Ford 6.0 Turbo Diesel - How scary are they really?

[EMrider]

If you bullet proof the 6.0 they are good motors....they are ok stock too as long as not abused but used. Most issues I see with them are when people turn the power up, or dont drive them far or hard enough. The 6.0 needs to be used instead of just a quick run around town rig.

Low battery voltage will kill the FICM's pretty quick, and this can have an affect on the injectors. Keep the fluids clean, and the battery charged and they are pretty good.

Good advice.

My 6.0psd is 100% stock and has been the most reliable vehicle I've ever owned. 130k miles and it runs like a champ.

The internet echo chamber greatly amplifies the 6.0s problems (and there are some to be sure).

After much research, I decided on the following protocol:

Do not modify the motor for more power, it has plenty.
Follow the recommended fluid change intervals.
Drive it very hard (prevents carbon accumulation).
Avoid short trips that don't get the motor and oil up to full operating temps.
Use a quality fuel additive with each fillup.
Drive it regularly.

Good luck

R

 

[UHAULER]

I would look at the same truck in a V10. I have an 02 f350 with the 7.3 and if I was looking for a f250-f350 I would look at 05-10 with a v10.

 

[Nitromethane43]

Honestly if you are not looking to do any heavy hauling or use it to it's full capability, some of the light duty diesel options may be a good investment for better fuel mileage.

At work we had multiple f550 crane trucks that have coolant loss from head gaskets, or clogged egr systems from pto usage. I do have to say those trucks were driven by employees, with little regard to equipment so things to break a lot sooner. Even the owners F350 which is babied and sits in the warehouse most of the time, one day it pulled a bumper pull camper to baja and on the way back it overheated and puked out coolant. The truck and camper came back on a lowboy and required head gaskets.

We also have Dodge 5500 crane trucks, they have egr problems from pto usage, but the cooler or valve replacement is cheaper and much easier, as everything is right on top of the motor.

I am sure there are 6.0l motors out there which survive longer, but why take the risk unless you have $7500+ to shell out and a week of time, or get it bullet proofed before hand, but we have had failures afterwards too, so its not a 100% fix depending on how your vehicle is used.

 

[bugeyetex]

Ok, I'll chime in too. First things first. You can't bulletproof a 6.0 and remove the egr etc. without using a programmer. If you remove any of the emissions stuff, a programmer is required. The stock programming will only work with everything in place. If you really want a ford diesel, buy a lower mileage 7.3. If you don't really need a diesel, and most don't, the 3V V10 from 05-10 has a TON of power and you don't have to worry about a $6k bill from a dealer unless that engine quits. There are plenty of those trucks out there with 200k+ still running strong.

Now, and this is just opinion after 20 years in the automotive business, the newer emission equipped diesels are never worth owning unless you absolutely need that much torque for towing all the time. If you are towing 10k+ frequently, the diesel is a good choice. DEF is a bad word. It is a pain to deal with and all it takes is one bad batch, or your truck sitting for too long, and it goes bad and the repair bills start. Diesels are not clean, quiet machines. They are noisy, stinky, smelly, really efficient machines that have very long maintenance intervals when not laden with emissions crap. A new exhaust system from the dealer on a newer Dodge 6.7 from the turbo back will run you $10,000. I know this because people have gotten them stolen (they bring good money and they are easy pickins), and need them replaced. I sure hope you got the full coverage insurance... (don't forget that they will void your warranty if not using OEM parts)

As for those who say that the internet has magnified the issues with the 6.0s, just remember that they cost Ford millions of dollars in warranty repairs and buy backs and they led to many recalls and the repurchase of at least 500 trucks, particularly in the first year. It took ten years for the lawsuits to finally close up from the first 6.0 issues and the issues were bad enough that it killed Fords 30 year relationship with Navistar.

No truck is perfect and they all have their drawbacks. The Cummins engine is great, even the 6.7 if you strip away all the emissions crap, but I personally think that they have more than their fair share of electrical problems and a career as a transmission tech for Dodge is a very lucrative one, especially after this recent merger with Fiat. The new 9 speeds on the 200s are keeping all the dealers busy. V8s in general are not the best way to make reliable power in diesels, not to mention the fact that it adds lots of extra complexity to an engine (2 heads, 2 exhaust manifolds, lots of extra gaskets, etc). Just look at semi trucks. Detroit and Cat stopped making V8s a while ago as far as I know (been out of that part of the field for a while).

In short, truly look at your needs in a truck, and don't underestimate the power and reliability of a newer gasoline engine. In many parts of the country, gas is cheaper than diesel too. Diesels are nice, but when they break, they break the bank, even the loud stinky old ones.

One final note- This should never have to be done to work on an engine.... It's just plain wrong-

 

[CRolandLJ]

Wow thanks for all the great responses. In a way, that was just what i was expecting. Lots of people warning against it, lots of people saying go for it.

I'm not in a huge hurry to purchase so i think i'll just keep an open mind and look for a good deal. From what i've noticed (I live in DFW, TX) i don't see many gas F250s for sale, a lot more gas GM 3/4 tons.

 

[Nitromethane43]

If you are going for a gas, adding a turbocharger can increase your fuel mileage.

I had a 01 Yukon XL 5.3l with a rear turbo, using a conservative tune the truck averaged 24mpg going from Las Vegas to Reno. With EFI Live you can have multiple tunes and just load it for what you need, of course the ones for more power will decrease economy.

On the highway unloaded the Yukon would get better fuel economy. Overall combined in town and highway the Cummins would be better, also when towing the mileage does not drop exponentially with weight.

 

[Mr. Snappy]

So, just gotta say, owned three 6.6 trucks myself, and ZERO motor or tranny issues. Only mechanical issues have been a pair of front hub bearings on the 05, and one on the current truck, an 06.
And they're quieter too....

 

[OilfieldCowboy]

I would gladly drive a 6.0 again, if I didn't have to foot the repair bill.

One 6.0 work truck went in every 6 months like clockwork for EGR system work. Averaged 4,000 miles a month on it so it wasn't as though it just sat around getting gunked up with city driving.

Other 6.0 work truck wound up on its third motor before being traded in.

Have had 6.7 CTD's for work trucks since, but they haven't been all unicorn farts and rainbows either. Would really love to get back into a 2500 Chevy gasser, but the employer gets me diesels for the ability to tow my job trailer with ease.

Have owned or driven as a work truck every diesel that Ford or GM has put in their rigs since the mid 90's, and the one I miss the most is the LB7 Duramax.

 

[Wally'sJimmy]

When my wife and were RV'ing a lot I started with a 01 Silverado 1500 with a 5.3, great truck but I thought I had to have a diesel. I got a 2000 Superduty with a 7.3 bone stock, I loved that truck but I was not happy with the mileage. Empty to and from work driving like an old man I got 15-17 and towing was around 12-13. I did a lot a research on that subject and that seemed to be average. I sold that truck and bought a 01 Dodge with a 5.9 cummings from the original owner with a stack of receipts of everything done to it. I loved that truck also, it was a short bed extended cab 4x4 and a put that truck in some tight places. Mileage was great also at about 21. The 5.9 is bulletproof with the exception of the fuel pumps. I replaced the stock lift pump with a FASS replacement pump ($250) added a fuel pressure gauge and had no issues.

Now that we don't RV anymore I'm back to a Silverado 1500 and my Jimmy. Gas engines have come a long way over the years and will run 300K easy (if taken care of). If we buy another trailer I probably will not buy a diesel, I will stick with gas. I really don't like trucks newer than 2005 anyway for various reasons so I can't comment on the newer diesels. Nothings perfect they all have their issues, it's a matter of which ones your willing to live with.

 

[KSL22]

If you are not towing heavy than it is not worth the extra cost to have a diesel. You can buy a lot of gas for what you pay extra for the Diesel vs Gas motor. Oil changes are more critical and cost more. Fuel filters add even more to the maintenance cost.

I tow a 30' Weekend Warrior and it is heavy. I had a 03 6.0 excursion and it still ate injectors after doing the delete process. And twice was total failure / dead in the water which isn't fun with a big trailer behind you. I now have a 08 6.7 dodge now and like the power curve towing better than the Fords even though the Ford felt faster. The early 6.7 will not get above 16 mpg without deletes and tunes.

I would not buy a earlier than 09 Dodge unless they have updated the steering, or you could do it right after buying it. I don't know about the coil sprung Fords.

If I was to buy a full size and didn't have to tow it would be a newer Power Wagon. First thing I would do with it would be to go to Carli or Thuren and let them perform their magic.

 

[mchambers]

Wow thanks for all the great responses. In a way, that was just what i was expecting. Lots of people warning against it, lots of people saying go for it.

I'm not in a huge hurry to purchase so i think i'll just keep an open mind and look for a good deal. From what i've noticed (I live in DFW, TX) i don't see many gas F250s for sale, a lot more gas GM 3/4 tons.

I could be talked into parting with my '06 F550 4X4 Lariat for the right price... :smiley_drive:
It can pull awesome but mileage is a little bit on the shall we say low side. :Wow1:

 

[Capt Jon]

ahhhhhh, Ford Diesels . . . . . . . .

I used to have a small grading company and we had the 6.9, the 7.3, two 7.3 powerstrokes, and 7 6.0's (a 2003 F550, (2) 2004 F350's, (3) 2005 F350's, and a 2005 F250.) . Other than the 2003, I don't have a bad word to say about the 6.0.

The 7.3's with autos are great motors, but they eat transmissions and brakes. My brother is still driving one of them with about 400K on the motor and it's on transmission # 4. The auto in the 6.0 was a huge improvement in both durability and drivability.

The manual 7.3 powerstroke F550 was great. It once rolled into the shop from a 60 mile trip, pulling a 10K trailer at 80 mph with no oil in the rear Dana 135. I fired the driver, but the truck was back on the road the next day with a new plug in the diff. We did replace the clutch at about 150K, but that didn't seem out of line the way this truck was used.

The '93 manual non-turbo is bulletproof. I still drive it. It tows as well as the powerstroke up to about 40mph, then it just runs out of steam. We put 35" super swampers on it and used it offroad towing hydroseeders. It spent half its running life in low range. Still starts every time.

The 2003 6.0 was the worst running truck I have ever seen. It was in the shop more than on the road, and crews didn't want to go out in it because it broke down so much. It broke down more in the first 30,000 miles than all the other trucks combined. But wow was it fast. FYI, most state's lemon laws only apply to individuals and not small businesses.

The other (6) 6.0's were 2004 and 2005 models. They were great. We replaced one head gasket and one computer on one of the trucks. My wife is still driving that one. It's got about 280k on it an runs like the day we bought it. I don't know if it means anything, but the truck that got the head gasket was the one that was the lightest used of the bunch. That one does not often pull trailers and when it does, they are horse trailers instead of excavators or bobcats. Maybe the above comments about hard use being better for these motors is correct.

The others five 6.0's were sold with the company at between 80-125k. All were worked hard, and spent every day pulling 8-10K trailers with beds full of tools and materials. We paid a lot of attention to preventive maintenance. Never installed any chips or aftermarket mods. None of them ever spent a single day in the shop for repairs. They may have all died the next day, but while we owned them, they were absolutely reliable.

 

[OutOfBounds]

My old boss in a previous job had a 2003 6.0L F350. I worked for him for 2.5 years. In that time, he had to replace all the injectors 3 times, among many other expensive repairs due to a piss poor engine design.

 

[rabudha]

With any vehicle, I would try to discern how it has been driven. I had an 06 F250 powerstroke 6 speed manual for 2 years. Took it from 50k to over 100k with nothing but a passenger side hub replacement and a quick egr cleaning when it popped the code. It had high hours for the mileage and it came out of Wyoming so I knew it had seen a lot of idle time but also suspected that it had never been chipped or towed hard. I towed constantly with it and beat it pretty hard off road and it held up very well. By the time I got rid if her I noticed a substantial power loss but it could have been emissions related as that 6.0 still didn't burn a drop of oil. I would say if you are happy with the performance of a stock PS and don't feel the need to roll coal or tow 15k then it is a very nice truck to drive. I would buy the same truck in a heartbeat. Especially now that it is only worth $10k

 

[b dkw1]

The last shop I worked in had 2 6.0's. One was only one the road for about 2 months in the year and half I was there. The other one was only down for a week, needed towing to the dealer and a FICM. The 4 7.3's they had were all manuals and never missed a beat........