CTD Longevity?

1931 Views 19 Replies 13 Participants Last post by SuperTrucker, Dec 8, 2005

sharp21

Discussion Starter · Nov 26, 2005

Im just starting to look for a diesel & Ive come across a few with over 500k kms. Is this common?
Also, ive noticed that duramax's seem to be cheaper than ctd's. Why is that? Can Duramax's be bombed as easily?
Just fyi im looking in the 1994-98 range.

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JimmysBlazah

· #2 · Nov 26, 2005

Duramaxs might be cheaper simply because they outnumber the CTD with chevy and GMC using them.. i havnt heard anything bad from either engine and im sure they are both reliable

sharp21

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 26, 2005

Seems that duramax only came out in 2001(?)
Before that it was either a 6.5L or 6.2L...
Can anybody shed some light on either of these engines?

jroutlaw0803

· #4 · Nov 26, 2005

no they cannot,,the 94 -98 range 12 valve would spank a damn duracrap anyday,,,and what he said above is garbage dodge made a ton of 12 and 24 v trucks in those yrs the gmc andchevy crap is the same damn truck,but 500 km is close to 240,000 miles i think and thats gettin up there in mileage,,but there is no way id trust a duramax with that many miles over a cummins :sorry:
and your right duramaxes only came out in the later yrs ,,the early disels sucked for chevy,,your better off with ford and dodge in these yrs

DIXIEDIRT

· #5 · Nov 26, 2005

i aint no chevy guy but i know of a few big D's that dont run half bad, look at the other duramax threads, and if you want to bomb one go here http://www.crankitupdiesel.com they are the best when it comes to duramax's, duramax's run quiet, they get great mileage, 24 or 25 mpg stock, and make wonderful power and whats nice about them you can switch them back to stock at the flip of a switch just by turning of your box, reprogrammer or downloader, the 12 valve has no electronics so everything your gonna do to that truck is mechanical which means once the stuff is in there its there til you got to tear it down and take it out, now duramax's do have some draw backs, they wont last longer than a 12 valve cummins because they aint designed as industrial motors like the 5.9, they have head gasket problems with extremely high boost levels which are fixed with head studs and they have weaker main bearing webs and cranks on the 2001 to 2005 LB7 and LLY motors but this is only when you get upwards of 60 pounds or more of boost and are running a pretty hot "program" on them, but the new LBZ motors fixed all those problems in the 2006 model year trucks, if you want a quiet strong running motor that pulls great, can easily be modded get a duramax, a 12 valve is cheap to mod also but they are loud and get crappy mileage, but in the end its all what you want, DO NOT GET AN AUTOMATIC IN ANY OF THE TRUCKS YOU ARE GETTING, THEY ALL SUCK.

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Deuce

· #6 · Nov 26, 2005

On 2005-11-26 06:56, DIXIEDIRT wrote:
DO NOT GET AN AUTOMATIC IN ANY OF THE TRUCKS YOU ARE GETTING, THEY ALL SUCK.

If we're talking modified motors, stock transmissions, then yes, you're right. But then the stock manual behind a BOMB'd motor would suck, as well. A bullet proof auto from one of those high dollar Diesel shops in many ways will out preform a manual. I doubt most people would be able to take a manual (modified, as well) and beat a bullet proof auto at the strip, if either were compitent drivers. The auto (when built right) can plainly just shift at better points more consistently that most drivers.

With that said: I really love the idea of a 6 speed Cummins. In fact, I drove one the other day

: But what you're saying is misleading.

DIXIEDIRT

· #7 · Nov 26, 2005

spend 5,000 for a built tranny or 1,700 for a hi-po clutch, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ill go with the clutch.

Omahastylin16

· #8 · Nov 26, 2005

realistically its all about preference, i dont know a lot about the duramax but any of the big 3 are reliable and incredible powerhouses, if you're looking for a solid motor that will tow and haul all day without any real trouble then you want a cummins, they make incredible work trucks for that reason, if you want a comfortable truck with a good all around engine, decent for hauling and pretty good on speed, then you're looking at a powerstroke, of course in the years you're looking at neither had a particularly luxurious interior so thats not a factor, and the cummins generally wins out in the end as far as longevity goes, so go with the dodge, theyre better looking in those years anyways :bigthumb: oh and btw, look for a stick, if you know how to drive them well it'll probably last longer, especially in the dodge

Blackdog

· #9 · Nov 26, 2005

Well, I looked st the test sheets from jasper engines and transmissions and I was shocked to see that the duramax was better than the cummins and powerstroke. They tested 100 of each on the dyno doing only mods to the motors, No aftermarket upgrades and reached in upwards of 700hp and up and they were just trying to find the best hp combo per make of engine from a stock stand point that they can sell and the duramax had the most reliability and hp of the three. Now, Who is to say how long each will last but that is my thoughts. I have a cummins and a powerstroke and I think my next one will be a duramax. But I think the cummins will last longer.

Omahastylin16

· #10 · Nov 26, 2005

once again its all about preference, since i mostly use mine for towing im more concerned with reasonable hp and a good torque curve, which the cummins provides, along with longevity and that nice semi truck sound

: hehe

Deuce

· #11 · Nov 26, 2005

On 2005-11-26 07:25, DIXIEDIRT wrote:
spend 5,000 for a built tranny or 1,700 for a hi-po clutch, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ill go with the clutch.

You didn't mention anything about price. The fact is that an automatic can be built to work, and work well. Not to mention, if we're talking purely stock, the Allison is nothing to sneeze at. You're just being biased.

Jambbii

· #12 · Nov 26, 2005

On 2005-11-26 00:54, sharp21 wrote:
Seems that duramax only came out in 2001(?)
Before that it was either a 6.5L or 6.2L...
Can anybody shed some light on either of these engines?

Everything before the dmax pretty much sucked. 500km is not too bad for a cummins if it has been properly maintained. But there are things to check for like the KPD (killer dowl pin) the timing case is usually leaking if this goes bad. These engines run a long time, especially in stock form. I pulled the head on mine when I blew a gasket at 170k and the cylinder bores looked brand new.

DIXIEDIRT

· #13 · Nov 26, 2005

i know the allison is junk, that is all it is, i wouldnt own one stock or modified, we grenaded the 3rd and 4th gear planetaries in one.

sharp21

Discussion Starter · #14 · Nov 27, 2005

So it looks like a 12v dodge is the way to go...
did they ever make a reg cab short bed version, or only extended cab short bed?
I wouldnt be doing much towing 7 only basic hauling, motorbikes, furniture, etc. I want one more for daily driving & hotrodding around it!

:

John2453

· #15 · Nov 27, 2005

When up in MT and WY, all I saw were PowerStrokes and Cummins. Not scientific by any means. But all of them were towing trailers of hay, horses, autos, livestock, etc. The Cummins is a great motor but was originally built for med duty trucks with trannys with more than 6 speeds? Heck, 10 spd w/ 2 spd rear ends? I thought it only had a 1,000 rpm power band. Just an observation -- no flames. As much grief as some folks give V8 diesels, I think they are better suited for light duty work if you go by powerband alone.

As for autos... I had an old 6.2L that ate transmissions. These were the 4L80E with the updates. I've had auto trannies die behind gassers. I would get a manual any day of the week given a choice.

sharp21

Discussion Starter · #16 · Nov 27, 2005

Yeah I think 5 speed is the way to go... As stated above, a hi-po clutch will be easier to get into than a tranny rebuild...

steved

· #17 · Nov 29, 2005

On 2005-11-26 19:51, sharp21 wrote:
So it looks like a 12v dodge is the way to go...
did they ever make a reg cab short bed version, or only extended cab short bed?

:

Only std cab/LB, ext cab/SB, or ext cab/LB and the very rare 98 quad cab/SB+LB. 98.5 was the start of the 24-valves.

To be honest, I really don't think the 24-valves are all that bad...if you keep the lift pump up, they last...my dad has 225k (miles) on his 99. Keep in mind that some of the 12-valves used the same injector pump (a mechanical version) of the 24-valve's electronic version.

If I had it to do over...most likely a 98.5 to 2002 2nd gen 24-valve or a 1st gen (89-93)...mechanicals have their benefits, but the electronic motors are easier and sometimes cheaper to mod nowadays...plug a chip and go play simple.

steved

OnE54ToN

· #18 · Nov 29, 2005

I love my 24v but i do wonder "what if" I had bought a 12v. Cheap and easy. My truck is a Quad Cab short bed though. Very though to find one in a 12v.

FoxRacn250

· #19 · Dec 1, 2005

well, i have the 98.5 24v and have 210,000 miles as of yesterday and its still running strong, except for the clutch (but will be in dec. 19th) i havent had any motor problems yet other than computer stuff, but thats not really the motor. it keeps running strong and blowing smoke,

:

SuperTrucker

· #20 · Dec 8, 2005

A buddy of mine has a '95 cummins that has 415,000 and there is a guy across the mountain at http://www.handpickedtrucks.com that has an early 90s model that has over 800,000 miles on it. I have rarely seen a chevy in your year range make it over 200,000 miles. Look it up. You can find a select few Dodges that have worked all their lives and made over a 1,000,000 miles with hardly anything major besides tranny work. Most crap out at under 350,000 miles but if well maintained the Cummins will last well above that mark. As for the Chevys or GMC's who knows you rarely hear talk about em anymore except for the 2001 and up Duramaxes which is a really good motor. They just haven't been out long enough to see how they hold up. By the way my 04.5 has 140,900 on the odometer and she is still purrin like a kitten had a couple of hairballs when it came to the u-joints but that is it. Just change the oil and check everything.

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