Quote:
Originally Posted by dikkstarr
What about the normal things that "go bad" on these like FICM and various sensors that no amount of "insurance" can protect you from?
If we somehow swapped trucks when we bought ours, I would have the "not broken yet 6.0", and you would be "paranoid." Wouldnt that change your tune and be fun?  |
Bad luck happens. However, I am basing my opinions and suggestions on the BULK of much study (10 6.0L forums), talking to dealership shops and techs (which includes some statistical data on failures), looking at the major auto sales web site reviews, and personal experience.
When people generalize based on limited data, the conclusions are frequently misleading.
FICM's fail, but most of the failures are driven by poor battery or alternator health. I will say, the original heat inductive flash was somewhat harmful. Even poor oil condition also strains the FICM. Newer FICM's tend to be a little more reliable than the original ones when electrically stressed.
I would say that the most common failure not related to maintenance is the ICP sensor on the early model years. The next one could be the STC fitting on the 05's and up. These are covered (as is the FICM) by the 100k mile warranty, so it is of a small consequence. Once you are "plugged into" the right forums, connected w/ the right parts suppliers, then repair of these items yourself is fairly inexpensive.
The biggest and most costly complaint must be the EGR cooler and/or head gasket leakage. These are directly related (as previously stated) to two issues that many people could certainly do a better job watching and maintaining:
1. Coolant condition
2. Efficient combustion
I am certainly not blaming poor reliability ALL on the owner. I am just saying that mANY people (millions maybe) enjoy a reliable 6.0L truck. Too many people do not and I am sorry you are one of these. My angle is to look at the engine and components as objectively as possible and try to equip people to have the best operational experience possible (and not to be "paranoid", but to be prepared).
