Is a Powerstroke more reliably than a 6.5 GM ?

[Danish Farmer]

Hi gyes

Finally giving up on my 1995 Silverado 1500 Z 71 6.5. I think of getting a replacement thats a little younger and most important, more reliably.

Too many electronic faults on the Chevy, too short life time for new parts, too hard to cure the fish biting, and just too many technical areas getting closer to an update or overhaul. Engine blow by, slack in the drive train, slip when kicking in the torcue lock, ongoing EGR-codes, ABS rotors are not living more than a half year, A/C system leaks several places, horribly milage (15 mpg) not towing, and just burned the turn signal switch and viper engine.
Seems like every time one problem is solved, another one occurs. A new light on the dash pops up, a new fuse blows or a new area starts dripping oil.
Have had it for two years, only put on 5000 miles but worked on it a lot. I just never reach the line where it seems like my threatment starts to make her more reliably and fresh.

Ran into a 2000 Ford F250 7.3 Powerstroke Super Duty Lariat at a local dealer with 150.000 miles on it.
Before closer examination, can I expect that truck-model to be more reliably if its well taken care off, and runs good at the time of testing it ?

Just want to have the feeling of getting back home with out a doubt when I take my truck for a long run, which is not the case in the Silverado. Sadly since I put in a lot of money for parts and apparence, chrome and lights

Best regards
The Danish Farmer

 

[great white]

Hi gyes

Finally giving up on my 1995 Silverado 1500 Z 71 6.5. I think of getting a replacement thats a little younger and most important, more reliably.

Too many electronic faults on the Chevy, too short life time for new parts, too hard to cure the fish biting, and just too many technical areas getting closer to an update or overhaul. Engine blow by, slack in the drive train, slip when kicking in the torcue lock, ongoing EGR-codes, ABS rotors are not living more than a half year, A/C system leaks several places, horribly milage (15 mpg) not towing, and just burned the turn signal switch and viper engine.
Seems like every time one problem is solved, another one occurs. A new light on the dash pops up, a new fuse blows or a new area starts dripping oil.
Have had it for two years, only put on 5000 miles but worked on it a lot. I just never reach the line where it seems like my threatment starts to make her more reliably and fresh.

Ran into a 2000 Ford F250 7.3 Powerstroke Super Duty Lariat at a local dealer with 150.000 miles on it.
Before closer examination, can I expect that truck-model to be more reliably if its well taken care off, and runs good at the time of testing it ?

Just want to have the feeling of getting back home with out a doubt when I take my truck for a long run, which is not the case in the Silverado. Sadly since I put in a lot of money for parts and apparence, chrome and lights

Best regards
The Danish Farmer

Short answer: yes.

A properly maintained 7.3 powerstroke will be far above the reliability you can expect out of any 6.5 powered truck. It will outwork a 65. truck any day of the week also. They're just not in the same class.

Now, if the previous owner abused it or neglected it's maintenance it's like any other used truck and is a gamble....

 

[WarWagon]

You should be getting rid of ANY pickup before it hits 100,000 Miles otherwise it is going to cost you money. 150,000 km is 93,000 miles. Age also breaks things especially electrical things. new doesn't mean you don't get a lemon, but it gets rid of age and high mile issues.

6.5's usually have cheap parts available vs. every other diesel out there.

If 15 MPG is an issue you need a smaller vehicle period. Maybe you could get 20 MPG on a 2wd NA diesel, maybe. Going to a 3/4 ton truck usually costs you MPG from a 1/2 ton.

7.3 powerstrokes had serious issues with coolant eating the engine alive if it wasn't maintained properly. SCA degradation results eventually in cavitation. Repair is a simple engine replacement. Prevention: bottle of SCA and some test strips. You had better know if this SCA testing was done by the previous owner or run away!

6.0 Ford diesels will make you wish you kept your 6.5. Some 6.0's are sold and delivered with a free trailer included because the owner doesn't want to risk starting it again and breaking something.

 

[DieselCash]

If you already have a lot of money dumped into what you got, I say keep the 6.5.

Why start over on some other persons junk. If you think about it, most people get rid of a vehicle cause it starts having problems. Either that our trade in every year to every other year.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

You should be getting rid of ANY pickup before it hits 100,000 Miles otherwise it is going to cost you money. 150,000 km is 93,000 miles. Age also breaks things especially electrical things. new doesn't mean you don't get a lemon, but it gets rid of age and high mile issues.

6.5's usually have cheap parts available vs. every other diesel out there.

If 15 MPG is an issue you need a smaller vehicle period. Maybe you could get 20 MPG on a 2wd NA diesel, maybe. Going to a 3/4 ton truck usually costs you MPG from a 1/2 ton.

7.3 powerstrokes had serious issues with coolant eating the engine alive if it wasn't maintained properly. SCA degradation results eventually in cavitation. Repair is a simple engine replacement. Prevention: bottle of SCA and some test strips. You had better know if this SCA testing was done by the previous owner or run away!

6.0 Ford diesels will make you wish you kept your 6.5. Some 6.0's are sold and delivered with a free trailer included because the owner doesn't want to risk starting it again and breaking something.

He is in DENMARK, so his mileage is probably in imperial gallons per kilometer in which case 15 is pretty bad. The 7.3L problems with SCA's and cavitation was with the 88-94 7.3L IDI, NOT the 7.3L powerstroke. I've NEVER heard of a powerstroke 7.3L experiencing this issue, but not to say it couldn't happen. On the other hand, I've heard of quite a few 7.3L IDI's experiencing it, and seen quite a few core engines on Ebay because of it. And the 6.)L with some basic mods has actually proven itself to be a good engine. Replace the oil cooler with the new style unit, remove the EGR cooler, install head studs, and a basic tune and a lot of guys say they are as good as the 7.3L was.

 

[great white]

He is in DENMARK, so his mileage is probably in imperial gallons per kilometer in which case 15 is pretty bad. The 7.3L problems with SCA's and cavitation was with the 88-94 7.3L IDI, NOT the 7.3L powerstroke. I've NEVER heard of a powerstroke 7.3L experiencing this issue, but not to say it couldn't happen. On the other hand, I've heard of quite a few 7.3L IDI's experiencing it, and seen quite a few core engines on Ebay because of it. And the 6.)L with some basic mods has actually proven itself to be a good engine. Replace the oil cooler with the new style unit, remove the EGR cooler, install head studs, and a basic tune and a lot of guys say they are as good as the 7.3L was.

I wouldn't even pause to buy a 6.0 that either checked out still good or had the long block already replaced. 1000-2000 bucks in parts upgrades and you've got one great truck.....best part is the prices on them are comparatively low because everyone thinks they're crap.

Kind of like a 6.5 truck for the new age....cheap to buy because of a bad rep but with the right upgrades, decently reliable.

Except a 6.0 can make 500-1000 rwhp.

 

[JayTheCPA]

Chances are the odometer is in US miles, so need more information about the report of 15 miles per gallon (Example: what was the original fuel economy? What rear gear?). And last I checked, fuel in DK is by liter, so is this a calculated / converted figure?

DF, overall it looks like the 6.5 has most of the common issues and fixing / correcting is a matter of patience. Definitely understand the frustration.



If the goal truly is to purchase the SD, here are some experiences . . .

As Great White points out, depends on maintenance. Dealers can polish-up just about anything to clean away its history.

The 2000 PowerStroke was the better engine and can go ~500+K miles with good maintenance. 4.10 rears tend to get ~17 highway and 3.73's get ~22. IIRC the EGR was added around 2004, so probably not a factor on the 7.3.

Common issues are:
> the up-pipes and the exhaust manifolds rust (which leads to warping); both of these events lead to exhaust leaks which lowers power, lowers fuel economy, and stinks-up the cabin. International sells a better up-pipe that is less prone to rusting. Replacing the exhaust manifold is commonly done by pulling the engine which means pulling the cab off the frame; you can try it while still on the frame, but this is a LOT more work.
> Air bag system can get issues as it ages.
> Check for a recall for the cam shaft sensor (not sure which years this applied to, but do know it hit about that time).
> The injector drive module (IDM) gets water in it and fries; when this happens the truck is not happy and replacement parts can get expensive. There are modifications to help keep water out of the IDM.
> If the front rotors are OEM, they will warp.
> The oil dip-stick tends to leak right at the oil sump; I only know of one fix and it is ~300USD.
> OEM low pressure oil pump tends to go bad and most replace it with a Melling.
> The oil cooler / exchanger goes bad over time and when this happens it leaks coolant into the oil.
> Look for rust on the oil sump's pan; replacing the oil pan means pulling the engine which means pulling the cab . . .
> Need to know the history on the injectors and if they were never replaced that is probably priority #1 on the budget.
> There is a coolant related issue where the blocks were apparently sand / silicon treated and not all of it was flushed out which leads to early failures of the water pump. Most treat the sand issue by either ignoring it and replacing the water pump or install a filter in the coolant system.
> The thermostat housing commonly fails and there is an aftermarket replacement.
> Some rigs eat power steering pumps about every 75K miles.

Even with all of the issues, the 2000 7.3 SD is a good truck, but (like any truck) can get expensive when ignoring things that need fixing.

Up-front modification is to replace the restrictive OEM air filter for a quick 10% increase in fuel economy. Computer tuning can easily add power *and* get better fuel economy, but there is a point where other upgrades *MUST* happen to handle the load. There is a LOT of room for modifications, so if the SD is stock, watch your wallet as it is easy to get hooked on wanting to buy all of the upgrades

PM me if you want more reading material

 

[tanman_2006]

A 7.3l ps is a solid truck. They don't have alot more get up and go than 6.5l but they pull good. There are quite a few stockish 7.3s that my 6.5s can out run and tow with and not break a sweat.

If mpg is the goal then I would pass on a 7.3, they are heavy and brutish. 15mpg is normal to high-end mpg.

Source Unknown

 

[GM Guy]

fix what you have. ask more questions on here, the experts will try to help you as much as they can. what is your PMD condition and location? lift pump?

sorry to say, but literally, it sounds like chrome doesnt get you home.

all the 7.3L PSDs I have driven dont seem that impressive for the cubic inches and the HP and TQ numbers.

 

[turbovanman]

7.3 and 6.0L's are great engines, the latter when fixed. The 7.3 only has an issue really with injectors, which if you can fix your 6.5, you can do those. They are a lot more expensive to fix and the body/interior/suspension suck compared to a GM, my opinion of course.