Andy, you can kid some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all the people all of the time. To each his own. A gasoline engine suits me fine in a light duty vehicle and many diesel pickup owners use their trucks for a run-a-bout anyway.

All our agricultural equipment and tandem trucks have inline six cylinder internal combustion engines. All the freight haulers use highway tractors which have I-6 configuration engines. Why Ford and GM like to deceive truck buyers is a mystery. Just like the issue of why Ford and GM uses rear brake drums in their pickups when my 2005 Dodge has four disc brakes. I have no problem with my rear disc brakes, but I am not an automotive engineer.

I would agree right now is a good time to be on the sidelines and I will drive the 6.0 till it turns to dust. When the new Ford is proven or Dodge gets the carbon control thing in hand I will be back in.

The road to higher ground is littered with broken Chevs.

All of our newer farm equipment and semi tractors at home happens to have Cummins engines. Our largest tractor with a 15 liter engine with peak power at 483 HP, and torque at 1700 ft/lbs. At full power at 2000 RPM, this tractor burns 23 gallons/hour (dashboard indicates real time fuel use), and this fuel use drops as RPMS’ drop based on a computer guided fuel curve. At peak torque (about 1300 RPM), the fuel use is just 17 gallons per hour. So we pick a gear that is somewhere just above the torque peak so as loads increase and RPMS drop a little, torque is rising. Yes, you can pull this engine 24/7/365 at near full load, but keeping it at about 90% power is more efficient. On our combined group of 6 Cummins engines with over 35,000 hours, the only component ever changed was a water pump, and that was on bad advice.

Old mechanical fuel systems simply pumped a set amount of fuel per injector pump revolution (governed), and the injectors popped off when the internal springs allowed that to happen. Once an injector starts to blow the full load of fuel into the compressed air in the cylinder, combustion commences. As mechanical type fuel systems age, 2 things happen; the internal injector springs pop off too soon advancing the timing, and the fuel spray pattern from the injector tips turns from a mist to larger droplets due to hole wear. Increased particulate matter in the exhaust is just 1 indicator of a degraded fuel injector system. If you followed mfr recommendations, the injectors got pulled every 1500 to 2000 hours, and were rebuilt so they popped off at the right pressure again. That injector rebuild prevented “washing-down” of the cylinder walls with large droplets diesel fuel, and very quick engine failure due to higher heat, and the dilution of engine oil with diesel fuel. Pulling injectors from a tractor with easy top-end access is a job for someone with basic mechanical skills. Pulling injectors from a pickup with an engine crammed into a tiny hole is a job for a litte person.

Today’s electro-mechanicl fuel injectors used in all new diesels can deliver multiple events of fuel at very high pressure, even during the combustion process. This lowers emmisions and reduces exhaust temperatures. However, injectors operating at this high of pressure can be prone to failure simply from high cycle counts, even though manufacturers of diesel injectors spec internal parts in microns (1/10,000 inch). So, instead of a complete engine rebuild and poor emmisions when a mechanical system ages, you get to put in high dollar electo-mechanical injectors instead. It really is a trade off if you are not capable of anything mechanical. A new long block 7.3 installed will set you back about $18,000. Don’t let a fuel system problem continue, ever.

Currently, I own a ’99 Ford F-250 4wd with a 5.4 gas engine with 185,000 miles, and my brother owns a ’99 Ford F-250 4wd with a 7.3 diesel engine with 186,000 miles. Until we went to semi-trailers, we used to pull loaded grain wagons with a gross weight of 48,000 lbs in low-lock 4wd on asphalt pavement for up to 10 miles with these trucks at slow speeds. Under the same conditions, he burned 25% less fuel. With just basic maintenance, combined, we have had 1 breakdown in 371,000 miles which left us sitting along the road. He had the cam position sensor fail on his engine.

Ford’s 6.0 and 6.4 seem to be a complete failure when you reference the above kind of numbers from my own experience with Cummins agricultural applications, and a documented Ford history.

The gentleman that has the new diesel and can’t pull a 3,500 lb boat needs to take it back to Ford until they fix it. My personal experience a 11 year old gas or diesel Ford motor would pull almost 14 times that weight and not even have a hiccup.

Manufacturers such as Navistar (International) and Cummins have the expected life of their engines listed on their websites. Most are either 400,000 miles or 1,000,000 miles. I doubt you will ever see that data for the new Ford engine.

I didn’t give up on Ford trucks for a number of years either, that is until I swallowed my pride and looked at the Cummins inline six cylinder diesel engine in Chrysler Corporation trucks. I would also be satisfied if all light duty pickup trucks used an inline six cylinder gasoline engine like in the old days, instead of a V6 or V8 engine powering the units having a cargo box. We use our 1500 GMC with a 4.3 liter V6 as a passenger unit in the winter snow because it is higher off the ground and has Good Year Wrangler Silent Armor grip tires installed.

I am not a mechanical engineer, nor a mechanic so I have to use the engine specifications to determine how an engine will perform in a practical real world every day work situation. Cylinder bore and crankshaft stroke numbers reveal how the engine will function under various heavy work duties. I don’t even consider horse power ratings as valid because I don’t run a work truck engine at those high rpms where HP figures are derived. High rpms consume too much fuel and lugging an engine is detrimental. Another thing to consider is the testimony of the transport truck industry in exclusively operating units with inline six diesel engines. I drove an old Peterbilt with an 8V92 two-stroke screaming Jimmy V8 which was no match for grunt torque developed by the inline engines. Mack inline diesel engines had the most bottom end torque, I found.

Ford will not readily report the new engine’s speed where the V8′s highest peak torque and HP are developed nor show a torque curve that I can find. A torque curve graph realistically shows how an engine will function under load. I sure appreciate my Dodge CTD when pulling a load while climbing a long incline in the mountains. The 5.9 liter Cummins inline six computer controlled engine has so much low rpm torque that I have to keep my eye on the pyrometer in order to know when to downshift or else the engine would go on steadily laboring and destroy itself from too high a temperature developed on the melting aluminum pistons. The no problem experience I am having with my newly purchased Dodge in 2005 and the good mileage obtained is endearing the truck to me. I only use the unit for pulling runs.

I have driven a Ford with the 7.3 V8 and it functioned not too bad, but it’s not an engine I would consider owning. I have not tried operating any other Ford Power Stroke diesel engines. The same goes for the GM Duramax that I operated.

BMW automaker reveals the engine speed for corresponding ft-lb and HP values so why is Ford not listing their torque and horse power with the related engine speeds for their new 6.7 liter Power Stroke diesel engine? Regarding my Dodge CTD 3500, which I consider the best money I spent for a diesel work unit, the cab is solidly holding together, free of squeaks rattles and drafts on rough roads. It is comfortable when loaded and the G56 tranny functions fine. I have to admit when empty it is not as smooth riding as a GMC diesel, but the Dodge work suspension holds a load up better then the GMC diesel.

For comparison I drove a 1999 F550 with the 7.3 and a 4EOD trans and averaged 12 to 14 in the same type of driving and same weight range. I was known for flooring the pedal at every green light and doing 80 mph on California freeways. My point is that the current trucks get AWEFULL fuel milage. My company’s Freightliner M2′s with Mercedes’ Inline 6 Diesels and 5 spd automatics get 11 to 12 mpg and they are rated to 26,000 ponds gross and weigh 21,000 in ready to work trim. The Mercedes Diesel is rated at ONLY 210hp at rediculously low rpm. The 550′s are faster in a drag race but who cares? In every aspect but acceleration the Mercedes engine is as good or better. The 6′s are also much easier to service. Replacing the frame mounted fuel /water seperator/filter is an excercise in frustration on the Fords, especially when the wiring harness that hinders removal could so easily have been mounted 8″ or 10″ further rearward with ease.

I have been a big fan of Fords for a very long time, but my patience with the 6.0/6.4′s is waring thin. I think I speak for a lot of Ford owners and drivers in stating that Ford needs to get back to reliability and REAL TRUCK PERFORMANCE. I really do not care about making 350 to 400 hp in my work Diesel. For that matter 325hp may not even be necessary. How about capping the horsepower at 300 and making it at the lowest rpm reasonable? How about making the engine and trans easier to work on? How about making the engine as reliable as a 32oz Vaughn? That is a hammer for all those truck buyers who just want to look cool but never plan on putting anything but a dog and a snowboard in the bed. What if Ford engineers concentrated on anvil reliability and low fuel consumption along with super low emissions? I realize that buyers want to see numbers, but people drive torque wether they know it or not. Make a 275 hp 6 or 8 that grunts out 850 ft/lbs of torque and redlines at 3500 to 3750 rpm and mate it to the 5 spd auto or a 6 spd manual and you have a winning combo. Add the SCR to reduce emissions and it gets even better. If I want high rpm horsepower I’ll ride a motorcycle.

I am not giving up on Ford. If I want a cheap cab, crappy trans and gawdy looks then I will consider a Dodge. Chevy trucks are not bad. But they are not Ford. Step up and do it right Ford. A lot of loyalists are counting on you.

Dodge reports their 6.7L inline six CTD produces 350 HP @ 3000 rpm and 650 ft-lbs @ 1500 rpm.