pondering a diesel

[red dirt squirt]

im am considering selling my 99 z71 and buying a diesel cruiser. i am looking for something with some power since i use my truck now to tow the 40. the hj75 is pretty neat but i am not so sure what i really like or what fits me best. dont know much about diesel cruisers. any advice will help. anyone with pics of good diesel cruisers would help. thanks to all.

[brownbear]

not many options for US. in Can we get JDM 80s diesel. which are good tow rigs. But not many hj75 floating around for even us.

for the US your best option may be a 60 series with either a Toyota 1HZ 6 Cyl. or go with a chevy 6.2, or a cummins 4b-t or 6b-t.

There are lots of options. Unless you buy an old canadian cruiser you won't get a factory diesel with out doing a conversion.

There is even the option of doing an 80 series conversion. but $$$$$

Personally I would consider doing an engine upgrade to one of those sweet rust free 60 series you guys have down there.

IMOP

[crushers]

my suggestion is DO NOT get a Land Cruiser to tow your 40, get a powersmoke or duramax. an 80 towing a 40 would be cool but, in my books, not a pratical unit for this type of application...
cheers

[Eric Winkworth]

powersmoke or duramax, what about a cummings? isn't it the best of the three

I would honesly rather have the powersmoke than the duramax, just IMO

and I agree with crusher, although I think my 3b would tow it forever it wouldn't be fun stopping or driving over 60, it tends to push you around alot. You buy a Land Cruiser because you want a land Cruiser not because you want a tow truck.

[lowenbrau]

Originally Posted by crushers

my suggestion is DO NOT get a Land Cruiser to tow your 40, get a powersmoke or duramax. an 80 towing a 40 would be cool but, in my books, not a pratical unit for this type of application...
cheers

That would seem to make sence but I have recently heard of two Cruiserheads selling thier late model diesel pickups to tow with a 100 series. Dieselbigot claims he likes it better.

[brownbear]

oh ya a 100 would tow like a dream. lots of power. But he asked about a diesel.

If its just a tow vehicle I do agree that a full size pick up with a diesel would be best.

A 60's is light in the brake dept. while a 6.2 or cummins in it would pull the weight. handling would still be an issue.

[HZJ60 Guy]

Originally Posted by Eric Winkworth

powersmoke or duramax, what about a cummings? isn't it the best of the three

I would honesly rather have the powersmoke than the duramax, just IMO

and I agree with crusher, although I think my 3b would tow it forever it wouldn't be fun stopping or driving over 60, it tends to push you around alot. You buy a Land Cruiser because you want a land Cruiser not because you want a tow truck.

There's no "G" in Cummins. And yes I'd take one of those over the "mini max" or the "struggle stroke" anyday. But that's me. Look for a good 1994 to 1997 dodge with the 5 speed and you'll get a good truck that'll get you 20+ MPG.

[red dirt squirt]

well my 99 z71 tows excellent but i want to go diesel. the chevy diesels aren't worth a shit and they are way too expensive as well. so which do you all prefer the powersmoke or do you grab life by the horns?

[wesintl]

Dunno what you guys are reading to think the duramax isn't any good. Cummins makes a great motor but it's put into dodge junk. I wouldn't touch if Ford diesel unless it was given to me. It's a toss up to between a duramax or a cummins imho

[crushers]

i LOVED my old 95 powersmoke, ask Peter, i had a tear in my eye when he drove away...
the bugger couild pull a house beind you, get 28 mpg empty at 90 k/h and 19 flat towing a 60 series behind it from Calgary to Colorado Springs...

if i needded another tow vehicle i would buy 94-96 4 door powersmoke...
the Dodge has problems tearing out 5th gear from the vibrations and if i was looking new i would go with the duromax 4 door...

just my opinion
cheers

[silvercrusher]

I'd go with the cummins strictly because parts are largley available and because of there wicked tweekability. Huge horsepower mods. Imagine an engine so powerful you can't keep a torque converter in one piece? Oh ya!

[crushers]

well, for me a tow vehicle needs to be RELIABLE so as close to stock as possible (maybe PI would be added). isn't that the whole idea behind a tow vehicle? to get you to the trail AND BACK?
cheers
;^)

[silvercrusher]

I agree but i don't always tow so it would have to be playable if you know what I mean. Larger injectors, larger turbo or variable geometry, Fuel control chip=huge HP gains and still very reliable. Then we'll top with PI and see how it flys.

Cheers

Challis

[red dirt squirt]

yeah that's a good point, they do have quite a few good mods for the cummins if the truck can stay together. detroit vs. cummins.....its a flip of the nickel.

[VTCruiser]

glad you found your way over ot the Int'l board. the 4BT seems to be an increasingly popular swap for the non-toyota route.

[brownbear]

After working with a newer fleet of GM's(18) I would not touch one of them. Regardless of engines.

I have seen some really shitty stuff on these vehicles. They are seriously problematic. Don't waste your money with a new GM.

Not to mention Gm has one of the worst warrantees around.

They are a shitty company that I hope goes under.

If anyone really wants a GM let me fax you all my reciepts from the past years. Average vehicle is costing between 4-6K a year in maintenance, or more.

How many Yotas need the trans replaced at 65,000kms. Oh ya just past warrantee!

Oh and we own a couple diesel rams too. They are also falling apart. Believe it or not, the one our road foreman drives cost 18,000 cad last year in maintenance. thats a lot of parts. some of that is tires too.

I haven't had experience with the ford. so I say try that one.

I have driven all three in diesels though. I prefer the ford. but the dodge is second. the gm has a nice seat but I don't like how it feels inside. very cheap. also you feel like your not up high and in control.

you know how a cruiser feels.with that great forward stance for the driver. but the gm feels like your deep in a pocket.

[Eric Winkworth]

Now Brown bear actually has some real experience with the so called good Duramax Chev's and Cumming dodges. I couldn't have someone pay me enough to buy a domestic diesel, IMO it is just a flat out waste of money. You need something though, ever thought about a good Tracktor? A good transport truck will cost you twice as much at LEAST, but hey it will tow anything, and prolly count on it lasting 1 million miles easy with a good Cat motor. I always see a guy around tow in his 2 stroke diesel chev tracktor I will take a pic of it if I every have the camera handy.

As for the Ford, I don't know if it will be any better then the dodges or chevy's, the army seems to like those duramaxs, didn't they have alot of problems when they first came out? I know early chev diesel where a real joke. It really is too bad toyota doesn't get a good diesel into one of there trucks to squash the hurtin competition. I would read some magazines etc if I were going to buy new and then really go kikc the shit out of the demo's and see what one feels the toughest I guess. GM in my opionion is going down the drain quick too, they are garbage.

[Technikev]

Originally Posted by red dirt squirt

yeah that's a good point, they do have quite a few good mods for the cummins if the truck can stay together. detroit vs. cummins.....its a flip of the nickel.

Actually, its Isuzu vs. Cummins. GM's diesel is made in Japan. Detroit is owned by Freightliner which is owner by the Daimler Chrysler group.

All of these trucks have had problems. Ford's new 6.6 L had all sorts of software issues, Dodges 24 valve had injector pump problems (which is really a failed lift pump causing this - get a fuel pressure guage), and GM had (has?) a problem with the Allison auto tranny. Everybody makes lemons from time to time including Toyota.

My advice to anyone looking at a new or recent domestic diesel, whether it is towing or gettin' groceries, is to go simple. Lay off all the power this or automatic that stuff. KISS.

This is of course just an opinion

-Kevin

[dieseldog]

Gawd I love my 91 Dodge Cummins. Super tow vehicle. I really appreciate the simplicity of the 12valve early design set in the old goat body style. Very simple, hard-working tow hoss. Mine has 206,000 miles on it and going strong.

[HZJ60 Guy]

Yep, Im looking for a 1994 to 1997 12 valve Cummins Dodge 5 speed myself. Awesome engine.

[Technikev]

yeah, those 12 valve cummins are an awesome engine. I have seen a ranch truck with well over half million km and hardly any work done. Just a couple clutches and regular maintenance. And a whole lot of Rotella over the years. She was no racer, mind you. It was all over before 3000 RPM, but had the torque to pull from a dead stop, empty, in 5th gear without slipping the clutch real bad. And there is something about the early body style... Been around since the early 70s, but... well, I guess I have to admit with a face only a mother would love. ;-)

-Kevin

[rick_d]

my 1995 power stroke was a Pile of Shiat. I bought it with 120K (miles) and had 4 good months of use (except failure of glow system and one injector).

then every 2.5 weeks

clutch (where entire system failed aluminum/plastic rod thing)
starter ($505 US rebuilt)
lift pump
water pump (and failed rebuilt install by a shop)
brake master
and I can't remember it all. $4,000 in 3 months.

the worst year (1998) of any vehicle I owned on record.

...and mileage (US) started at 21 mpg, and dropped to 13 mpg by the time I sold it at 160,000 miles.

My solution, sell the 40 and buy a 70/74, drive there in comfort and wheel all day to drive home in comfort.

[crushers]

sonds to me like you bought a another man's lemon...

[Eric Winkworth]

I'd say he bought a lemon holy crap, I really do like those old dodge body styles too, I would prolly own a diesel one right now if I wasn't such a cheap skate when it comes to fuel.

cheers

[red dirt squirt]

well so far dodge sounds like its the only diesel not totally violated.

[red dirt squirt]

great input so far, i appreciate it. keep em coming

[rick_d]

it was no lemon-

One of the local shops (Desert Diesel) was slamming them as well and all advised toward the 12 valve (mechanical) Cummins.

---thence my firm stance on mechanical pump Toyota diesels...

I was running around the forddiesel.com boards at the time and same issues with many of the same trucks were appearing.

plus, the rotten dealers in Tucson have the market cornered on parts and I later determined they charge 30% over suggested retail price (thanks Tuttle/Click!).

It so sad when you know a good system (like Araco built Toyotas) and you are stuck buying the crap they shove at US dealers.

Ford, their dealers, and all their products should burn in a great pile in central Nevada desert. (insert flip off face thingy)

[red dirt squirt]

i know that the company i am at now had bought a fleet of ford trucks, now granted these were not diesels but, before they made it 200 miles back from the dealership 12 of them had major problems with their oil pans and had to be picked up.

[red dirt squirt]

in reference to chevrolet on their petro trucks...they have been great to us so far we have a fleet of about 20 of them and several have run over 300,000 with low repairs and maintainence....as far as diesels go it sounds like the dodge cummins is the only diesel that no one really just despises....i'm sure there are some horror stories however. let me know what you think.....why is it that dodge has such a nice diesel engine but the rest of the rig isn't worht a flip? what kind of problems are people having with them and are these getting better in any of the newer, larger bodied models? thanks guys!

[brownbear]

on our 03 or 04 dodges we have had mulitiple lift pump failures. at early km's too.

I think all the early 90's from the big 3 would be better. I think somehow all of them have suffered with qualtity control into the 2000's. GM most defianetly.

I would look for a early 90's even up to a 95(new body style) with the 12v engine. Get something that was not a heavy work truck, you know owned by a retiree. Even if it has no turbo. That can be added later if you want. There are a million dodge(holset) turbo's in the junkyards for those engines.

Toyota is missing a market here. I think they could get in there with some of there engines. Maybe if the new Land Cruiser 130 comes out with the v8 diesel you might see it make it to the Tundra line.

I would buy a diesel Tundra. Get a 4 door version. It would make an excellant hauler.