Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

[rockyrude]

I'm looking a two 2003 F250 diesels for my next tow rig. One is a 2003 XLT super cab with the 7.3l and 186,00 on the clock. The other is a 2003 Lariat crewcab with the 6.0l and 145,000 on the clock. I know the 7.3 has been the king of the hill, but having the crew cab would make life easier for the family. Has the 6.0 had that many problems? Would it be that much worse on fuel than the 7.3? Price is reasonably close on both rigs, so it's pretty much a case of the better choice.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

From what I've read about the 6.0 is most of the problems start after folks use a tuner on them or install go fast goodies. We had some in the fleet of busses I worked on and even stock, we couldn't keep them out of the garage. There was 3 or 4 out of the 8 we had that gave constant trouble. We had a bunch of 7.3s go through there entire service life without any major problems. If it were me, I'd be looking at the 7.3. Just my opinon though. Lots of folks have 6.0s and have never had a problem. Luck of the draw I guess.

I'd check the net and find a PSD forum and read up on what the guys who own them have to say. I just bought an 05 Ram with the Cummins and love it. They have there little quirks too, as does the Duramax. Do some research on the known issues of anything before you make your decision. Good luck!

 

[choppywaters]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

God! Ive hear don't buy one a million times....but I did. Mine is used for landscaping/towing heavier equipment and plowing. I bought it used (05 F350) with 81k on it. So far the only thing Ive need was the usual ball joints, rear backing plates and a few other things that the dealership took care of. I also installed a different fan clutch for plowing and had a fuel pump replaced (ouch! 800 bucks later...). Other than that, this thing runs like a champ! Like someone posted, a lot of the problems begin when these guys start doing all the mods to give them 800lbs of torque etc. Case in point, a friend of mine had an 04 or 05 that ran great until he added a tuner for fuel mileage, then he replaced the head bolts and removed the egr. Long story short ever since he did these mods. he had nothing but problems and sold it. Things to check before you buy it would be the coolant color and level, check around the egr cooling tube to see if theres any coolant leaking and any other bad leaks. Im in an area where winters get pretty cold so I plugged it in at temps below 40 and used stanadine fuel treatment every fill up, this helps with "sticktion".

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

Be awful careful of high milage diesel's no matter what brand there are ungodly expensive to straightn out....5000 is nothing

 

[sprintst]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

Take a look on the Ford forums and look for posts. My neighbors truck has more vertical miles than horizontal.

 

[choppywaters]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I'm looking a two 2003 F250 diesels for my next tow rig. One is a 2003 XLT super cab with the 7.3l and 186,00 on the clock. The other is a 2003 Lariat crewcab with the 6.0l and 145,000 on the clock. I know the 7.3 has been the king of the hill, but having the crew cab would make life easier for the family. Has the 6.0 had that many problems? Would it be that much worse on fuel than the 7.3? Price is reasonably close on both rigs, so it's pretty much a case of the better choice.

If it were me and both trucks were in comparable condition I would probably go with the 7.3L. The early 6.0's had their share of issues. But either way I would take it to an independent diesel shop.

 

[dolluper]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

Ask the owners of both for a repair history of their vehicles......the 6.0 can be a nightmare.....ifin you want to chance.....the 7.3 is more solid.....my 2 cents is try another manufactor.........2007 up are better to say the least

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

Be awful careful of high milage diesel's no matter what brand there are ungodly expensive to straightn out....5000 is nothing

One thing I've found, diesel trucks get driven, finding super low mileage F250's is tough.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

Yes i know i am in the industry...Most of the trucks we have come in are in a very bad state..well used and not slightly. Your probably better off going gas in terms of overall cost. Yes the 7.3 is less problematic but the chance's are very slim you are going to find one that is healthly..remeber the e4od was a great tranny but stressed in that high touqre inviroment....There injectors are very expensive to replace and at 100,000 its a known thing to watch for or expect. Ever notice no one talks about the turbo...give allied signal a ata boy.

Ford walked away from the mfg of the 6.0 rightfully so????? problably when compared the 7.3's market dominance and reliability. The dodge v-10 another one to avoid..Actually i am very sure gas will be far less to operate and maintain than a deisel unless we see two dollar deisel..This i can tell you the ford v-10 has proven itself a long term winner little heavy on gas but...far less in maintaince....

The above are strictly opinion's and your milage may very

 

[PS94]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

EGR Delete, oil changes every 3000miles, if you're cranking it up with some power, head studs. then she'll be fairly bulletproof.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I've heard this a number of times, what is the EGR delete?

 

[dolluper]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

The kit elimates the EGR.....it increases cooling and more air for turbo......2003-4 ok 2005-7 throws codes....have to drop EGR back on......these kits are for off road use ....not E legal without EGR

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I have a couple in the family and never had any issues One 2004 and one 2006. We'll keep them. They perform great. The transmission is first class.

However, We use NOTHING but OEM filters (there is an issue with aftermarket filters-they don't quite fit and you starve the high pressure fuel system of oil) and we use Motorcraft cetane boost. That adds to cleaner burning of fuel.

We also follow the guiidelines on coolant flush using the Motorcraft Gold coolant. We also test between flushes for nitrites. Nobody looks at coolant, that is the biggest issue with EGR cooled diesels, of any make. Think about it, you're cooling 1300 degree exhaust gases down to 400 degrees. That coolant gets a workout! Plus, it's circilating at 75 gallons per minute! Grandpa's diesel circulated coolant at about 25 GPM.

Never had an EGR or oil cooler failure. 100% original.

It's a maintemnance intensive engine-no doubt-but the performance and fuel economy is hard to beat. It is no worse/better than anyone else' EGR diesel.

Any EGR engine engine is maintenance intensive. Something we're not used to. The Owners Manual is there for a reason. Follow it.

As said, we'll keep them. One is just over 200K. Nobody beats the Ford SD chassis. Bulletproof.

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I haven't heard that much about the coolant issues with the super duties, must be one of those things that you are supposed to know. Here in Illinois all you can get is 20% bio blend which is putting fuel just below gas. I figure with that and consensus from my other thread on synthetics, it's the right way to go.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I haven't heard that much about the coolant issues with the super duties, must be one of those things that you are supposed to know. Here in Illinois all you can get is 20% bio blend which is putting fuel just below gas. I figure with that and consensus from my other thread on synthetics, it's the right way to go.

20% Bio will KILL a 6.0 in short order. Again, read the Owners Manual.Bio is a fuel that is being forced upon us that we can avoid but most don't. Most people don't even know what cetane means. It's the same quality rating for diesel as opposed to gas. It's the ability and cleanliness of diesel to burn, not avoid afterburn..


We have NO Federal standard for diesel fuel. We sure, as heck do for unleaded gas (87, 90, 91`, 93, etc. Octane).

When you pull up to the pump, look for a cetane rating. You won't see it. Would you put 50 octane gas in your gas car/truck????

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

So what's the answer to the 20% mix when that's all the service stations sell? A real truck stop for the big rigs isn't an option.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

All you need to do is pull up to a fuel pump and that will answer your question. I've got the 6.4L. 9.5 in town 14 highway .30 - .40 cents more per gal. I love the truck and the power but I pay for it. As for problems, just like any other diesel, go get yourself an extended warranty package from your Ford Dealer.

 

[msaunoras]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I am a ford diesel tech and I own an 06 F-250 6.0 of my own.

The 6.0 is not terrible in my opinion, after the introduction of the 6.4 it is definitely the lesser of 2 evils. If you can find someone who really knows how to work on them then you'll be fine. Any diesel costs money to maintain, much more so than a gas engine that's for sure. I wouldn't give up my 6.0 for anything though.

Any questions ask away. I run an EGR delete on my truck but 03s don't experience cooler failures like the 2004.25+

B20 isn't going to kill your 6.0 but it is going to plug your fuel filters right away, it will clean all of the crap out of the fuel system and nicely deposit it in the filter media. Actually the lubricity of biodiesel is unmatched, you'll likely notice your injectors get quieter with bio in the tank.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

I am a ford diesel tech and I own an 06 F-250 6.0 of my own.

The 6.0 is not terrible in my opinion, after the introduction of the 6.4 it is definitely the lesser of 2 evils. If you can find someone who really knows how to work on them then you'll be fine. Any diesel costs money to maintain, much more so than a gas engine that's for sure. I wouldn't give up my 6.0 for anything though.

Any questions ask away. I run an EGR delete on my truck but 03s don't experience cooler failures like the 2004.25+

B20 isn't going to kill your 6.0 but it is going to plug your fuel filters right away, it will clean all of the crap out of the fuel system and nicely deposit it in the filter media. Actually the lubricity of biodiesel is unmatched, you'll likely notice your injectors get quieter with bio in the tank.

I've got 38,000 on my 08 350 SD and have had the cab off twice. HP Fuel pump was replaced as well as the Turbo. EGR cooler went next along with the front crank seal and about a half dozen other things. Just before the factory warranty lapsed they pulled the cab again and went through it with a fine tooth comb. It helped that the service manager was an old neighbor of mine. I had a invoice that looked like a phone book but I haven't had any problems since and it hasn't cost me anything other than the payment yet. I've got the Ford extended warranty but it's not as good as the original so I can see bills in the future.

All that aside, the truck is the beefiest truck in it's class and walks all over the competition both in hauling loads and off road performance. None of my Chevy owning friends can handle a full pallet of 80lb cement but mine doesn't even whimper. Off road it's a beast. No it's no rock crawler but I can walk along side it at idle and with the 8" lift I can get over a pretty big rock and feel as safe as one can feel when you're doing something like that. The diesel torque is where it's at and I think Ford did an excellent job at matching things up to get the most out of the drive train.

I agree that the 6.0 is the better Corn Binder but the 6.4 is a strong motor too. From a reliabilty stand point I can't say as I'd try to put the 6.4 in that race.

 

[msaunoras]

Re: Ford 6.0 diesel that bad?

The 6.4 performance is levels above a 6.0. The 6.0 has it beat in one catagory though, ease to work on. As you know there are not many 6.4 repairs that can be tackled in the driveway. There isn't much 6.0 side work I will turn down but the 6.4 on the other hand is too hard to work on.

I haven't pulled a 6.4 cab in several months. Lately for a lot of things I've just been removing all of the front cab bolts and scissoring the cab up just enough to get my hands down behind the turbos. I did a right hand up-pipe in a 08 F-550 today that didn't really put up too much of a fight. You're supposed to pull the trans but that didn't happen