So you think you need/want a late model 4x4
 

A little research on these forums will show you quite a few people with late model 4x4 trucks that have problems either engaging or disengaging 4wd. Almost all of these trucks are using electronics to do waht for years was done with manual controls or simple electric solenoids. None of this is easy to fix and definetly not cheap to fix. Just beware if you own one or are considering buying one that is over mileage on warranty.
Much about the late model trucks can cost enough to make you park it. I just changed the oil on a 04 Ford diesel, a simple $100 oil change. My neighbor just bought an 03 Dodge diesel dually with 136k mi., I'll bet he'll be crying by next winter as he can barely afford the truck forget about the maintenance and repairs. Something as simple as manual trans fluid for that truck is close to $30 per quart.
Just a heads up for those looking at purchasing a truck. If you go in knowing at least you'll avoid the surprises.

With diesel costing more than regular gas at the pump. For several years now. Why do people buy them? A gas engine will do just as good. And as for the mileage per gallon. Well the upkeep on a diesel will eat up that difference, very fast. They don't last like they are expected too.

The reason I don't want a late model SUV is that they longer make a full sized one that is only two door. And I really don't care for 4-door vehicles. We have a 2000 Explorer Sport and it looks like it going to have to last us a loooooooooong time until the American SUV manufacturers realize that there is a market for full sized 2-door SUVs.

We've never had any problem with our 4-wheel drive.

donsgal

I'm driving a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500HD, DuraMax diesel. Just under 100,000 miles. Recently had 4WD serviced. At first dealer said two switches needed replacement at around $30. each, but then discovered some servo motor had failed, too. It ended up costing me over $1000. Add that to a failed power window unit, windshield wiper motor, alternator and a U joint. There is no reason for diesel fuel to be 20 cents above gasoline, but it is.

I drive an 89 Dodge Ram 4x4, and also have an 87 Ford Ranger 4x4.

The Dodge now has an inferiority complex because the Ranger got around during the last ice/snow storm and the Dodge didn't.

I have no desire for a new Truck at all.
I would love to have a late 40's early 50's truck though. :)

I'm one who thinks all 4WD trucks should still come with solid front axles, manual locking hubs, and a manual shift transfer case. There just wasn't a whole lot to go wrong with those, unless you broke something.

I have a '95 Chevy 2500 4WD that has the manual shift case, but has the electronic actuator in the differential. I love the truck, but I hate that actuator. I've already thought it was bad one time and bought one. Turned out to be another simple problem, but I'm keeping that actuator as a spare just in case.

The family vehicle is a '99 Chevy Suburban with the push button 4WD. I really hate that push button, but we needed a vehicle, and this was the closest thing we could find to what we needed that we could afford.

One thing we do is make it a point to use the 4WD on a regular basis. I've found the worst thing you can do with 4WD is not use it. Then when you're in a situation where you need it, it's not working.

Tell me about it.My Dodge is hangging its head in shame because my old Ford and my wifes Tracker could make it around and it couldn't.In that Snow.

I tell you Automatic Transmission is nice because of my Legs.But I think I can suffer just to have something more reliable.

big rockpile

I have a 2006 F350 Ford crewcab diesel with a turbo that I bought new. Electric windows, seats and AC. Otherwise no go-fasters.

As far as the 4WD goes it is the basic, meaning manual shift into 4WD high and 4WD low. It has manual locking front hubs. Real basic--and I am happy with it.

When I bought it there was a slicked-up version next to it. Had every accessory imaginable include the electric engaged 4WD. Didn't need anything that fancy.

I've always been a Ford fan, and this is one area where Ford has it all over the others IMHO in that you can still get the basic set-up in the bigger pickups.

Deisel fuel is 10% higher and my milage is 40% higher than my coworkers with gas engines. a once a year fuel filter is 35.00 and 4 oil changes with filters cost 120.00 per year, I do them myself. since 1999 I have not spent a dime on anything other than brakes, tires, oil and filters.
160,000 hard construction miles.

I’m looking for a 2004sh Dodge Ram QuadCab 4x4 with Hemi and 20in. rims. I’m having one hell of a time trying to find one in stick! I have a couple guys going to auctions looking for me but I haven’t heard anything back yet. I’m starting to wonder if they ever made a Hemi in stick…

My family and extended family has always been Chevy people through and through! I bought a Chevy Cavalier out of college and am still driving that right now. I had a wheel barring go out and a fuse blow for the backup lights but that was it. They weren’t too expensive to fix either.

I’ve test driven the Chevy, Ford, and Dodge…and there is such a contrast! That Dodge Hemi will get you going FAST and the room inside is huge! But when it comes down to it, those wheels are monsters.

Right now, I would actually place Ford in second place. I think Chevy is kind of loosing touch with what the market is wanting. Their trucks just look small, almost like their full-size trucks are the same size as a Dakota.

But yeah, I can’t wait to get my truck. I’ve been driving my crap cavalier around saving up. I like to pay for everything in cash. I was never much of a “make payments” guy. I figure that is a waist of money paying interest and all. I didn’t want a new truck either; wanted to make sure the initial depression was out of it.

And…I can finally haul stuff around!!! If I find a dresser I like or a bed frame I like at an auction or yard-sale, I can just pick it up! I can load brush, haul cinder blocks, hunt on back, snowy roads, etc. I can’t wait…

Still driving the same ole 1985 4wd Nissan we bought new in 1984. Now with in excess of a half million miles on it. The missus is still drivng the 1991 Dodge Ram Charger 4wd we bought the fall of 1991. Have no plans of replacing them any time soon.

Neighbor has one,TERRIBLE gas mileage.They had to buy a Scion in addition to it,just plain too expensive to fuel the thing.Just a thought.

BooBoo

..................I'm continuing to drive my 1999 f250 , 4x4, 7.3 diesel with 101,900 miles too date . I purchased a 33 foot 5th. wheel earlier this month and drove to nora springs, Iowa to pick it up. This trailer is Heavy , naked with none of my worldly possessions loaded . When I got back to texas I had to get it's weight certified by the truckstop scales . It came in at 13,700 pounds :help: , but my old diesel with the 6 speed manual tranny will cruise down the road at 65 all day long .
...................I added a 5 leaf overload spring pack , 4 inch , turbo back exhaust and a mild chip that I run mostly in the 40 hp , tow position . When , I get this trailer loaded , I fully expect it too weigh around 15,500 or so . Some would say I'm nuts but these newer trucks are built VERY strong and I drive very cautiously so hopefully everything will be OK . There are only about 3 gas engines(IMO) that would pull this load , the 460 ford , 454 chevy , and the 496 chevy , and none would do it and get the fuel milage that I do . I'll stick with my diesel , no gas for me . fordy... :)

For longevity I wouldn't tow in 6th gear, check your owners manual.

I've seen kits to convert the electric actuator to a cable control for the frt. axle engagement.

Almost forgot one of the other expensive parts of a late model vehicle. Manufacturers have decided that what we came to know as normal size priced tires are no good. before buying check the tire size and price of quality replacements. I know a young couple with an SUV that replacement tires were $800 for a set, quite a shock.

......................Thanks for the heads up beeman . I will read the OM and see what it has to say in respect to towing in OD . Actually , to drive in 4th. as opposed to OD would mean I'd be taching around 2500 rpm vs around 1600 in OD . thanks , fordy... :)

Please, where are you finding it only 20c more???? Regular gas is ~2.15...Diesel here is 2.55.. .40c/gallon more.

Apparently some of the refineries are still down from last years hurricanes.

My F350 gets twice the mileage of a comparable gas guzzler. And I can run it on biodiesel, or raw veggie oil, in a crunch. I would buy any car or truck made, tomorrow, if I could reliably and safely run it on distillate :rolleyes: , since I have an inexhaustible free supply from the well in the back pasture...

Another consideration with diesel's will be the effect if any of the new ultra low sulphur fuel which has been out just a short time. Big trucks are finding strange things when doing oil analysis since the new fuel started in Oct.

Oh, and after three years of fiddlin with the electronic front end 4wd engagement thingie, and getting stuck once, because it didn't engage when I wanted, and needed it to... I replaced it with manual hubs. I KNOW they're going to work. I can't hope, that they'll work. I have to KNOW!!!

What electronic frt. end engagement thingie on a Ford F-350?

Been there,done that.On the Jetta the large tires,low profile are also 'performance' tires,means low mileage big bucks.Try 240.00 EACH for michelins installed and balanced !!!!Last about 20,000 miles.

Fortunately they are now making more reasonable priced regular tires in 17". Last set was about 110/per IIRC.Goodyear Eagles on sale,that was a deal.

Low profile also means a rock or pothole that doesnt faze a high profile tire will take out your very expensive low profile tire.BTDT too,more than once.Like 3 times actually.

Never again will they sucker me with that,I will give up the slightly better handling thank you very much.

BooBoo

My 1998 1/2 Dodge 2500 has had no problems with the 4wd.
It is of course considered 'old' nowadays.

It also is getting 20+mpg with 4wd,4:10 gearing and 5 speed manual trans and the aerodynamics of a brick. :)

It gets that mileage whether it is hauling stuff or not.

Also I am running WVO blended with diesel in it and apart from changing fuel filters every 1500 miles it is no big thing.
Filters are $16 shipped online.

Fuel mix is costing me about $1.15/gallon.

A gas engined 2500 would get about 12mpg if you were lucky.

Better torque, better mileage, better towing capacity, longer-life engine, easier maintenance, cheaper maintenance, cheaper parts, fewer parts, better value, higher value later in vehicle's life, convertibility to biofuel, shall I go on?

Drive a 1997 F250XLTHD with 200,000+ miles. To date, it has only required minor maintenance on the front end ball/u joints, brakes, and shocks. Will need a new/rebuilt tranny soon as it's been acting up for about 50,000 miles. Most of the miles on this truck are HARD highway & city miles - our roads SUCK up here. A gas of the same year, make, model would be dead or at least unfinancible - practically worthless.

I didn't start this thread as a knock on any brand or engine type. I started it more as a heads up for people that don't have a truck yet or aren't familiar with some of the later model pitfalls. If you know what you're getting into it's fine especially if you have the resources, either money or skills, to go along with it. With 30 years experience and a completely equipped shop at my disposal I could not justify the costs to own some of these vehicles just for the maintenance and parts costs.

:goodjob:

I, for one, appreciate your caveats on the new 4x4s.

I agree with everything except the cheaper maintenance, and cheaper parts. Anything you do have to do to a diesel is going to cost more than a comparable repair on a gas-burner. You should have to do less maintenance on a diesel, but when you do it's not cheaper.

as having owned over a hundred trucks & cars I have some insight here. I have many 4x4 trucks and right now have 3. one is a push button shift GM and the other two are `77 & `84 Dodge trucks. I don't beat on the new one and the old ones take to farm work better. my 13 year old son likes the `84 for farm chores since he drives it in lo-loc and doesn't get in a hurry that way. the electric shift on the `04 Gm works well since my wife can use that without much effort. she had a Jeep liberty and that did very well offroad but I didn't fit in it well enough to justify keeping it around. as for milage I guess its as good as it gets with some trucks. I had an `84 suburban that got 18 mpg with 4x4 and it was beat. my `04 get around 12.5 if I'm lucky. I have been looking at buying a new Dodge Mega cab since I get a good discount, but I still can't swallow a $30,000 hit on the price just yet. plus that is just for a gasser. its $5500 more for a diesel, I don't know about you but $5500 buy a lot of gas.

My daily driver is a 1979 Blazer locally known as "The Beast". Beastie will go about anywhere without 4x4 but if you wanna climb the local mountains just lock and load and set him loose!! Paid a grand for him 17 years ago and he just won't quit! Have had to put a few sheets of metal on every year to cover the holes and a fuel pump and water pump 2 years ago but that's it. Hubby's daily driver is a 1989 Blazer, also been a good vehicle although even in 4x4 it has never went quite as good as Beastie. 3 years ago I figured it was time to get another vehicle as everyone thought sure old Beastie would bite the dust soon........I also hate 4 doors so a 1999 Tahoe [which was the new name for a full size after 95] was calling my name. Paid 20+ grand for the darn thing and it sure is pretty!! lol .......I have put 8000 miles on it in 3 years....replaced the intake gasket [$800] ........ALL 4 c02 censors [$600]......fuel pump [$535] beasties was $9.........had all knids of brake problems....etc. Had it out in the snow for the first time last week and I have to tell you it seemed to do just fine both in and out of 4x4 but my opinion is the same as the op's......they just don't make em like they used too!!!!

.....................Oz , a "2500" .....is a 3/4 ton truck , a 1500 is a 1/2 ton !! :p , fordy... :p

Make that a cast iron, all gear transfer case. Alas nothing newer like that.

Late 70's was the end of cast iron transfer cases woth all gears. Hard to remove when you had to work on the trans or clutch, but pretty much bullet proof. Transfer cases went to aluminum housings by the 80's, manual transmissions also went to aluminum housings when they went to 5 and 6 speeds. Not enough strength in the aluminum housings which are the weak link in the transmissions.
If you want to talk big buck repairs on late model trucks price a clutch job on a manual transmission, common maintenance item with mileage. diesels are twice as pricey as the flywheel is a rebuild or replace component on a clutch job.

My '57 Willy touring wagon's 4X4 seems to work just fine.

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Thank you.

It does make sense if you look at the actual fuel value of diesel versus gasoline.

Diesel fuel contains about 139,000 BTU's per gallon.....gasoline about 125,000 .......depends on the source of info you look up.....varies a bit.....but basically diesel contains about 11-12% more energy than gasoline.....which explains why if all other things are fairly equal, like weight, hp, etc, diesel vehicles will get better mileage.

For years, gasoline users were penalized by subsidising diesel at much cheaper prices. Then pendulum has simply swung the other way.

My 1999 Chev Z71 has "push button" 4WD. It has more than once allowed me to pull out of a slide (swerve) on a snowy highway that I was travelling on in 2WD. WIHH's 2001 Jeep Cherokee has manual 4WD that would allow her to do the same thing. Neither vehicle has manual locking front axles...which are useless in the situation I described (ie, "on-the-fly 4WD).

Whoever has electronic 4WD, I highly recommend engaging the 4WD at least once per month whether needed or not. This will help keep the 4WD solenoid from rusting or corroding in an unlocked position.

I know.

They make 2500 series with gas engines for those who want to use excessive amounts of fuel and not be able to haul as much.... :p

I have an 03 Ram Hemi 1500 QC and I can tell you that they do not come in stick. You can get either the bone stock model in stick (not Hemi), or the SLT or Laramie packages (both automatics). They figure if you can afford the Hemi (particularly with the 20" Hot Wheels rims) then you can afford to buy automatic.

By the way, the gas mileage on the Ram Hemis is AWFUL...averages about 12-14 mpg if you're lucky. If you're in 4HI or 4LO, you get about the same mileage as a Sherman Tank. :rolleyes:

Oh, one more thing, if you screw up one of those chromed 20" rims, the dealership will bang you between $650 to $900 APIECE to replace it.

This is hubby's truck, by the way, I have a Hemi Durango 4x4 that I love that gets great gas mileage, seats seven, and holds 400 pounds of chicken feed without complaining (AND all three kids!)

When I had a 4WD with manual hubs I would always lock in the hubs anytime I thought there was the slightest chance that I would need 4WD. Then a pull of the lever is all that was needed to be in 4WD. Another advantage to the manual hubs is that if you don't use the 4WD often, you can lock the hubs in anytime, drive 20 miles or so to town and then unlock them. That way the gears and bearings are being kept lubricated, and you're not having to actually put it in 4WD.

I do agree about using the 4WD on the newer 4WD's. We make it a point once a month or so the drive them down dirt roads, if nothing else, in 4WD just to keep everything working.