The powerstroke is not junk

[mbrolin]

tshunt,you hit the nail on the head. No one can feel good about paying a lot of money for any truck and then having to go to the dealer for repairs of any sort. There is not a vehicle made that is that perfect all the time. Pay $18-140k for an RV and I guarantee youll have to take it in for warranty work of some sort. Its common knowledge among all RVers. When buying a new rig expect some bugaboos. Shouldnt be that way.

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1999 2500 Cummins w/4spd auto,Quad Cab,SWB,4x4,Flame red ,all options less leather and radio controls on steering wheel,OEM color matched runningboards,DeeZee bedrails painted black,Power Vision Mirrors,OEM ventshades,Oem sill covers,OEM underrail bedliner

 

[scotty1]

Dave65, I know where you are at. I have had several Rams. My current Diesel Ram was the lemon. Its frustrating knowing deep down that there is something wrong but nobody has a solution. I was locked into a lease and registered commercially so DC had me over a barrel... so they thought. I have a suggestion. This suggestion came from the DC regional rep here. Ask DC if you take it to Cummins and they find a problem if they will pay the bill and if there is not a problem... you pay it. If they are so confident there is no problem... they will go for this. I have confidence in this kind of bargaining that you will not be paying anything. Cummins does not want a poor running engine out there no matter what it is in.
Theres plenty of folks from DC lookin in here. Lots would sooner you just go away and buy something else... your a drop in the bucket to them. However, to you... its not a small issue... so take it to task to handle it as a big issue for you and convey this to the TOP... . go higher and get some action.
DC hopes you'll hammer away at the keys and forget the focus of your situation... get the truck fixed... go to another dealer and discuss it with them if needed. Find the numbers and addresses for DC offices in your area. You worked hard to get the truck, you will not have to work as hard to get it resolved tactfully. I was about to lay down and sell this truck and take a big beating on the lease and then I decided... NO WAY is the big guy gettin me. I know DODGE, FORD and GM make a lot of good vehicles... just some of them are lemons... in all makes.

Channel the energy into a solution that is professional and tactful... play hardball buddy!

I read somewhere that DC wants happy customers... I wonder about that.
They probably have a percentage factored in for dud vehicles and write you and that truck off as a bad deal... theres over 58,000 Cummins diesels built every year... losing a couple hundred customers is chump change to them. But its a big deal to the lil guy.

GO GET EM! #ad


SCOTT

 

[ghillie]

Sorry Dave, but the powerjoke is junk. I had one and put a lot of money into it and it still didn't do what the cummins does off the showroom floor.

My buying the PSD was a 40,000. 00 mistake. And I intend on letting everyone I know just what a piece it was/is.

Clearly I don't need to tell you all here what a joke the PSD is, you all were smarter than me and bought a cummins to begin with.

Cheers



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Reformed Powerjoke owner, 2000 model, 3500, Quad-cab, 4X4.

 

[DGFoster]

Ghillie,you need some help,try to find it. .

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David Foster

 

[ghillie]

Sorry if I hurt your feelers Dave, but sometimes the truth hurts.


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Reformed Powerjoke owner, 2000 model, 3500, Quad-cab, 4X4.

[This message has been edited by ghillie (edited 02-04-2000). ]

 

[lshalz]

I can't help but wonder why Ford is No. 1 in truck sales? Maybe it's because they are junk.

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95,2500,cc,auto,4+2.

All stock,I save all my money for booze,and

VIAGRA!!!!!!

 

[adiabatic]

I will offer two facts but no opinions on the Ford vs Dodge war:
The Cummins engine is rated medium heavy duty.
The Navistar engine is rated light heavy duty.
See your CPL plate for confirmation.

 

[jthorpe]

I love my Cummins but those rating you speak of don't make one engine better than the other and they DO NOT define how much the engine can handle. Medium duty and Light medium duty only define the application of the motor as it is catorgorically listed by EPA. Hence, light medium duty puts out less pollution and can be fitted into lighter use vehicles. That is ALL that it means.

Jack

 

[Turbo Terry]

I feel for you man I,m always concerned I didn,t get a lemon-take Scotts advice and don,t give up. I bought a Dodge only because it had a Cummins in it. I only have 11,000 miles on this outfit!!! Good Luck!!

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99-24V-2500-Laramie-SLT-A/T-LSD-355
All Options except cab lights and carpet-Rino- Prime-Loc-Alcoa wheels-Lund cold front-Factory Tows_ALASKA

 

[bilford]

PSD's may not be junk, but ther're a complicated engine and your average dealer has a hard time with problems when they occur. My neighbors son bought one last summer. It started using antifreeze so the dealer kept adding more. After a month they noticed the crankcase was overfull 6qts. the problem was a bad oil cooler. They fixed it. Then about a month later the truck would die after it got warmed up. Every time the dealer towed it in, they couldn't get it to duplicate the problem. Two more mos. went buy. Meanwhile the kid hires a lawyer and wants a new truck. The dealer finds the problem, the antifreeze ruined the high pressure oil pump that pops the injectors off. The kid gets a new truck anyway, an extra cab for no extra cost. My other neighbor works at the same Ford dealer. He said the bought back vehicles are sent to the auction. Cheers.

 

[JDinNY]

the Cummins engine is a far better, more rugged engine design than the powerstroke. the powerstroke is 7. 3, the cummins is 5. 9, 445 ci in the ford, 359 in the dodge. at 86 cubic inches less than the "flower", cummins must be doing something close to right to have thier engine compete with the "big" V-8 "stroke". I'll live with a little less power and a lot nicer truck. To you Dave, good luck in getting your problem rectified, mines got 147,000 hard miles and has NEVER been back to DC...

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'95 xt cab,slt,4. 10,auto,265 stones,K&N,tst 605, silencer ring in top of toolbox, boost and pyro in full pillar mt.

 

[DGFoster]

Well one thing is for sure,the psd is more complicated,I won't argue with that.
I compared the cost of certain parts that were likely to go out first,like maybe injectors,well a set for the psd are roughly 400 bucks a piece,and you can get injectors for the cummins for about 300 for the whole set not just one,and also oil changes are more on the psd,filters are more also,believe me I know.
And you cannot go 7500 miles on an oil change with the psd,because the oil runs the injectors,if the oil gets dirty or looses its consistancy,the truck will not run,witch I would never go 7500 miles without changing oil,but if you are on the road a lot like me sometimes you can't do it at 3000,but the psd,that I had anyway,I could get maybe 4000 miles but the truck ran like crap,so you have to keep the oil clean.
And the interior is far better in the dodge no dought about it,that was my main attraction,I Thought it would be a good trade off for a little power.
And the four wheel drive on the dodge is much better user friendly,just a gentle pull back and it is in 4x4. Well the ford I had had the switch,and it took forever to engage espesially 4 low,i could walk to Canada and back before it would engage.
And on the fords side,the cab is bigger up front than the dodge,but they just shortened up the back seat,the front doors are long on the ford.
And the ford handled way better than the dodge,and the mileage was better than my wifes olds 88 royale in some cases,and went I hooked to something,I jamed the petal to the floor and we went,ausome power on the fords part,and 120000 miles on the 99 psd,all towing miles hard miles showed no mercy on the ford,at all. But I do love the cummins engine,it is bullet proof,and when something brakes if will cost maybe half in some cases,with the dodge.
But you know,ford automatic transmissions are far better,you can use an engine brake and it will not void your waranty,I know cause I had one.
Now thet me say this,why,why can't DC come up with an automatic transmission to hold up to the potential of the cummins,why,they have the know how,it makes no sence to me.
Well I will end it here,I do love the dodge,but I loved my ford also,I hope that I can get this resolved so I can enjoy my truck like all of you do. And I want to thank you all for the support you have given me on this quest,and to all the hecklers out there that gave me a hard time,your all right too.

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David Foster

 

[ghillie]

Dave65,

I know you want to put this thread to rest, but I must clarify my earlier statement, mostly because I think you consider me a heckler and that was not my intent.

I spent nearly $40,000. 00 on a Powerstroke, and had problems with the powerplant, shame on Navistar, and problems with the truck, shame on Ford. My problems with my powerstroke were every bit as upsetting as what you are going through with your Dodge. So my first point is both Ford and Dodge can have problems like you are having.

But if you put that all aside and look at what you get for the buck, the Dodge blows the Ford away in both value for the dollar and performance.

Dodge gives more niceities than Ford and for a little less money. Dodge's attention to detail is better than the Ford as well.

The powerplant area is where Dodge flat kicks the Ford's butt. I owned each of these as a tow vehicle, and that is the area I will compare them. The Dodge will out tow the Ford, not by a little bit, but by a large margin. To make matters worse for the Ford, you can't use the power the Ford makes because if you do the EGT's go deep into the danger zone. So routinely I would have to back off the Ford and not be able to use the power it had.

When I had my Ford, my Dad and I would argue who's truck was better. See, he has a 97 12 valve, and my Ford was a 97 F-350. To settle things we had a tow off. We towed his 32 ft travel trailer (about 9000 lbs) up Lewiston grade in Lewiston Id. , some of you may know it, and if you do, know it is a pretty steep climb, 7-8%. He and the Dodge never dropped below 53 mph. I started losing speed earlier than him, and before I backed out of it due to my EGT's post turbo reaching 1200 degrees, I was down to 41mph, and at a point sooner than reached his lowest of 53 mph. His EGT's never got close to dangerous. This is brief comparison, and I could go into more detail, but I am typing with one hand due to surgery. But our trucks were geared the same, etc.

That is why I said what I did. Is the PSD junk? Not when compared to the Chevy. But it can never perform at the level of the Cummins.

Hope this clears the air and ads some info to chew on. I don't want to be known as a heckler, I just have a very sour taste in my mouth over the Ford.

Cheers

p. s. my dad has a friend who lives in Lewiston Id. , actually owns the Q-lubes there. He owns a 99 F-350. And although they have never done a pull off, they have ran up the grade empty to see who could sustain the highest speed. This friend even has his PSD chipped and it cannot out do my dads older cummins. And his EGT's are a problem. I feel that a design problem with EGT's like this is unacceptable, and evident of poor engineering.


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Reformed Powerjoke owner, 2000 model, 3500, Quad-cab, 4X4.

[This message has been edited by ghillie (edited 02-06-2000). ]

 

[Briar Hopper]

Dave65, you might want to consider trying another dealer or two... I don't take my truck to the dealer I bought it from, when I need service. I have 2 other dealerships to pick from, that have mechanics who know what they're doing...
The dealer where I bought the truck, I got a pretty good idea of their service department on the day I bought it, I actually had to show their mechanic how to mount the set of "free" mudflaps they gave me...
Worst problem I ever had with a Ford gasser, 27 visits to 2 different dealerships failed to get it fixed (11mpg from a 4 cyl. Ranger). I made sure the owner of one of those dealerships got a good look at my new mega$$$$ Ram.
Shop around, good mechanics can be hard to find sometimes.

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Tom M.
Secretary of the Great Lakes Turbo Diesel Registry GLTDR B. A. D. Boys www.lubedealers.com/meers.html

 

[BLACKRAM]

Dave, the powerstroke started life as a gas motor, so it is not a diesel, but a giesel. It was made for light duty use up to 20,000GVW. The Cummins was made for 35,000-65,000GVW. One bad experience with a particular dealer does not mean they are all like that. I have 37K on my Ram, and NOTHING HAS EVER BROKE!

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1999 2500 4x4, auto, 3. 54, HD241, Quad cab SLT, Blk Sport Pkg, 285 Bridgestone AT, Amsoil.
1992 SC400
1978 Mooney 201 IFR

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

John Berger. . . 10 yard penalty for digging around the bottom of the barrel and bringing 367-day-old posts to the top! #ad
and everyone replies as if Dave65 posted yesterday. . . LMAO #ad

 

[jthorpe]

I thought seeing this thread was deja vu. WOW! I remember it and it's a year old. One of you guys was looking WAAAAY back.

 

[John Berger]

Well, this topic is going around in circles. Good luck Dave, I hope you have the patience to follow this through.

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1999 Dodge Ram 3500 Quad Cab 5 spd; 4:10 LSD rear; Mag-Hytec diff. cover; US Gear EGT and Boost gauges. Amsoil foam air filter and synthetics from nose to tail.
Cummins Power, don't leave home without it

 

[John Berger]

Being so close to Florida, I figure I have a right to a recount. #ad
#ad
#ad
I have just recently come back to this board after a long inactive spell. So I guess I'm covered. I guess it depends on how you define old post. Upon further review, the writing of the post is upheld. Vaughn you lose a timeout and are penalized 3 posts (however the hell that would work out. ) #ad
#ad


John

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1999 Dodge Ram 3500 Quad Cab 5 spd; 4:10 LSD rear; Mag-Hytec diff. cover; US Gear EGT and Boost gauges. Amsoil foam air filter and synthetics from nose to tail.
Cummins Power, don't leave home without it

[This message has been edited by John Berger (edited 02-08-2001). ]

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Good to have you back, John. I would say you have been gone awhile. . . what kept ya away? Only 172 posts since October 1999 #ad
That's almost like my post count on the Ford site, which is about 30 since June 1999 #ad


Vaughn