96 Powerstroke to 2006 Cummins

[SteenRacing]

I am think of trading my truck in on a new 2006 Cummins Quad Cab Daully( will not buy a 6.0), It is a big decision, What do you guys think? I am mainly doing because of trailer and towing...plus 96 stroke has 215K on it.

[Packard8]

I recently sold my 2001 F350 and bought a new Dodge 3500 with the 610 Cummins. I was very happy with the Ford and planned on keeping it another few years, but became concerned about the new Tier II EPA regs for diesels that go into effect next January.

So far I’m pleased with the Dodge, especially the Cummins engine and G56 trans. The Ford crew cab is a bit bigger than the Dodge quad cab (tho Dodge does have the megacab, but you can’t get it with an 8’ bed). The seats and interior are a bit better laid out in the Ford (maybe just because I was so used to it) and I have a gut feeling that the suspension and sheet metal is a bit heftier on the Ford. I like the shifting and clutch better on the Dodge than my old ZF 6 speed. I too shied away from the Ford “six-point-oh-no”, and the new 6.4L sounds even scarier…..you have to remove to cab for certain repairs?...what’s that all about?

To sum it up, if I could have bought a new F350 CC 8’ bed with a Cummins 610 and G56 tranny I would have….but you can’t so I bought the Dodge. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

[Rich807]

These kind of posts crack me up, especially coming from folks who do not own 6.0s. Go over to the TDR board, and you can sit in your computer chair and read years worth of problem posts (just like any other brand site).

I had 2 Dodges before I bought my current 6.0 "oh-no" and so far the Ford is so much better than those 2 Dodges there's literally no comparision. I'm man enough to say if I had made a mistake by switching to a Ford 6.0 but it's flat not the case.

If you want a Dodge that's 100% cool, but why keep posting on a Ford board, especially when you're bad-mouthing a product you don't own.

I've had ZERO problems with my un-modified 6.0, not even a rattle. Let me bang out a quick semi-list of KNOWN TSB and non-TSB, but common Dodge problems I had:

1 cracked block (they had a production year of bad "53" blocks)
4 transmissions in 110k (2 by the previous owner and 2 by me)
2 fuel lift pumps
1 headgasket (and close to losing another)
- Exhaust manifold studs that back out
1 Shrunk/cracked exhaust manifold
- Death wobble
- Right side infinity stereo speaker blowing out
- Rear brakes that don't work w/out modification (poor load sensing design)
- Brake pull-to-the-right (Dodge put a cheesy spacer on the right front wheel at the factory as a "fix" for this)
- Cracked dash in multiple places (had a # of years faulty/bad supply of plastic from a vendor...according to Daimler anyway)
- Leaking housing around 3rd eye brakelight

I will be honest and say the above issues were with the 2nd Generation Dodges like the one I had (99) however, I was assured that all the problems from prior years were fixed...yeah right. If you don't believe that list from above go over to the TDR and search for those items or do a Google search and you'll find a ton of posts about those....they're not unusual.

There's no shortage of people biatching about every single brand out there, just check the other boards. The only thing that chaps my rear end is the propagation of the Dodge/Cummins reliability myth...they have as many if not more problems than the next guy.

Again guys, I don't have any ill-will against any brand and I'm not brand-loyal (buy what I like/fits the need), heck I might buy a Dodge again someday but I darn sure know better than to think any of them are head and shoulders above the other.

[03six0]

Have you even looked at the problems on the cummins sites lately? Looks eerily similar.
Justin

[mgraveman]

I just got a GMC - you should at least look at them. I am just blown away with this truck. I didn't want a 6.0 either, and wasn't a big fan of the Dodges, so looked at a chevy. It's worth it. At least drive a six speed auto, just incredible.

[Packard8]

Sorry if you think I’m “bad mouthing”. I have been to the TDR and other Dodge sites for the last several months doing pre-purchase research, and I have been active on this forum for several years. I’m not blindly married to any brand…..I’ve owned two Ford diesels, one GMC and now a Dodge. If you read my post I think you will agree that objectively, there are many things I prefer about the Ford. The person who started this thread asked a legit question and I thought I’d offer a relevant answer based on my personal experience….are you the admin/owner of this board? Are only current Ford owners allowed to post here?...If the answer is yes to both of the above then I’ll gladly leave.

I’m happy that you have a good 6.0, hope it stays that way. However, anyone who can read this forum knows that they are plagued by a myriad of issues not experienced by the 7.3L PSD or the Cummins…..just because I haven’t had the *pleasure* of personally experiencing the issues doesn’t negate their existence…..I assume the owners who post about them on this very forum are honest ppl. I’ve never seen a dealer/factory buy-back posted on any of the Cummins forums (tho I don’t doubt there have been some), but I’ve seen dozens posted here regarding 6.0 Fords over the past few years.

Hey…at the end of the day it’s just a truck…lighten up!

[Rich807]

Well if you've been on those boards you know that what I posted is true (list of problems). The other thing you need to be honest about is that Ford SuperDuty 6.0s outsell Dodge Cummins' but an astronomical margin. How that is germaine to this topic is that way bigger volume = way more opportunities for people to be posting about a problem they have. To me, there's a couple of key things that contribute to that issue:

- You're talking about a miniscule amount of trucks in comparision to how many SDs are on the road. It's far from an apples-to-apples comparison

- The other thing that is very clear to me is that the bulk of Dodge owners are a different breed than the average Ford owner...my expereince/opinion. A lot more young hot/wild folks buy SDs; seems like the typical Dodge Cummins owners are older, experineced, mechanically inclinded and personally responsible folks (not everyone but I think it's large #s in each case)

I like the average Dodge/Cummins owner. Over there, folks are a lot more old-school/self-made and work within the system until they get a resolution, will fix and/or re-engineer things themselves or use any multitude of Dodge/Cummins aftermarket companies that offer "fixes" for Dodge/Cummins shortfalls. I respect them a lot as the general attitude over there is if you "BOMB" your truck i.e. modify it, you "are your own warranty station".

Again, IMO, the big difference with a lot of Ford people is they don't want to take responsibility for crap they did to cause the truck to....pick something i.e. blow a headgasket. Instead they run to a board like this or even more another Ford site and biatch and moan about how Ford voided their warranty, how their truck is a P.O.S.....meanwhile, someone over on the Dodge side is more likely to bone-up and just get his rig fixed....I respect that.


I myself spent literally 7-8 thousand dollars fixing Dodge/Cummins weak points on my truck so I know all about it. Things like $5k aftermarket tranny and tranny brain to replace the junk Dodge trans; $600+ on a 3-piece exhaust manifold because the stock Cummins ones shrink and crack over time (especially on trucks that tow heavy); hundreds on gauges and test kits in order to watch lift pump pressures etc etc.

I lived and breathed Dodge/Cummins out on the TDR board for a few years so when I hear people belly ache about 6.0s (especially those that don't own one) and then take the attitude like the Cummins' don't have more than their share of problems I get a little perturbed, that's all.

I was scared to death of considering a 6.0 by reading things on other board and these Ford boards however, the funny thing is evertime I was at a diesel pump, asking co-workers, or otherwise chatting with a Ford 6.0 owner I never ran into one that was ticket off about his rig.....I know they exist but I never ran into one. So, because the Ford had the room I needed I bought one, so far it's been the best vehicle I've ever owned...not 1 problem..not even a rattle inside.

Have fun with whatever diesel you decide to run, just keep it real (they all have problems).

[FloridaEd]

I was prepared to do exactly what you are talking about. Instead, I luckily found a 2001 7.3 with low mileage and bought it instead.

BUT....

If I was buying a new one, it would have been a Dodge.

In the St. Pete paper, I have seen several 2002 Duallys with low mileage selling around $25K. That's what I paid for mine almost a year ago.

BUT......

If I had maintained the truck well, I would not let 215K miles bother me.


Florida Ed

[Packard8]

Hi Rich,

Yep I’m one of those “old school” guys and I guess we all buy what we are comfortable with. I’m not alone…4 other old Ford guys in just this one thread are also wary of the 6.0, whether the concerns are rational or not…we are the ones writing the checks.

There are problems with the gen 3 Dodge Cummins, but it seems mostly with the 2004.5 models and most seem to be ironed out. Some owners of the latest gen 3 engines are not getting good mileage..my truck is averaging between 17 and 18 so far, not the 20-25 that some of the older trucks claim. I think the “3 event” EPA mandated injectors put a dent in the numbers.

When you see a few of these, it does give you some confidence:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/QUAD-CAB-...wItem#mainImage

I hope your truck runs flawlessly forever (they all should). Seems like if you have a good one “out of the box” you are in good shape (and the opposite is also true).

Best,

John

[Rich807]

Ya know everyone told me when I was buying my 99 that I would be ok as they ironed out all the flaws from the 98.5 model year....lol.

Anyway, even though I found about every Dodge/Cummins design/manufactor flaw in my particular Dodge and it cost me boatloads of cash, oddly enough I enjoyed driving it for the most part.

I really enjoyed the camaraderie amongst other Dodge/Cummins owners and miss that to some extent. Just the shear volume of Super Duties owners out there make it pretty much impossible to have that tight-knit feeling like on the Dodge side.

Good luck to all you guys and happy dieseling!

[SteenRacing]

Thanks to all who replied, I however posted this just to get opinions not start a war. I went ahead and purchased the new Dodge Quad cab 3500 SLT Daully 4x4. I got for 37,500 with no trade in.

I made my decision based off what I see and hear from trust worthy sources. I am in the Ford Business-Modify/Race em all day, everyday. I have many ties to the Ford industry. I did not want a 6.0 based on what I have seen and heard from people who use and do the same things I do with it and let me tell you they(6.0) have issues. A service writer friend of mine says they have had to replace 100's of head gaskets and 27 complete engines in the short time these engines have been in service , this is just one dealership. Lets face it most who own 6.0 only use it to get to Starbucks and the soccer field...at least here in Virginia Beach. I would never buy a chevy.....bottom line. So I chose the dodge.

I was not letting 215K bother as the truck ran fine and pulled my race trailer OK. I want to buy a new truck because of the 07 regs and the fact that I wanted a vehicle that would last another 10-12 yrs. I think the 06 Cummins was the way to go. Time will tell.

Thanks to all who replied

[warpdriv]

There are a lot of motivations to get a new truck. New toy bug, cool factor, or something else. I did not have a truck and needed one. I bought based on what was the best truck I can get that fit my needs within the price range I was able to. I found mine when it had 187k. The previous owner took very good care of it and so do I. I plan to keep this truck for a long time. When it needs another motor, tranny, or whatever, I will put it in or get someone to do it.

Looking at your sig, hauling a 40' trailer is not a small task. Yea a new truck will haul it better because of new designs resulting in more HP/TRQ numbers. If you put $7000 into your truck (injectors, fuel system, HPOP, beefed tranny, ect), it will out pull any other 1 ton truck you could buy off the lot.

IMHO, Keep your current truck. There is no reason to go out and spend $30,000+ on a new truck and get a $600+/month truck payment when you already have a good truck.