11 Michigan men charged in major U.S. diesel engine tampering case

[Matt]

30 minutes ago, Steve753 said:

I've heard good things about the 6.2 with the 10 speed. 

6.6L gasser with the Allison is even better in the 3/4 and 1 tons.  That's what I'll likely get.

[Steve753]

7 minutes ago, Matt said:

6.6L gasser with the Allison is even better in the 3/4 and 1 tons.  That's what I'll likely get.

My biggest issue other than fuel mileage with a gasser is being able to fuel up hooked to my toyhauler. There's no gas at the Truck stop islands and getting my rig into the gas islands is next to impossible most times especially at stations near the interstates.

[Cat45]

26 minutes ago, Steve753 said:

My biggest issue other than fuel mileage with a gasser is being able to fuel up hooked to my toyhauler. There's no gas at the Truck stop islands and getting my rig into the gas islands is next to impossible most times especially at stations near the interstates.

That's the only thing holding me back too. I run a 40ft gooseneck across the country and I've been thinking about switching to a 7.3 but finding a big auxiliary tank that's approved for gasoline and getting a 70ft rig into a gas pump would suck. Maybe fueling at the rv pumps at the big truck stops would work but I'm not always around the interstates 

[Matt]

3 hours ago, Cat45 said:

That's the only thing holding me back too. I run a 40ft gooseneck across the country and I've been thinking about switching to a 7.3 but finding a big auxiliary tank that's approved for gasoline and getting a 70ft rig into a gas pump would suck. Maybe fueling at the rv pumps at the big truck stops would work but I'm not always around the interstates 

Out here in the West, we have Maverik truck stops that have both gas and diesel islands in the truck lanes.  As for the others, my TT is 31' hanging off my bumper, so the same length as a 34' gooseneck, and with advanced planning with Google Maps and Street View, I haven't had a problem getting gas with my TT attached yet.  I might have to sit and wait for my preferred pump to open up, but it's never been an issue so far.

[racer254]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

6.6L gasser with the Allison is even better in the 3/4 and 1 tons.  That's what I'll likely get.

Hopefully it is as good as the old 8.1L and the Allison.  That was a great combination.

[Cat45]

3 minutes ago, Matt said:

Out here in the West, we have Maverik truck stops that have both gas and diesel islands in the truck lanes.  As for the others, my TT is 31' hanging off my bumper, so the same length as a 34' gooseneck, and with advanced planning with Google Maps and Street View, I haven't had a problem getting gas with my TT attached yet.  I might have to sit and wait for my preferred pump to open up, but it's never been an issue so far.

I've been scoping out the gas situation where i normally run. If i fill up in rural areas it seems to be ok for bigger rigs. Not sure on canukistan, haven't been up there in awhile. 

[Steve753]

11 minutes ago, Matt said:

Out here in the West, we have Maverik truck stops that have both gas and diesel islands in the truck lanes.  As for the others, my TT is 31' hanging off my bumper, so the same length as a 34' gooseneck, and with advanced planning with Google Maps and Street View, I haven't had a problem getting gas with my TT attached yet.  I might have to sit and wait for my preferred pump to open up, but it's never been an issue so far.

I've never noticed that at Mavericks.  What area in the west are you referring too? 

Edited June 8, 2023 by Steve753

[Matt]

15 minutes ago, Steve753 said:

I've never noticed that at Mavericks.  What area in the west are you referring too? 

I know this is the case in both Holbrook AZ and Gallup NM as I've used them both.  Pilot Flying J also has an app you can download that tells you which locations have RV lanes, which always have both gas and diesel available.  MOST of the Pilot/Flying J stations have these.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Matt

[Steve753]

34 minutes ago, Matt said:

I know this is the case in both Holbrook AZ and Gallup NM as I've used them both.  Pilot Flying J also has an app you can download that tells you which locations have RV lanes, which always have both gas and diesel available.  MOST of the Pilot/Flying J stations have these.

That's good to know! I've seen the RV lanes at the Piliot/ Flying Js. I usually need DEF. I don't think they have that at the RV pumps.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Steve753

[Voodoo]

5 hours ago, Matt said:

I only tow my RV about 6000-8000 miles a year, and it's only a 26' travel trailer.  Gasser will be fine for my needs.  My little GM 5.3L actually does a surprisingly good job keeping it moving.  6% grades above 6000 feet of elevation, I'll let it drop down to about 50 MPH to save it a bit.  I've been talking to people I know with similar sized setups with the new crop of big gassers, including the GM 10 speed, and they're rarely ever screaming above 3500 RPM.

Don't get me wrong.  I'd love a Duramax, but the complexity of modern diesels has flipped the reliability narrative on its head, and they're expensive.

12,000 lbs behind my 6L/ 6L60 and she absolutely does not tow as nice as a diesel. I don't tow long distances, and my business pays for everything, so money isn't an issue.

Sold my 31 foot bumper pull RV. 10,000 lbs and it was like pulling 3 sheets of plywood standing up.

I need a long box crew so it's a treat to find parking. 

I could probably justify the same in a dually diesel, and would personally love it..wife and bank account not so much.

120k.

Used to be half of buying a house in my area.

Today that's more liked the down payment.

Edited June 8, 2023 by Voodoo

[Steve753]

15 minutes ago, Voodoo said:

12,000 lbs behind my 6L/ 6L60 and she absolutely does not tow as nice as a diesel. I don't tow long distances, and my business pays for everything, so money isn't an issue.

Sold my 31 foot bumper pull RV. 10,000 lbs and it was like pulling 3 sheets of plywood standing up.

I need a long box crew so it's a treat to find parking. 

I could probably justify the same in a dually diesel, and would personally love it..wife and bank account not so much.

120k.

Used to be half of buying a house in my area.

Today that's more liked the down payment.

At least you're honest. I see many in Facebook groups saying they don't notice any difference towing with a gas over a deisel. It makes me laugh.

[racinfarmer]

4 hours ago, Steve753 said:

At least you're honest. I see many in Facebook groups saying they don't notice any difference towing with a gas over a deisel. It makes me laugh.

I always like the diesel bros that would tow a bigger, much heavier trailer faster then me and get double the mileage out of their tuned brodozers.

Yeah, no.

[Steve753]

10 minutes ago, racinfarmer said:

I always like the diesel bros that would tow a bigger, much heavier trailer faster then me and get double the mileage out of their tuned brodozers.

Yeah, no.

I hear ya there. I call the that miracle mileage.  

[Matt]

Guy I know fairly well has a new GM 6.6 gasser with the 10 speed.  He towed his TT which is the same make as mine but about 800 lbs heavier from TX up into the Ozarks in AR with the cruise set at 65.  Never got above 3500 RPM in the hills and averaged just under 10 MPG.  I'll take that in a heartbeat.  Diesel might get 11.5 MPG.

If I was towing a triple axle toy hauler, I wouldn't even give the gasser a second look.  But there's just something about spending 80k on a tow vehicle that rubs me the wrong way.

[Steve753]

20 minutes ago, Matt said:

Guy I know fairly well has a new GM 6.6 gasser with the 10 speed.  He towed his TT which is the same make as mine but about 800 lbs heavier from TX up into the Ozarks in AR with the cruise set at 65.  Never got above 3500 RPM in the hills and averaged just under 10 MPG.  I'll take that in a heartbeat.  Diesel might get 11.5 MPG.

If I was towing a triple axle toy hauler, I wouldn't even give the gasser a second look.  But there's just something about spending 80k on a tow vehicle that rubs me the wrong way.

See now I don't believe that mileage for a minute. From what I've seen guys are getting 6 to 7 mpg towing with the 6.2. I can't see the 6.6 being better. I'm guessing he's not hand calculating the mileage and going by the dream o meter.

As for 80k I won't tell you what my 450 is going to cost if it ever shows up. 

[spin_dry]

On 6/7/2023 at 6:54 PM, steve from amherst said:

my 06 f 350 with the 6.0 was the best truck I ever had

A lot of guys at Quartzsite are running older converted ambulances with the 6.0. They’re ok because they’ve never been modded. Breathe on the 6.0 and it’s a time bomb and money pit lurking around the corner. The only ford diesel I’d consider is a 7.3 with injectors and a tune. Million mile motor  

 

old ambulances 

[Matt]

52 minutes ago, Steve753 said:

See now I don't believe that mileage for a minute. From what I've seen guys are getting 6 to 7 mpg towing with the 6.2. I can't see the 6.6 being better. I'm guessing he's not hand calculating the mileage and going by the dream o meter.

As for 80k I won't tell you what my 450 is going to cost if it ever shows up. 

if I keep my 5.3L under 65, I can get 9+ towing my TT.  If I step it up to 75, yeah, 6-7 MPG.  6.6 should be slightly better than the 5.3L.

Hand-calculated, I averaged 8.4 going from AZ to WI and back last summer.  Incidentally, MPG was quite a bit better above 5000' where the wind resistance on the trailer was much less.

[Steve753]

42 minutes ago, spin_dry said:

A lot of guys at Quartzsite are running older converted ambulances with the 6.0. They’re ok because they’ve never been modded. Breathe on the 6.0 and it’s a time bomb and money pit lurking around the corner. The only ford diesel I’d consider is a 7.3 with injectors and a tune. Million mile motor  

 

old ambulances 

6.0 are garbage even if they're not not modded. The 6.4 is even worse. I stayed away from Ford during those years. Just complete junk for engines and have cost people lots of money. I believe California Ambulances actually won a lawsuit against Ford over the 6.0 because it was so troublesome. 

[spin_dry]

9 hours ago, Steve753 said:

6.0 are garbage even if they're not not modded. The 6.4 is even worse. I stayed away from Ford during those years. Just complete junk for engines and have cost people lots of money. I believe California Ambulances actually won a lawsuit against Ford over the 6.0 because it was so troublesome. 

6.4 is awful. No one in the overlanding scene depends on the 6.0 or 6.4. The last thing you want is a blown turbo line or head gasket in the hills of Moab or on the Dalton. Over Memorial Day we were in the ghost area near Calgary. Very remote areas. No way do I want a complicated fucking diesel truck or van driving in those areas. 

Edited June 9, 2023 by spin_dry

[steve from amherst]

6 hours ago, Steve753 said:

6.0 are garbage even if they're not not modded. The 6.4 is even worse. I stayed away from Ford during those years. Just complete junk for engines and have cost people lots of money. I believe California Ambulances actually won a lawsuit against Ford over the 6.0 because it was so troublesome. 

Biggest problem with the 6.0 was it ran too hot . High capacity water pump and oversize cooling lines made it a good motor. 

That being said , mine was an 06 . The yr they finaly got it right.

[Steve753]

2 hours ago, steve from amherst said:

Biggest problem with the 6.0 was it ran too hot . High capacity water pump and oversize cooling lines made it a good motor. 

That being said , mine was an 06 . The yr they finaly got it right.

They never got it right. Hence the 6.4. And that was garbage too. It was merely a bandaid to but in Super Dutys until their contract was up in 2010. 

[spin_dry]

2 hours ago, steve from amherst said:

Biggest problem with the 6.0 was it ran too hot . High capacity water pump and oversize cooling lines made it a good motor. 

That being said , mine was an 06 . The yr they finaly got it right.

The torque to yield head studs of the  6.0 can’t handle even the mildest tune. The studs are an absolute nightmare to swap out and are one use only. Costly repair. From there we can talk about the poor oil and EGR cooler. 

[Cat45]

10 hours ago, spin_dry said:

A lot of guys at Quartzsite are running older converted ambulances with the 6.0. They’re ok because they’ve never been modded. Breathe on the 6.0 and it’s a time bomb and money pit lurking around the corner. The only ford diesel I’d consider is a 7.3 with injectors and a tune. Million mile motor  

 

old ambulances 

You'd be better off with a modern gas rig than a 7.3. I ran well over a million miles on that overhyped gutless pile of crap. Sure some unicorns might hit a million but most were junk at 4 to 500k. The transmission was an absolute pile of junk especially in the mtns. I've had 2 6.7 powerstrokes now. The 11 i sold with 775 on it, Original transmission but 2nd engine. My 15 has about 370k now other than some odd electrical issues it's been great. With the potential costs of repairs I'm thinking my next truck might be a 7.3 gas

[Steve753]

9 minutes ago, Cat45 said:

You'd be better off with a modern gas rig than a 7.3. I ran well over a million miles on that overhyped gutless pile of crap. Sure some unicorns might hit a million but most were junk at 4 to 500k. The transmission was an absolute pile of junk especially in the mtns. I've had 2 6.7 powerstrokes now. The 11 i sold with 775 on it, Original transmission but 2nd engine. My 15 has about 370k now other than some odd electrical issues it's been great. With the potential costs of repairs I'm thinking my next truck might be a 7.3 gas

The 7.3 has my interest as well. I'm just afraid I will regret it. I personally dobt know anyone who has one which sucks.

[spin_dry]

6 minutes ago, Cat45 said:

You'd be better off with a modern gas rig than a 7.3. I ran well over a million miles on that overhyped gutless pile of crap. Sure some unicorns might hit a million but most were junk at 4 to 500k. The transmission was an absolute pile of junk especially in the mtns. I've had 2 6.7 powerstrokes now. The 11 i sold with 775 on it, Original transmission but 2nd engine. My 15 has about 370k now other than some odd electrical issues it's been great. With the potential costs of repairs I'm thinking my next truck might be a 7.3 gas

I’m simply stating that if I had a diesel it would be a built 7.3. My encounter with the Mercedes sprinter put a nail in the coffin of any future diesel vehicles for me. Almost $200k for the most disappointing vehicle I ever owned. Not to mention that service can be impossible to find. The 3.7 v6 in the Transit has been stellar. I have zero complaints. Plenty of off throttle torque for the back country and super easy to wrench on. Changing plugs takes 45 minutes and it’s not too bad on fuel.