[zdubyadubya]

No 97 diesel had a catalytic converter

in all seriousness then, because i would really like to know. What was the canister in front of the muffler that was filled with cardboardish honeycomb stuff? I was told it was a catalytic converter. I just used a crowbar to punch it all out and clean out the inside, then ran the exhaust pipe straight through the inside. from anyone looking under the truck it looks like i still have a cat, but instead its a straight exhaust. I didn't think it would be a second muffler because it didn't have any baffles in it.

 

[jimmydean]

That's not the reason at all actually. There are several diesel cars sold here and everywhere else in the world, small diesel trucks abound.

With smaller engines, yes. My 7.3 would do damage to a 1/2 ton rear end. Not saying ALL diesels require buff running gear, but the current engines offered in the 3/4 trucks would give 1/2 gear fits.

I wanted to put a 6.5 turbo in a 1/2 truck 2 years ago and ran into many possible issues with reliability. The stock rear would not have done well.

 

[Jm_]

i find it interesting that Phord puts their turbos under the cab, costing stupid amounts of money just to fix it/service it.

im a 12v Cummins fan myself...all that sweet power from a 6cyl.

My parents have an F550 and the turbo is most definitely NOT under the cab.

The thing has somewhere like 5 radiators. It doesn't get very good milege though, 17 on a good day (no load), but it only drops to 13 or so when pulling a heavy trailer. That thing has some crazy heavy duty transmission. Milege can drop off pretty fast depending on many things, not to mention some people tend to think they get better milege than they actually do.

My buddy has one of those mercury milans (same as ford fusion), AWD, V6. It also doesn't get better than 17mpg, which is pretty pathetic. I'm not sure how they've boosted the milege recently, but the other option for that car (in the year it was made) was a 140hp 4cyl.

 

[eric strt6]

funny but I have an 03 6.0 F350 Crew Cab 4x4. change all the filters myself, oil + filter at 5k, tranny and fuel filters at 15k, tranny fluid at 30k. Truck has 85,000 miles and it's never been in the shop. I run Stanadyne performance formula additive in every tank of fuel. 90% of the trucks use is towing show horses for the wife. I have zero complaints

 

[ChrisKring]

Make sure you check into the mileage a bit more than one of the above post. There is no way a 6.4 is getting better than a 7.3 without removing the DPF on the 6.4. In fact, I get better mileage pulling my mom's 43' fifth wheel with her '02 F350 7.3 than a buddy gets with his 6.4 pulling nothing. Hopefully, the new motors witht he urea injection will help with the mileage. I really wish I could get the F150 with the 4.5L that is ready to go but not being sold. One of the engineers I work with from Ford was telling me it had more go than the 5.4L gas and was getting mid 20's mpg when he was driving a mule.

 

[gonefirefightin]

Make sure you check into the mileage a bit more than one of the above post. There is no way a 6.4 is getting better than a 7.3 without removing the DPF on the 6.4. In fact, I get better mileage pulling my mom's 43' fifth wheel with her '02 F350 7.3 than a buddy gets with his 6.4 pulling nothing. Hopefully, the new motors witht he urea injection will help with the mileage. I really wish I could get the F150 with the 4.5L that is ready to go but not being sold. One of the engineers I work with from Ford was telling me it had more go than the 5.4L gas and was getting mid 20's mpg when he was driving a mule.

I get 23-25 mpg (unhooked) with my 6.4 liter (bone stock) my 7.3 liter gets 16

I get 15 hooked up to a 19,000 lb 5th wheel

there are at least 10 people on this site that have driven across country with me that can verify my milage.

your buddy must have something aftermarket on his truck that is screwing with his milage or power

 

[Dog Welder]

I get 23-25 mpg (unhooked) with my 6.4 liter (bone stock) my 7.3 liter gets 16

I get 15 hooked up to a 19,000 lb 5th wheel

there are at least 10 people on this site that have driven across country with me that can verify my milage.

your buddy must have something aftermarket on his truck that is screwing with his milage or power

Your 6.4 gets that much bone stock!?! I always heard those 6.4 were notorious for getting horrible mileage. What setup is it? We have a 6.4L utility truck, at my station, that guys take out on Overhead assignments. Its a 4x4 at it averages 12mpg.

Yeah I'd like to take you up on your offer. Can you pm me your number? Thanks.

 

[profro]

in all seriousness then, because i would really like to know. What was the canister in front of the muffler that was filled with cardboardish honeycomb stuff?

Well, I said that because the first round of emission regs didn't go into effect on light-heavy duty trucks (aka the 5.9L Cummins) until 1998 and even then it was just better rings and higher pressure fuel injection. The next round of regs went into effect in Oct. 2004 if I remember correctly and was EGR and maybe a few oxy-cats.

The one you had was probably put in after production and was probably an oxidation catalyst which works to reduce unburned hydrocarbons. It is probably poisoned by now and not doing any work. Just take it out. Why it was in there is a puzzle to me. I used to work in the field of diesel after-treatment as a researcher and the after-treatment technology of 1997 was completely useless. We were just starting down that path back then. Heck we are still trying to figure out NOx treatment and its due in the trucks in 2010. All of this is going to keep me from buying any diesel truck from 2010 to probably 2015. Maybe in five years we can figure this out.

I'll keep my 7.3s running as long as I can.

 

[jimmydean]

there are at least 10 people on this site that have driven across country with me that can verify my milage.

And he drives like a jackass, too! His rig is nice, though.

 

[ChrisKring]

I get 23-25 mpg (unhooked) with my 6.4 liter (bone stock) my 7.3 liter gets 16

I get 15 hooked up to a 19,000 lb 5th wheel

there are at least 10 people on this site that have driven across country with me that can verify my milage.

your buddy must have something aftermarket on his truck that is screwing with his milage or power

Wow, that mileage is really good. How fast are you driving? What is your around town mileage? Is it a crew cab? 4x4? How many miles are on it?

I would be interested in buying a 6.4 if I could get that kind of mileage. However, I haven't heard of anyone getting those kinds of numbers. I am not calling you a liar, I just want to know what your doing different to get that kind of mileage.

 

[profro]

Yeah, those number are totally off from what I hear with regards to 6.4s.

I can get 17ish in my 7.3 Excursion (4x4 w/ auto) if I cruise at 65-70mph

I can get 20ish in my 7.3 F250 (2x4 w/ manual) if I cruise 65-70mph.

 

[profro]

F150 with the 4.5L that is ready to go but not being sold.

You can thanks CARB and EPA for that.

 

[eaterofdog]

After falling asleep behind the wheel after a long couple days at work...I totaled my car and now knows what it feels like to be inside a dryer.

Oh yeah I've done that. Woke up with my car on the shoulder bumping though the wet grass. So I let off the gas and gently started to steer the car back to the road. Then I hit a driveway embankment and did a kickflip lawndart. I still don't know how long I was hanging upside down knocked out.

 

[dan-o]

Personally, I don't believe a dpf equipped crewcab 4x4 dually of any brand gets 25mpg.

My 06 LBZ duramax, 6spd, 2500HD 4x4 crew gets 15 city and 18 @ 75. I can eek out 20 @ 60 if the stars align. I hand calc the mileage every tank and drive 30k/mi of mostly local roads per year.
Zero issues with my truck, btw.

My brothers 03 F250 6.0 has over 200k and has never been into the shop for engine related issues. It get hammered up CO passes, drags horses to rodeos every weekend and generally lives a hard life. Problems with the 6.0 abound but his has been solid.

 

[IH8Rice]

Yes, 3/4 or 1 ton only in diesels for now. 1/2 ton running gear can't handle the torque, even on a mostly stock motor. There is too much grunt in the bottom end for 1/2 tons.

I wish they made a 1/2 ton diesel because the most I haul is some gear, 2 quads and a moto.

hopefully the car companies will put their 1/2ton diesels plans back in action

My parents have an F550 and the turbo is most definitely NOT under the cab.

My buddy has one of those mercury milans (same as ford fusion), AWD, V6. It also doesn't get better than 17mpg, which is pretty pathetic. I'm not sure how they've boosted the milege recently, but the other option for that car (in the year it was made) was a 140hp 4cyl.

i was refering to the F250 and F350. the F550's are completely different

17mpg in a Milan is really bad. i had one for a week and was getting around 27+ish but in the 4cyl car.

 

[Dog Welder]

Secondary question...thanks in again you guys..this is a pretty big purchase considering its only my second car.

Considering that diesels are generally very reliable how risky is it buying a sub 80k vehicle from a private seller than one from a dealer, example most dealers will offer 12mos/12k mile warranties vs. none.

 

[gonefirefightin]

If you find a truck you like at a dealership and its under 100k it will usually still be under warranty unless there is a time deadline.

I will rather buy from private partys since you can see things like how old the filters are, check for unuasual wear on the tires, check out the frame and body for rust, if there are any leaks and inspect the truck inside and out. by the time a dealership gets them the fitlers are changed the tires are new and the undercarriage has been painted and detailed and the motor has been pressure washed. you wont fund those problems untill a few weeks down the road. plus the fact that dealerships never know the story on the truck.

 

[dan-o]

Secondary question...thanks in again you guys..this is a pretty big purchase considering its only my second car.

Considering that diesels are generally very reliable how risky is it buying a sub 80k vehicle from a private seller than one from a dealer, example most dealers will offer 12mos/12k mile warranties vs. none.

If there are service records to review I wouldn't hesitate to buy from a private seller. I would look for a stock truck (no tuner, aftermarket exhaust, pyro/boost gauges etc) to avoid something that's been beaten on though.

I'd rather buy a 125K truck that some old dude used to tow his camper than a 30k truck that lived a life of boosted launches and YouTube videos.

 

[Dog Welder]

Now I'd rather not buy a lifted truck but in my area it seems that some of the best deals are the ones that are lifted. THere's a region near where I live where the popular trend has been to invest 20k+ extra dollars into lifting a truck with fox shocks 35"+ tires, with a sound system to rival any club....and then not pay rent because your truck payment is in the thousands.

These are some of the best deals because of the money invested in the truck but my main concern is how well do some of these suspension systems last over the lifetime of the truck and how much do they affect the ride and steering.

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/1357627915.html

like that guy.

 

[buildyourown]

Don't buy a lifted truck unless you want a lifted truck. I bought my used '97 with a very mild 4" Superlift. This was a solid axle truck so it was only $1k in parts. Still, I spent a lot of time and money fixing and redoing stuff that was just plain wrong or shotty.
Have a competent mech who knows lifts to check it out. Even then, check stuff like torque and proper hardware. I found that my u-bolts on my rear springs where scary loose. Loose enough that the overload spring was shifting and rubbing on the tire. SKETCH.
Lots of lift are incomplete kits and leave lots of fab up to the installer. This can be good or bad.
Also keep in mind that a lift means worse mileage, more tire and suspension component wear, and poor handling.

 

[gonefirefightin]

like I said, feel free to pm me for my cell and I can talk with you over the phone while your looking at it.