'08 ford 6.0l or '08 gmc duramax

[spikey]

i might be in the market for a new van in the coming year and i am really torn with the decision i face.

i am in absolute love with my 2000 7.3l but am starting to flirt with 800,00 miles. the motor, turbo, tranny, injector pump and injectors are all original. i know this won't last for long but i would really like to purchase a new van, not used.

the few people that i know that have the 6.0l in their vans have been nothing but trouble and very expensive to keep running. the sprinter van is, in my opinion, a little to light and cheesey for my liking. this leaves the gmc.

do i tread to the other side?? has anyone heard much about the duramax in the vans yet?? i know that it is de-tuned compared to the motor in the pick-ups, not that that is a problem, but i am just worried about any potential mechanical problems.

i'm hoping to get some feed back before i make the jump.

[Mr_Roboto]

The current Ford vans are not available with a diesel, and the 6.0L is out of production. There is no telling if or when Ford will again offer a diesel in the vans.

[u2slow]

How do you use your van? I thought the Duramax only went into the cargo/commercial vans.

If you are looking at them for that kind of use, cabovers with narrow box bodies are getting more common. Fuso, Isuzu, and IH/Ford come to mind.

[AL_Fishing]

Spikey,

I can't believe you have almost 800,000 miles on the 7.3L in a cold weather area. That has got to be a record. I love my 2000 E350SD Extended conversionvan, it's like a livingroom on the road. Did you use the Motorcraft Air Filters (Paper) or did you ever use a K&N Filter?

_________________>

A friend of mine is seriously looking at the GMC w/Duramax option, he can have the order option with driver seat delete to drop ship to a conversionvan company.

You can add mods/exhaust to the DMax no problem. And I believe he can get a dual tank on the extended model.


_______________________>


Larry Yates from Quigley Vans wrote this today on another 08 new van thread,


"To: Commercial Truck
NAFLRO
E&G
Ford of Canada

SJ: E-Series Diesel Announcement

Effective immediately, the following announcement needs to be provided to all customers, dealers, and pool accounts announcing the reintroduction of the diesel engine option in the E-Series line-up for the 2008 model year. Please use exactly this message as it has been approved by the company.

Ford Motor Company reached an agreement with our supplier to offer the 6.0L diesel engine in the 2008 E-Series. The diesel option will again be available on E350 regular length wagons, E350 vans, E350 and E450 cutaways. The diesel will not be available for production at Job #1 of the 2008 model year, August 6, 2007, as production timing is still in the planning stages. Additional ordering, scheduling and pricing information will be communicated to you as soon as it is available. Thank you for your patience.

The US dealers will receive an Electronic Dealer Notification today which contains the approved message. 2008 Order Guides and Order Banks will be available on Friday, June 1, 2007. Order Guides will include the diesel option with the disclaimer "Late Availability." We do not have exact timing on when production will begin at this time.


_______________________________

[spikey]

i use AFE filters in it right now, they seem to be the same as a k&n. but i do use baldwin paper filters for when i clean my AFE's.

i also use the baldwin fuel filters and change them every 40-50,000kms.

and for the record, i also use the walmart oil filters, and canadian tire motomaster oil. change every 8-10,000kms.

as for the tranny, i use the ford filter every 100,000kms and just drain the pan fluid and replace it with the canadian tire ATF fluid. i don't fall for all of the hype for the fancy oils and filters, i just change it often.

i love watching the faces of people telling me that i should be using this and that in my van or it won't last(blow the turbo up, grind the tranny up etc.). i just tell them my mileage, then tell them to blow smoke up someone elses ass.

[blageurt]

Spikey
Where do you live ? I live in thornhill ( Dufferin/ Steeles)
My nieghbor has 900 K kms on his 95 Cube Has changed everything though.
Do you test your oil ? You never know you might hit 2 million Kms . . .
If the body is good why don't you slap in a rebuild T444E and don't look back ? Thats what I plan to do . All the other parts can be replaced as long as your body is decent. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[AL_Fishing]

Spikey,

That is unreal you have oveer a million miles on your van.

Did you ever need to replace anything on the van? Turbo, tranny, whatever?

[ddog]

Well there is the post in the thread started by Larry Yates (Quigley) about late availability of the 6.0 for 2007.This could be possible if Ford and International have resolved their legal problems,and that Ford will end up taking delivery of the remaining 6.0 engines that were manufactured prior to 12/31/06. Since the emissions regs are by engine build date, they ramped up 6.0 production in the last quarter of 2006 to have enough engines to carry through until the '08 SD was ready. These could be put into remaining E-series 2007 production and be emissions compliant based on the engine build date.

IIRC part of the legal wrangling surrounded around Ford not paying for the remaining 6.0 production run, until IH paid their portion of 6.0 warranty claims, which IH was refusing since they didn't want to pay for claims as a result of Fords enginneering/inability to diagnose, etc and so on, the result of which in part was the remaining 6.0 and new 6.4 engines not shipped for a while.

Disclaimer: The above is my recollection of stuff read here and stuff read in Automotive News with respect to the Ford/IH debacle and as such is subject to misinterpretation, memory loss, and/or confusion of all the facts data.

The bottom line, if Ford/IH still has some 6.0's manufactured before 12/31/06 they could go into E vans for 07, but who would want one.

To the OP (Spikey), If your in need,the Dmax in a GMC looks like a good choice. I would be suspect of the trans since the Dmax vans only get a beefed up version of the 4L80E (4L85E I think its called)and take preventative steps accordingly in that regard (bigger cooler maintenance, etc). too bad GM didn't engineer it to fit the Allison Auto. The GMC van body is nice since it has a lower load height floor and larger Cargo height than the Ford. Also the swing wide hidden hinge doors are very nice, leaves an unobstructed opening for rear loading.

ddog

[Montesa]

[ QUOTE ]
To the OP (Spikey), If your in need,the Dmax in a GMC looks like a good choice. I would be suspect of the trans since the Dmax vans only get a beefed up version of the 4L80E (4L85E I think its called)and take preventative steps accordingly in that regard (bigger cooler maintenance, etc). too bad GM didn't engineer it to fit the Allison Auto. The GMC van body is nice since it has a lower load height floor and larger Cargo height than the Ford. Also the swing wide hidden hinge doors are very nice, leaves an unobstructed opening for rear loading.

ddog

[/ QUOTE ]
The 4L85E in the van should be OK with the standard tune of the D-Max which is considerably less than in the trucks. It's actually a pretty good trans and stands up well, even in motor home use.

[stroked_van]

with all of the problems I have seen around here so far with the 6.0's..........I wouldn't even consider it.
I like the Ford vans with the diesel option........but......if I were in the market for a new van, I would go with a Duramax.
In truth though.....would rather find another '99 in good shape and just do a full rebuild on it. Actually considering doing just this on the '99 I have right now. That new Duramax engine sure is sweet sounding though.

[fordnut350]

Glad to see that Ford is still going to produce a diesel powered E series, for now. I am part owner in an ambulance company and this is an issue that has us concerned. The Dodge sprinters seem underpowered and I have not heard to many good remarks about the GM products. It seems that this will only be temporary because I don't see how Ford will be able to cram a 6.4 into an E series. As hard as our Fords have been driven, they have not let us down yet.

[AL_Fishing]

Ford should go back to the 7.3L engine in the vans.

Ford needs to extend the hood length a foot or two so they can fit an intercooler on the 7.3L in the van, that would be killer.

[bork]

[ QUOTE ]
Ford should go back to the 7.3L engine in the vans.

Ford needs to extend the hood length a foot or two so they can fit an intercooler on the 7.3L in the van, that would be killer.

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree!!!

[XRACER]

That might actually be possible, if there was a shift in way the truck is 'weighed'. If it was classified by its maximum weight rather than its empty weight, the 350 series would spec out of tier II.

Tier II Standards