Auto Mechanic question #2 Diesel Maintenance

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Jim

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What is the cost to maintain a Diesel Truck like a Chevy 2500HD. What is involved with the 30k, 60k,100k service intervals, or does it even run that way?

I'm trying to compare Diesel vs Gas.

Thanks,
Jim
 
not much differance than a gas engine....just change your oil and fuel filters and spark plugs(j/k) trans service maybe a bit more often considering diesels are more stressed from pulling heavier loads......you can go longer between oil changes but requires much more oil and more expensive oil......but o boy let a injector module go out or a injector alone and you are gonna be out some big money.......if you don't need a diesel than don't get one.....a 2500 with a 6.0 will pull most anything.

I am a automotive mechanic but don't do much work on diesels(we have other guys for that) but from what i understand repair costs are almost 3 times as expensive than if it were a gas engine.....o and steer clear of fords.....lol they are good engines but the oil pans rust out and it's like a 20 hour job putting a new one on. being you have to pull the engine.....did one last year...was a pain in the you know what.....
photobucket-4691-1329757107664.jpg
 
You start changing spark plugs on a diesel and you are having a really bad day!


Diesels are less expensive to maintain but can be more expensive to fix

They tend to last forever
 
Captain Ahab said:
You start changing spark plugs on a diesel and you are having a really bad day!


Diesels are less expensive to maintain but can be more expensive to fix

They tend to last forever
+1

I was kidding about the spark plugs....lol
 
Stay way clear of the 6.0 ford, u actually have to remove the cab to change the heads. And they all break eventually. Unless u need it, diesels are much higher maintinence, plus fuel cost more. To many people driving them for show now days.
 
Bugpac said:
Stay way clear of the 6.0 ford, u actually have to remove the cab to change the heads. And they all break eventually. Unless u need it, diesels are much higher maintinence, plus fuel cost more. To many people driving them for show now days.

I don't do Fords...........anymore. :evil:

And yes, this would be for show. I need the Diesel power to pull a 14 foot Jon. :LOL2:
 
Jim said:
What is the cost to maintain a Diesel Truck like a Chevy 2500HD. What is involved with the 30k, 60k,100k service intervals, or does it even run that way?

I'm trying to compare Diesel vs Gas.

Thanks,
Jim

Good choice jimbo.

Gm dun away with the 30-60-90s.

Now they are recomended flushs, most all are every 30k

If you have an idear of the year your looking at ill let you know the common problems
 
Loggerhead Mike said:
Jim said:
What is the cost to maintain a Diesel Truck like a Chevy 2500HD. What is involved with the 30k, 60k,100k service intervals, or does it even run that way?

I'm trying to compare Diesel vs Gas.

Thanks,
Jim

Good choice jimbo.

Gm dun away with the 30-60-90s.

Now they are recomended flushs, most all are every 30k

If you have an idear of the year your looking at ill let you know the common problems


2011-2012
 
dumb question but why would you have to pull the engine to change the oil pan on a diesel engine???
 
TNtroller said:
dumb question but why would you have to pull the engine to change the oil pan on a diesel engine???

Depends on frame clearance.

If you have to lift it past a certain point to clear the crossmember, the transmission and what not has to be disconnected. Once you reach a certain point, you might as well pull it as all that's left is to lift it free and you can work in the safe and clear.

Diesels are big sum-a-botchs, they fill up the available space in most 3/4-1 ton trucks...
 
These days, not a lot of difference between diesel and gasser servicing costs. But a diesel does cost more and it's just sheer size/capacity that makes it more.

Oil; around twice the capacity so twice the cost.

Oil, air and fuel filters; close to the same costs these days.

Fuel costs; maybe a little more or the same as a gasser (around here anyways) but more MPG by an average of around 5 mpg.

Fuel is a bit more of a PITA to find at times.

Even though there's 5 lanes where you can get gas and 1 lane where you can get diesel, there's usually some A-hole getting gas in the diesel lane even if there's no cars in the other gas lanes. :evil: (pet peeve of mine)

Unlike gas, get a bad load of diesel and your truck will stall out on you. Fuel filters are usually the minimum fix. Bad diesel can be anything from water to just plain old crud in it.

Cold weather requires a bit of extra care. Once you get down around -20c you should plug them in for reliable starting.

Get too cold and you can run into fuel gelling/waxing issues (requires warming truck indoors and usually replacing fuel filter, may get away with a bit of gymnastics with PS 911 additive), it's gotta be pretty cold to gell fuel though.

Longer warm up times in winter, diesels burn relatively cold at idle compared to gassers.

Fuel mileage goes down in winter if you live in an area where they use "winter diesel" to lower the cloud point for cold temps.

Diesel fuel stinks for hours if you get it on your hands. Even after you wash them.

New diesels now need DEF, another expense.

Regen on the newer DPF's burns more fuel if it has to enter Regen to burn itself clean. Regen is needed if you drive short or slow distances often.

When it breaks, it's expensive. No question about that. Injectors can cost thousands just for the parts. But a good design lasts 100-200,000 before it needs any attention at all.

If you pop an engine, expect anywhere from 3-4,000 more than it would cost for a gasser to replace (but we're talking warranty work here on an 11-12).

Towing? No comparison if you are towing a large/heavy trailer. Diesel, hands down. In both driving satisfaction and MPG. Anyone who says differently hasn't towed long and /or heavy with a diesel yet.

Daily driver? Very powerful overkill. The new diesels do DD duty just fine, but it's like using a sledge hammer to drive a finish nail. Sure it'll get it done, but there's a better tool for the job.

DD should be something like a diesel Jetta or Prius anyways.

That being said, I drive a 3/4 ton diesel 4x4 eclb to work every day...love it.

No, I'm not over compensating......... :lol:
 
on the fords i believe that one i showed in the picture is a 2001 or maybe a bit newer there is simply no room to just lift the engine up to make clearance for pan removal....i only showed half the job...on that truck in order to get the engine out you must remove pretty much the whole front clip except the fenders. sorry don't have pictures.....my question is.....how do you get a oil pan to rust out? i mean seriously!
 
djchris said:
on the fords i believe that one i showed in the picture is a 2001 or maybe a bit newer there is simply no room to just lift the engine up to make clearance for pan removal....i only showed half the job...on that truck in order to get the engine out you must remove pretty much the whole front clip except the fenders. sorry don't have pictures.....my question is.....how do you get a oil pan to rust out? i mean seriously!


Easy; it rusts from the outside in not the inside out.

Chip the paint in the rust belt and it's a goner.

Have had lots of GMC's and Dodges with the same issue....rusts from the outside in.
 
Ok, I can't speak on the 'big diesels' as I haven't owned one yet, but my brother-in-law and father-in-law have and F250 (2001) and F350 (1999) respectively. I also have a buddy with a 2003 Ford Excursion with the 6.0L another buddy with a 2006 Dodge truck w/ the Cummings.

Personally, I have a 'small diesel'; a 1.9L VW TDI.

What I can tell you across the board (big or small) is that you have to me MUCH MORE religious about your maintenance. From little stuff, like oil changes, to big stuff, like timing belts, diesel maintenance MUST be done ON TIME according to SPEC SCHEDULE! Otherwise, you're losing longevity (overall life of the motor) and getting yourself in a position to have bigger problems occur.

Now, yes, diesel fuel is more expensive (about $0.35/gal in my neck of the woods), but my 1.9L pushes 195HP, about 270ft/lbs torque (read: NOT STOCK), and gets 58 MPG city and 62 MPG highway (if I keep my foot out of it, about 48 MPG if I don't); that's about $0.04/mile for fuel. Oil changes do cost me a little more (even with the small displacement, I take just short of 5 qts oil), but I also spring for the synthetic. I think the Fords are on the order of 9-10 qts for an oil change, which gets pricey if you opt for synthetic.

I'm a diesel lover, and plan to buy a 'big diesel' for my business when the funds allow, probably my father-in-law's F350 if he'll part with it.

What I've found is that a lot power mods for diesels yield greater economy. My brother and dad use OBD plug-in chiptuners which allow 3 modes; towing, performance, and economy both get about 22mpg average (city + highway, economy mode). My buddy with the Excursion gets slightly less than that at 18-19MPG (no tuner), and my buddy with the Dodge can get 26 highway when not towing.

Generally, diesels (big or small) do have a surcharge over gas if you by new ($2K-8K, depending on what you get), so you have to factor that into the cost. As with any vehicle, the longer you keep it, the more your cost is offset. Diesels will run forever with proper care/maint. In fact, my mechanic who works mostly on European stuff (Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, VW, Audi) and has 25+ years across the pond working on diesels swears by them and tells me that the doors will fall off my VW before the motor blows up. At 140K miles it runs like a top with an easy 200K-300K more life in her, possibly more.

From the chatter I've heard online, and from other enthusiasts, the best diesel is a *******; a Cummings powerplant (Dodge), Allison transmission (Chevy), with the Ford shell. The Dodge has the best motor but the body is junk and the tranny weak, the Chevy (Duramax) is a junk motor, and the body isn't that great, but that Allison tranny is bulletproof, and the Ford has the best (strongest) body, but the motors (7.2L, 6.0L, or 6.2L [whichever, I'm not totally sure]) aren't great, neigh are the transmissions. Keep in mind that when you buy a body or motor your kind of stuck, but a tranny can be built much tougher (gonna cost you a few pennies though). For example, my dad recently dropped in $3500 in a bulletproof rebuild of his tranny, but he took the time to find out who (locally) was good at working on diesels & diesel trannys.

Again, the trick is (as it is with any vehicle) is to find a good mechanic...with a diesel, that's doubly true as one does have to have the specific knowledge to work on them and know what the heck they're doing.

If you're not already considering it, I'd think about used...but the downside to used diesels is that they're often high mileage and have been beat up (hauling, towing, work trucks, etc.). There are gems out there (my buddy and I drove from Arizona to East Texas for his lady-owned, low-mileage Excursion a few years back) you just have to look. Diesels do hold their value better though; I recently ran the Kelly Blue Book value on my VW TDI; it was $6900 for my diesel, the EXACT SAME CAR, gas model though, was $1900!

Anyway, that should be enough for you to chew on Jim...if you do end up with one, I'm sure you'll love it....I can't tell you how much I love the smell of diesel fuel and the James Bond-esque smokescreen option that's built into all of them. 8)

Good luck!

I frequent the diesel website https://www.TDIclub.com. It is VW-centric; but you'll find a lot of 'other' diesel guys there too (Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Audi, Benz, BMW, Jeep, etc.). If anything, it's a great place to read up on diesel stuff and feel out what the reality of diesel is behind all that 'cool show' and 'marketing BS'.
 
great white said:
djchris said:
on the fords i believe that one i showed in the picture is a 2001 or maybe a bit newer there is simply no room to just lift the engine up to make clearance for pan removal....i only showed half the job...on that truck in order to get the engine out you must remove pretty much the whole front clip except the fenders. sorry don't have pictures.....my question is.....how do you get a oil pan to rust out? i mean seriously!


Easy; it rusts from the outside in not the inside out.

Chip the paint in the rust belt and it's a goner.

Have had lots of GMC's and Dodges with the same issue....rusts from the outside in.
i know i know....lol.....just doesn't seem like it should do that
 
diesels has higher fluid capacities for towing= more $$$$ to do the routine stuff.

also new diesel have urea injection so you have upkeep there or $$$$ for a delete system

you just have to see if the cost are worth it.
my dad and i killed a half-ton f-150 4x4 in 175,000 miles with hobbies and work. the family has a v-10 excursion as well. it like gas as you can expect as is not very peppy.

i drove my buddies 2 dodges with cummins and fell in love.
last fall i bought a 2000 2500 ctd ext-cab 4x4 6-speed stick and 6in lift. i get 18 mpg dd. i dont think there is a gasser that can do close to that with that kind of power. on the flip side i have to buy 3 gal of oil for a oil change.

if you WANT a diesel and have no need for one look for a first gen dodge (ugly as sin i know). should be cheap enough you could save up the cash and not have payments. https://auburn.craigslist.org/cto/2787998586.html https://montgomery.craigslist.org/cto/2838452957.html the first gen have the 12 vavle cummins that is considered by many the best truck engine ever. it use no electronics,with fuel and a jump start it will run on a shop floor.
 
If you want a desiel go with either an older 7.3 ford or a 5.9 cummings because the newer motors IE "2009-current" have EGR's now which caused a hell of alot of problems with carbon because since its not blowin black out the tail pipe it's gotta be goin some where an guess what it gets dumped right back into the cylenders to get reburnt an starts the process all over again, not to mention having to change the fuel filters every 30k because of carbon deposit's in the fuel after 25k an some filters are like 45 each an sometimes theres 2 of them.

if not just go with a 5.9 gas or a V10 yea gas might get ya in the wallet but they'll last just as long if not longer an the V10 packs as much punch as a desiel, minus the turbo obviously.


*Edit* sorry i had to edit this normally i actually read what i post but i had alot of type o's that was bugging the crap out of me!
 

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