7.3l vs 6.5l vs 5.9l unbiased opinion

[blackwater]

Ok well it seems unanimous the fords are the better truck overall. To the ford fans do u like the 6.9 or 7.3 better and why? I haven't heard anybody say anything negative about the 6.9 but have seen something about #7 cyl wall on 7.3.

 

[chvycmnslvr68]

Great thing about GM's is that the diesel was offered in a half ton since 79. And all the 4x4s had a solid front axle. I have had many 6.2's (which is a predessor to the 6.5 from 1982-1994) and they were great in a half ton if all you really need is a half ton. Without a turbo, they can be very reliable and they can achive the best mileage of all of them which is important these days. They are an idi engine and don't have big power but again, if you are not doing any heavy haul...they are great. 6.5 is a different story, turbo and electronics on these motors didn't go over well.
I don't have a GM anymore but I do love 6.9 and 7.3 trucks as they are very reliable. I just wanted to throw some good words out there for the 6.2. One weak link with both the 6.9/7.3 and 6.2/6.5 is that the DB2 injection pumps don't seem to last very long which is a pain in the ass. The cummins pumps (bosch) ran forever it seemed. Thats my favorite thing about the 5.9 for sure.

Not all the 4x4's had a solid front axle .. after 87 all the half ton 4x4 Pu's had IFS except for the crew cab and suburbans which kept the 87' body style and solid front axle till late 92' ... I have seen a lot of 6.5 diesels with IFS in the 4x4 pick up trucks .... that's all that Chevy made ... even in the 1 Ton's ... But even the IFS is a very low maintenance suspension and offers much more durability in the axle strength ... they have c/v joints instead of U-Joints ... much stouter and the torsion bar suspension is a very proven design ... the only draw back being that the center of the vehicle is very low clearance wise .... As far as the engine goes .. You cant beat the cummins engine .. the early engines had the ve pump which has to be rebuilt about every eight to ten years regardless of miles and the later 12-valve engines had the P-pump or Bosch inline pump which is virtually indestructible and will last almost forever ... but when you do have to go through one they are quite expensive ... the rest of the engine however is not very costly to maintain ... injectors will last around 400,000 and run about 65-85 dollars each .... depending on where you get them ... and you can overhaul the engine for under a grand if you shop around for parts and do it yourself ..... My engine in my truck has over 400,000 on it and is just now needing a couple injectors and a fuel pump overhaul and it should be good for another 400k It even has the original turbo on it and i will probably switch it out to a 24-valve turbo just to get a little more boost .... but as far as dependability goes you just cant beat the inline six design ... this engine is used in trucks up to ten ton cap. and run for a very long time ... the 7.3 is used in some school buses and small international trucks like tow trucks and they have quite a lot of problems when put to the task o pulling a larger vehicle around all the time ... The buses and even three axle motor homes with the cummins have almost no engine related problems

 

[Wyreth]

Ok well it seems unanimous the fords are the better truck overall.

Well you ARE in the Ford/IH forum after all. =P

To the ford fans do u like the 6.9 or 7.3 better and why? I haven't heard anybody say anything negative about the 6.9 but have seen something about #7 cyl wall on 7.3.

As far as 6.9 and 7.3 go? The 7.3 seems to have more problems with its valve guides. The 6.9's valve seals let a little more oil by. The MAJOR difference, is the 7.3 was bored out more, the thinner cylinder walls make it slightly more prone to cavitation death. The 6.9 will still die just as easy from this, just a might slower. The 7.3 has a MUCH better Glowplug system. (I have the hybrid of the two systems they used on the 87 6.9's, I literally lit it on fire... still works) I think the early 6.9's also had a problem with their block heater. The 7.3's have a single unit fuel filter/water separator, and the 6.9's have a separate f*)*&g water separator, which you're usually best off removing. It is a VERY common place for air intrusion. The fuel heater in the 7.3's filter head has an o-ring that is also another common place for air intrusion. I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of anything else significant.

I like my 6.9, only had it 8 months or so. However, what I've done to it in that time would have killed a normal truck. Period. Yet there she sits.... idlin in my driveway.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Not all the 4x4's had a solid front axle .. after 87 all the half ton 4x4 Pu's had IFS except for the crew cab and suburbans which kept the 87' body style and solid front axle till late 92' ... I have seen a lot of 6.5 diesels with IFS in the 4x4 pick up trucks .... that's all that Chevy made ... even in the 1 Ton's ... But even the IFS is a very low maintenance suspension and offers much more durability in the axle strength ... they have c/v joints instead of U-Joints ... much stouter and the torsion bar suspension is a very proven design ... the only draw back being that the center of the vehicle is very low clearance wise .... As far as the engine goes .. You cant beat the cummins engine...

GM IFS low maintance and durability? Can u even mention that in the same sentence? To this day since GM started with the IFS its been wishy washy. Sometimes i wonder if u are wearing rose colored glasses bud cuz some the stuff u post up is out there.

 

[gdhillon]

^ I think GM low maintenance and durability should never be mentioned in the same sentence

But in all seriousness imo every manufacturer has their weak points....even hondas lol

 

[Wyreth]

^ I think GM low maintenance and durability should never be mentioned in the same sentence

I dunno about that. A GM WILL run poorly, longer than most anything else will run period.

 

[jhnlennon]

GM IFS low maintance and durability? Can u even mention that in the same sentence? To this day since GM started with the IFS its been wishy washy.

Being a mechanic by trade, I find that to be completely untrue (You must be refering to the twin I beam ford used). They wont hold up to baja racing, but for 99% of what people will use these trucks for they hold up fine.

All the big three are running some sort of IFS now in at least part of their trucks, it must work somewhat.

 

[Silver Burner]

I believe any 3/4 ton or higher Ford or Dodge still uses a solid front axle. Is this wrong?

 

[jhnlennon]

I believe any 3/4 ton or higher Ford or Dodge still uses a solid front axle. Is this wrong?

Correct, but all the half ton trucks use it, including Toyota, with little overall trouble.

 

[6.9poweredscout]

ummm does anyone watch the chevys go cross eyed at the pulls? that IFS is garbage, not to mention when the torsion bars snap and your left stranded, forget about when you hang a plow on them. the TTB is kinda junk but if it's in good shape its awsome for high speed rally racing, i had a '93 ranger i used to drive up the pole lines at 75 mph and it was smoother than a solid axle, but no where near as strong.

 

[chvycmnslvr68]

ummm does anyone watch the chevys go cross eyed at the pulls? that IFS is garbage, not to mention when the torsion bars snap and your left stranded, forget about when you hang a plow on them. the TTB is kinda junk but if it's in good shape its awsome for high speed rally racing, i had a '93 ranger i used to drive up the pole lines at 75 mph and it was smoother than a solid axle, but no where near as strong.

The going cross eyed would probably be more from the Idler arm failure on the tie rod ass'y wouldn't it ? Rather than from a suspension failure .. ... And when you start hanging things from the front end.. such as plows ... any of the front end types will be more likely to have trouble... thats why they have axle stiffeners for the front end ... I have seen solid Dana 60's snapped in half too..and I HAVE SEEN THE SPINDLE SNAPPED COMPLETELY OFF... anything will break when enough force is applied .. What I was talking about was for a NORMAL DD or part-time hauling truck ... Where did comparing tractor pulls to a DD become a fair comparison ... WAKE UP ....

 

[jhnlennon]

ummm does anyone watch the chevys go cross eyed at the pulls? that IFS is garbage, not to mention when the torsion bars snap and your left stranded, forget about when you hang a plow on them. the TTB is kinda junk but if it's in good shape its awsome for high speed rally racing, i had a '93 ranger i used to drive up the pole lines at 75 mph and it was smoother than a solid axle, but no where near as strong.

Ive seen balljoint and steering/suspension component failure in a 2-1 ratio in dodge/ford vs. chevy. Ive never seen a torsion bar snap under normal circumstances either. The only real problem Ive experianced with chevy IFS is oil weeping from seal, case half leaks. Thats just annoying though and doesnt effect integrity. There are literally MILLIONS of GM's out there running IFS, many doing plow duty, surviving just fine.

As far as TTB in racing conditions, those setups are no where near stock. In stock form the TTB is a poor design and offers horrible suspension geometry and tire wear problems. Thats just my opinion though, worth as much as anyone wants it to be...

 

[chvycmnslvr68]

Here here jhnlennon ... I am a huge Chevy fan but am not too fond of the newer stuff. I havent had much personal experience with the IFS but have to agree with you that under normal conditions they do offer a much better ride without too many maintenance issues this general design has been used in most cars since the late 50's to early 60's and is still in use today .. if there were major problems with this design there wouldn't be so many auto manufacturers using this design for so many years .. ... I am not familiar with the term TTB...what does that stand for anyway?

 

[jhnlennon]

I am not familiar with the term TTB...what does that stand for anyway?

Twin traction beam, fords version of IFS...

 

[chvycmnslvr68]

so it is the 4x4 version of the Twin I Beam ...