What's the skinny on these trucks? I like the look of them but have heard the later 6.0 powered trucks have issues. 7.3 is solid but low powered compared to new stuff?
It wouldn't be used as a real work truck, just used for towing the Jeep and race car around with a slide-in camper.
7.3 superduty's (99+) arent too bad. as with any of the older diesels it seems the autos are the most problematic, with the torque convertors being the weak point. the 7.3's dont have egr, headgasket issues, etc like the 6.0's. some people have problems with the injectors and the injector cups cracking. my boss' old truck was a 02 7.3, it ended up having a cracked cup or a cracked head at just over 100k when he traded it in. asided from regular issues youd have with any truck, im not too familar with the other common powerjoke issues.
Im a dodge guy, mainly 12 & 24 valve 2gen trucks. Ive got a 12v and its simple as hell, all mechanical injection pump and not really any electronics on it. a couple of simple hand tools and you can tune and play with the perfomance of them. not to mention its pretty easy to get 20+mpg on the highway with them and still have the ability to tow and such. towing my jeep I got 14mpg no problem.
Yeah, the two major issues with the 6.0 is that the EGR cooler has all sorts of problems and the heads lift under boost. I had a 6.0 for two years and the power and torque of that thing are pretty substantial. Got rid of it just because I knew it was a time bomb and the parts/labor to do the EGR delete and ARP studs are around $6k. Can't really do the labor myself, cause you have to lift the cab off the truck to pull the heads.
But like I said, you can actually find 'em pretty frequently with the work already done.
6.0's are rocketships with a tune. We towed two jeps through the mountains with Redheeps and it didn't slow down, you just had to watch the EGT's. The later model ones have less issues. EGR/Oil Cooler should be first thing on the list. When the EGR gets plugged up it makes the oil cooler fail and it milkshakes the oil in the crankcase. FICMs are also an issue.
I gross more than most of you do and get the job done with 180HP and 300 lb ft of torque. You don't need 500 HP to tow a Jeep.
Can't speak directly for the 99+ 7.3, I did put over 300k on my 96. 96 was the last year for the non-inter cooled 7.3s. I pulled 12k on my gooseneck without any problems. In daily, non-towing, driving I got 16-17 mpg combined and as high as 24mpg straight highway. Lowest I ever saw towing was 10-11 mpg with 12k on the hitch. The 7.3 is a tank. The occasionally loose a turbo, usually from poor maintaince, injector pump needs changing every 100k or so and they are known to develop oil leaks from the dipstick but that may have been updated in the later motors. I never wanted for power with my 7.3. Buy it, drive it, keep the oil changed they last forever.
Cracker and I both run 03 6.0's. Bone stock I have more power than I know what to do with, and at 55-60 get 15-17 MPG with cruise control on.
I towed to the Rubicon with Russ Pottenger's 02 7.3 a few years ago, same scene cruise at 55 and got 16 mpg round trip, so its about a wash.
Driveability with the 6.0 and torqshift is way better than a 7.3 truck. There are potential problems, but then with a 7.3 truck your transmission is a ticking timebomb. Its a wash really either way, and you'll be happy with either truck.
The dodge guys love their trucks which do seem to work well, but every dodge guy I know is constantly wrenching on it too..
Duramax trucks have their own list of problems, but are probably the best drivetrain stuffed into the worst chassis.
I have a 97 7.3 with the 5 speed ZF5 tranny. 97 is actually the last year of the non intercooled ones. I have gotten 19.5 MPG since the beginning of the year with about 15K on it so far. Of that about 5K is towing between 5K and 10K lbs (hay, feed, Jeep, etc).
My mods are a huge air filter from a tractor, 3" downpipe to a 4" exhaust, international fuel pressure regulator spring and 203 degree thermostat to bring it back to international specs, high pressure oil pump crossover to even out the pressure down the fuel rails, and a custom tuned 6 position chip.
I have 252K on the clock and the only major repair it has had was rebuilding the tranny after the synchros went out. Other than that I have only done your normal maintenance stuff like brakes and regular oil changes. It still pulls just fine with the original high pressure oil pump and injectors. Not bad for 252K.
Thats one of the biggest things I love about the 12v/24v 2gen dodges, the awesome mileage you can get outta them. Trucks with the 3.55 gears can go 65-75 and get 20+ mpg without trying too hard. IMO it seems like Cummins get the best fuel mileage outta the big three diesels. Hell, I can get mid-teens towimg my jeep, even with a fairly heavy foot.
