6.7L Cummins Forum

I've had diesel trucks going back to 82 with an Isuzu P'UP. My latest acquisitions have been a 00 Super Duty and 08 Ram 3500. I've also worked on nearly every brand known (Detroit, Cummins, Perkins, Continental, Isuzu, Kubota, Deere, Cat, Onan) and have learned several unavoidable facts:

1. The newer the engine (read: electronic conrols) the more problems it will have. My Isuzu was N/A and IDI; absolutely zero problems over the years I owned it. In fact the body fell apart before an overhaul was due. I remember having a dead battery one summer (it actually exploded from running out of electrolyte) and I couldn't afford a new one right away. I got it jump started and just let it run without a battery for 3 days. Try letting a battery just get low on charge now; your truck will have a seizure.
2. All diesels, no matter how old or new, will last much longer with proper maintenance. DON'T SKIMP HERE! Use recommended filters from an industrial source (not Wallyworld), proper fluids and change them at prescribed intervals. Put another way: $150 every 7,000 miles is MUCH cheaper than $20,000+ for another engine not covered because YOU didn't maintain it.
3. If you commute 90% of your use then basic maintenance is all you need. Dropping $10,000 for the latest upgrades will net you exactly zero return. The truck is well within designed capacity and you will get much more return on maintenance (see #2).
4. If you plan of keeping the truck exactly the length of warrenty, or are leasing, or get a new one every time the ashtray gets dirty (and plan on buying from the same dealer) then the best use of your money is letting that dealer do all the maintenance. The reason: they know your vehicle and will do all the required things to keep it running right (maintenance, timely recalls, safety checks). As a bonus, the more you spend on non-warrenty service the more likely they are to help you out if something goes wrong and it's a gray area (just out of warrenty, aftermarket parts, etc).
5. If, however, you plan on keeping your truck "forever" (like I do) than you should upgrade every weak factory system (EGR/DPF, front hubs, bypass oil filter, transmission, brakes, fuel filters, etc). Put another way: after 100,000 YOU are the warrenty, and I would feel much better knowing such things as soot ingestion and weak front bearings have been eliminated and won't cause long term damage; anything that will allow you to potentially keep that truck alive "forever". I would also advise upgrading front and rear bumpers; how much is a front bumper compared to an accident repair (charge cooler, radiator, condensor, oil cooler, trans cooler, etc) with a lot of other systems directly affected? I still advise against crazy tuning, HUGE rolling stock, big/loud exhaust systems and anything else that takes the systems outside their design parameters.
6. Mild upgrades are fine but, again, the truck was not designed to work with them. A common example is upgrading from the stock 265 to a larger 285 tire. While not a huge difference in size, you have changed more than just tire height (gearing, trans shift points, fuel economy, etc) and takes a tuner to get it back in order, yet another expense (unless you have already done the deletes, then your tuner should be capable of making the required adjustments). You also have added weight, which will find all the weak points in the front end sooner (unit bearings, ball joints, tie rods).
7. Getting "creative" with your fuel supply WILL create a major cash flow issue when you have to overhaul one of these monsters (Black for the repair shop-red for you). Good old #2, especially with the new trucks, is the only fuel I would ever use. And always, always, ALWAYS (especially on a road trip) get your fuel from a reputable (read: national chain) truck stop. They go through so much fuel in a day that it is always being replenished (and, most likely, was just quality checked prior to being poured). Diesels DO NOT like water in their fuel supply: again, DO NOT GO THE CHEAPEST ROUTE!
8. Keep the truck clean and polished. The psycological aspects of truck ownership cannot be overstated. A clean truck makes you feel good, which will make you wan't to keep it better maintained. Clean out the garbage from the cab and bed (water bottles, food bags, candy wrappers- all that stuff we collect in normal living) as well as tools, spares, etc; these things add weight and present a possible ticket (littering or injury when they fly out of the bed). Unless you need that stuff to make your living. declutter. How many times have you seen an older beater truck (bed bashed in, front fender crunched, bumpers twisted, broken glass, torn seats, exhaust dragging) or the same year truck, only well maintained and thought "that's a really nice truck". Imagine how the owner feels.
9. Nitrogen is great for keeping the TPMS from corroding and is much better for the tires, but can be a pain when we switch from commuting to hauling. I have to drop the pressure in my Ram to about 60 in the rear to keep the tread flat and even when not towing. Unless you carry extra N2 with you on a road trip I would recommend filtered compressed air; 90% of the benefit without the aggrevation of having to leave the truck with a dealership to get your tires filled-again. If you have a blowout it's a moot point, anyway. Most places still don't offer nitrogen fills. If it becomes readily available I will change my mind on this.
10. One final thought: it's your truck and you will do whatever you want to it. Personally, I find more enjoyment out of a truck that I can get into, starts right away, drives like it was supposed to and everything works as it should than worrying about having huge wheel and tires creating "death wobble" or something scratching my $4,000 rims, a thief hearing my 4,000 watt stereo or seeing said rims, my kids dropping ice cream or something on my $3,000 aftermarket leather seats or getting a noise ticket for my 8" stack (and 4,000 watt stereo).

How many truck with over a million miles have you seen with any of those crazy add-ons? Me, either.

All of those some very good points, but I think everyone get's bit by the Mod bug, no matter how small or large you go. There is always something everyone wants to or does change in/on their truck to make it more "Theirs"

I have had my truck since April, and have already changed out the factory intake for a Banks Cold Air Intake. Soon to replace the exhaust with a simple system (not to remove DPF or EGR), just some things I want to do to make it more mine.

I do agree with you 100% about keepin your truck clean....You take more pride in a clean vehicle, and you tend to get more comments when your truck is 6yrs old, yet still looks new. I have seen that first hand when my old man had a Ford F100, had it for 6yrs. He repainted the cheap little hub caps cause they started to rust, so he sanded them down and repainted them flat back, and someone asked him when he got the new truck.....he replied "same old truck" and he was complimented on how good it looked for a truck that old.

I get my clean truck stuff from my dad, I clean it out as often as possible, now my wife is a different story, her car is cluttered and dirty and it pisses me off, so I clean it out for her...she hates it when I do that, cause I always send up throwing something out she wanted to keep!! LOL