a diesel engine should be able to go well over 250k if taken care of, hell i got 300k on my cummins an the cylinders are in awesome shape

 

talked to a Mercedes engineer today. Modern engines should be able to survive 100k miles per liter.

6.5liter x 100k= 650k miles Not that bad...

 

That's an interesting formula..... Hope you all put it to the test!

Most of the friends I have are getting close to 100,k on their D maxs . . . . .

 

According to all the Dodge articles that's what it is...350,000 for a cummins and 250,000 for a duramax or powerstroke...
But I've never seen anything verified by GM.

 

There is no debate that the Cummins is going to have longer engine life. Most anything in a straight 6 is going to last longer than a V8. Look at the old Chev, Ford and Jeep straight gas 6 engines... they are darn near bulletproof. Same applies to diesel.

 

that might be a little biased coming from dodge... just saying

 

Nope, just the facts.

The Dodge isn't the only thing I own BTW. I also have a Chev diesel, 2 Jeeps, and a Subaru right now and have had many others over the years.

 

I've just always thought that the Cummins was much heavier built than the 'others'. Ever see the comparison photo of the 'innards'? The connecting rod is roughly twice as heavy.
I also thought this because when guys bomb them, they just add power to the Cummins and it can usually take it. The other two have a lower limit where internals have to be upgraded to hold up to the extra power. That extra, or heavier built engine should run more miles just because it is heavier.
Cummins does state the 5.9L has an overhaul life expectancy of 350,k. We all know of them running much farther than that. I have a pic of one from work with 635,k on the clock. Still runs great. In fact the boss' were gripping about having to do a clutch at 400,k. The core of the business is class 8 trucking though, so I guess they were comparing it to that .

If GM and Ford state 250,k then can't we expect to see a lot of them quite a bit higher than that and still running well? I know of some 400,k + Power Strokes.

It really is all about how you take care off them and run them. I have a Cummins at home with a 'window' in the block. It is so big that it completely removed the left engine mount off the side of the block and you can see the purdy 'inside' parts very well (Especially the ones coming out of the 'window'!!) This poor 5.9L only has 140,k on it. I would think it should have had a lot of life left in it. I found out the first owner meticulously maintained it. Maybe the second (And last driver) didn't? I would sure like to know what happened to it (Besides the obvious!).

What ever the real number turns out to be here: I would not be afraid to buy, own or drive a diesel with more than 200,k on it. I have had gas engines run farther than that (And still run good enough to keep using!). When you look to buy one, just look it over closely. You can tell how it has been maintained. You should also run some tests on it. If it has good compression and gets good mileage, I would think you should have a good prospect and should do well with it.

 

yes the cummins 5.9 is a meduim duty engine, and dmax and stoke are light duty

 

Don't get me wrong, the Cummins engine doesn't walk on water or anything like that, but out of the big 3, the 5.9L is the toughest setup.

I've always wanted a OBS Ford truck with a Cummins and Allision trans... other than the Ford needs a football field to turn around I think that would be an awesome setup!