Not a lot of high mileage diesels on this list. One over 200K mi. One @400K.
Our 2001.5 Dodge 2 series 5.9L, 6BT Cummin$ H.O. has 168K miles. Hard miles. We bought it because it had the most H.D. drivetrain and strongest engine (245HP/505TQ, 17.5:1 compression ratio) available at the time in a short bed pickup. No trouble with the drivetrain. No engine work. Original turbo. Original injectors and injector pump. Original clutch. Original transmission/t. case. Original driveshafts/U-joints. Unbroken front and rear axles. Aftermarket air intake. Aftermarket lift pump (the bain of the Gen2 Cummins'). One reason we bought the truck that we had no idea would be a plus at the time, was it has no smog device at all, just a muffler, which we upgraded with larger pipe and lower restriction muffler. It has no CAT; no pee canister and will run on 3rd world diesel fuel if you keep changing the filter. At my age this may look better on paper than in reality, but I'm holding out for one more run of the entire Baja with my bros.
Time and terrible roads have been cruel to the front end on this truck. Ball joints have taken a beating; all tie rod ends were toast. I just rebuilt or replaced much of the front end, the whole unit bearing assy is gone, new free wheeling hubs/outer stub shafts, new steering parts, tie rod, drag link, Gen4 pan hard rod, upgrade, greasable 4 links, all anti sway bar rubber, because we tend to abuse the rig off road and it almost always has the camper on, luckily adding all the weight to rear axle (Dana 80/35 spline/FF/8 leaf spring pack). The front Dana 60HD, 35 spline axle assy is now 35 spine all the way out to the hubs with heavier U joints outboard. Next week I'm installing the Eaton/Detroit True Trac all gear driven, 5 pinion, limited slip for the front D-60. I'll report back when I've tested it.
Have replaced: Rancho 9K shocks. Front 4WP shocks. On the third set of brakes. On the third set of batteries. First set went 6.5 years. E-brake plastic release handle broke (user error). One interior light does not work. Added a fuel pressure idiot light. Replaced fuel sending unit in tank so the gage would read correctly. Replaced entire exhaust system due to soda corrosion going on the Mojave Road.
It gets between 13-14 mpg with the Lance on. Sometimes better; sometimes worse, depending on the headwinds and speed. The most offensive aspect to the truck is the noise of the engine. The '01-02 Cummins H.O. is THE loudest diesel engine I have ever heard, especially when cold. It just RATTLES your eardrums. Inside the cab you are protected by lots of insulation keeping said noise outside for others to enjoy.
I cannot think of anything else that has gone wrong. I have run it out of fuel twice, once because I could not find a fuel station @ 4:10 a.m. and once when our fuel gage and sender went into fault code so we thought we had more fuel than we had. Even then, after priming each injector and fuel filter housing, no lasting negative to the injector pump. This truck will not win a sled pull, but it's kind of like Italy: no matter what it will always be there.
Yes, I would say this one has been reliable. As a guess, I would say it has been less trouble because I did not hook it up to a 'wire' with any add on power improvers.
jefe
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar