dezlsmkr

I personally dont like the powerstroke or D-max, but to each there own. I personally think that instead of slamming the designer or whatever i feel that it should all be laid on the emissions laws. I have know idea but i could imagine how hard it would be to build a engine knowing the emission standards has to be met. It probably throws a wrench in all the works.

I mean if you really look back to the classics who had a bad motor or one under powered.
Chrysler= Hemi , Chevy=427,454 , Ford=428,429 ect.

I mean c'mon those were the motors they all ran great. I am not a Mopar fan by no means. I cant count the number of times i have stated that i dont own a dodge i own a CUMMINS.

I guess my main point is i think the emissions are whats giving us the shaft not the makers. I mean just think what it would be like if the designers could just build the motor they dreamed up that could dump as much fuel as wanted.
THAT!! would be neat

Clunk

I think one really neat thing is past and present Cummins owners have worked, invested money and found ways to keep a Cummins going despite design problems.
The guy who engineered the KDP fix should be awarded Sainthood.
The guys that developed & engineered lift pump solutions should be Knighted.
The guys that first tried turned up and advanced timing on the mechanical injector pumps should get medals.
The guys that compete at pulls & drags and bust every piece of transmission and transfer case make it profitable for drivetrain engineers to come up with stronger pieces to keep the trophies in the Dodge/Cummins camp....get to keep stompin' the competition.

They could've sniveled, complained and started lawsuits but they decided to fix the problems without any help then, thank goodness, share it with us on these sites....that's the difference!

durasmack

You've got it. Excellent post.

Begle1

Well, I am and always have been an AMC fan, but AMC got bought out by Chrysler and now I'm kind of isolated...


So I started looking at trucks since I don't want a car without paddle handles...
I was initially looking at Fords, basically becuase that's what all my neighbors had, and so I was first a member over at TheDieselStop.Com.

Then one day somebody comes along and asks how to make 1000 foot pounds of torque with a 7.3 Liter (no 6.0's around yet...). The response, from a dozen die-hard Ford fans, was to put a 5.9 liter Cummins into the Ford.


From that day on I've been in the Cummins camp. Now I really wish I had something with a V-8 powerband- I'm only here because I think Diesel's will one day offer more performance than their gasoline counterparts, and I want to be a veteran of that market when it reaches mainstream. But the simple, elegant and bulletproof construction of the Cummins just makes it a phenomonal engine, to the point that it can out-do the V-8's even for tasks that the V-8's are designed to do. When an I-6 of smaller displacement then a V-8 can outrev and outrun the V-8 in a quarter mile, with less money and much greater durability, there's really nothing left for the V-8 to offer.

The Cummins is a legend. It is one of, if not the, most capable designs on the planet. To this date nothing can beat it, and nothing on the horizon can beat it either.

chaikwa

I think the vast majority of consumers equate big power with V-8 configured engines, there-fore the manufacturers build them in anticipation of a larger volume of sales. (That approach apparently works)

I haven't been a big fan of ANY V-8 diesel since I went to Caterpillar school back in the early 80's and had a design engineer tell the class that any 'V' configured engine was harder to keep together and had an expected shorter useable life span than an in-line engine, and was impossible to internally balance. Additionally, the V's typically have to rev higher to achieve the same power that an in-line develops at a lower RPM. Lower RPM's means less wear, thus longer service life.

My dislike of V-8's was strengthened when I ended up with a brand new 6.9 powered service vehicle that wouldn't keep head gaskets in place for more than 5000 miles at a time. At 60,000 miles it needed rods and mains. Thankfully, we got rid of it before we could find out what the next issue would be.

I also had a early 90's 7.3 in a one ton. That was an 'ok' motor, but I was doing good to get 10 miles per gallon unloaded. To it's credit, the truck had almost 300,000 on the odometer when I traded it for my current 93 Cummins.

The fire dept I work for bought a brand new GMC one ton with the Duramax last year, (low bidder ). I was somewhat disappointed with it's performance right from the start. From a dead stop off the line, the acceleration was pretty darn good, but out on the highway at 60 - 65 MPH, the acceleration when I tromped on the pedal to pass someone wasn't much better than my 93 Dodge with 300,000 on it. About a month ago, this Duramax had to go back to the dealer to have the injectors and injector pump replaced. At that point, it only had a little over 6000 miles on it.

A customer of mine has an 04 6.0L that's had the motor replaced twice. The current motor has been better, (it hasn't left him stranded yet), but it refuses to idle despite multiple 'reflashes' and the turbo has given him a few headaches as well. For the almost $50,000 he spent for the truck, I think I'd want it to see the road more than the dealers service bay.

This isn't to say that the Dodge is trouble-free tho. I have a 98 that has the '53' block . Didn't know about THAT whole issue 'til I came here! The electrical system is typical Chrysler; TPS problems (still), more headlight switch replacements than I care to count, as well as death wobble and lift pump issues.

All in all, I'll stick with my old mechanical 93 any day of the week. It's slow, rides like a buckboard and noisy. If I'd wanted something quiet that rides good and has quick acceleration, I'd have bought a car, but that's just me. What YOU'RE gonna be happy with is the REAL issue. They ALL cost more than they're worth and aren't as reliable as they SHOULD be!

THIS has been MY 2 cents worth! (Also over-priced!)

chaikwa.

Hoss

This seems like the perfect thread to say this in so I guess I will. Since Ford owns Cummins, why don't they use the Cummins in their trucks instead of the PSD??

Hoss

hotdram

That is an excellent suggestion. I think you should call up Billy Ford Jr. and suggest that to him.

~Rob

chaikwa

Well, Ford owns Cummins, yes. But Chrysler owns Ford, (betcha didn't know THAT!), and the Cummins trucks are so successful that Chrysler needs a write off for all the money they've brought in selling the Ram. What better way than to build a truck that they have to buy back from almost every customer who owns one? This also makes everyone want a Chrysler product instead of the Ford.

I believe that's called a 'Loss-Leader' in retail lingo!

SO THERE!

Nowduckingforcoverchaikwa.

runamuk

It is rumored that Ford has contracted Cummins to design a v-8 diesel for 07+model years. Don't be surprised

Rick

gerry

The simular rumor I heard is that Cummins has designed a v6 and v8 light duty diesel but has nowhere to put it so they have not started production. Maybe in a Ford????