The standard tranny is a 4L80E and it is a pretty tough SOB. We have used it for years and you really have to work to blow one up. I really think the Allison is overkill in most situations and serves more as a marketing ploy and one hell of an expensive option. We have been using the 4L80E since the early 90's and it has proven to be very strong. It has moved many a 9 foot plow or telephone truck and they just keep going. Now, what I want is a 6.6 in a tahoe. I just don't need the size of a 'burban yet.


Matt Burns

Buy one of these and pull that rig in STYLE:

Havasu:

After reading/hearing about all the problems th new 6.0 has it is so obvious Ford pushed the engine into production before it was ready. Hence the teething problems. The 2004s fix many of these. Have the dealer take back the 03 and get an 04 OR
Go back to the Yukon XL w/ 8.1 and get a Hypertech programmer which will improve your gas mileage.

It is sad to see Ford go back to making the mistakes they use to, The whole company is in real turmoil and being in the Motor City (and working for the largest independent supplier) believe me I see it

Wannabe

Aaah California...

Was thinking of getting a second Ex with a diesel this time (wife has the V-10) Thank you for all the information about the differences. I always buy used and 6.0's are starting to pop up but I was wondering about the difference between proven (7.3) and new design (6.0). Interesting

Yukon??? Come on I want a big truck!!!

HMMMM!
Sounds like you need a Cummins!! The ONLY true medium duty diesel in a pickup, you won't hear many complaints from Cummins owners, and I gotta admit Dodge has built a hell of a truck around it(except for the old autos) . I used to be a died in the wool Ford guy , but I'm on my second Cummins('95 and '03) and I'll buy another when the time comes.

This should be a good year for my friends and I. There will be a lot of bashing, and maybe a pull off !

I've got a 01 Dodge w/Cummins and some upgrades. Supposedly 350hp and670ft/lbs at the rear wheel

2 friends have 03 Dodge's with the Cummins.

1 friend has a 02 Dmax

and another friend just bought a Ford 6.0.


I think I started a trend

I was the first one to buy a diesel.

Ford does not build the engine. It is Navistar. With the 6.0, Navistar made a major change in it's injector strategy. The 7.3L "Powerstroke" used Caterpillar HEUI injectors. Yes they are noisy, but they work.

These problems will be solved. It is a simple engineering problem........maybe not simple......but Navistar and Ford have some very smart engineers and they will get it worked out.

It just sucks you guy's are having to deal with this. I chipped my 7.3L and it tows the AT with no problem. I am glad I did not make the change.


By the way, you Cummins guy's need to give it up. Dodge is a distant 3rd place player in the diesel equipped light truck market. And Cummins is no longer the leader in any markets it serves.

I was going to buy a new 6.0 but decided to wait, sounds like it was a good move to wait. Hopefully the problems will be worked out on the 2004 model, I am ready to buy one.

h2owarrior's right, I work for a company that does a lot of prototype and testing work for the big 3 and when they realize they have a problem like their having with the new 6.0L they devote lots of time and money to fix the problem as fast as they can. Their reputation depends on it. I'v been waiting to buy the new 6.0L also, ford just put a new engine and trans in that vehicle, you have to expect some sort of problems, I always wait until after the first year when something new comes out. Hopefully they have the bugs worked out by then.

Unfortunately its not always the Manufacturers fault. I work in the business on the design side. Not powertrain though. But what happens alot, and I mean ALOT is that the suppliers will change a material, process or design to save some money. The OEMs have the suppliers so beat down on the costs of parts that the suppliers take it upon them selves to make changes. They hope they don't get caught, and sometimes they don't. But there are time like this that things blow up.

I'll stick with my 7.3 PDS thankyou. I just have a problem with a smaller motor that is designed for work to have to put out that much more power. There is no replacement for displacement.