6.0 in general good or bad truck please help!!!

[bismic]

Originally Posted by sho91mtx

I am going to counter the posters above me since they seem to love to lurk in a section that isn't even theirs. IMO they might as well be trolls. Back on topic, I believe the 6.0 is a very good motor as long as you stay on top of the maintenance. The biggest thing is a coolant filter, that will save you headaches down the road. You're looking at an '04 so you'll still have the leaf spring front end, it will definitely ride like a truck. But taking everything into account, it's a great all around package. Great power, very good fuel economy from a diesel, and the internals are definitely more stout than a 7.3. If you're able to do your own work, then replacing an injector if need be won't be that much money for you, and an FICM fix is just pennies in solder. Most problems are caused by blocked up oil coolers due to casting sand, busted EGR coolers due to the oil coolers, head gaskets due to tuners set to kill, or basic neglect, ie: extended oil changes or filter changes not done on time. You said 5 speed so I don't know if you meant a manual (6spd) or if you were referring to the 5speed automatic. Either is a stout transmission, with the Torqshift being substantially better than it's 4R100 predecessor. I love my truck, even though it's had a few speed bumps.

Very nice post. The key to buying a used 6.0L is to look for signs of neglect or heavy mods (ie anything that was attempted to be hidden). If they have been abused, you can be in for some expensive repairs. If you get a good enough deal, even the repairs may not be all terrible. By that I mean it could provide an opportunity to "beef" it up. Just be prepared with some cash on hand for repairs and negotiate for a good deal.

If you buy one - please do the research on the required maintenance and a few reliability mods. It is very important.

(tips - proper fluids, filters, fuel. Watch fuel pressure, EGT's, boost, Oil temp, coolant temp, and battery voltage. Watching these parameters can provide for some early repairs that are MUCH cheaper than the eventual repair)

[timbo2]

Originally Posted by sho91mtx

I am going to counter the posters above me since they seem to love to lurk in a section that isn't even theirs. IMO they might as well be trolls. Back on topic, I believe the 6.0 is a very good motor as long as you stay on top of the maintenance. The biggest thing is a coolant filter, that will save you headaches down the road. You're looking at an '04 so you'll still have the leaf spring front end, it will definitely ride like a truck. But taking everything into account, it's a great all around package. Great power, very good fuel economy from a diesel, and the internals are definitely more stout than a 7.3. If you're able to do your own work, then replacing an injector if need be won't be that much money for you, and an FICM fix is just pennies in solder. Most problems are caused by blocked up oil coolers due to casting sand, busted EGR coolers due to the oil coolers, head gaskets due to tuners set to kill, or basic neglect, ie: extended oil changes or filter changes not done on time. You said 5 speed so I don't know if you meant a manual (6spd) or if you were referring to the 5speed automatic. Either is a stout transmission, with the Torqshift being substantially better than it's 4R100 predecessor. I love my truck, even though it's had a few speed bumps.

well said i agree with the whole post most 6.0 problems are from neglect or pushing the engine way past its designed limits i know some of the 03 and 04 engines had a few problems but all new engine designs have problems by 05 most were taken care of i have a 03 with a 7.3 and a 05 with a 6.0 and like them both but i do like towing heavy with the 7.3

[stoverbro]

I guess i didnt answer right the first time, by the sounds of the following posts. My 6.0 has 170000 miles on it. Yes it has great power, good fuel economy. I think overall it is a good engine. are there better overall diesels? absolutely. Should you buy one? As long as your not expecting 500k miles out of it.

PERSONALLY, I had identical trucks, one a v10 gasser, one a 6.0.
6.0 got far better fuel economy and had more power, but i had far less problems with the v10, and the problems were far less expensive to repair.

[stoverbro]

by the way, i didnt see many posting who dont have a 6.0. What was meant my the "trolls" "lurking in a section that is theirs"?

[teamroper60]

Originally Posted by stoverbro

by the way, i didnt see many posting who dont have a 6.0. What was meant my the "trolls" "lurking in a section that is theirs"?

According to Wikipedia, a troll is defined as: "In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion."


There have been some posters in the 6.0 forums who rather than offer help, take every opportunity to run the engine down, suggest it be replaced, etc... Most of those folks don't own a 6.0 and/or have no real experience with it aside from possibly driving one. Others had a bad one and due to their experience, would rather make the aforementioned comments than to help the original poster solve his problems. These are the folks he was referring to.

[stoverbro]

Yes, I hear about conversions every time i ask a question or have a problem with my six o. While I agree that these comments generally are of no help to an OP who is having problems with their truck, this tread was not that type. I have a 6.0 and like i said sometimes i love it and sometimes i hate it, but it rarely drive it "worry free". No one can argue the fact that this engine does have its quirks, some of which are major.

[69cj]

If I worried about my truck when I drove or towed with it, I would get rid of it. Not much to add to that!

[superstinker]

Originally Posted by 69cj

If I worried about my truck when I drove or towed with it, I would get rid of it. Not much to add to that!

No worrying about the truck itself just the horse(6.0) that is pulling it! Love the actual truck!

[timbo2]

i say to anyone or any trolls out there if your truck is that bad and causing you so much grief then get rid of it and move on life is to short but what ever you get it will have its quirks too

[shelbyandadiesel]

Originally Posted by teamroper60

According to Wikipedia, a troll is defined as: "In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion."


There have been some posters in the 6.0 forums who rather than offer help, take every opportunity to run the engine down, suggest it be replaced, etc... Most of those folks don't own a 6.0 and/or have no real experience with it aside from possibly driving one. Others had a bad one and due to their experience, would rather make the aforementioned comments than to help the original poster solve his problems. These are the folks he was referring to.

While the 6.0 has been a mixed blessing for me, my fear is the repair costs for me. I drive it daily, and I work for a relativly busy fire dept as a paramedic firefighter, so on my work days I am often driving one as well, as we have about 10 6.0 powered E450 ambulances. Most are giving us stellar service, and while we are not easy on them, we are very pro-active with maintainance. There was a thread about a year or so ago about how so many of the Ford powered amublances in Detroit were unreliable. I pointed out on the thread that just about everything the City of Detroit maintains has been suspect at best in the past with emergency equipment. I have defended this engine, but I also own a very early 03 and have been on a hook multiple times. You pays your moneys and yous takes your chances. When it runs right, it is SO RIGHT, when it is off, it is money.

[willingtonpaul]

many here know from my past posts that i had an '05 that had troubles with EGR coolers and an oil cooler inside of 30k, and now the '06 is going in for the same thing. the difference between the two ownership experiences is the passing of 2 1/2 years time, and the knowledge that has been gained in the ownership community about the root causes of these issues. the pioneers took the arrows for us, and now we have that benefit. i think about that when i read the posts in the 6.7 section from the folks who have them on order. i truly hope that engine is near bulletproof from jump street, but like anything, it will have it's quirks up front.

i 100% agree with shelby above that the engine is a beauty when running correctly and a money pit when not (if not under warranty, but even then, time is money). lucky for me, both times i was under warranty. the first time i did not care, as i knew i was not a long term owner. but this time is different, i am a long term owner. and i am adding the aftermarket stuff to make every effort to make sure it will be trouble free going forward.

so i kind of sum up 6.0 ownership this way:

assuming you bought the truck new and never programmed it, or you bought it used and it was never programmed before, should you have to spend extra money to make the vehicle reliable ? should you have to add a coolant filter, EGR modifications / aftermarket gear, gauges for monitoring, etc, etc. when spending upwards of 45k new or 25-30k used for a one owner, non modded truck ? NO, i don't think so. these are clearly things that should not have to be done to make a truck like this reliable. but, it is what it is. for a multitude of reasons, you have to. but with some study, here and elsewhere, you can add these things and have an awesome truck that will be reliable, plenty powerful, not have to have regen cycles or urea it in, have good fuel mileage, burn reasonable clean, and the best news of all, you have access to a knowledge base here and elsewhere that is in it's prime for troubleshooting and help with issues, whether you are in warranty or not. that last of the 2007 trucks will come off warranty in 2012, so there is still plenty of time to buy one and have factory protection. i say non-programmed not to anger anybody or start a debate, but with all due respect, IMHO, if you are going to add on HP or torque or want to go faster above original spec from ford, then you should be on your own. again, IMHO, if it breaks as a stock truck, ford should fix it as long as it was not abuse or neglect. you take care of her, she should take care of you. and if she does not, then ford should make it right.

and look at it this way too:

would i buy a 7.3 right now ? as awesome as those engines are, their time has gone. they are dirty, the newest of them is around 7 years old, many that are out there are high mileage and worked, like they were supposed to be, and if you buy one, you are gonna be always fixing and spending money on a very outdated engine.

would i buy a 6.4 right now ? no way. a very short run in our trucks so there are not nearly as many out there, and the problems with that engine are JUST STARTING to be figured out. the knowledge base out there is not nearly deep enough YET, IMHO. plus, on top of that, you are spending more than a 6.0 to buy the truck.

and would i buy a 6.7 ? well, if money were no object, hell yeah ! but that truck is most likely at least double a 6.0, and i am off into the COMPLETE UNKNOWN for mileage and performance, reliability, etc, etc. my dream is to keep my 6.0 for 6 to 8 more years at least, and then hopefully roll into a 6.7 when the knowledge base is up to speed.

my best guess, FWIW, is that the 6.4 owners are the most unfortunate owners in all this. they will be wedged in no man's land, between all us 6.0 owners who finally know about our quirks and how to deal with them, and the 6.7 owners with ford fully behind them. at least they will have their warranty.

the evil you know is oftentimes better than the evil you don't.

[shelbyandadiesel]

Problems or not, they do run better paid off.

[mobeydick]

My 05 6.0 has 132,000 miles and is bone stock right down to the Original Air filter and coolant. I have changed the Fuel filter 3 times. It’s never been back to the dealership or had any Power train work done to it.

My 06 6.0 has 130,000 miles on it and I burnt up the turbo at about 50,000 miles and it needed a new EGR valve about the same time other then that it has the original Air Filer and coolant also. I’ve changed the Fuel filer 3 times on it also. I change the oil every 10,000 miles if it need it or not. Both are paid off.

[shelbyandadiesel]

Lost a FICM, and over the last couple of months it has left me on the side of the road twice with no codes and no one able to tell me why. (New filters, by the way). We will see what happens.