so you think ford builds a better truck read these!

[CATCRACKER]

so you want a cummins in a ford cuase you think they make the best truck how about some of these posts from the thedieselstop.com. I did not have to dig far to find problems that has nothing to do with the POS 6. 0 onlyh to do with the quality of their truck this will make you rethink the F factor all together even if F did have a cummins in them. These are some post headings with some quotes from those heading HERE YA GO ENJOY:

1. Max A/C only blows cold?

2. Trans down

3. Checked wire harness for rubbing

quote from post "The harness is a mess there is no way in hell it can make more than 100k before issues arise from its routing,"

4. tow/haul kicks in by itself. Anyone have this problem?

5. Transmission pause and upshifting at 1500 rpm

6. Electrical problem? quote from this pos "The smoke was mostly outside with a little coming up from under the dash, all reeking of cooked electrical components "

7. What are you paying for aftermarket fuel filters? quote from post "Local Carquest priced them at $75 said he could go to $70"

8. Rear End Clunk quote from post "If this is a TSB is FMC just going to wait until the rear end falls apart before they tell anyone?"

9. Major problems with King Ranch quote and this is from a 50K truck "key in ignition not turning, on cold mornings RPM gauge/enginetem/trans temp do not work when starting truck and tghe engine light comes on. Fuel gauge light comes on and off at different times indicated water in fuel.

10. Rear axle bearing singing quote from post " I have what sounds to be the RR axle bearing or something in that vicinity singing at 17K



I could go on but i will not this ought to prove my point it does to me if you think the grass is greener on the other side go pay more for less and try it. Dodge makes as good a truck forget the engine as the other big three but not as well as the foreign competition. oh yea i did not go to the chevy page b/c i dont even consider their rig to be a real work truck with ifs bottle top heads and low rider stance. I would have to spend 3000 on tires and a lift kit before i could even be happy with the outside of the truck forget the engine and quality. GMC maxipad naaaa not going to go there. Ford is Dodges only real competitor in the heavy duty market or they were before the whole 6. 0 mishap!

 

[CATCRACKER]

my guess is ford has a new motor in the works but is keeping this on the down low b/c if it got out there bad situ would get alot worse! Potential 6. 0 buyers if you get one you will have the equiv. of the remade chevy 350 gas turned into diesel something nobody wants. the 6. 0 is not wanted now and in 3 years when you try to sell it then also. dont waste your money vehicles are a bad purchase anyway buying a 6l is like kicking youself in the teeth.

 

[esommer2500]

I think if you cruised through the threads on this site you could come up with plenty of stuff for the dodge as well. The simple fact is that ALL vehicles are going to have problems. Some inherent (dodge automatics, for example) and some just sporatic. Not knocking the dodge, I love mine and wouldn't have anything else for personal use. None will ever be perfect, the trick is what you are willing to put up with or improve yourself and what you use your truck for.



Eric

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Back in '91, I heard that Dodge was putting the Cummins diesel in their trucks. I went to a local dealer to check them out. When I lifted the hood and saw that massive, quality built chunk of iron in there, I was sold - and when the salesman fired it up and I heard the melody of what a REAL truck should sound like, I had to have one!



But I really hated Chrysler stuff - the sheetmetal, interiors and overall quality in my opinion had generally STUNK over the years. But I swallowed hard, and paid the money primarily for that Cummins - and hoped for the best with the REST of the truck!



I was NEVER disappointed!



That truck was absolutely FLAWLESS, inside and out, and in 11 years and 120,000 miles, had a single $12 part fail - not bad! The interior and paint were nearly like new after all those years, as can be seen in the website pointer in my sig below.



When time came to upgrade to a newer truck - the last of the REAL diesels from DC (sorry 3rd genners, that's just my honest opinion!) - I was far less apprehensive - that '91 had given me confidence that DC does indeed make a truck that provides OVERALL excellence in terms af durability, appearance and reliability - for the long haul - it's far better than a good engine in a bad wrapper as some of the envious competition might imply!



NONE of these various brand trucks are perfect - they all eventually reveal various points of weakness - the owner's best hope is that they be MINOR weaknesses, and that they be openly discussed and suitable fixes be developed to circumvent or eliminate them. That's where open-minded forums like THIS are of great value!



The lift pumps in our 24 valve trucks is a good example - we here are well aware and informed of that weakness - we have developed the means to reduce or eliminate that as an issue - and we are well aware that if we DON'T, we can expect a larger and more expensive VP-44 failure as well.



So we spent an extra $100 or so on an added or modified LP - and install guages to monitor the fuel system - no big deal, less than the cost of a spare tire, and FAR less than some of the "fixes" needed in competing brands - and then motor on in one of the absolutely BEST trucks ANY maker would try to sell us...



RAMS ROCK!

 

[CATCRACKER]

E,



i am not saying dodge does not have flaws i just wanted to show that the other brands have the same issues we commonly see. Dodge is not the best made truck look at my other posts and you will see that but ford and chevy are not better. one may be bigger one may have more hp of torque one may have a cummins one may not but as far as quality they are all about the same. toyota makes the best truck hands down. i have a buddy who is a sevice mgr who sells GMC and toyota he will be the 1st to tell you not to buy a duramax and get a tundra if you want low maint. cost and no repair head aches. with the tundra once they leave the lot they almost never come back for sqeaks rattle etc. this is coming from my best friend who writes the tickets up. He drives a 2500HD gas. what he does love is the mitsubishi's they sell he said they make a killing fixing those POS

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

We need to be objective when we start comparing trucks like Ford, GM and Dodge to the foreign (asian based) trucks - there's no denying that typically, the Asian-based vehicles shine in overall fit and finish...



STILL, in parking lots and on the streets, I see the clearcoat fade and peeling paint just as our domestics do - and keep in mind that it's far more typical for the smaller Asian trucks to see far lighter duty service than the larger domestic stuff we compare them against. Start using the Asian stuff in heavy construction or oil field work - or heavy farm service - THEN see how well they hold up in the long haul.



Big difference between hauling groceries, and pulling a 15,000 lb construction trailer across rutted fields on a daily basis!



THEN, when we get to price comparisons, do we really think we'll see a Toyota-type heavy duty diesel in the class offered by Ford, GM or DC that is likely to have an attractive price advantage?



We gotta look at the WHOLE picture - beauty is more than skin deep!

 

[jarsong]

2001 for 2001 my Ram has better fit and finish than the Ferd. Go grab ahold of the dually fender of an 01-01 F350 and see how much they shake when you givem a tug... . Ram = ROCK SOLID. GO shut the doors?? The seals are so good on my truck I almost have to put a window down a little to shut'em... . SOlid sound when they shut. No rattles at all. Now I'm speaking for 01 vs 01...

jarsong

 

[Truckie]

jarsong I agree with you 100% I have an 01 and it is



SOLID I have not one problem with it at all, thank GOD, but I'm not going to worry about it either. Where I used to work they had an 01 foRd and man it was the BIGGEST pice of junk I ever drove, it had the foRd 6. 0 in it. It used oil by the gallon, the doors rattled off, thats right rattled off, the seal on the doors were bad, always leaking. and hell it leaked more water than the TIANTIC took on to sink. You didn't dare drive it when it rained,

the floor would wind up with an inch of water on it, and you needed windshield wipers in side also so you could see.

Heat there was none, seat belts didn't work, and the bolts to hold the seat to the floor would back off.

FoRd no thanks.

MIKE

 

[Elite1]

Gary, Your welcome to your opinion... . "When time came to upgrade to a newer truck - the last of the REAL diesels from DC (sorry 3rd genners, that's just my honest opinion!"



But I sure like my 03' a heck of a lot better than my old 96', and I liked that truck alot!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

AW well, if I was totally honest, I would probably have to admit my REAL estimate of the "last" of the real diesels would be the 12 valve version - due to the absence of electronic engine controls. But that is a sort of 2-edged sword thing - the easy power upgrade ability of the early 24 valvers DOES go a long ways to counter the greater mechanical reliability of the 12 valve engines.



After '02, the computerization just continued to spiral out of control, and makes the newer stuff less owner friendly. (in my opinion)



By contrast, the later 3rd generation engines seem to be somewhat more limited in upgradeability - but that changes almost daily. What doesn't change, is the traditional low RPM torque and grunt of the older engines - the Harley-like distinctive sound of one in operation (ever see a Harley owner trying to quiet his bike down?) - and the utter reliability and long life that is by now traditional for these okder engines - just get in and DRIVE!



Lest any owners of the newer stuff tend to take offense, or assume I'm "dissing" their later medel trucks - keep in mind my comments are intended to reflect a traditional/purist view of what constitutes a "real" diesel - based upon those characteristics that have created the respect and acceptance of diesels and brought us to where we are today. Newer diesels may be viewed as "better" by many owners - but I can't help but mourn part of what we are losing in the process in terms of simplicity and anvil-like durability.



I realize that EPA and other government emission-related mandates dictate the changes in our (and those of Ford and GM!) engines that create the requirement that they operate at higher RPM under loads and typically deliver lower economy when worked hard - but I don't have to LIKE it!

 

[jarsong]

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

AW well, if I was totally honest, I would probably have to admit my REAL estimate of the "last" of the real diesels would be the 12 valve version -

Boy isn't that the truth... . The more electronic junk they throw on it, it seems the more trouble you can have. Personally I like the "Smart Pump" and "dumb Injectors" matchup of the 2nd Gen 24V... . Still not a 12V though... . Wonder what the new ones are? "smart and smart"?

jarsong

 

[TheWolf]

I had a 12v also and loved it. I didn't like the 24v because it didn't have the power'down low' as compared to the 12v(at least to me). But the reason I do not have my 12v now is because the 03 24v hpcr has the power back down low just like the 12v. I do not like all the electronic control, except for just being able to plug a box in and get power. The electronic control just keeps getting worse though, Look at what control was added to the 2004. 5's



I miss the 12v, but the steering(and control), and brakes are so much better on the new trucks. The sound is NOT the same and never will be, but I think it is a good comparison to the 12v as far as the power curve goes.



This is just my opinion. Not necessarily the truth( I have not seen dyno charts to compare the three), but just what I think after driving them.





thanks

 

[CATCRACKER]

this post was not to bash any brand like i normally do it was just to point out that they have alot of quality issues as far as the body of the truck and transmission are concerned. those posts i dug up came from the the 1st 3 pages on that website.

 

[big jake 1]

Originally posted by Truckie

Where I used to work they had an 01 foRd and man it was the BIGGEST pice of junk I ever drove, it had the foRd 6. 0 in it.





MIKE

that's kind of interesting, seeing as how Ford didn't come out with the 6. 0 until the 2003 model year... .....



big jake



THE FORD GUY Oo. Oo. Oo.

 

[MLee]

03??

Big Jake;

I was under the same thought as you, 03 was for FORD. That engine was out in other application with navistar electronics on with no apparent problem. then ford wanted to use there own electronics, hence there current problems on keeping them running. but then there are other issues to as already stated above.

 

[diesel DOG]

I just bought an Excusion 6L, I have a 2001. 5 Ram dually and did get a 1980 3500 chevy diesel to go 250,000 without major problem after the heads were replaced in the first 5,000 miles.