[Terry W]

My ‘17 4wd Canyon diesel Denali just turned 30k miles. I like the way it drives, its comfortable and runs strong. The crew cab and short bed are pretty perfect for what I use it for. One of my reasons for buying it is that it’s towable 4 down and at the time there weren't any smaller late model pickups on the market.

Now I find myself waiting for it to take a costly dump, trans, injectors or ???

I went down last week and ordered a new Maverick, 8-10 months out. The hybrid can be flat towed, it’s smaller and I’ll have a warranty. That said, they don’t appear to be without their issues and they haven’t been out very long.

I have never been a real Ford guy but GM isnt all that attractive anymore. Does there appear to be any fix it’s on the horizon that will take care of the more common problems that look to be pretty costly. Any preventive measures?

Now that I’ve said all that do the gas models seem to be less troublesome than the diesels??

Thanks

 

[DieselDrax]

I think you're reading more into how common the "common" failures are, realistically the failure rates are very low. You just hear about them more on forums because people mainly come to forums to complain or find solutions to problems. Your subject says "not if, but when" however it truly is "not when, but if." No vehicle is perfect, but I will tell you that if the failure rate of engines or injectors were high enough to make it "when, not if" then there would be class action lawsuits and recalls up the wazoo.

How much is that new Maverick going to cost you to buy once you subtract the value of your truck? Chances are that Maverick is going to cost you more than it would cost to fix/replace any major failure in your current truck. This is something many people don't think about because they're more focused on the monthly payment than the real money cost.

The potential injector failure issue has already been addressed by GM on 2019+ trucks, they have different injectors and the head has been redesigned to accommodate the new injectors so there is no drop-in replacement for pre-2019 trucks. Transmission issues, more specifically torque converter issues, are also rare and not really a concern. They happen, but again the failure rate is very low compared to the total number of trucks out there.

The gas trucks have many more issues with the 8-speed transmission but the engine seems to be fine.

I understand your concerns, but you seem to think the sky is going to fall eventually for everyone. That is definitely not the case, but it sounds like you've already made your decision. Good luck with the Maverick!

 

[Terry W]

I think you're reading more into how common the "common" failures are, realistically the failure rates are very low. You just hear about them more on forums because people mainly come to forums to complain or find solutions to problems. Your subject says "not if, but when" however it truly is "not when, but if." No vehicle is perfect, but I will tell you that if the failure rate of engines or injectors were high enough to make it "when, not if" then there would be class action lawsuits and recalls up the wazoo.

How much is that new Maverick going to cost you to buy once you subtract the value of your truck? Chances are that Maverick is going to cost you more than it would cost to fix/replace any major failure in your current truck. This is something many people don't think about because they're more focused on the monthly payment than the real money cost.

The potential injector failure issue has already been addressed by GM on 2019+ trucks, they have different injectors and the head has been redesigned to accommodate the new injectors so there is no drop-in replacement for pre-2019 trucks. Transmission issues, more specifically torque converter issues, are also rare and not really a concern. They happen, but again the failure rate is very low compared to the total number of trucks out there.

The gas trucks have many more issues with the 8-speed transmission but the engine seems to be fine.

I understand your concerns, but you seem to think the sky is going to fall eventually for everyone. That is definitely not the case, but it sounds like you've already made your decision. Good luck with the Maverick!

Thanks, I haven’t made up my mind for sure about the Maverick, I’ve got 8-10 months to think about it. I am not committed to the Maverick but by ordering I am assured sticker price, no mark up. I also have that same amount of time to decide if my Canyon is worth keeping. I don’t just run out and buy vehicles, I tend to keep them for quite a while. I also don’t put tons of miles on them that’s why I have 30k on a 5 yr old truck.

Having done a little reading on here it appears that frequent trans flushes and synthetic fluid and filter changes help avoid issues. I don’t mind spending money on maintenance and if trans service every 25-30k seems to help then so be it, money well spent.

Ill Have the trans serviced and take care of the routine maintenance and see how it plays out over the coming months. Ill give it a little more time!

 

[DieselDrax]

If you do any kind of regular towing or off-road driving then I would have the trans fluid serviced every 45k miles at the most. If you don't then I'd do 60k. Use ATF that actually meets Dexron-VI specs, not some boutique oil that just says "recommended for" transmissions that need Dex6. ATF specs have to do with viscosity, frictional properties, etc, and "universal" ATFs that don't actually meet all the listed specs have been known to cause problems with various transmissions. Folks have reported good results using Dexron-LV fluid (Mobil 1 blue label, for example) in place of Dexron-VI but I don't have any personal experience there. I have 80k on my truck, have serviced the transmission fluid 3 times, have no problems, and tow often. Truck is still running and driving like new.

 

[Waterbilly]

I would also suggest using a good quality fuel additive. I use Optilube XPD but you seem to be someone that likes to research things for yourself so enjoy some interesting reading. There are a few out there that seem to be good products. Like frequent oil changes…. cheap insurance.

 

[Coloradorob]

Pls don’t follow that stupid dic on the dash. Change the oil more often. Diesels really soot up the oil fast. And soot is abrasive. GM along with all the other MFGs are pushing oils to there limits.
Watch the guy on YouTube (I do cars) for his engine tear downs and see how every engine he disassembles has a real mess inside because the oil was in the engine too long.
Change your fuel filters every year no matter what the gauge says.
Use a well known good quality fuel treatment at every fill up. It will help lubricate the injectors….
I use EDT.

 

[DieselDrax]

Pls don’t follow that stupid dic on the dash. Change the oil more often. Diesels really soot up the oil fast. And soot is abrasive. GM along with all the other MFGs are pushing oils to there limits.
Watch the guy on YouTube (I do cars) for his engine tear downs and see how every engine he disassembles has a real mess inside because the oil was in the engine too long.
Change your fuel filters every year no matter what the gauge says.
Use a well known good quality fuel treatment at every fill up. It will help lubricate the injectors….
I use EDT.

Unless you've sent your oil out for analysis you're just making assumptions. I've done UOA multiple times with my truck and follow the DIC religiously, the oil is not being pushed to its limits and it's not becoming abrasive. Following the DIC still leaves life in the oil, most of my oil changes have been around the 7,500 mile mark.

Second, changing the fuel filters every year is a waste. There is no point. They have no bypass mode so if they aren't restricting fuel flow, which is what happens with fuel filters that have reached the end of their life, then you're just wasting money changing them way more often than necessary.

An anecdotal YouTube channel whose purpose is to generate views by tearing down engines is not a good source of info as far as determining when to change your oil. It's actually been proven that changing your oil too early/often increases wear because of how the detergents in new oil work initially.

I do agree with using a quality additive at every fill up, for me it's for the cetane boost and when traveling where I and up getting fuel that doesn't contain biodiesel. Where I live there's a biodiesel mandate and biodiesel is the best fuel lubricity improver available, so pump and injector wear aren't much of a concern of mine.

Lack of proper maintenance is typically the cause of engine failures these days. Following the DIC or maintenance interval in the owner's manual doesn't qualify as lack of proper maintenance. That is correct maintenance. You're welcome to do maintenance more often if you want, but it's largely a waste of money and resources.

 

[Coloradorob]

Unless you've sent your oil out for analysis you're just making assumptions. I've done UOA multiple times with my truck and follow the DIC religiously, the oil is not being pushed to its limits and it's not becoming abrasive. Following the DIC still leaves life in the oil, most of my oil changes have been around the 7,500 mile mark.

Second, changing the fuel filters every year is a waste. There is no point. They have no bypass mode so if they aren't restricting fuel flow, which is what happens with fuel filters that have reached the end of their life, then you're just wasting money changing them way more often than necessary.

An anecdotal YouTube channel whose purpose is to generate views by tearing down engines is not a good source of info as far as determining when to change your oil. It's actually been proven that changing your oil too early/often increases wear because of how the detergents in new oil work initially.

I do agree with using a quality additive at every fill up, for me it's for the cetane boost and when traveling where I and up getting fuel that doesn't contain biodiesel. Where I live there's a biodiesel mandate and biodiesel is the best fuel lubricity improver available, so pump and injector wear aren't much of a concern of mine.

Lack of proper maintenance is typically the cause of engine failures these days. Following the DIC or maintenance interval in the owner's manual doesn't qualify as lack of proper maintenance. That is correct maintenance. You're welcome to do maintenance more often if you want, but it's largely a waste of money and resources.

I have never seen a bad report from any of these oil analysts places. Never. I seen people send oil with 10,000 miles and have it come back as still good. That is absolute bullshit.
All auto MFGs today do extended maintenance intervals. It’s part of lowering the cost of ownership.
In the past it was very common to have the motor outlast the body of the vehicle. Not so much now days. Engine failure is at the top of the failures list now days. It only takes one fill up of dirty or water contaminated fuel to drastically reduce flow of the fuel filters.
Most mechanics today will tell you when it comes to diesel fuel you can’t replace the filters to often.
And most will agree extended oil change intervals leaves a large buildup of sludge in the pan. The rest don’t give a crap.
Follow the dic………. Not me..

 

[bigoilbob]

I have never seen a bad report from any of these oil analysts places. Never. I seen people send oil with 10,000 miles and have it come back as still good. That is absolute bullshit.
All auto MFGs today do extended maintenance intervals. It’s part of lowering the cost of ownership.
In the past it was very common to have the motor outlast the body of the vehicle. Not so much now days. Engine failure is at the top of the failures list now days. It only takes one fill up of dirty or water contaminated fuel to drastically reduce flow of the fuel filters.
Most mechanics today will tell you when it comes to diesel fuel you can’t replace the filters to often.
And most will agree extended oil change intervals leaves a large buildup of sludge in the pan. The rest don’t give a crap.
Follow the dic………. Not me..

Both things can be true. SOS/SOA can detect metals, antifreeze, etc. But you are certainly correct on the quick buildup of tiny, mechanically strong, polishing particles in our oil. I change before I get down to 35-40% left....

 

[Coloradorob]

Both things can be true. SOS/SOA can detect metals, antifreeze, etc. But you are certainly correct on the quick buildup of tiny, mechanically strong, polishing particles in our oil. I change before I get down to 35-40% left....

Good for you and your engine.