Concerns on towing vehicle over 100,000 miles?

[SupraTamu]

I need some feed back on how your tow vehicle is holding up if you have over 100,000 miles on it. I currently have a 2007 Yukon Denali and just turned 100,000 miles. I really like the vehicle and concerned but how many miles will the transmission last before it goes. I keep the vehicle serviced and maintained.The reason I have the concern is I am from the old school that once a vehicle reached a 100,000 miles they fall apart. I had an Avalanche before and the transmission went out on me at 103,000 miles. So am trying to figure out whether I have anything to worry about or should I start looking for a new vehicle? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I only tow the boat a few miles each trip to the boat ramp.

[Diggs]

I always get the same feeling even though I know it is not true. Used cars prices are really high right now, so if you are even considering it, it might be a good time to sell. If you are buying used again, you are in the same boat with the high prices, but if you are buying new there might be some legitimate reasons to do it now rather than later....

[SupraTamu]

If I buy I am going to buy new. I put about 25,000 to 27,000 miles a year on my vehicle.

[sybrmike]

Transmissions are a crap shoot. Had 286k miles on my Cherokee & never had a problem, yet my new Ram 2500 went into 4th only limp mode & had the solenoid pack replaced at 5k miles? My previous 1500 was starting to show transmission wear at 165k.

I grew up when cars were done at 100k, but I think you can normally expect 150k miles on today's vehicles. Towing a few miles isn't going to shorten the life much, so I'd think you're good for a few more years.

[KG's Supra24]

I had an 04 denali and used it tow a 24 from about 120,000 to 150,000 when i sold it. I felt it was possible that trans issues were coming but had no reason to think that. I replaced it with a 2500 with alison trans with 150,000 on it. I think you should be fine, ' ESP for only a few miles. I sold mine bc i was having airbag issues and mileage was terrible.

[DAFF]

Have a 1995 Dodge 2500 with 675 000 km on it now. Lots of front end parts and 3rd trans but it pulls 5-12k lbs every day. When it comes to trans issues a simple fluid and filter change will do wonders for longevity. By looking at the magnet in the pan it will also give you an idea of the condition of the trans too.

PS the engine has never been touched.... Good ol 12valve Cummins!!!

[bens250ex]

I come from the diesel performance side and blowing trans is nothin new. I toasted mine at 200k in my powerstroke, but i also know it had been touched before i got it and i beat it a lil to hard. Anyways its a costly repair as i assume you know and it can leave you screwed on the side of the road. I dropped $2800 to get mine redone but i had it built a little more to handle my tunes and heavy right foot. $2800 was on the low side of getting one rebuilt i could have dropped $4500 and got a bullet proof one but i couldnt spend that much.

it all depends on the situation. What has the vehicle been through and so forth. Stop and go traffic is what kills automatics since it cant get enough air flow accross the cooler. If the trans has never been touched i would be prepared for it to start goin at anytime. Its one of them things that can last 300k or 5k there are so many parts inside an automatic trans that it will make your eyes cross when you look at a diagram.


Basically you got two choices
1. drive it till it drops and then rebuild
2. Sell and buy another vehicle with a warranty. (buying any used vehicle that isn't covered under warranty is not going to do you any good)

[ruby23m]

Just towed my Saltare 500 miles this past weekend on my 2000 Explorer 5.0 AWD. Now both my lower ball joints are making noise and my front differential blew a seal and leaked oil all over the place including my boat. I have almost 190,000 miles on it and considering trading it in for a Super Duty or larger SUV. Any suggestions?

[jet]

my boat pullers:
89' Jeep/Grand 220,000 mi. no tranny or eng work done. No prob pulling.
95' 4x4 Jeep/Grand 180,000 mi. no tranny or eng work done. No prob pulling
97' Jeep/Grand 130,000 O/D went out when I sent my wife to pick up a trailer of rental equipment, hmm. Honey did you push the towing button to take it out of O/D while you were towing?? YES!! I dont know what happened?? lol
06' armada 66,000 pulls like a charm.

On 100,000 mi cars you have to replace before they go out, so you dont get stranded. you know a water pump will go 125,000 mi, alt-same, tranny fluid change early..change them before they go out and you will be fine.

[oward1202]

I drive a 1999 Ford F-250 with 260,000 miles on the V-10. That truck runs like a dream and pulls just the same. I have never owned a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles on it. As long as you take care of your vehicles and due your homework on the vehicle before you buy it with that kind of mileage. You can also get the deal of the century on a vehicle with high mileage because people think they are shot when they cross that "magic" number. There is nothing that says anything happens to them at a certain mileage. Take care of your stuff and it will last a lifetime.

[cadunkle]

I don't trust automatic transmissions, especially for towing. Mopar trans are really bad and often fail around 60k miles. If yours is working well with no signs of slippage or flaring I'd throw the biggest stacked plate cooler you can find on it and not sweat it. For your next truck get a manual trans. New Venture makes some really stout transmissions. Ford uses ZF which used to be really weak (like in my truck, only rated to 420 ft/lbs... engine makes 550 and it hasn't blown up yet with plenty of towing), but the newer ZF transmissions are rated for a lot more torque. I would never own a truck with a slushbox, it's just inviting trouble.

[bens250ex]

Just towed my Saltare 500 miles this past weekend on my 2000 Explorer 5.0 AWD. Now both my lower ball joints are making noise and my front differential blew a seal and leaked oil all over the place including my boat. I have almost 190,000 miles on it and considering trading it in for a Super Duty or larger SUV. Any suggestions?

it depends on what you want/need. Do i need a diesel? Hell no but diesel trucks to me are one of my hobbies. Just like boating is to alot of folks diesel trucks are to me. If you want somethin that will tow anything you ever want then get yourself a diesel. The cons to them are when they break you will spend a little more, oil changes and such cost more, and fuel prices are higher. Diesels tend to last alot longer than regular gas burners, my truck has 225k on it and i wouldnt think twice to haul somethin from the east coast to the west. Main thing is to find one that has been cared for. Brand depends on you. I love fords but i would drive either dodge or chevy but would be more picky when looking for one of them.

Ford all around is a well built truck that will last, dodge will have crappy interior and small stuff falling apart along with one of the crappiest automatic trans around. Chevy rides the best but i hate to call them a real HD truck since the great engineers of GM put a independent front suspension on a HD truck. but hey it does what it was meant and that is to ride good. Just dont 4wd boost launch it :p . The main thing is they all will break including the almighty allison trans in the chevy. Dont even consider the allison as an almight automatic because its not, just as many allisons have died as any other automatic

But like i said i love superduties. If you want one look for a 95-02 depending on your budget. These have the 7.3l which are very sim from 94-03. Stay away from the 6.0 which was in mid 03-07. The 6.0 tend to lift heads which once fixed is an awesome engine but you will drop alot of cash to get it fixed right. I might sound bias but honestly all brands are nice but have there differences. They all will break sooner or later just like any other car/truck.

I can answere most questions about diesels if you guys looking for one need some insight. I am on every powerstroke forum along with a couple cummins and duramax sites.

Ill post some pics of my baby for the hell of it. Lets see some pics of ya'lls !

[bens250ex]

my pride and joy hauls the toys and gets the job done
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff1/bens250ex/truck010.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff1/bens250ex/truck013.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff1/bens250ex/truck014.jpg

[SuperSaltAir]

Hey ben I just got a new boat and it weighs about 10k lbs dry 100gal of gas and a triple axle trailer I think the whole rig boat and trailer fully loaded is pushing close to 15k lbs I have been looking at the F350 7.3 dually's what do you think about those?

[dshaff24]

I come from a family of Gmc/chevy owners.. My toy hauler just turned 204k.. original everything..1500 lifted on 35's on original gears 373's.. I put to many miles on a year to keep droping money on lifts / tires / custom stuff so this one I decided im just going to keep running her till she rusts out

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1329/6245701/23797808/397564866.jpg

As I was saying my whole family has boats and chevy's with no issues with the newer style chevy's from 99-up.. now 98 down is another story on just tranny's on the 1500's

[bens250ex]

Hey ben I just got a new boat and it weighs about 10k lbs dry 100gal of gas and a triple axle trailer I think the whole rig boat and trailer fully loaded is pushing close to 15k lbs I have been looking at the F350 7.3 dually's what do you think about those?

As long as it has the 7.3l your pretty much good to go. These engines are very reliable and pretty simple. The frames are all the same just different rear axles. Just be sure to check it out fully before you buy it. if the seller/dealer will let you take it to a reputable diesel shop/shop that has knowledge on diesels and let them run a couple test it would be in your best benefit. Check for abnormal Blowby, and run a injector test, check the trans and so forth can all be done on a good scanner. Also check the ball joints and other suspension parts. If you do get one with an automatic the first thing i would do is add a larger tranny cooler and a tranny temp gauge along with a egt gauge. Especially if you are towing. Then you can monitor the most important things. The automatic behind the 7.3l is the 4r100. Ford put a way way way to small tranny cooler on them and it causes them to overheat and burn the tranny up.

What year are you looking at? although they are all sim there are small differences between years. The biggest being in mid 01 they switched from forged rods to PMR rods.

[bens250ex]

I come from a family of Gmc/chevy owners.. My toy hauler just turned 204k.. original everything..1500 lifted on 35's on original gears 373's.. I put to many miles on a year to keep droping money on lifts / tires / custom stuff so this one I decided im just going to keep running her till she rusts out

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1329/6245701/23797808/397564866.jpg

As I was saying my whole family has boats and chevy's with no issues with the newer style chevy's from 99-up.. now 98 down is another story on just tranny's on the 1500's

what kind of MPG do you get loaded?

[wotan2525]

As long as it has the 7.3l your pretty much good to go. These engines are very reliable and pretty simple. The frames are all the same just different rear axles. Just be sure to check it out fully before you buy it. if the seller/dealer will let you take it to a reputable diesel shop/shop that has knowledge on diesels and let them run a couple test it would be in your best benefit. Check for abnormal Blowby, and run a injector test, check the trans and so forth can all be done on a good scanner. Also check the ball joints and other suspension parts. If you do get one with an automatic the first thing i would do is add a larger tranny cooler and a tranny temp gauge along with a egt gauge. Especially if you are towing. Then you can monitor the most important things. The automatic behind the 7.3l is the 4r100. Ford put a way way way to small tranny cooler on them and it causes them to overheat and burn the tranny up.

What year are you looking at? although they are all sim there are small differences between years. The biggest being in mid 01 they switched from forged rods to PMR rods.

Sounds like this thread has turned into the "ask a diesel expert" thread! What do you know about the 1988 7.3? I'm looking at a non-turbo version.

[bens250ex]

Sounds like this thread has turned into the "ask a diesel expert" thread! What do you know about the 1988 7.3? I'm looking at a non-turbo version.

What do i know about the ol 7.3idi??? well.... i use to have one lol. I actually had a 1987 which had the 6.9 (same as the 7.3 just not bored out as much) Good engines but dont look for a ton of powe,r but it had enough low end grunt it could pull a house down. Simple to work on and fairly cheap to maintain. They have been known to blow head gaskets, i blew a set in mine. But fairly simple job to replace since there all mechanical and no electronics to worry about. When i sold mine it had close to 400k and was still kickin. I miss that ol truck and wish i hadnt sold it. It was a classic and i have never seen another like the one i had. It had ZERO rust and maybe 2 dents. We were the original owners of the truck. She was a beast, well made. The manuals tranny's in these trucks could take a beatin and still keep going.

With the gearing in mine (dont remember what it was) it would cruise on the highway at around 65mph so its not a speed demon by anymeans but deff a hell of a truck. It was a tank, usually couldnt even feel the trailer behind it. It towed alot of boats back in the day.

[beast 496]

We tow every single day while at work. The shop mule is a 96 2500 Suburban with the Vortec 454 Auto tranny 4X4. Original engine and transmission/transfer case. 291,000 miles and keeps pullin hard. Yes I want a newer Suburban due to worn out seats ect. But for reliability, I have no problem jumping in and driving 1k miles or more on a trip. When we do replace or add to the fleet, 2500 Suburban with a 496 8.1 lt. Oh Cadunkle, we have two trucks with manuals and both reallly suck at the ramps and for hooking up the trailers. Clutches are fine but for minor adjustments of the vehicles, and auto trans is much easier. Now, we use a synthetic 15w40 oil, same as what goes into all of our boats, we change every 3k and change tranny and transfercase oils once per year, usually every 25k to 30k. Good luck Al

[cadunkle]

Cadunkle, we have two trucks with manuals and both reallly suck at the ramps and for hooking up the trailers. Clutches are fine but for minor adjustments of the vehicles, and auto trans is much easier.

I have no trouble on ramps or hooking up, that's driver issues not vehicle issues. I'd attribute your 291k mile auto trans life to frequent oil changes (20k miles or less) and that it probably has a large cooler.

[rludtke]

My 1995 Chevrolet K1500 extended cab 4x4 has 185,000 miles on it now, with original 350 cid engine and automatic four speed over-drive transmission. I purchased it used at 65,000 miles. It consumes a little oil, but does not leak anything. The only maintentance it has recieved besided oil changes has been occasional tune ups (but not very often), tires and brakes, water pump, belts, and hoses. I also had to overhaul the rear differential early on in my ownership. That was a $1500 bill, but had I overhauled as soon as I heard it making noise, it probably would have been more like $500 in cost (live and learn). I've never had a more affordable vehicle than this when considering costs over the long-haul. This truck has provided pretty cheap driving over the ten years that I have owned it.

I would like to step up to a newer Chevrolet 4 door crew cab because my kids and dogs are bigger, but the prices on used truck are high right now, and my availible cash is low. I will probably need to keep my truck for several more years, and perhaps 50,000 more miles or so. Fortunately, my truck continues to give me dependable daily service, and I have confidence that it will continue to for a long time to come.

The challenge with having an older truck like mine, is deciding what to do with it when a big ticket item like the transmission or engine fails. While broken, it has zero re-sale value, and even when repaired, it's re-sale is pretty low. However, after investing iin the repair, it could continue to offer years of great service, or something else could fail. Factor in another $4000 into its operating costs for a new engine or trans, and I think it would still be a very cheap driver when factored over ten years of ownership.

[joel210]

I have a 2003 dodge 2500 HD,quadcab, with 120,000 miles on it, lifted with 37" tires. It's doing just fine, I just had the tranny serviced and flushed with amsoil. The shop said everything look perfect. I don't see anything giving up soon on it.

[cadunkle]

The challenge with having an older truck like mine, is deciding what to do with it when a big ticket item like the transmission or engine fails. While broken, it has zero re-sale value, and even when repaired, it's re-sale is pretty low. However, after investing iin the repair, it could continue to offer years of great service, or something else could fail. Factor in another $4000 into its operating costs for a new engine or trans, and I think it would still be a very cheap driver when factored over ten years of ownership.

You make an excellent point with this. In my case, when I buy vehicles I buy then fully intending to keep them for the rest of my life. My '86 Supercab does everything I need it to, so there are only two reason why I would ever get rid of it... If someone made an offer that's a fair amount more than I have into it, so I could build another one and be at a profit... Or if I found the right (for me) '76 or '77 Ford Supercab long bed. I'd love a '67-'72 Ford pickup but they don't make Supercab 4x4 trucks earlier than '76 and I don't think I could go back to a regular cab.

If you can do mechanical repairs yourself, old vehicles are obscenely cost effective. Your $4000 engine costs drops to $500-2500 for a freshening up to a full performance rebuild. Transmission rebuild can run $250-$750. Axles $200-$300. There's not really any other high dollar items to fix, and if you do the engine trans, and axles you have a whole new driveline and no more big ticket items to fix for another 10-20 years. I spent about $2500 doing a performance build on my 460, but $400 of that was buying the 460, since my truck had a 351w originally and I hated towing with the small block. A fair amount of that budget also went into performance parts that can be reused whenever the motor needs freshening up and on a normal rebuild wouldn't be necessary. My trans case cracked and ripped the trans mount off when a motor mount failed. Of course the warranty on the mounts didn't cover the trans. I found a good used trans with a newer (stronger) style tailhousing for $300 and swapped it in an afternoon.

Heck, even rust issues on older vehicles aren't too expensive. My cab had rot on the bottoms of the extended cab part, typical on '80-97 Fords, and over the wheel wells on the bed. The hood had issues from a previous owner and fenders some minor rust. $20/each for the panels to repair the cab, $30/each for the bed sides over the wheel wells, $70/ea for fenders and $100 for the hood. So that's $340 in metal, a little bit in beer, and a couple weekends to weld in new metal and such. Not sure if I'm gonna paint it myself but if I do, I'd expect around $300-$500 in supplies and a full weekend for the bed, full weekend for the cab/front clip.

I've never done stringers on a boat, but I'm sure if you can do that you can handle metal work and driveline rebuilds. Just like anything, if you do it yourself you save a fortune, and making an older truck like new again costs a small fraction of waht a new truck costs... and personally I think you get a much more capable truck that isn't ugly and sin and has less to break.