OK, so I need to start doing some research and have learned so much on this forum, I thought I would ask here. We current Tow our 2910 Passport with our 1500 Suburban, which works OK, we don't travel long distances very often. What really got me started thinking about this is we started racing at a local dirt track, so now I am pulling a 25 ft enclosed trailed loaded with tools and a 2500 lb Sport mod. I tow this with the 99 F-150 5.4(Which I LOVE). So now I will be towing every weekend this summer plus our vacations camping and I am starting to think we need to move up to a 3/4 ton pickup, a crew cab that can fit the DW and 3 kids comfortably. I was initially looking for something like a 2000 F250 with the 7.3 diesel, because on this forum I have read such good things about them(and the bad things about the 6.0!).
With the background out of the way, I was also thinking about Dodges and Chevys and don't have any clue what is the good, the bad and the ugly for those diesels around 1999 to 2001? Are there some to avoid?
2011 Keystone Passport 2910BH
2005 Ford F-250 King Ranch (yes, the dreaded 6.0)
2004 Suburban 1500
In the 1999 - 2001 model years, the only choice for GM is the 2001 as that was the year the Duramax was introduced. GM used the 6.5L before that.
In those years for Dodge, the issues were:
- possibility of cracked "53" Cummins blocks LINK
- Injection pump issues if the lift pump goes out
If a 1999 - 2001 has the lift pump still mounted on the side of the engine block where it has to "suck" fuel from the tank, is exposed to the heat and vibration of the engine, and is therefore prone to failure, I'd pass -- or, budget $500 into your purchase to upgrade it to a FASS or AIRDOG system. The problem is, the truck will run fine with a failed lift pump, but eventually a lack of excess fuel delivered to the injection pump causes it to fail. The lift pump is $100, the injection pump is $1000.
I would also start to worry about the automatic transmission in an older Cummins diesel. The Cummins produces a lot of low RPM tq, and that is hard on those early years auto transmissions. I had a 2002 that last I heard had 110,000 miles on it with the original stock auto trans, and I had added about 100hp/200tq to the engine (chip and injectors). The 47RE automatic transmission they used was strengthened in model year 2000.
In both trucks, I'd have the front ends checked for wear (ball joints, tie rod ends, etc).
Don't know a whole lot about Fords of that era, but they would have the same trouble spots IMO (front end and transmission).
A 2001 Duramax of course has the wonderful Allison transmission, but they were known for injector failures which costs about $5000 to have repaired at a dealer, and is about $2500 if you DIY. That's about the only weak point for the GMs in the 2001 year. In the 1999 and 2000 years, the whole engine is weak IMO.
If you're looking in that vintage of truck (1999 - 2001), the best one would be a 2001 Dodge 2500 with the camper package (which has rear overload springs and is basically their version of a 3500 SRW which wasn't officially offered in that year) with a 6 speed standard and the H.O. 24v Cummins. A 2001 Cummins with an auto trans was 235hp/460tq stock, and the HO/6 speed stick version put out 245hp/505tq.
* This post was
edited 05/08/12 07:01am by ib516 *
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2007 Dodge 3500 SRW Megacab, 4x4, 5.9L Cummins, 3.73, 48RE auto HYPERTECH MAX ENERGY or DIABLO PREDATOR tuning MBRP 4" Turbo back Scangauge2 for Boost, Coolant temp, Rail press & Trans Temp
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