dodges on the side. I drive truck for a living and see all kinds of things. .
Looking to personalize my 09 and have fun

 

[HBarlow]

Uhhhh, I think the last year for the 7. 3L Navistar bus motor was 2002. The 2003 was the infamous boat anchor Sick. Ohhh.

I guess you can like the 7. 3L IH if you choose. You'll never convince me they were worth squat when compared to a Cummins of any year.