white line fever
MN
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Joined: 07/17/2004
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Been reading most of these posts as I am about to replace my 1993 dodge diesel. Not that it needs replacing but I have the oldest truck in the RV park and I want to update.
160,000 miles and running like new.
When I bought it, in 1993, I read some reserch and they calculated that at 86,000 miles the additional cost of a diesel was recovered. They included oil change costs, fuel, maintaince, etc.. Then gas cost more then diesel so the numbers should be better now.
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jwharris_95758
Sacramento, Ca
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Joined: 07/13/2004
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Diesel is more in california than gas because they make you burn that low sulfur garbage. Here is some advice, fill up in nevada before entering california.
2000 Suburban LS 5.3L 4.10 Gears
2003 28' Trail-lite 8283S
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PSDExcursion
Millstone NJ
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Quote:Diesel is more in california than gas because they make you burn that low sulfur garbage. Here is some advice, fill up in nevada before entering california.
Not at Flying J .
2002 Chevy Express 3500 8.1 155" WB passenger van
41 Ft 2003 Thor Citation 41-ZBSR TT w/ Hensley Arrow
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tgatch
Meridian, ID
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Joined: 08/13/2003
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Quote:Diesel is more in california than gas because they make you burn that low sulfur garbage. Here is some advice, fill up in nevada before entering california.
2000 Suburban LS 327 C.I. 285 HP Vortec V8 4.10
2003 28' Trail-lite 8228 4400#
Ahhh an educated non-diesel owner.....
We all use low sulfur diesel. Soon it will be Ultra low sulfur diesel for all. There is no California blend of diesel, there is a Winter blend for the colder states though.
BTW, When I leave and go to Idaho I take I15 and don't stop until St George, UT as the diesel costs about the same in Nevada.
Tom
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wilber1
Abbotsford B.C.
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Joined: 12/16/2002
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Just did a three week tour through the Rockies and back from the west coast. I kept a record of mileage and fuel prices, regular gas versus diesel whenever I filled up. Factoring in the difference in mileage between my 5.9 Cummins and what people with big block gassers tell me, I figure my fuel bill was close to $400 CDN less.
I felt good about getting the diesel 3 years ago and every time I see gas prices go up I feel even better. Just went out and bought a Jetta TDI and the first two fill-ups got 51 MPG Imperial or 41 USG. Probably filling up before I need to but not used to seeing over 700 KM on the trip odo between fills yet. Thats in the first 1500 miles. Once it's broken in and I get used to the novelty and slow down, it should start getting good mileage. All diesel now except for the 66 300 ragtop.
"Never trust a man who has not a single redeeming vice" WSC
2011 RAM 3500 SRW
2015 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS
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slorebo
San Pedro, Ca. USA
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Joined: 08/05/2003
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Quote:Quote:Diesel is more in california than gas because they make you burn that low sulfur garbage. Here is some advice, fill up in nevada before entering california.
2000 Suburban LS 327 C.I. 285 HP Vortec V8 4.10
2003 28' Trail-lite 8228 4400#
Ahhh an educated non-diesel owner.....
We all use low sulfur diesel. Soon it will be Ultra low sulfur diesel for all. There is no California blend of diesel, there is a Winter blend for the colder states though.
BTW, When I leave and go to Idaho I take I15 and don't stop until St George, UT as the diesel costs about the same in Nevada.
Tom
Bingo Tom!!!
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HD Getinby
New SMyrna Beach, Florida
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Joined: 07/24/2004
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WOW, never realized there would be this much difference of opinion..
I had a 00 Ford F350 crewcab, shortbed, 7.3, single wheel, diesel. This 7.3 with a chip was an awsome tow vehicle. I own several gooseneck trailers, and never had a problem. Then I purchased a new 50' enclosed Pace Bigdog, as my new camper / toyhauler. I went and pick this monster up from the dealership, as soon as I made the first turn, (yeah you guessed it) I nearly took the cab off the truck.
As I sat there sucking wind, I realized that I could not tow this trailer with the truck I had, unless I replaced the hitch, or get rid of the truck and go back to long beds. I decided to buy an 04 Ford Dually, crewcab, diesel. Much to my surprise, Ford would'nt even let me order another 7.3, they said something about California and emissions, blah, blah , blah..
So I settled for the 6.0 diesel, and went from there. The Bigdog is a heavy trailer, and some will tell you you can't tow with a F350. I installed an air ride 5K kit on the rear, and purchased the Banks 6 gun kit. I have changed the breather assy and the exhaust to 4 1/2" And wow what an engine, combined with the performance equipment I have installed, Im am impressed. The engine brake is one of the best ideas Ford has had yet. Now I wont go into alot of towing recommendations Ford has or fuel milage.. But I do get 20-21 MPG non, and with the trailer Im getting 11. I believe this will increase as I get the truck broke in, as I have 11K on it now. Oh and the Ford dealer told me that they will warranty the engine with the banks system on it.. I also installed the gage cluster to make sure the computer backs off when its supposed to within the limits.
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PSDExcursion
Millstone NJ
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Quote:I decided to buy an 04 Ford Dually, crewcab, diesel. Much to my surprise, Ford would'nt even let me order another 7.3, they said something about California and emissions, blah, blah , blah..
So I settled for the 6.0 diesel, and went from there. The Bigdog is a heavy trailer, and some will tell you you can't tow with a F350. I installed an air ride 5K kit on the rear, and purchased the Banks 6 gun kit. Oh and the Ford dealer told me that they will warranty the engine with the banks system on it.. I also installed the gage cluster to make sure the computer backs off when its supposed to within the limits.
The 7.3 was discontinued in the F250-F550/Excursion SuperDuty trucks in December 2002 nationwide. You better get a signed contract from the Ford dealer to cover the 6.0 engine warranty with the Banks 6 gun kit.
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Securiti
Washington PA 15301 USA
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Joined: 09/23/2002
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I bought a Dodge v10 3500 5 years ago. The short story is it got 6 miles to the gallon. And it blew up twice. Now there is a 5.9 Cummins motor in it. And it sheds a whole new light on things. Mileage has tripled. Fuel has been a constent 1.59 here at a local BP. I could go on with this. But I am happy with the change.
Pictures of all
1996 Dodge 3500
4.88 Gears
GearVender Transmission
Extra 115 Gal Fuel tank
Banks Power Kit
K&N Air filter
5 Inch Exhaust
2007 Wide Open Endura Max
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BertP
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Joined: 11/07/2003
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I just returned from vacation and I noticed something interesting: Any place we went that is ecologically sensitive (San Diego Zoo and the Grand Canyon Park in particular) had either exclusively or mostly gasser busses. There were a few diesel busses at the Grand Canyon, but the vast majority were gassers. That may change as diesels become cleaner and the fuel has lower sulfur, but for now, it looks like they will stick to gassers.
Bert
* This post was
edited 07/27/04 10:52am by BertP *
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