looking at an 04 6.0

[bismic]

Originally Posted by dikkstarr

......and your is two years newer than mine my friend.
I feel for you, I said the same thing in '07.
Its comin' your way....wait for it.
Yeah and everything breaks, but no matter what I did, I couldnt break my '99 F150.....wish I still had it.

What a sad outlook on the situation. I know dozens of people with 200k plus and only minor issues. Your experience is only a minor sample of the data out there. Why don't you sell the thing and buy something else?

If you didn't notice, the F150 was an 05 and all the work was done on it last year. I am ahead of the game.

Lighten up on the pessimism - you will live longer. It is almost like you want everyone else to suffer with you.

BTW - nice post JAKE8842!

[Matt0987]

People suggest the cost of diesel fuel as a reason to buy a gas vehicle. But when you compare miledge.....

10 to 20% better miledge and diesel is still less than regular gas. The diesel engine may be initially more money than a V10 gas. I do not know. But when you are buying used that premium cost often disappears.

As you can tell I am sold on diesel over gas.

I first had a 1978 Oldsmobile 98. 22 mpg around town and 28 on the road. Seats like your living room. All the luxuries available for it's time. It ran like a champ.

My next one was an 83 F-350. A few issues. But not nearly as many as my two Suburbans. The 83 was sold in 04. The 20 year old truck fell apart before the engine did.

I traded a Suburban in on my Excursion and I have been very pleased. See my sig for what I have done to it.

I had some issues w/ my F-350 6.0L at first -sputtering and such- but the last couple of years have been good. It has 65k on it now and the Ex 85K.

It took about 50K to get the bugs worked out on my 83. The it ran and ran for 20 years.

I hope to have both the F-350 and Ex for another 15 or 20 years.

I have a tough time believing that every 6.0L will definantly fall apart. There is a percentage. But how that percentage compares with other similar vehicles. I do not know. Both of my Suburbans were a disappointment. Head gaskets, brakes (like complete failure that ended in an accident), metal fatigue, blown rear ends.

I believe that on the whole the 6.0L are not really better than or worse than others.

This forum has a basic format of looking for answers to questions that include repairs. So we hear about the problems here. But there has to be hundreds of thousands of 6.0L that are running day after day after day. Just like mine.

[dikkstarr]

Originally Posted by bismic

What a sad outlook on the situation. I know dozens of people with 200k plus and only minor issues. Your experience is only a minor sample of the data out there. Why don't you sell the thing and buy something else?

If you didn't notice, the F150 was an 05 and all the work was done on it last year. I am ahead of the game.

Lighten up on the pessimism - you will live longer. It is almost like you want everyone else to suffer with you.

BTW - nice post JAKE8842!

Im not suffering, and I cant buy a new one because I spent all my money keeping this one running.

Why is this forum here then. All it is, is a "help me fix my broken 6.0l" fest.

Remember back in '03-'04 when these first came out? All that was talked about here was how cool these trucks were and how so and so smoked a little rice burner car with his 7000 lb diesel.

There are no more positive experiences to share anymore just problems, Ive had 'em and you will have 'em. So what. I fixed mine and you will fix yours.

I would never wish anyone to go through the terror my truck has put me through, I didnt trust it back then, but lately its gaining back my trust.

Anyway, this guy asked for opinions. Wouldnt you want to hear both sides?
If he learns about what is typical about 6.0s, then he might find one thats been upgraded already.

Take your own advise and stud your 6.0l to get ahead of the blown head gaskets game.

[dikkstarr]

Originally Posted by JAKE8842

Ticking time bomb? I dont think so. Ive seen plenty of 6.0's over the years that have been nothing but reliable. People like you are what gives this engine a bad name. Ive seen much more that have been good than i have bad. Usually the ones with problems are the people that dont give a crap and just run the wheels off of them with tuners. Even some of those still run like a top. Ive seen plenty of 6.0's with over 200k and no major problems. My buddy has a 06 with 130k and has had a bullydog on it since 30k. This truck has had the daylights kicked out of it, always on extreme mode, no maintanace done and maybe 6 oil changes done and the only problem he every had was stc fitting went bad at 50k. Sorry about your luck.

So you dont agree that of all the 6.0s out there and all the problems that arise with this engine, that it is not excessive?

Shouldnt they be a little less prone to problems and failure?

I dont think the 7.3s had this many problems.

There are a lot of superdutys out there, but I think that the "problems/failure"- "to perfect running for 200k" ratio is way off.

I bought this truck hoping that I could keep it more than 10 years because it is a diesel. I just got a little pissed when I saw coolant spraying down the drivers side of my 50,000 dollar truck. All I could think of is how can this be? I only had 14k miles. I thought our technology was more advanced than this.

Just count the TSBs for this damn thing, its ridiculous.

[bismic]

dikkstarr -

From past posts:
You ran a tuner without head studs. You didn't install a coolant filter until after the oil cooler plugged. You run a 12" lift and you blew out a tranny hose and then the tranny failed - most likely problems were mod induced. You had a bad alternator and ran the truck while noticing starting issues - then the FICM failed. Not to even mention the unnecessary aftermarket intake.

So many things are self inflicted - many problems are avoidable.

Maybe we shouldn't have to watch these things so closely, but we do. Folks that know this up front can get a good reliable truck for reasonable dollars. This is proven. I can post links to almost ALL of the major forums where people talk about 300-400k miles as being achievable.

[fxdwgi]

Originally Posted by bismic

dikkstarr -

From past posts:
You ran a tuner without head studs. You didn't install a coolant filter until after the oil cooler plugged. You run a 12" lift and you blew out a tranny hose and then the tranny failed - most likely problems were mod induced. You had a bad alternator and ran the truck while noticing starting issues - then the FICM failed. Not to even mention the unnecessary aftermarket intake.

So many things are self inflicted - many problems are avoidable.

Maybe we shouldn't have to watch these things so closely, but we do. Folks that know this up front can get a good reliable truck for reasonable dollars. This is proven. I can post links to almost ALL of the major forums where people talk about 300-400k miles as being achievable.

[bismic]

Originally Posted by fxdwgi

Not sure what you mean - but I am guessing you want the links ...........

Happy with your 6.0L:

http://www.***************.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60661

enter "the diesel garage" with no spaces where the stars are above.

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f23/max-miles-without-major-engine-problem-186514/

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/general-6-0l-discussion/62485-high-mileage-6-0s.html

http://*****************.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31362

enter "powerstroke nation" with no spaces where the stars are above.

I have more stored somewhere (FTE Forum I believe), but these are a start. Ford issued literature stating the design target was 300K miles longevity.

edit: duh ................. I just figured it out ....

[F250crazy]

20k was to high anyway. I have had good luck with my truck but have not had it long. I paid 13k for an 03 F250 with 72k. I bought it wholesale from my job. Retail was 17-18k. I think you can get a better price. From what I have read the best thing to do is keep the truck stock. I did buy the coolant filtration system last week. My two cents.

[dikkstarr]

Originally Posted by bismic

dikkstarr -

From past posts:
You ran a tuner without head studs. You didn't install a coolant filter until after the oil cooler plugged. You run a 12" lift and you blew out a tranny hose and then the tranny failed - most likely problems were mod induced. You had a bad alternator and ran the truck while noticing starting issues - then the FICM failed. Not to even mention the unnecessary aftermarket intake.

So many things are self inflicted - many problems are avoidable.

Maybe we shouldn't have to watch these things so closely, but we do. Folks that know this up front can get a good reliable truck for reasonable dollars. This is proven. I can post links to almost ALL of the major forums where people talk about 300-400k miles as being achievable.

My oil cooler never plugged it was changed with head gasket job per ford, then studs were installed, timing on a coolant filter install doesnt matter and we shouldnt have to put one on anyway, the tranny hose was a recall with the in line filter and the hose clamp got too loose and fell off, had nothing to do with my lift, bad alts happen no matter what, intake was stupid I know now, but when I got it, in '04, no one knew about how good the stocker was. Nobody really knows why the FICM was going bad on my truck, the dealer said it was weak.

You can speculate about my history if you want, but besides head gaskets, I had no problems until the tranny line drained my tranny. So to make the tranny last as long as it could, which was another 6 mo, I removed the tuner and havent used it since. I like it better without the tuner anyway.

All my big problems happend after all this, one after another. Some 6.0 related, others superduty related. Maybe just bad luck who knows.
This guy wants opinions, you dont like mine. Doesnt make me wrong just gives him info to make his choice.

Why havent you put studs in yours anyway?

[nasty50]

Correct. Opinions are what I want and I am getting them. It doesnt matter to me if it is a good or bad opinion. It will help me with my search for another superduty. I just hate to narrow my search down to a 7.3. They are getting harder to find in great low milage shape. I would really like to try a 6.0 but just dont want to have to put too much money into it after purchace just to trust my wife and kids in it. As Dikkstarr said, if I know the issues I might find one that has already been upgraded and not have to worry about it. Thanks for all the opinions so far.

[bismic]

Plenty of folks running stock trucks and no head bolt/gasket failures. I know it does happen, but not that common. Head studs usually mean a truck has been tuned and driven hard. Buying a used truck w/ head studs and gauges, etc is risky unless you know the person selling the truck. These heavy mods also mean there is no warranty.

You are much better off buying a late model year truck that is stock and has warranty left.

IMO - 99% of the stock trucks have no need for studs as long as the owner watches boost, EGT's and signs of plugged oil coolers.

The better question is why don't I have gauges. These are essential in minimizing the impact of any problems that MIGHT develop. I am just not that worried about it, but I will have gauges soon because it is wise. I know what to look for and I know many mechanics and I am still under warranty.

I appreciate your calm responses since I am not trying to be personal w/ the disagreements. However, I have a fair amount of experience in troubleshooting and the root causes of the big issues are fairly well known. I also have too much data to accept the opinion that major problems are inevitable - at least for the vast majority.

I do know that heavy mods hugely increase the risk of problems and buying a used truck that has been heavily modded is asking for trouble. Why would most people spend thousands on modding their truck and then sell it? The answer is - they were having problems and the repair shops were nailing them w/ the repair costs.

As far as the major issues go, they have been well discussed from the very beginning of the thread. That is why the recommendation for the reliability mods AND making sure you still have warranty (a very smart thing to do WHENEVER you buy a used vehicle - any used vehicle).

[jk96]

Ticking time bomb? I dont think so. Ive seen plenty of 6.0's over the years that have been nothing but reliable. People like you are what gives this engine a bad name. Ive seen much more that have been good than i have bad. Usually the ones with problems are the people that dont give a crap and just run the wheels off of them with tuners. Even some of those still run like a top. Ive seen plenty of 6.0's with over 200k and no major problems. My buddy has a 06 with 130k and has had a bullydog on it since 30k. This truck has had the daylights kicked out of it, always on extreme mode, no maintanace done and maybe 6 oil changes done and the only problem he every had was stc fitting went bad at 50k. Sorry about your luck.

Jake,

I wish I could agree with you but I'll have to side with Dikkstar. Bought my 05 truck 2 years ago with 105,000 on it. Completely stock and never had a programmer. I've now got 176,000 miles on it and just dropped it off to Ford again today.

So far in 70,000 miles I've replaced

EGR Valve x 2
Torqeshift transmission (snap ring failure in reverse - known issue by Ford on the 05)
Headgaskets
EGR Cooler x 2
Oil Cooler
Fuel Injection Control Module

The truck is still completely stock and never been abused. I love the truck, just can't afford to keep it any longer. I only wish I had traded it in when everyone else was complaining about problems and I was still saying mine runs just fine. My opinion has changed to say the least.

[JAKE8842]

Originally Posted by jk96

Jake,

I wish I could agree with you but I'll have to side with Dikkstar. Bought my 05 truck 2 years ago with 105,000 on it. Completely stock and never had a programmer. I've now got 176,000 miles on it and just dropped it off to Ford again today.

So far in 70,000 miles I've replaced

EGR Valve x 2
Torqeshift transmission (snap ring failure in reverse - known issue by Ford on the 05)
Headgaskets
EGR Cooler x 2
Oil Cooler
Fuel Injection Control Module

The truck is still completely stock and never been abused. I love the truck, just can't afford to keep it any longer. I only wish I had traded it in when everyone else was complaining about problems and I was still saying mine runs just fine. My opinion has changed to say the least.

Im sorry you have bad luck with the truck, i really am. Im not saying that none of these trucks have problems, some do. So do some dodge's and chevrolets. The biggest thing with these and any new diesels is maintanance.
Change the oil when its due, coolant flushes and additives, transmission services etc. The main cause of the egr cooler and headgasket problems are
the oil coolers becoming clogged which is usually caused by lack of oil changes. Another thing is these trucks cannot be driven like a grocery getter. They need to opened up and hammered on often to keep coking problems to a minimum. If they are babied you WILL have problems with
turbos rusting and coking and egr valves plugged solid. Just some advise to
everyone. Good luck to everyone

[CAMPINGTOM]

Jake, How does not changing the engine oil cause the oil cooler to clog?

[Strokin' 6.0]

As you can see in my sig, I've had the engine and the turbo replaced. This truck has no tuner on it whatsoever. It has had two EGR coolers replaced, one EGR replaced, one degas bottle replaced, fan clutch replaced, A/C compressor twice replaced, mileage has gone from 16MPG solid to 11MPG and the truck has never been driven like I'm at a NASCAR event.

I tow regularly with it, well within the capabilities of the truck, and I open it up every once in a while, to ensure that the turbo doesn't coke up. The 2nd EGR cooler replacement started failing a few months ago, so I took care of that once and for all by visting River City Diesel's website. I added a coolant filter from Dieselsite which, again, should have been done from the factory. I change my fluids regularly as well.

I really hope that, once I take care of all of the problems that should have been taken care of by the engineers, I'll have a reliable truck, but for now the truck sits in my driveway, courtesy of a dead FICM. It's getting towed to my indy mech tomorrow morning.