Diesel power...pros and cons

[racin69z]

One big con that I have not seen mentioned is the weight. I don't think a dana 44 will survive long with all the extra weight. I have one friend with a 2003 dodge that has already had to replace all the ball joints.

You would probably have to do a dana 60 swap at the same time, so add about another $1000-1500 to the bill.

Lynn

[special-K]

Originally Posted by thirdstreettito

No offense guys, but please dont spout crap off when you are wrong, you just look plain ole stupid.

Diesel are %30 more efficient than gasoline engines. The only way a diesel cost a lot is when you buy Ford or dont take care of it properly. Keep everything lubricated and clean and monitor your gauges and you'll go more than 500K.

I have owned a few diesel. My father has owned more than he can count. My uncle works on them ,and has owned at least 50 and owns about 10 at the moment. Why? Because we like saving money. Make your own fuel properly, no by-product.

Any guy who doesnt know much about them will hate them, most guys dont know much about them, hence why they all hate them. Take a little while and read up on them, how they work, cause and effect, etc. You will want one badly when you know about them.

I know Im probably gonna get flamed for this but, the truth hurts.

Read your first sentence.Pretty funny cuz you just went ahead and did it.
I have driven diesels since the`80s,so I guess I know a little,too.They "can" only take filter and oil maintenance,and they "will" need an injector pump and injectors every 100,000 or so,if you`re lucky.And,many are.But,anything you need to go and do will cost big bucks.I`ve seen what can go wrong and many things cost as much as a whole new small block.I have one with 275K and never a problem,went 200K+ on original injectors and pump(mechanical).I`ve had an all new and improved $8,600 marine-duty motor break the crank and main web in under 50,000,too.You really need to be around these things more than a couple years to really know the ins and outs/pros and cons.Diesels are expensive.The cheapest way to go is get a cast-off 6.2 or 6.5 and about bolt that thing straight into your GM.Anything else is money chasin`money.A 250 six will move our trucks along.You don`t need 300-500 hp.

[wildwilly4x4]

Originally Posted by racin69z

One big con that I have not seen mentioned is the weight. I don't think a dana 44 will survive long with all the extra weight. I have one friend with a 2003 dodge that has already had to replace all the ball joints.

You would probably have to do a dana 60 swap at the same time, so add about another $1000-1500 to the bill.

Lynn

If you run a 6.2 or 6.5 GM diesel there isnt any need for axle swappin. GM built them on 1/2 ton platforms for nearly 10 years, and alot of them are still on the road. Best I could tell a fully decked out 6.2/6.5 wieghs somewhere between a small block and a big block......judging buy how hard it was to move the cherry picker around, and moving the motors by hand on the floor.

[dfairchild19]

Originally Posted by special-K

Read your first sentence.Pretty funny cuz you just went ahead and did it.
I have driven diesels since the`80s,so I guess I know a little,too.They "can" only take filter and oil maintenance,and they "will" need an injector pump and injectors every 100,000 or so,if you`re lucky.And,many are.But,anything you need to go and do will cost big bucks.I`ve seen what can go wrong and many things cost as much as a whole new small block.I have one with 275K and never a problem,went 200K+ on original injectors and pump(mechanical).I`ve had an all new and improved $8,600 marine-duty motor break the crank and main web in under 50,000,too.You really need to be around these things more than a couple years to really know the ins and outs/pros and cons.Diesels are expensive.The cheapest way to go is get a cast-off 6.2 or 6.5 and about bolt that thing straight into your GM.Anything else is money chasin`money.A 250 six will move our trucks along.You don`t need 300-500 hp.

they will not NEED an injection pump and injectors every 100,000k miles. you will find that if the diesels are treated properly and regular maintenance is performed just as on a gas engine, they will far outlast them. and if research is done before jumping into buying just any diesel, you will find that certain motors with certain injection pumps and setups prove to be far more reliable than others.

of course i dont need 481 hp in my daily driver but do we need 400 hp small blocks either? not many people absolutely need the power that a diesel can make but who would pass up the ease of making the power that a diesel can easily make and support with very little work.

[1962k20]

I had a 81 5.7 "converted deisel". What a turd!! I think I spent more time workin under the hood than driveing that truck. Parts were stupid expensive, even back in the 80s. Im sure there made better today. But after owning a 5.7 I still cringe on the thaught of buying another deisel pickup.

[milled]

their's only one name in diesel....Cummins 6bt or lighter weight 4bt, same as the 6bt minus 2 jugs.

The early internationals thru the 7.3 idi were good as well. 6.0's 6.4l JUNK!

Duramaxes are a very impressive motor but is very complicated and im not a fan of v8 diesels.

For big rigs cat is the name of the game cummins still do verywell here to detroit 12.7 aren't bad.

If anyone is concidering a diesel swap go with the best made cummins. , gm 6.2's and 6.5s don't last very long when worked.

[D13]

Well, at 198K my 87 6.2 just got $800 worth of parts. Not a bad deal. for a 23 year old truck. but you have to understand a 6.2 is a diesel equivalent for the 305 not a 454!

Parts for diesels are expensive, and they do wear out. The key is to keep up on the maintenance, clean fuel, and every couple years give it a good going over. Which the PO sort of did. A fuel filter cost $15, it's picky about which oil (and it holds 8 quarts!), etc. But how many gassers go 200K without a rebuild?

Tow power, big block or turbodiesel. Drag racing, gasser. Fuel economy with the same HP, diesel. All around cost and daily driver, give me a fuel injected gasser every day.

What I finally came up with is if you tow heavy loads (over 5000#) long distances, regularly (not 3 times a year!), diesel is cheaper than big block power. For daily non-towing driving, at 20,000 miles a year, it's $900 in fuel between a 6 banger and a 383, and another $500 for a 454. It's $400 less for a diesel. So how many years to pay back your Cummins converison? But it's different and fun and gets attention and the cops haven't figured out how to write tickets for excessive smoke yet.

FYI, I own an 87 1/2 ton 6.2 diesel, a 99 3/4 5.3, and have had 90 454SS and 90 4.3 W/t, 81 3/4 ton 250, 72 C30 402, etc. And what am I going to build next? 82 1/2 L6 250 A-833 manual overdrive on E85.

So drive what you want, or pick which powertrain fits your needs.

[thirdstreettito]

Can we get this thread closed? Its becoming a pissing contest.

[87fleetsidedude]

my 305 gasser is at 180k and it's running just fine, it doesn't consume oil or anything like that but i've changed the oil every 3 months or 3k miles and run fuel injector cleaner through it every 5 fill ups havent had to do anything, just like a diesel if you take care of it it will run a long time,