Hi guys - I just joined this site a few minutes ago - I'm the current owner of a 97 F250 Powerstroke, and am looking at replacing it in the next year or so. If it was a crewcab, I'd probably keep it, but the family is growing, so the cab needs to grow as well. For a couple of reasons, I'm seriously considering the Dodge CTD vs. the new 6.0 PSD - namely due to the quality issues a small percentage of the new PSD owners have experienced, and also that I'm not entirely sold on the new 05 Ford Super Duty design. That said, I'd like to ask a few questions of the folks that belong to this forum for their input on the following Dodge questions I've come up with so far. I realize this is a long list, so my apologies in advance:

1) Have the problems I've heard about with the previous generation trucks been resolved, or are they still prevalent, or are they just blown way out of proportion:
a) Front end wobbles
b) Lift pumps
c) Front end suspension issues (ball joints, etc.)

2) How easy are the CTD's to work on? I do a lot of the normal
maintenance on my current PSD, and the new engine bay in the Dodge is WAY less crowded than the new Ford. Anything you can think of that's a pain to work on in the Dodge?

3) How are the Dodge dealers when it comes to resolving issues with the trucks, especially the Cummins engines? I've experienced nothing but a complete crapshoot with the Ford dealers - some mechanics seem to know what they're doing, and some I don't believe could find their butt with both hands.

4) Will Cummins repair centers for Large and Medium duty trucks work on the Dodge trucks, and how interchangable are the parts between the Dodge parts desk and the Cummins parts desk?

5) I went to my local Dodge dealer last week and looked at a new 2500 CTD 4x4 QC, and have to admit I was impressed with what I saw. One thing I noticed was that there was no glow plug indicator - the sales guy said there's now some kind of heating element that heats the fuel/oil, etc. and no wait to start or glow plugs are required:
a) Is this true?
b) Where is this heating element?
c) How long does it last?
d) How tough is it to replace?

6) I'm seriously considering a 6 spd manual in a Dodge. It's my
understanding that the new 48RE (hope that's right) auto is holding up pretty well behind the CTDs, but I'm really considering a 6 spd manual anyway. It's also my understanding that the manual tranny is a New Venture NV6500 (?):

a) Are there any problems regarding reliability or performance with these trannys?
b) How long to they and their clutches generally last, and how
expensive are they to replace when they die?

I realize that's a LOT of questions I'm asking - if this isn't the
correct forum to submit all of these questions, please let me know where I
can go to get the answers. Thank you all in advance.

 

1) I'm not convinced that the lift pump issue has been resolved... but you'll be under warranty, and when you're not, spend a couple hundred bucks on an aftermarket pump setup and never worry about it again.

the front end wobbles were generally associated w/ 4wd trucks and stemmed from poor alignment... if the caster was set by someone who knew what they were doing, the issue was resolved. didn't really occur in the 2wd trucks. I believe the wobbles are less prevalent w/ the 3rd gen trucks.

every line of heavy nosed diesel light truck is going to have more front end suspension issues than lighter gasser trucks... I've had a 1st gen and a 2nd gen Cummins with over 600k miles combined between them. a few ball joints is all that have needed replacing. both were 2wd trucks.

2. CTD's are MUCH easier to work on!!! (and generally require less work! )


3) Dealers are hit or miss... do your research on finding a good dealer... get any promises regarding voiding warranty in writing! everybody's friends when it leaves the lot, and they'll stand behind the warranty when you put an air filter or exhaust system on... UNTILL something bad happens and then they'll try everything in their power to void you! that's just the way the business runs... it's not a Ford, Dodge, or Chevy thing... it's an INDUSTRY thing.

4) Yes, Cummins repair centers will work on the pickups... they don't LIKE to because they use different computers, but they're capable. On my old 12v engines it was no big deal because they aren't computer controlled. Cummins charges a lot less than Dodge for stuff like valve adjustments, replacing a vac pump, etc. etc. Anything Cummins is interchangable and available at Cummins for less than at Dodge... and available elsewhere for even less!

5) I'm not familiar w/ the 3rd gens, but no Cummins has come with glow plugs. they use a heater element grid in the intake... I'd be surprised to learn that the new trucks didn't have one, and I wouldn't be surprised if the salesman didn't know what he was talking about, but stranger things have happened.

One great thing about the Cummins is that they'll start at -20*F WITHOUT pre-heating the grids!!! Powerstrokes often get stranded in the cold.

the grids pretty much never go out... it's a non-issue as far as I'm concerned.

6) get the 6sp... they're bulletproof, the clutch should last a few hundred thousand miles if you keep the truck stock. clutches are fairly pricey, but for ~$1k, you can get a clutch that'll hold almost 600rwhp with a killer warranty and customer support.

I'm very biased when it comes to manual vs. auto... I think automatic trannies are for old people and little girls... now, if I could afford a fully built $5k setup from one of the big name builders, I'd LOVE to have one as it would probably knock 1.5 sec off my 1/4 mile time, but the stock auto is a FAR cry from a pro built race piece... the manual is the way to go... you will thank yourself in the long run. much less maintanence, much less to wear out, much stronger, etc.

You'll love the Cummins... once you sit behind a real turbo diesel (straight 6), you'll never go back...

oh, and I'd say "small percentage" is a relative term on the 6.0 failures... Ford has bought back more of those trucks than any manufacturer has ever bought back any truck! LOL! that's the largest small percentage out there!

factor in that the Dodge has a shorter wheelbase (better turn radius) and costs ~$10k less than the Ford, and the choice has been made a couple times over for you already!

 

i was recently told by a cummins dealer that Dodge will no longer allow them to work on these trucks . They could still work on mine (2001) but they said that after (i think) the 2002 models they were taken out of the loop.

 

Since you are looking for a larger cabin, you should spend a lot of time in the back seat of each model. The Ford crew cab is much roomier at a cost of a longer wheelbase. If you read this forum much you run on a post asking Dodge to build a "real" crew cab.

I have a '03 Dodge CTD "Crew cab" 4x4 10000 miles @ 21 mpg and Dad has a '01 Ford 7.3L crew cab 4x4 with 89000 miles @ 16 mpg. We each throughly enjoy our respective vehicles. In your shoes, I'd ask a Ford forum a similar series of questions about the 6.0L. I would think the 6.0 issues are cleaned up by now.

 

Dodge buys these engines from Cummins without a Cummins warranty - If you take it to Cummins expecting them to honor Dodge warranty, ain't gonna happen.