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What is high mileage on a diesel?

will270winwill270win Member Posts: 4,845
edited May 2006 in General Discussion
Looking at a 1997 Diesel and I know nothing of diesels except that there are no spark plugs and unleaded gas is a bad thing for them.

What would be considered high mileage on 1997 powerstroke?
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Comments

  • lazeruslazerus Member Posts: 1,950 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    300,000
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    If taken care of 1/2 million is not unreasonable as far as what can be gotten out of them. On a 97 I wouldn't want more than 140,00 on it if I was going to buy it
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  • sig232sig232 Member Posts: 8,018
    edited November -1
    And....they ain't cheap to repair when they start to have even minor accesory problems.
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  • shoff14shoff14 Member Posts: 11,994 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The problem with diesel trucks isn't the fact that the engine will basically last forever, its the other parts of the truck that just can't keep up with the engine. This can vary on how well the vechicle was treated, as with any other vechicle.
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  • DancesWithSheepDancesWithSheep Member Posts: 12,938 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Chris, 250K+ is about right. '97 was the last year of the great square body style and a good year for PSD's. I had a '97 5spd F350 XL PSD regular cab 4x4 that was quick and got 16mpg; traded it in for a 2002 Lariat crew cab auto that turned out to be a dog and got only 12mpg.
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  • sig232sig232 Member Posts: 8,018
    edited November -1
    The big Dodges use the Cummins Turbo Diesel that has been running in the big trucks for years, how does it hold up and what are the economy figures on the highway?

    I have heard some stories about the cost of fixing injector problems that ran into big numbers.
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  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,491 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had a 1997 Ford Duelly x-cab Powerstroke. 5 speed tranny. 4:11 rear gears. Fuel mileage was 15 M.P.G. on a good day. Pulling 12k # it got 9 M.P.G. Sold that hog and bought a Dodge Cummins Duelly. Same rear gears and 5 speed and it got 20 MPG and 13 MPG pulling the same load.
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  • sig232sig232 Member Posts: 8,018
    edited November -1
    Thats impressive mpg. I love the sound of the "Cummins". I hear you can install a Banks kit and larger exhaust and make that thing run like a rabbit!
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  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,491 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I had a 1999 3/4 Cummins with larger injectors 400 hp, a 5" exhaust ( that was actually straight ) Man was it loud outside. It had a 4:11 rear gear and a 5 speed. K&N air intake setup.It got 19MPG and would pull more than the duelly cause it had more HP and torque.
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  • texaswildmantexaswildman Member Posts: 2,215 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Will - i've got a '01 PSD 4X4 Lariat F250 bought 11/00. It has 180K miles on it and gets 18+mpg on the road and 16 in solid city driving. It will tow a barn, but mileage decreases to about 13 mpg. I keep mine maintained with regular oil, air and fuel filter changes. (oil changes are about $65-75 each at a dealer).

    So far i have replaced the CPS (twice - keep a spare in the glove box), an injector wiring harness, a wheel hub, water pump, A/C compressor and an alternator. Thats about $1400 in parts - i do the work myself with the help of my master mechanic son. Some parts can be very expensive - but it is that way with alot of other parts on cars nowdays.

    Mine is completely stock, but i have several friends that run them with "chips", etc that get considerably better mileage.
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  • sig232sig232 Member Posts: 8,018
    edited November -1
    Yea, and the torque on the modified Dodges is unbelievable! They will spin if you breath too hard on the gas. Need big tires and a light foot for the first few yards or so.

    There is a Banks prepared Dodge running around Portland, OR with a sound that will make your hair stand on end. I have seen him do burnouts that would take my Jag XK8.
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  • Ray BRay B Member Posts: 11,822
    edited November -1
    A friend has an F350 PSD of about that vintage and he told me that there are computer chips available for it that focus on engine characteristics- so there's a chip available for mileage, another for torque, another for top-end and so on. So if this be the case, I guess you pick what you want and set the motor up for that feature.
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  • LowriderLowrider Member Posts: 6,587
    edited November -1
    A guy I work with has a 2002 F-350 4x4 Crewcab with 7.3 Powerstroke & automatic tranny. The rig is completely stock. We recently drove it to eastern Washington and back, about 750 miles, and he averaged 19 mpg. Amazing! That truck must weigh over 6000 pounds. His mileage on the highway with that 450 cu.in. diesel is as good as my 6-cylinder Jeep.
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  • Bert H.Bert H. Member Posts: 11,281 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by sig232
    Thats impressive mpg. I love the sound of the "Cummins". I hear you can install a Banks kit and larger exhaust and make that thing run like a rabbit!


    A Banks kit is not really needed on the newer 600 series Cummins engines. The Cummins engine in my 2005 Ram 3500 developes 325 hp and 610 ft lb of torque. It will out accelerate most gasoline powered trucks, and out pull them by a country mile. I have 24K miles on mine so far, and the overall average fuel economy is 19.3 mpg. When on a freeway trip, I get 22.5 mpg @70 mph.

    WACA Historian & Life Member

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  • Bert H.Bert H. Member Posts: 11,281 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Lowrider
    A guy I work with has a 2002 F-350 4x4 Crewcab with 7.3 Powerstroke & automatic tranny. The rig is completely stock. We recently drove it to eastern Washington and back, about 750 miles, and he averaged 19 mpg. Amazing! That truck must weigh over 6000 pounds. His mileage on the highway with that 450 cu.in. diesel is as good as my 6-cylinder Jeep.


    More than likely, it is well over 7,000 pounds. My Dodge Ram 3500 4x4(single-axle) Quad Cab 8'box weighs in at a hefty 7,800 lbs.

    WACA Historian & Life Member

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  • LowriderLowrider Member Posts: 6,587
    edited November -1
    Yipe! I wondered if my 6000 estimate wasn't a bit low. [:D]

    Pretty astounding, the fuel economy possible with the modern diesel pickups.
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  • KEVD18KEVD18 Member Posts: 15,037
    edited November -1
    we've got ambulances around that old with over 300k on the clock. they all have psd's
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  • bpostbpost Member Posts: 32,669 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have 145,000 on my Dodge Cummins. I average 21.7 MPG overall. It is stone stock except K&N air cleaner and a FS2500 oil filter set up.

    The PSD in the ford has had way too many problems for its cost. It is considered a light duty motor by the EPA. The Cummins is considered a medium duty motor.
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  • mondmond Member Posts: 6,458
    edited November -1
    got a 3.0L benz 5 cylinder,1986, with 476,000 miles still runs sweet, starts well, no oil burnin yet!![:)]
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  • select-fireselect-fire Member Posts: 69,491 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I know of one 7.3 Ford Diesel.. not a powerstroke , wrecker that has over one million on it's clock.
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  • will270winwill270win Member Posts: 4,845
    edited November -1
    I'm going to go look at the truck again once they clean it up. Right now it's 50/50 on rebuilding the Jeep or leaving it alone and adding the PSD to the inventory for whatever reason I can come up with. Thanks for the advice folks. Sounds like diesels are pretty cool. If nothing else I may trade the Jeep in completely on a newer diesel truck. I don't tow anything but a Carolina Skiff. But I sure love the idea of a diesel lasting so long.
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  • cowdoccowdoc Member Posts: 5,847 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    i have run all mine to 300,000 miles or so, all run fine when traded these where hard used farm pickups no babying them around....for me the extra cost is worth it a gas engine pickups would never hold up to the use i put them under...down fall is maintance my 2000 holds 14qts of engine oil if i remeber right the 97 holds 12....air filters dont last as long because a diesel engine uses a lot more air...rear tires dont last long for me on mine...lot of highspeed gravel driving with to much power[:D]...it'll spin the rear tires on gravel on the right day even in 6th gear but mine is not stock....word of warning once you go diesel you most likley will never go back to a gasser[8D][:D]

    on edit the only trouble i had with one of mine was injector o rings try and find out if they have been replaced when one goes all the engine oil goes into fuel not life threating as powerstroke when run out of engine oil shutdown...injectors are fired with engine oil ie no engine oil no run
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