i have had a few older diesels my current one a 94 f340 4x4 5 speed 7.3 idi turbo 4.10 35 inch tires is awesome it has the ats housing 3 inch downpipe fuel turned up boost pyro gauge 3 inch exhaust to 5 inch stccks it runs great 172000 miles lots of power no problems to mention i sole a 93 chevy 6.5 turbo a year ago when i bought my new truck a 05 hd2500 gas6.0 the 6.5 was a real runner it had 230000 miles on the motor wich had never been touched i had the computer chip cold air intake 3 inch downpipe to 4 inch exhaust in stock form it would have tuned my 7.3 stock turned up it would be a lil closer but they both are good trucks the thing i didnt like bout the chevy was it was all electric to even a throttle cable in my opinion the electronics sucked on those engines but the engines were good and could make dependable 300 h.p. 550 ft lbs

 

Actually I know where there are quite a few

And just how many engines has ford built? Well? At least Chevy made an attempt to do it. And what about the 6.0? I know a lot of guys that are unhappy with theirs, now Fords changing again to the 6.4. Biggest mistake the made was getting away from 7.3 power stroke. Lets not forget that Ford is the one that just has to make everything different. Can you tell me the sense in having so many different Bell housing patterns?

Just like my Ford gas to diesel conversion, If it had been a Chevy it would have been as simple as pulling the gas motor and dropping in the diesel. And it wouldn't have mattered if the diesel cam out of a van, a pick up or a Humvee. Here I am a couple weeks into the project and still chasing parts,EXPENSIVE PARTS.

What failed, Bearings? Rings? what? IF it only went 40,000 miles Either you used substandard non GM parts or it wasn't properly assembled.

Come on over to my house, I'll show you 2 7.3's thats covered in oil. Mine and my cousins.

It all comes down to how well it was taken care of, I'm quite sure when I'm done that my tired abused 7.3 is gonna get its butt kicked by a few Chevys. I'm also sure it will kick at least a couple wore out abused Chevys.
Buying any used vehicle is a crap shoot at best.

It doesn't matter if its a GM, international, or a Cummins. If it wasn't maintained it's going to be heartbreak. If it starts every time you turn the key, gets you from point a to point b its a good truck. if your working on it all the time it's junk. I don't care who built it. I've spent more money on my F-250 than I ever have on any of the Chevys or dodges I've owned. But that doesn't make all Fords junk, just mine.

If the 6.9 and 7.3 are such gods of diesel why are there 238 pages of questions about them just in this forum? If I was to go buy some folks opinions in this forum I wouldn't think there would be that many pages.

You asked for opinions you should have figured someone was going to point out even Ford builds some junk and has made some questionable decision's along the way.

Now excuse me while I go put on my fire retardant suit, I'm quite sure there are some who won't like my opinion

 

Most GM fans agree that the 6.5 was inferior to Fords 7.3 an 6.9. Fuel pumps were a common problem with those engines. About 60,000 to 70,000 miles they would go bad. As far as I can tell there are very few 6.5s left that have the original engine in them anymore they have all been replaced. You can maintain them engines as well an anybody an they will still let you down. Ford was smart an had International(Navistar) build there engines for them. GM finally got smart an let Isuzu build there diesel engines now
Hey Fords not perfect who is an the6.0 has had its share off problems. Visit any board an you can see that. Just go over to GMs diesel forums they have pages an pages off problems as well. Inmarket share GMs 6.5 only mustered less then 1% off the diesel market in its last few years off production. That tells you right there there diesels had some huge issues against them.
I am not trying to be critical off you an anybody else. Just stating what I have seen. I respect your opinion. The best thing GM did was let somebody else build there diesel engine instead off them doing it themselves Have you ever owned a Chevy diesel before my bet is you would spend more money on it then you would have your Ford.?

 

Actually, some on this forum would say the big mistake was going away from the IDI turbo 7.3. It was derated on paper, so not to outshine the incoming powerstroke. Not that the Powerstroke was a slouch. I've owned a couple of them. But just like the 6.0, they had growing pains as well. As did the 6.9 and 7.3.


Why do the Chevy guys make such a big deal out of the bellhousing thing?
There's been 4 different V8 bellhousing changes in the last 40 years, with some crossover between engine families. Not counting the diesel. If Ford would have built there own substandard diesel like GM, it would have probably shared the 460 pattern. With the exception of the pre 60's engines, at least Ford has standard powerplants between company lines. BOP 350's and 400's, Chevy 350's and 400's. How many different 455's? Pontiac Firebirds with Olds 403's? That's more confusing.

That is true. Just have to do your homework and be willing to look for a while until you find the right vehicle that has been taken care of. Took me 6 months and lots of road trips across the state before I found mine. But its been worth it. Besides maintenance, I've spent maybe $750 in repairs since I bought it. Bought a '99 Tahoe about the same time with 1/3 the miles and spent twice the money and time fixing that fine POS. Traded it in last summer with 80K on the clock and an ailing engine.


A lot of repeat questions. A lot of basic maintenance stuff. Some major failures. But, I rarely ever hear of someone wanting to swap out a 6.9 or a 7.3 for a gas engine. But, I can't keep track of the number of 6.2's tossed in favor of a small block or big block.

The IDI is a decent engine. By far better than any diesel GM has ever offered.
Reliable, easy to work on, and pretty easy to modify and build power.
All of that said, I bought mine with the intention of swapping a '01-03 Cummins 24V when the original engine quit. With 240K miles on it, I don't foresee the change any time soon. Uses a 1/2 qt every 5000, runs decent and just keeps plugging along.

Jason

 

Well judging from the experience my nephew has had with his I felt it was decent engine, I didn't say great but it is decent. When he got that truck it had a gas engine in it, while we where in GA 8 years ago he bought a military takeout motor from a Humvee, a 6.2 diesel. We have no idea how many miles where on it or why it was a takeout. He ran it 6 years with out a lick of trouble. He farms full time so it doesn't get an easy life. 2 years ago he bought 2 newer gmc wrecks. With the intention of building one out of 2. Well he ended up parting them out due to time constraints and his wife was complaining about them, we all know about that He dropped the one 6.5 he had in his 82 just to get a bit more power. It's got 212,000 miles on it and in two years the only thing he has done is service it. Maybe he has just been lucky.

I'm not saying they are the greatest thing in the world, but the darn sure are not the worst. The worst thing in the world was that abonamation gas converted to diesel.

I honestly feel ford did real well with their diesel program right up to the 6.0
But I also feel the Chevy 6.5 isn't as bad as some of you like to make it out

RC
Lets get one thing straight right off the bat, I am NOT a Chevy guy, I am NOT a Ford guy, I am not a Dodge guy. I'm not an any thing guy. If it gets me from point a to point b its a good truck, when it starts costing me a butt load of money it's CRAP.

I happen to like all three of them. Some body styles over the years I liked a little more than others.

As for the bell housing thing, thats not the only point. I have 3 different sets of plates in my shop that bolt onto the front cross member, one is for a 300 six, one is for a 5.8 and one is for my 7.3

How many different alternators does ford build? Take a 351 Cleveland water pump. how many different motors will it fit?

You can't argue the fact that GM has more parts that cross platform than ford.

Actually Buick, Pontiac, Olds will cross platform.
I once got a 77 Pontiac Le Mans given to me that had a bad cam. At the time I wasn't working and needed a car. I had a 69 Jeep wagoner sitting at the garage that had a broken frame, it was powered buy a 350 buicks engine. It drooped right in. The only thing I didn't get hooked up was the AC. Wasn't an issue because as soon as I got back to work I replaced the cam in the Pontiac and put it back in.

Ever worked on Class 8 Ford trucks?
Take every other class 8 truck that was ever built in the united states or Canada, no matter which power plant you chose be it DD, Cat or Cummins you can pull into a Cat, Cummins or Detroit Dealer and get work done on things like Water Pumps, alternators , compressors..

Ford on the other hand in their infinite wisdom, well they had things changed around so you had to come to them to buy parts.

So far on my conversion I've had to change
Oil Cooler
Motor mounts
Engine stands
Transmission.
left exhaust manifold
And I'm not done

If it had been a Chevy NONE of that stuff would have needed changed.
You tell me why Ford wants almost $60 for 6 O-Rings for the oil cooler?
And theres nothing special about them except that they are high temp O-rings. Big deal. My cousin ordered me high temp O-rings for it, a whole whopping $6

I've said it several times, I like the way my truck drives and rides, but I sure hate getting bent over every time I need parts.

So when push comes to shove this particular Ford is a POS. Hopefully once its together the 7.3 makes it a much better truck

 

Yeh Chevy has some things going for them. Interchangability off parts. 350 motors Literally tons off them an parts in the aftermarket everywhere. In stock car racing Chevy probably has the most motors in induividual cars but it always takes a Ford guy to upset the applecart a bit. An yeh theres a few Ford motors out there in stock cars an when they win it upsets the bowtie guys around a bit. I cant blame you for your frustration with your diesel conversion. It can drive you nuts. Why did Chevy put there distributor in the back instead off the front. Ford is definitly easier to work on. They all have there pluses an minuses. Going from a gas motor to a diesel conversion is something I wouldnt tackle myself. Good Luck an hope you get that back up an running again.

 

I would go with a Ford diesel truck, 6.9L or 7.3L. The F-350 is the most preferable because of the solid front axle and its higher overall payload rating.

It is my personal opinion that it doesn't matter what engine you have, as long as the rest of the truck is solid and has been well maintained over the years.

Unless your a power junkie or a drag racer, there is no need for the latest and greatest brand new trucks and eletric controlled engines.

Chevy, in my opinion has never had a real good diesel until this 6.6L Duramax came out.

Case in point: My 1992 F-350 4x4 has been a work truck its whole life, I bought it with 233,000 miles and it now has 287,000 miles with no major problems, and I am sure it will go well over 70,000 miles more if properly maintained.

Just my $0.02 worth........

 

Looks like we have a lot opinions here...but the ones that " I think" count, are the diesel shops that work on all gm, ford & dodge, and the ones I have spoken to prefer 6.9 & 7.3 IDIs over 6.2 & 6.5 GMs...and the cummins beats them both hands down.

 

This was a Ford v.s. Chevy question, if he had to choose between only those two truck makers, which one would it be? The Ford diesel or the Chevy diesel?

 

F350JOHN, this chevy vs ford diesel "question" do you really think you are going to get an unbiased answer on a ford website?!!

 

Not really, but where did the Dodge Cummins come into the equasion?

 

I'd have to with the Ford diesel. When i was growing up mom and dad both had buicks in the 80's with the diesels in them one had the 350 diesel the other had the 4.3 v6 diesel and without fail they would break down for no reason at all. It was a chore to get the 350 diesel to 120k miles when it finally slung everything thru the oil pan. The 4.3 made it to about 65k miles and it died. If someone gave my a gm diesel dont care if it was a 4.3 5.7 6.2 6.5 or a 6.6 i would not drive it because i have seen what they do.

 

F350JOHN, In the near future I will be replacing my 6.9 IDI, while speaking to several different shops, the cummins comment came in as "diesel mechanics" best choice...I own a ford by choice, I think they are a better truck than dodge or chevy! I have a couple of "die hard ford fans" who each just purchased new dodge cummins, why-the cummins, no other reason, would they buy a dodge without the cummins, not a chance...so John, I just relayed what Ive been told....the best-cummins...better-6.9 & 7.3 IDI and then theres chevy-6.2 & 6.5.

 

I had a GM Diesel several years ago. The dang thing blew injector pumps every 60K like clockwork. GM replaced the first under warrenty. The second time they tried to wiggle out of it and I had to threaten lawsuit to git it fixed. The third time I junked it.

Agreed that Cummins is an excellent choice. Love the engine hate the Dodge wrapper.

 

Believe it or not bcford6.9, I actually agree with you. My plans are to replace my 460 with a Cummins 12 valve with the Bosch P7100 injection system (If I can find one that isn't made of gold!), I am not a big 24 valve fan, too much wireing and more expensive to upgrade.

Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that when the diesel makers made everything electronic, the fuel economy suffered badly, My uncle just bought a 2005 Ram Cummins and his real world empty mileage is about 10-11mpg! My friends old 12 valve gets a consistant 18-20mpg. So why is that? I have heard this from many other people as well.