kingofdodge7131

Hey guys.. I dont have a clue where to ask this haha. I did it at diesel stop and of course got "last for ever" what nots. So im hoping to ge ta lil less Bias info here

Now ive got 3 dodge diesels in the family a 99 with 220k and going good, a 04 and now a 07 mega. All great trucks. But Im looking for a very cheep crewcab truck. And ford is the winner! You can find up to say 01s for 12k all over. but they are between 160k-220k. Now my question is how well do these trucks hold up? As good as my 99? Did they change the front axles from say the 95s? My brother had a 95 with 80k but the front went went to nothing. I dont want that.

But with every aspect. Engine. trans. the truck itself. How do they hold up?

Dartmouth 12V

The engines themselves hold up pretty well. You don't hear of million mile 7.3's but there are many that have 400k+ that have hauled heavy all of those miles. Cam sensors were a problem but I don't know what happened to that based on the latest recall. The HEUI injection system can be finicky but they aren't too bad. It is possible to destroy any engine, be it cummins or international, in 100k miles but you can also get it to last over 500k. That is the purpose of test driving, so that you can figure out whether the previous owner drove it in a way to shorten the engine's life.

The weak link in those trucks tends to be the transmission. The 4r100 which is the auto they used did not hold up well and just like in the dodges, sooner or later must be upgraded by a properly built one. The clutches for the manual trannies was problematic but that can be fixed relatively easily.

The front axles are good. They are a D60 like our dodges but they are set up slightly differently. Most notably, the ball joints are much easier to replace.

kingofdodge7131

oh of course. Im not expecting a perfect truck. Just didnt want something that would die soon after i got it. Ive seen plenty of dt444 with 500k on them. Same thing arnt they?

kurt eric

A close friend of mine has a 2002, 7.3 powerstroke, I think he's close to 175,000 miles on it. He's pulling a 28 foot trailer for landscaping daily and plowing in the winters. His problems to date have been, brake calipers all the way around, front rotors, power steering pump, hydro brake booster and master cylinder, trainmission (from abuse) front axle bearings, main seal and a ghost in the computer on the check engine light. I will say this, not many people out there could/will run a truck harder than this guy……

johnny5.9

My bro in law has a 99 and has had nothing but problems with the frontend. The engine has been fine however. It should be noted that the truck has had a minimum of 35's on it for along time but the frontend was junk in a year after being totally rebuilt.

wurkenman

My boy has a 99 with 230k on the clock. The only real problem he had was the torque converter. I might add he drives it like typical teenager.

kurt eric

Johnny5.9 I wasn't even thinking of the tire's he's running, my guy is only running 285's but that's why this site is so good, answers come from all directions! I love it!!!

Rednecktastic

My friend's dad has one that had 475K on it last december. Couldn't believe he was still driving it... I was like 16 when he bought that truck new, was the coolest thing on the block. Don't know his maintenance done on it.

I think it was the first year they came out with the new style super duty. It had the powerstroke V8 badges on the front edge of the front fenders.

Hvytrkmech

They never made a DT444, but if they did the only way you would see 500k out of one is in the cargo bay of an aircraft. They did however make a T444E, and with proper maintenance could achieve 350k dependant on duty cycle. The recomended lttd on the t444e was a max of 250k.

The Ford version with proper maintenance has gone 500k+, as far as front end problems go, it's a straight axle thing, they ALL have ball joint and steering box issues.



Tim

Dieselnick

The 99 and 00 have stronger con rods than the 01 and 02. But that probably won't be a problem at stock power levels. If it were me I'd go with a manual trans.

Nick

strokerace

I had a 99' f350 before I got my dodge and in a way I wished I would have kept it, I didnt care for the engine at all, it had been ran like a raped ape before I got it and that had alot to do with it. I had nothing but problems with it, there was always something leaking and it hated cold weather, I had to replace everything about the glow plug system, plugs, relays, harnesses, etc. All kinds of gaskets, seal, sensors, etc, I think I replaced every part on that engine, it only had 165000 when I sold it. The guy I sold it to had one just like it with 300k on it so he must have had better luck with his. So pretty much I didnt like the powerstroke at all and will never have another one!!!!!! I will say though that in my opinion ford makes a much better truck than dodge, I had very few problems from the drivetrain and rest of the truck. As far as a tough work truck ford is the way to go, I also liked their zf 6 speed much better than my nv4500. The only things I did that didnt involve the engine were wearable parts like ball joints and brakes. I plan on buying a 99-02 ford again someday and putting a 12v cummins in it, that would be a perfect truck in my opinion. Also theres a reason why the cummins trucks sell for so much as compared to the powerjokes, think about that, Good Luck

TurnerBurn

The Cummins is epic.

However, the International/Navistar that comes in the Ford is a good motor. Particularly the 7.3 (pre and post powerstroke). I have heard "first-hand" of 700k in a dually that regularly pulled a 5-er. ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. Further, I live in Los Angeles, and our Paramedics are equipped w/ a fleet of Fords w/ the Navistar engine. There's no way, particularly when it comes to equipt for saving lives that a fire dept would go w/ sub-standard equipt. I have an Excursion w/ the 7.3 and it does fine. We've been all over the SouthWest, I drive it all over the city, and it is great. You should be able to find a nice one for a decent price. The market has been flooded w/ them.

klx650a2

Before you buy, check out the oil pan, they tend to rust out, you can see the paint bubbling. You have to lift the motor to replace it. Not a cheap fix. We had to do 2 of our work trucks...

truckjunkie

My cousin has over 400K on his 99 - I think the only issue he's had with his is replacing cam position sensors once in a while.

03qclb5spd

I sold my old 7.3 with 147k and the only issues I had in about 35k of owning it was a belt tensioner and cam sensor. I wouldn't be afraid of owning one, they are good trucks and good engines, well the 7.3.