Good Explanation of Powerstroke Injectors in case you wanted to know

[joesoot]

Originally posted by Dr. Evil

And as far as the ZF transmission is concerned, is Getrag used by any other OEM's like Mercedes, BMW, etc? My first 2 F-150's had NP 435 4-speeds and they were Poor transmissions. Hard to shift and the synchros were not durable. It's called New Venture now, but it used to be called New Process. SAME design.

Mitsubishi used a Getrag in the 3000GT and BMW does use some Getrag trannys, I have no idea about MB.

About NP... I had a 435 in my '80 318 PW... was a great shifter(still a truck transmission) and never, ever had any problems with it.

New Venture is/was a joint venture/buyout of NP between Dodge and GM.

Added on edit: Just learned this today:Sterling axles are named so due to the fact that they are MFG-ed at Ford's Sterling, Michigan axle plant.

 

[FFutch]

Sorry,Didn't mean to get you Ford guys all riled up. I also get tired of the Cummins wrapped in a p. o. s. statement. There are a few Dodge Ram Cummins with a million miles on them. Seems to me more than just the engine is making it that far. I'll be the first to admit I'm a die hard Mopar fan,and always will be. I think they all have there problems. I know I've worked on just about every brand out there. I'm glad there's more than one brand out there. If there was only one make what would we ever have to argue about . I just installed a new lift pump on mine at 50k. Lift pumps seem to be one of our weak links. Other than that 0 problems. No track bar,no death wobble,ect. I don't baby my truck either. I paid good money for this truck and it's going to pull it's weight and then some. . You guys like your Fords,that's fine. I love my DODGE with the Cummins. Doug

 

[Dr.Evil]

JOE - I knew who NVG was, or who they used to be. The NP435's didn't shift and hold up near as well at the T-18 & T-19's Ford used. I had problems with both of mine, and the NV4500 I drove was worn out at 100K. Truck, Ram 3500 4WD was beat up pretty badly too but the engine still ran nice. NV4500 didn't have synchros in at least 2 gears, 3rd & 4th. As far as transfer cases are concerned, I'd take My old NP205 in My PSD ANY DAY. The B-W 1345 in my old F-150 and the B-W 1356 in My PSD both do not positively shift OUT of 4WD under some conditions. My old NP 205 always did. I really don't need the 2. 61 reduction, `. 97 would be enough. But neither B-W case has ever given Me any problems requireing repair.

 

[Chaw]

Sounds like you have a good one then. The 95 PSD we had was a nightmare. Glow Plug relays, serpintine belt pulleys, engine oil leaks, transmission problems, had a rod knock at 180K, and on... ..... I had 0 problems out of my 96 Dodge except for a track bar and fuel senders. The NV4500 had 120K of 400hp going through it. Nothing on my 2000 except for a track bar. I wonder where you guys make up the crap on the build quality.



My brother has a 2 month old 02 F350 (had to have 4 doors) and there is no way it is built better. It wonders real bad on un-even asphalt roads, paint is thin, mileage is worse. Don't get me wrong, I do like that truck and would drive one in a second because of the 4 doors. I just have to have that Cummins.

 

[FFutch]

NV4500 junk?

Why is it when you go to the site for Cummins into ford conversions it says"for durability and reliability stick with the NV4500 or 5600"?Inquiring minds want to know .

 

[Hutchew]

Uhhhhhh....I guess that was me......

Originally posted by Dr. Evil

Wow, You try to educate these guys and all they can do is complain and whine and gripe... . I read My TDR magazine and see Guys welding up cracks in the front cowl sheet metal, and you guys are complaining about stuff that never ever causes problems on the PSD. I wonder why You guys talk so much about the PSD anyhow? I've put about a million miles on Cunnins engines, and it wouldn't bother me if one was in My truck, But My truck would still be a FORD. I bought a truck that came with a really good diesel engine, I didn't by a diesel engine that came in a plain brown wrapper.....

Actually, the cowl cracks were fairly easy to fix, and weren't in a location that was noticible after repairs. Other than that, there wasn't anything else that was in need of repairs on this 17 year old truck.

On the other hand, I run a fleet of 95 to 2001 3/4 and 1 ton Fords for my work trucks. The 99-01 trucks are all 350 4x4 SD's with straight axles and we really haven't had much problems with them, except for the POS stock air filter and auto transmissions (2 in 1 truck, 1 in another).

As for the 95-98 trucks, they are all 3/4 ton 4x4's, 3 w/PS and 4 w/gas engines. They are quite simply garbage. That front end twin-I beam or whatever they call it is about as worthless as a chebby IFS. Between front-end alignments, tires, and part replacements, I would have been way better off getting 350's with straight axles. And then you get those beautifull cracks down the side of the bed from the top front corner down towards the wheel well. And the inside door handles always seem to break off. And just what is it with those front bumpers that they always come loose and droop down at the corners? Maybe these trucks weren't made to work?

Awww, seriously, the big three are all pretty much junk anymore. They are all over-priced and under-engineered (over-engineered in some cases) When I replace my work trucks, it'll be with Fords. I know what to spec now and the Dodge boys don't wanna deal on a fleet discount (and who here thinks a stock chevy 4x4 is any good?). It comes down to personal preferences and experiences. I love driving my old 85 Dodge for a lot of different reasons, but I still would rather go to work in my new Ford.

So there ya are, Dr. Evil. My . 02 about YOU guys.

 

[Dr.Evil]

Hmmmm ZF 5 & 6 speed trannys have integral bell housings that probably don't bolt up to the 5. 9 Cummins. So Your limited to the NP 4500 & 5600 with the Cummins possibly? Sounds like Your drivers are really beating up your Fords. I could have bought an F-350 for $300-$400 more than My F-250, but the "Momo-Beam" as Ford calls it is harder on front tires than the Twin Traction Beam. If your not plowing snow or otherwise abusing the front end the TTB holds up pretty well, it's just not as beefy as the Dana 60 the F-350's and Dodge use. The axle shafts and spindles are as strong but the diff. is about the same as the Dana 44. I've NEVER heard of a Ford frame cracking like I have about the Chevy or the Dodge. My F-250 has over 80K on the front tires and the factory tierod ends on it still. Everything still works and looks like new inside & out. I've never seen anything on fd.com about the inner liners of the beds cracking. I used to buy parts from a machineshop that had a 351-powered 2WD '97 F-250 that the bedliner had a 3/8" thick steel sheet on it for protection. No cracks in the bed of that truck. Where I live I have 3 decent Ford dealers to shop at and only 1 Dodge dealer. I could drive 30 miles the other direction and gain another Dodge and Ford dealer but I've heard bad things about both of them, both owned by the same person. Problem with these little 3/4 and 1 ton trucks is they get used like a medium duty truck, and a 2 or 2-1/2 ton would hold up years longer than the pickup. And there's not that much difference in price anymore.