Diesel life span

[NEnative]

I am thinking of purchasing a one ton deisel dually. Currently I have a 250 gasser. Can any of you senior members that have been towing for years with a deisel tell me how many miles I can expect out of a deisel if follow factory maintenance schedule. Not asking any particular brand, just the engine expectancy. Trying to justify the cost!

[2003silverado]

Naturist beat me to it

[2003silverado]

I might get flamed here, but in my opinion about the only thing in the auto industry that has become less reliable in the last 10-15 years is the Diesel engines in light trucks. Diesels are regarded as long lasting mainly because of the logic of long ago, when gassers were junk after 100k miles and diesels were so simplistic, mainly due to the lack of an ignition system. Give it fuel and its gonna run. Diesels today are anything but simplistic with their electronics and 30,000+ psi injection systems. Most of the problems are emissions related.

Since you are getting a dually I imagine you are towing so heavy that a diesel may be necessary. But these days to buy a diesel solely for reliability and longevity is not sound logic, again, in my opinion.

[naturist]

Buy a diesel for sheer grunt & pull. But as others have said, both modern gassers and modern diesels, the engine will easily outlast the rest of the truck.

In any case, gassers have been getting longer-lasting and diesels of been getting less so; they have been converging, as it were. Back in the 60s and 70s, gas engines were good for 100K miles, and would need a rebuild, rings, valves, seals, the works if they managed 150K. Diesels of the day were expected to go 400K-500K before needing a rebuild.

Today, both will easily do 200K, and very, very few truck bodies, electronic accouterments, seats, etc. will last much longer than that.

[Vanished]

goducks10 wrote:

Vanished wrote:
This sounds like stirring the pot... We all know a gasser can hit 200k+ easily as well as any diesel that can hit the same or more.. Very few of us run trucks over 200k miles regardless...

Maybe the OP needs a diesel for the weight he's towing.

He has a 250 today and is trying to justify cost based on life expectancy - that business case isn't there..

BUT - if he's towing over 10-12k I absolutely agree a diesel makes more sense..

[1jeep]

I do agree if you are towing above 10k I would never go back to gas, diesel really is that much better, but you do pay more up front and during maintenance times.

[rhagfo]

NEnative wrote:
I am thinking of purchasing a one ton deisel dually. Currently I have a 250 gasser. Can any of you senior members that have been towing for years with a deisel tell me how many miles I can expect out of a deisel if follow factory maintenance schedule. Not asking any particular brand, just the engine expectancy. Trying to justify the cost!

Well what are you, or what do you plan on pulling???

Diesel justification comes between 10,000# and about 13,000#!:B

Some will say they can easily pull more with a gas engine, but it is far more pleasurable with a diesel.

[goducks10]

Vanished wrote:
This sounds like stirring the pot... We all know a gasser can hit 200k+ easily as well as any diesel that can hit the same or more.. Very few of us run trucks over 200k miles regardless...

Maybe the OP needs a diesel for the weight he's towing.

[DUO_CORE]

I like the diesel because I tow a BIG 5th wheel and when I stop for fuel at a truck-stop I can fuel up at the truck pumps (lots of room) instead of having to maneuver into the gasser pumps that seemed to be designed and sized for smart cars lol.

[1jeep]

like most people you will get bored with the truck and sell it before the engine dies, just like most newer gas engines.

[rhagfo]

I will agree with several on here that keeping the wrapper running is more of an issue than the engine.
I keep my signature updated, I bought this Ram used about five years ago with 234,000 miles, now pushing 292,000. We are only the second owner previous traded on a new 2011.
Neither the wrapper or the engine is falling apart, but I do spend more time on the wrapper than the engine.
Living in the PNW we don't salt the roads, so corrosion isn't an issue unless you live right on the coast.

[Trackrig]

When diesel pick-up trucks were first comming out I bought a Chevy 3/4T 4X4 with a 6.2 in it. I ran it until about 2010. That was about 26 years. It had close to 200K on it. The tailgate wouldn't stay on and the exhaust system had holes in it, but the engine was still running and I really abused that truck with all sorts of snowplowing, a heave camper, pulling a Bob Cat loader around, etc. The guy I sold it to is still using on his property to plow snow and haul firewood.

I bought a 2005 Ford 6.0 in 2010 (the Chevy cabs felt too confined) that only had 11,000 miles on it and saved a bunch of money. It's my daily driver like the first one and does everything the first one did except plow snow. This one has about 95K on it. The only reason I may eventually get rid of this one is I'm looking at an F450 or F550 to haul loads that this one shouldn't.

Gas rigs have improved, but I'll still take a diesel.

Bill

[valhalla360]

The diesel lifespan is a myth left over from 40-50yrs ago when people got excited if a gas engine hit 100k miles before dying. A big overbuilt slow turning diesel was simple and didn't have a lot that could go wrong.

Fast forward to today: Unless you are putting 40-50k miles per year on, lifespan is pretty much irrelevant. At a typical 10-15k miles per year, 250k miles takes around 20yrs.

We sold our 1992 7.3 diesel with around a quarter million miles on it. The engine still ran strong but the rest of the truck was falling apart. We replaced it with a gas V10 at 110k miles and expect to get into the 250k mile range before replacement.

Of course, we did the same thing with a gas powered jeep Cherokee at around a quarter million miles. Engine strong but the rest of the vehicle worn out and not worth upgrading.

Modern engines (gas or diesel) will typically outlive the vehicle.

The reason to go up to the diesel is you need to tow something that exceeds the tow ratings of the biggest gas engines. I might also make an exception if you do a lot of high altitude towing as the turbo means you lose almost no power at altitude (ford's ecoboost turbo engines provide a similar benefit if they provide a big enough tow rating). The only reason we had a diesel is we got it for $2500 and got 8yrs and 150k miles out of it. Buying new, you are looking at $8-10k just for the diesel upgrade.

[TucsonJim]

Just don't forget to factor in the higher torque and fuel mileage you'll get with the diesel. The mileage alone isn't usually enough to warrant the upgrade, but when you start considering the engine longevity and the benefit of the extra torque, it might sway your decision.

[BB_TX]

Even a well cared for gasser should easily go over 200,000. A diesel should easily go 3 to 4 times that.

[Vanished]

This sounds like stirring the pot... We all know a gasser can hit 200k+ easily as well as any diesel that can hit the same or more.. Very few of us run trucks over 200k miles regardless...