High Mileage tow vehicle question
I found myself in need of an extra vehicle and found an old grampa truck (93 GMC 1/2t ext cab 4x4) it was cheap and well taken care of by the previous owner who had owned it almost 20 years. It has 21...
Forum Discussion
Different opinion with caveat. Trucks are better than ever but because of gov interference need, especially diesels an aftermarket tune and a basic scan tool. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be concerned with emissions that’s another topic onto itself as is risk of warranty loss.
With a tune you can turn off engine killing EGR so that you don’t have tiny hard particles causing wear clogging passages sticking to valves and getting between crank and bearings. Also they can set up better safer regen strategies so that in certain duty cycles & with older worn seals etc you don’t end up with fuel dilution wherein your oil can’t properly lubricate critical surfaces. The whole flood an off cycle cylinder with fuel to send it down to be burnt in the exhaust system needs to be re-thought and is. A rush to meet gov requirements and costs to stay competitive may have caused this.
Use the scan tool to get and clear codes when the check engine light comes on so you can take care of minor stuff at your convenience. Instead of it running you to the dealership, putting your truck in limp mode, or worse on the hook for a minor issue. Bosch OB 1000 is like $60 and is stone simple with two buttons some are even cheaper.
My 2014 Ram Econodiesel has 440,000 miles used commercially for towing. It unfortunately lost a head gasket at 371k for which I was able to quickly & cost effectively swap in a new motor with a 24 month unlimited mileage warranty to boot. But as a whole has had been cost effective to keep on the road with very little down time and not nickled me with repairs.
Sure it’s been proactively maintained and has a good duty cycle. It did eventually have an emissions problem which I repaired the old fashion way plus a $50 change to the tune. The scan tool has also been helpful addressing minor issues without shop time downtime or being stuck in limp home mode. Original no repairs transmission, one set of brakes, lost a rear due to water contamination but I just swapped in a new take out unit for $800. I plan to do lower ball joints this falll as preventive. Truck has no electrical gremlins radio seats rattles squeaks etc problems. Still runs straight smooth & quiet with original exhaust. May not be heavy duty but used & maintained in its parameters pretty good truck. I plan to keep rolling it for awhile.
Certainly most people are not going to have this experience but most people don’t take advantage of a tune or a scan tool or proactively maintain.
With a tune you can turn off engine killing EGR so that you don’t have tiny hard particles causing wear clogging passages sticking to valves and getting between crank and bearings. Also they can set up better safer regen strategies so that in certain duty cycles & with older worn seals etc you don’t end up with fuel dilution wherein your oil can’t properly lubricate critical surfaces. The whole flood an off cycle cylinder with fuel to send it down to be burnt in the exhaust system needs to be re-thought and is. A rush to meet gov requirements and costs to stay competitive may have caused this.
Use the scan tool to get and clear codes when the check engine light comes on so you can take care of minor stuff at your convenience. Instead of it running you to the dealership, putting your truck in limp mode, or worse on the hook for a minor issue. Bosch OB 1000 is like $60 and is stone simple with two buttons some are even cheaper.
My 2014 Ram Econodiesel has 440,000 miles used commercially for towing. It unfortunately lost a head gasket at 371k for which I was able to quickly & cost effectively swap in a new motor with a 24 month unlimited mileage warranty to boot. But as a whole has had been cost effective to keep on the road with very little down time and not nickled me with repairs.
Sure it’s been proactively maintained and has a good duty cycle. It did eventually have an emissions problem which I repaired the old fashion way plus a $50 change to the tune. The scan tool has also been helpful addressing minor issues without shop time downtime or being stuck in limp home mode. Original no repairs transmission, one set of brakes, lost a rear due to water contamination but I just swapped in a new take out unit for $800. I plan to do lower ball joints this falll as preventive. Truck has no electrical gremlins radio seats rattles squeaks etc problems. Still runs straight smooth & quiet with original exhaust. May not be heavy duty but used & maintained in its parameters pretty good truck. I plan to keep rolling it for awhile.
Certainly most people are not going to have this experience but most people don’t take advantage of a tune or a scan tool or proactively maintain.
