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Old 09-23-2014, 06:42 AM   #61
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1975 Argosy 24
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I pull a 24' argosy with 150 5.0 it does a great job cant see why a 25' needs so much truck.
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Old 09-23-2014, 08:37 AM   #62
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The biggest negative is the 26 gallon fuel tank. It is too small and there have been a couple of instances in isolated areas where we've gone below 50 miles to empty and been nervous about running out of fuel. The standard fuel tank should be at least 35 gallons and Ford should offer a 50 gallon option.

Put in the Titan 50 gallon replacement tank. You will love it. We have a 2012 F-250 and lack of fuel capacity was my only complaint. I looked into a number of different options but settled on replacing the factory fuel tank with the 50 gal. Titan. I did the installation myself. Not too bad working it without the truck on a lift. I had my Ford dealer reset the fuel computer to reconize the larger tank. Now I don't have to be looking for the next fuel stop as soon as I top off.
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Old 09-24-2014, 06:26 AM   #63
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Originally Posted by pappy19 View Post
I guess if I paid close to $70,000 for a Platinum 6.7 , I'd get some oil change deals too. I priced a decent setup 6.2 in either XLT or Lariat 4X4 at right around $45,000. I can buy a lot of gas for the difference.


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Once again no clue......


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I know right.. that's like comparing an apple to an half eaten apple.
the reason the Platinum is 70K MSRP is its not a LTX or LARIAT,, its a PLATINUM.

But the price you see is not what you pay for the Platinum by a long shot.. In my area, Raleigh,NC, i see ads from the local ford dealers offering 15K off and more.

I bought a 03 f-250 with 7.3L 168K miles for 13K. The motor is stock and in top shape as the two owners had service records.

I guess this V-10 driver has a full jug of kool-aid and he drinking all himself..

i get some 20ish MPG on road.. have not pulled with it, but from what other that have post are seeing 12-14 MPG pulling sobs, less with 5ers.

I would not buy one new by the way.. I like to let the other guy pay the deprecation, get the bugs worked out and then catch the deal when they want to get rid with low miles and excellent maintenance service on them. Then the difference between gas and diesel is moot.
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Old 09-30-2014, 06:49 AM   #64
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2005 25' International CCD
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just got a 2008, F250 diesel to pull our 25ft international. moved up from a 2004 Sienna. Power to spare and we love it. Now maybe a bigger trailer.
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Old 02-15-2015, 09:50 PM   #65
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I've never owned a diesel vehicle. I have a few questions about diesels.

Many state diesel maiintenance is costly. The only difference I can see is there is more oil to change and there are two fuel filters to change every 15k miles. Everything should be the same as a gas vehicle; air filters, belts a, tires and brakes.

DEF doesn't seem to be any harder than adding windshield washer fluid, isn't that expensive anymore and is readily available.

What about the fuel additives everyone talks about? Do you have to add at each fuel fill up? Do you have to buy that stuff by the case if you are driving long distances?

What about the cetane levels of the diesel fuel? Are the levels high enough at most fuel stops. Do the above additives help or is there a different additive?

What about water in the fuel system? Us gas owner don't seem to worry about it when filling up. How often do you drain the water out of the chassis fuel filter? I've read reports of failures of fuel systems due to rust even under the warranty period which Ford does doesn't approve the claims resulting in over $10k repair bills.

Whats the story about the regeneration process. When does it take place and does it occur often? How long does it take. Can you drive the vehicle while this is taking place? Does it occur more often as the engine gains miles?

My truck is not a daily driver. I use it to tow and run errands on weekends. Sometimes i don't use it for several weeks. Whould a diesel sitting in cold weather like we are having now be susceptible to fuel problems? I could drive it to work once a week if it was necessary to drive.

Are you diesel owners concerned with a major costly system failure? Gas owner don't seem to worry about high pressure fuel pump failures, turbos (maybe Ecoboost owners).

Thanks

Kelvin
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Old 02-16-2015, 08:33 AM   #66
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Kelvin -

I bought my first and only diesel tow vehicle in 2011, just before purchasing our Airstream. It is a 2011 Ford F250 Lariat with the 6.7 liter diesel. The 6.7 was a new internally produced engine that year for Ford after the company had bad experiences with the two previous engines Ford bought from a supplier, the 6.0 and the 6.4. I still own the truck and it is barely broken in with about 42,000 relatively trouble free miles.

I'll try to answer your questions based on my experience.

The computer tells you when to change the oil. I have never seen the oil change notice since I typically change the oil every 5000 miles. My first oil change was $99.00 at the local Ford dealer. Over time the price has risen to about $140.00. I get a free oil change every so many times. I change mine at the dealer to avoid having any push back from Ford should I have a warranty issue with the engine. I believe the oil change for a gas truck is $39.00 at the same dealership.

I have changed the fuel filters twice. I've had no problems with water in the fuel as I do my best to refuel at stations pumping a lot of fuel. This means truck stops on the road and a local station near my house most of the area contractors with diesel vehicles use. I don't have a clue as to how to drain water out of the fuel filter and don't think about it. I've never had an issue with diesel fuel cetane level. As I recall every pump I've seen shows 40 cetane. I do not use additives in the fuel.

With respect to refueling most stations have a green nozzle for diesel. This can be confusing at some BP stations where one of the gasoline grades also has a green nozzle. I've never put gasoline in my diesel tank by mistake but I've heard of it happening.

DEF has not been an issue. I buy it in 2 1/2 gallon jugs at Wal-Mart for about $11.99. The truck has a 5 gallon DEF tank and the computer warns you at half full. I then run another 1000 miles, to make sure there is enough room in the tank, and add 2 1/2 gallons. I buy another jug of DEF which I carry in the truck bed for the next time which will be several thousand miles. Refilling DEF is easy. The only precaution is make sure you pour it in the DEF tank (blue cap) and not directly in the diesel tank (green cap). Ford put the two refill openings next to each other and I have read that some people have poured the DEF directly in the diesel tank. That's like pouring water in the fuel tank.

The regeneration takes place when the truck's computer determines it is time. A warning appears in the dashboard message center that regeneration is occurring. It lasts for a few seconds and I keep driving along while it is happening. I haven't noticed any particular frequency, it seems as though it is a random event. I have been told to be careful about not shutting off the engine while the regeneration is happening.

My diesel truck sits outside and is not a daily driver. It is 21 degrees outside today and we are expecting snow and a low in the teens tonight. I don't even think about it. When I start the truck, I usually let it idle for at least 30 seconds and usually longer in cold weather. I've never had to plug in the engine heater, even when the temperature goes down to 0 degrees overnight. I try not to allow it to go more than 2 weeks without being driven and when I'm driving infrequently I try to run it on the highway for at least 15 minutes.

The only thing I really worry about on my diesel engine is the valves. There have been issues with valve failure on the early 2011 Ford 6.7 diesels and the failure usually occurs between 60,000 and 80,000 miles. Supposedly Ford reengineered the valves and it is no longer an issue. When the valves break the engine is destroyed resulting in a $20,000 engine replacement. Ford has denied some claims which is why I'm meticulous about oil changes and all servicing being performed at the dealer and on schedule or more frequently.

The only engine system repair we've experienced is replacing the DEF tank heater which failed under warranty. Per my dealer that was an extremely rare repair, the only one he's heard of. The part had to be ordered in so it must not be a common failure.

Overall I very much like this vehicle. It has been extremely reliable. It tows effortlessly, even on the steep grades in the Rockies. The ride is comfortable for a heavy duty truck. My only complaint is the small size of the standard fuel tank. Twenty-six gallons is ridiculously small, particularly when you are towing. I've been considering swapping out the fuel tank for the Titan 50 gallon tank, which is a direct replacement, but I'll probably wait until the 5 year 100,000 mile engine warranty has expired.

As to concerns about system failure, other than the valve concern previously mentioned I don't worry much. Any vehicle, diesel or gas, with complex mechanical and electrical systems made up of thousands of parts is subject to a random failure of one of those parts. On the whole, the diesel engine drive trains currently in production at Ford, GM, and Ram are highly reliable. Every year a few turbos, fuel pumps, valves, pistons, computers, transmissions or other parts break even on the best vehicles, but those failures are rare. The odds are I won't experience such a failure for several hundred thousand miles but somewhere in my truck may be lurking a part with a defect that will result in an expensive repair tomorrow. I view my DEF heater replacement as one of those uncommon failures which most people will never experience. When on the road I worry more about running out of fuel than I do a surprise expensive repair.
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Old 02-16-2015, 09:10 AM   #67
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Fuel filters at 25-30kmi(every third oil change).I change my oil sooner(5K) than factory recommends and it costs $89.

Def tank holds 5 gallons($25 to fill) I buy at O'reillys when on sale $11.99 for 2.5 gals and is added next to the gas cap.It lasts a long time.

No additives needed as the are already in the fuel you buy.They start putting winter blended fuel at the stations in Aug-Sept.I never use additives.

Draining water is as simple as turning a petcock to remove any water collected in furel filtering system and should be done every 30k or if the warning light ever comes on(I have never had this happen).Buy your fuel from name brand station and you will not have a problem.Any light rust or debris will be caught in the filters as with a gas engine.If you use a old metal farm tank that is full of rust Ford will not cover your problem with gas or diesel engine.If you are dumb they will not warranty your problems,gas or diesel.
Regen is taken care of automatically.You feel nothing and hear nothing.
Unless you are at -20 or below you do not even have to plug the engine block heater in (I have never plugged any of mine in in MO). Standard equipment are two massive 12v batteries.
A Ford diesel engine comes with a 5 year 100,000 warranty.Most of the failures that you read about come from people who modify their engines buy removing def equipment and reprogramming the computers.The first year of production had a few glitches 2011 but this is true with any new engine or drastic model change.

You are over thinking this.This engine will out live you if you take care of it.I drive mine every day and trade regularly because of the high resale value its cheap to drive a new one every 3 years and 39kmi.
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Old 02-16-2015, 10:57 AM   #68
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i have owned and operated Ford's with both of these engines. 6.2 was a hunk of junk, period. 6.7 is an entirely new ballgame. IMHO it rivals the iconic 7.3. if you have the choice available to you, pick the 6.7 you will not be sorry you did.

my F350, unladen at 65 gets 20-21 mpg. towing my 25' AS, 14-15 mpg.
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Old 02-16-2015, 12:20 PM   #69
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Would the 3.31 axle be sufficient for towing my Classic 25fb? That way I'd get the best solo mpg. Would towing mpg be better too vs the 3.55?

There are several new XLTs locally in the mid $40k. Same price as a 2015 F150 EB with HD Payload. The only problem is the don't have the rear view camera, a$550 option. Is the rear view mirror monitor of good quality? I test drove a F150 with the monitor in the dash and found using it not as comfortable to use as I was still wanting to look up to the rear view mirror. Probably need to get acustomed to it.

Are insurance costs higher for diesels?

Regarding the small tank you should be able to get a 300 mile range towing with a safe reserve? The 6.2L tank is 35 which would give you the same range because of lower mpg towing.

Kelvin
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Old 02-16-2015, 06:07 PM   #70
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Rear view camera is a must and well worth the money,easier to see with nav screen.


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Old 02-16-2015, 06:09 PM   #71
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3.55 min for gas TV minimun.




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Old 02-16-2015, 07:21 PM   #72
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gpt View Post
i have owned and operated Ford's with both of these engines. 6.2 was a hunk of junk, period. 6.7 is an entirely new ballgame. IMHO it rivals the iconic 7.3. if you have the choice available to you, pick the 6.7 you will not be sorry you did.

my F350, unladen at 65 gets 20-21 mpg. towing my 25' AS, 14-15 mpg.
don't forget to add the 6.0 in the "junk" status, especially the 03 to 05. I did get the 7.3L a '03 last of the breed model.. there are still LOTS of 7.3's running around with 200K plus miles and doing good.

I see getting a 6.7 at some point in the future but it will be a '13 or '14 yr model when it get some years on it and deprecated down a bit. i tend to buy them when they get 8-10 or so years old and at the 120K miles, more or less, hopefully from the original owner who has full service records.

I have a full fiberglass shell and see 17.5 ish around town.. have not gotten on the road for a good hwy trip to see MPG. But the ones touted above for the f-350 are great....
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