Ford 6.9 Diesel trucks. Any Experience?

[shinyribs]

I've been looking at these trucks lately and then my buddy Eric picked one up. I was surprised how quiet the engines are and how much power they seem to have for a non-turbo'd engine.

I'm real interested in getting something like this and it seems they are very affordable to buy and maintain.The only thing is, I've never driven one myself ,or know anyone that has towed with one.

Any experiences you can share about one would be great. I tow about 5-6k lbs daily in a 14' box trailer. It's not a lot of weight,but it would be hard on an underpowered truck doing it day in & day out.

Fill me in on what you know! Thanks!

[80cb750ff]

I would personally recommend a 7.3l with the turbo, both engines are great but the turbo really helps out a lot with towing.  Also, as someone like yourself who likes to tinker you will quickly find that you can do a ton to the 7.3ls to get some more power out of them - the automatic transmission is a known weak point with really heavy towing or adding too much power though.

I know this hasn't been extremely helpful for the 6.9, but hopefully is wasn't completely useless information!

[Beekeeper]

My brother has a 1 ton dually with the 7.3.  I would avoid it at all costs.  It pulls hard, but it eats transmissions.  It's way beyond a weak point.  I believe he is on the 3rd transmission.

[80cb750ff]

There is a builder in Arkansas (BTS - Brian's truck shop) that is known for building the best transmissions for a 7.3l.

Personally, I put in an aftermarket valve body in mine have almost 200k with the original transmission.  This is with aftermarket tuning, turbo, injectors - so quite a bit of extra power.  Now I don't tow anything super heavy, boats, cars, trailers.  It's important to get a transmission gauge so you can watch the temperature.  Also doing a transmission flush every 40,000 - 50,000 can really help.  I just did my first flush at 150,000 because I was having a lot of hesitation going to drive to reverse (or vice versa), after the flush it shifts perfect again.

If you do end up going with a 6.9l or 7.3l (or any other diesel), there are a bunch of really good forums out there.

I love my truck, and as much as a new one would be nice, I don't want anything to do with DPF/UREA!

[shinyribs]

Thanks for the input guys! I've been doing alot of research on these IDI Ford's lately. I've learned a bunch. If the price is right I would be willing to go with a 6.9, but I am leaning toward the 7.3 now.  The turbo'd 7.3 IDI only gains 5 HP and 20 ft/lb tq over a n/a 7.3 IDI.  They have waaay stronger internals though,which could allow for some tuning for more power. Turbo is OK,but I definitely don't want a Powerstroke.Dependable as they are,I am just trying to get away from electronics. I'd much rather have an easy,affordable truck to maintain than I would have a few more mpg's and power. I know the Powerstrokes are full on powerhouses,but the IDI's just appeal to me.

Oh,and I definitely do want a 5 speed. The early IDI's use a C6 (strong tranny,but no overdrive) and the later ones used the AOD tranny. More of a passenger car tranny for sure. $ speeds are pretty common on the 6.9's too, so getting a 5 speed almost forces me to the 7.3. Which is definitely not a problem. The roads I travel daily are 60-70 mph roads. Gotta have an overdrive.

If I could find a 7.3 IDI, 4x4 and 5 speed I'd be happy as a pig in mud.250 or 350 doesn't matter. Dually's won't fit in some of the places I need to go.And I'd crush a 1/2 ton lol. Mighty picky for a guy looking for a used truck,huh?

[shinyribs]

80cb750ff wrote

I love my truck, and as much as a new one would be nice, I don't want anything to do with DPF/UREA!

I hear ya man. I'm drving an '01 Duramax now. No urea needed of course,but a set of injectors for my truck runs ~$3,500! I can just get an old Ford for that price! This Duramax is a beast,but I refuse to spend that kind of money on repairs. It's just not worth it. Even though getting broadside on entrance ramps is fun.


BTW,what truck are your driving now?

[80cb750ff]

I drive a 1999 f250, it's been great to me so far!

3500 sounds crazy!  I got a full set of highly upgraded hybrid injectors for $1500 (with 10k on them).  You might look around on the duramax forums and see if anyone is selling injectors!

Good luck on finding the truck for you, let us know when you get one.

[TOOLS1]

You surly could not carry/tow more then I did when I was a contractor. And I did over 375,000 miles carrying/towing with my 94 FORD F-150. 4.9 6 cylinder with AOD transmission. Only problem with it was I had to have the transmission rebuilt 195,000.
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[shinyribs]

I scrap out the old units we replace. My typical load comes in between 3,800-4,200 lbs(in the bed).I do this about 10-12 times a year. The trailer I pull everyday is not too bad at 6,000 lbs fully loaded. And the tongue weight is nothing. Probably not even a grand. Being a 14' box it catches alot of air,though. My buddy tried to pull it one day with his F 150 and he couldn't get past 55 mph with it. His has the new little V8. It's a 4.7 maybe??? We hauled the same amount of weight on an open car trailer before,but it just couldn't pull the box through the wind. Chassis wise,it did great.

200,000K out of an AOD is pretty durn impressive! I have zero personal experience with AOD's in a truck. Never had a problem with them in passenger cars running semi-high HP(400-500 hp tops). Wasn't sure how they'd hold up in a truck towing in mountain terrain. I'm glad you told me how well yours held up. I did find a pretty decent truck local. The only thing holding me back was the fact it was an AOD. I'd really prefer a 5 speed,but it sounds like the AOD might not be too bad after all. Thanks for the info bud.

I found a reeeeally nice truck with a 5 speed,7.3 IDI turbo,3/4 ton, 4x4,A/C, extended cab and CLEAN!!! Probably could pick it up for about $4-4500 with new tires,bed liner ( doesn't really appeal to me) and some fancy wheels. But it has right at 300k miles on it. Kind of high mileage really. But then I started seeing these things ( IDI's) with 600-700K on them! Heck, one had 470k miles and has never had the heads or oil pan off. Said he replaced the injectors at 300k "for peace of mind"  That's awesome!

[shinyribs]

80cb750ff wrote

I drive a 1999 f250, it's been great to me so far!

3500 sounds crazy!  I got a full set of highly upgraded hybrid injectors for $1500 (with 10k on them).  You might look around on the duramax forums and see if anyone is selling injectors!

Good luck on finding the truck for you, let us know when you get one.

Thanks bud! And yeah,my injectors retail for $400 each. Could probably find some cheaper,that was just a quick search. Transmission overhaul is $3k. Injector pump is $2k. Turbo is $3,500. Crazy.Then there are the computers to worry about: one for the tranny and another for the engine.  It's been a good truck though. 260k and all I've ever done is replace the alternator at 235k and 3 driver side window regulators(power windows are junk!). Most Duramax's only get 150-200k out of injectors at best(from what I've heard). I just wonder if I'm on borrowed time and should sell before the inevitable comes.


oh,and the window regulators always let the window down...then they break! haha

[TOOLS1]

My truck was an extended cab short bed. It had two BIG tool boxs' loaded with tools. It also had a ladder rack that was constantly loaded with 16 ft long treated boards. I would stack these all the way across, and 10-12 inches high. I have no idea how much this weighed, but it was DAMN HEAVY!!!!!!!! Then I would pull a 12 ft long enclosed trailer loaded with tools. Although the truck would tend to lean while cornering I had no problems pulling the load. I could go 70 mph, but I usually drive 60-65. Then sometimes I would pull mu 18 ft car trailer with my Yanmar 3000 tractor, box blade, post hole auger, and pig pole loaded on it. Then I would slide 16 - 8 ft 4X4 posts, 15 - 6X8 fence panels under the tractor, and 16 80 lb bags' of Quickcret along the sides. At this point the rear of the truck would be sitting a little low, but it would pull it. You know that truck is still on the road. Anyway I did have a  transmission cooler installed when I had the trans rebuilt. I made sure it was installed so that the fluid went into the new cooler first then into the cooler in the radiator. This keeps the trans temp constant. I think this is why the rebuilt trans lasted longer then the original.
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[shinyribs]

Wow.


Um..hey,have you ever considered buying a 3/4 ton.


You know,something else that really helps the ''older'' trucks perform well is their curb weight. My 79 K20 (with complete cast iron drivetrain) was 5,300 lbs empty. Empty being me and about 500 lbs worth of tool box when I was going across the scales at the scrapyard. MY Duramax ( no toolbox) with me in it is 7,200 lbs. You're literally carrying 1 ton of payload nonstop compared to the older trucks just running empty!

[TOOLS1]

I can not remember the numbers, but my 94 extended cab was a lot heavier then either of my 93 regular cab F-150s with 8 ft beds. However the first 93 I had had the 5.0 in it, and you could not take off without chirping the tire. But it would not pull like that 4.9. The 93 F-150 I have now is a total pig in the pulling dept, but will fly down the road.
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P.S. I wish they would put a diesel in a 1/2 ton pickup!!!!
P.P.S. I had a 3/4, and a 1 ton Chevy, and neither would do what that F-150 would do.

[shinyribs]

TOOLS1 wrote

P.S. I wish they would put a diesel in a 1/2 ton pickup!!!!

You got tools. Get to work!

[80cb750ff]

Dodge is putting a diesel in their 1500, should be coming out in early 2014 (I think) (http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/ecodiesel/).  It's the same diesel they have in the grand cherokee.  You still have to deal with all that dpf/urea stuff though!

I've seen a few guys put diesel engines into 1/2 tons, it looked like quite a bit of work though!