Did Ford ever resolve the 6.0 issues?
We're the later ones, 2010, reliable?

2010 is the 6.4 and it's a worse motor in my book. Regarded as many as throw away motors as they are often not re-buildable.

The 6.0 ran from 2003-2007 and the 06 and 07 ones are pretty good. The late 04's and 05's can be made good, avoid the 03's (now understand there are some 2003's with the 7.3 still in them), and early 04's. They had a different head design and certain parts are hard to find.

The 6.0 can be made into a great motor if you have the $$$. 2 options are to Bulletproof it (Bulletproof Diesel out of Mesa, Arizona) or Dealerproof it (Power Stoke Specialty out of Buford, Georgia).

Lots and lots of free info at www.powerstrokehelp.com (Power Stroke Specialties website).

I had an '04 6.0 for eight years and 200K+ miles. Never put anything into but oil, diesel, and tires.

Thanks!!

I have a 2005 F-250 here.

Consider having the heads bulletproofed when you can budget for it rather than it catching you by surprise. My truck transformed into a mosquito fogger truck on a 20 mile trip. I have also replaced 4 I injectors and they are a bit pricey too.

Even with that the maintenance costs have not outweighed a new truck payment so I am satisfied.

Len

My '04 Excursion with the 6.0 crapped out in 2015 with a total of 60,134 miles on it. Loved the truck but hated the motor. I had friends that worked at a Ford dealer and were giving me quotes to get it rebuilt as well as other companies to Bullet Proof it.
Ended up selling the truck and picking up a Ram with the 6.7 Cummins. I'm much happier with the Ram and its power and having a pick-up has been handier.
My brother had the same thing happen to his '04 F250 and bought a Ram 2 months after I did.

The new trucks don't smoke like the 6.0 I do miss the diesel smoke!

I had one in E350. Can’t say i miss that truck, we spent thousands replacing ficums and fuel tanks and pumps. When the engine blew, that was last straw. Bought a Sprinter and never looked back.

 
I had a new 2004 F-250, traded it after one year. The Ford salesman who sold it to me (who was also a close friend) told me a couple of years later I wouldn't believe the number of buy-backs Ford had to do on that engine.

In early 2005, I purchased a new 2004 leftover F350 with the 6.0 diesel. I did have some issues with the engine (what I don't recall), but my biggest complaint was that the undercarriage prematurely rusted out. I sold it in 2013 and never looked back. In fact, that experience soured me for any future Ford products. As I reflected about my other Ford vehicles purchased over the decades, every stinken Ford vehicle had problems, and I purchased them all brand new. Bottom line, I will never, ever consider another Ford product again.

I grew up riding in Ford vehicles; been around them all my life - and I want to stress that what I say here is NOT a blanket slam of Ford products. However, I have a friend who bought a 2005 3/4 ton "Super Duty" pickup (6.0 litre) brand new.... and when it got about 80K miles on it, it started going North. He had to get a new engine after the EGR valve dumped GOBS of antifreeze into the engine - and that was just ONE of the things that has gone wrong with the truck. The "scuttlebutt" I get from independent repair shops is that the 6.0 Ford is an expensive dog. If ANYONE ever gave me the chance to own one I would RUN BACKWARDS as FAST as I could. Oh yeah, to "sweeten" the deal Ford designed the truck so that if you ever have to pull the engine you MUST take the cab OFF of the truck FIRST. That's what I said -> you MUST pull the cab OFF of the truck first. I'll sat it again: RUN BACKWARDS!!

I guess I'll jump in. No there is nothing that ford has done to resolve the 6.0 issues. I have lived through this period and thankfully am on the other side now. Frankly there is nothing realistically they can do. Not that they should have ever released this mess, but once its out its out. The issues revolve around the emissions control systems primarily. So to the core of it. First issue is the EGR system. When the cooler goes it dumps pressure into the cooling system and then you blow head gaskets and all sorts of silly stuff. And if you aren't paying attention to the coolant loss, then engines. The EGR valve itself gets gunk, the dual plane manifold gets gunk. The head studs are a potential issue. The variable vane turbo is a potential issue. the list goes on.
Now having said all that. No dealer will fix the basic issues by deleting this silly stuff (note the EPA hates diesels), its a federal crime. But the aftermarket will (offroad use!!). So you can get people to delete the EGR, fix the basic underlying issues and make you a totally reliable motor. The core block assembly is completely sound. If the basic fixes have been done its easily a 500K engine.
Unless you can buy one that all the core issues have already been dealt with I wouldn't touch one. To give some price sense to it, my 2006 needed $15K to get to a stable long term solution. My 2009 needed 10K.

I'll couch it in these terms: The gas truck that I used to replace my 2006 6.0L F250 cost less than the repairs I had to do to the diesel.

If you have a trailer, and you pull it all the time, there is nothing better than a diesel. If you just want one because you want it and don't need it, there are lots of better options out there.

The 6.0L can be made very reliable, and it was never short on power, but unless you get a smoking price to offset the improvements, or just hate money, I'd look elsewhere.

Again thanks!
I am not acquiring one, Dodge and Cummings all the way!
Just looking for 6.0 stories, facts to use for discussion with an acquaintence who has the idea he is getting a deal?

Don’t mean to come off as grammar/spelling police, but the name of the American iconic diesel engine manufactuer is Cummins, no g.

International (supplied Powerstroke engines to Ford until 2011) took short cuts through various EPA mandates. Engines provided in light and medium duty trucks experienced premature failures regularly. Many folks like to buy these on the cheap and customise and mod them. Its kind of pricy, but everyones got to have a hobby.

Personally i still drive 7.3. If i was to consider another truck:

Ford after 2011
Nissan with Cummins
Ram with Cummins
Chevy with Duramax. Note, this is an Isuzu engine, great but can be pricy to repair.
Mercedes with Blutec, also pricy to repair.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mjlennon,

Sometimes spellcheck/accucheck prefers alternate spellings of IT'S choice?

quote:

Don’t mean to come off as grammer/spelling police ...

I have a low mileage 2005 E350 (78K) with the 6.0 diesel,

it was a daily driver for my father for a couple years before he stopped driving, (and chipped about a year)

pulls a 22 foot trailer with out issues,

does pop a waste gate on occasion, otherwise no motor drama,

we use it for our Gunshow vehicle, and to do roadtrips for buys etc,

it sat for a couple years , being driven just enough to keep the batteries etc good,


we have had to replace both front calipers and brakes, otherwise it has been a solid performer

The 6.0 diesel is likely the most reliable engine and transmission combination that you'll be able get your hands on IF you're willing to spend $10k to make some modifications, which include emissions modifications that are technically illegal. The 6.0 uses a slightly souped up version of the HEUI fuel injectors that started out in the 7.3 diesel that everyone loves. They produce excellent power when properly tuned, without some of the drawbacks of the high pressure common rail injectors that everyone else (including Ford) is using now. While I wouldn't put water contaminated fuel through a 6.0, the chances are that the engine would survive, and most likely not all the injectors would need to be replaced. In a common rail system, if you get any water contamination into the engine, you WILL be spending $7k to $10k for repairs. You will be needing a new high pressure injection pump, new injectors and new fuel rails.

As far as modifications go, replacing head gaskets and adding head studs isn't cheap but once properly done, you won't have to worry about them ever again as long as you also complete supporting modifications. The 6.0 diesel is the last diesel that allows you to completely remove EGR from the engine and still not display a check engine light, when done correctly. There really is no way to do this with any of the newer engines and EGR is the single most damaging thing to modern diesels and also the biggest cause for decreased fuel economy. The 6.0 is kind of an intermediate engine in that it generates much more power than the older designs like the 7.3 were able to, but isn't nearly as sophisticated as the newer engines, nor situated with emissions equipment that is completely integrated into all parts of the engine. Again, once properly modified, it is actually a super solid and reliable engine, but you're going to spend $10k or more for those modifications.

The last thing to add is that the 5R100 transmission that comes with the 6.0 is probably the most robust and reliable transmission that has been offered in recent memory. It is a true gem, and is damn near bulletproof.

As a disclaimer I will add that I've not personally owned a 6.0 diesel but have spent time around them and am well versed in them. I did own a 6.4 powerstroke but got rid of it quickly as the whole truck didn't really fit my needs well. I've also owned a 2013 Chevy Silverado Duramax and a 2015 Ram Cummins/Aisin combination and loved both of those trucks. The only reason that I don't personally own a diesel truck anymore is that since we finished building our new house, I rarely tow heavy (like maybe once or twice a year) and am able to use my uncle's truck (only 2.5 miles away) if ever I do need to tow heavy. I now have a 2017 Mercedes G550 and my wife drives a 2017 Ford Raptor crew cab. I love them both, but most importantly recognize that it's not always worth owning a modern diesel if you aren't going to work it hard.

quote:

Originally posted by mjlennon:
Chevy with Duramax. Note, this is an Isuzu engine, great but can be pricy to repair.

know a dealer in Fla that bought (ordered) a new Chevy van a year or so ago,
he clicked the Duramax box thinking it would be the standard V8 diesel,

he was surprised it was a small inline turbo diesel, and made by Isuzu,

however, he has had 0 problems with it and it cruises at 80+ without issues,

he has made several long trips (Clearwater area to Baltimore area) with out any issues and decent mileage