So if you had the chance to do it again. Would you buy another one? I was thinking off getting another truck a used 6.0 but Im up in limbo about that with the issues people have had. Or go to a 6.4 or the new 6.7. What do you think guys? I was thinking off asking this question here before posting on the 6.o forum.

 

In a heartbeat! Love my 6.0! There are a few things that give the 6.0L a bad rep. I will address these issues, and give you some insight into the failures. You might be surprised to find out the reasons behind them.
First off, the 6.0L is all about proper service. You just cannot go 10, 15, 20K miles without an oil change like you can with some other model diesels such as the 7.3L. These trucks do like proper service intervals and procedures.
One of the biggest complaints has been head studs or head gasket issues. A lot of people have installed bigger turbos or tuners that open the boost up, but they do nothing to the motor to allow for the added boost. This is a problem, and the reason why studs stretch and eventually lead to gasket failure. A stock 6.0 does not have these issues.
Another issue has been the EGR valve and EGR cooler. This is a bad design. The EGR, though simple to take off and clean, does clog up from time to time and is prone to failures. The cooler also is a poor design. While the EGR can be deleted, the best thing you can do to extend the life of the EGR system is to not allow the truck to idle for too long.
Thirdly, the 6.0L has been known to have injector failures. A lot of this can be prevented by proper oil change intervals, not allowing the truck to drop below 1/4 tank, and using the proper oils and filters. As an added level of protection, I put in a little Diesel Kleen every other tank, and plan on using Rev-X in the oil changes, just to make sure I don't have issues down the road.
The turbo veins sticking are another issue that can be avoided by proper oil changes and also by allowing the truck to properly cool down after the turbocharger has been worked hard.
While the 6.0L may not be a perfect engine, it is still a fantastic motor that has gotten a bad rep. I personally have 108K on my 6.0L with no problems whatsoever. The key is proper service and keeping it stock. That being said, there are a LOT of benefits to the 6.0L such as more power, quieter motor, smooth boost transition, lack of turbo lag, better mileage, etc. over other engines such as the 7.3L. The new engines are definitely nice, but there have been some issues with them as well, from what I understand. Just remember that you will hear all about the ones that have issues with their 6.0L, but 99.99999% of us that have not had a single issue with our trucks are usually unspoken. I love my 6.0L and would not hesitate to get another one, provided it too has been well taken care of.

 

Thanks for the great info. I guess it all boils down to how the former owner treated his engine. Which is the big question.

 

That is huge! Good luck with the purchase, and make sure to properly research the truck to see if it has been taken care of properly. Service records are great to have, as well as running an OASIS report. And avoid anything that does not seem right. Also steer clear of things such as tuners and be wary of tons of gauges. Gauges are nice, but sometimes can be a sign of other mods.

 

Proper maintenance is a myth in correlation with the issues the 6.0L has, sure not maintaining them will lead to problems but maintenance will not cure any of the pattern failures the engines have. I know of 6 of them, all meticulously maintained all of which had almost every, if not every pattern failure. Ours had oil changed every 4K, fuel filters changed every 10K tranny fluid and filter changed every 30K and we lost the injectors in 10K miles, turbo in 16K oil cooler in 55K and on and on. Also NONE of them ever had a tuner.

Everyone gets their panties in a twist on this board about it but I would not own one without a Ford warranty they are WAY too failure prone. I also find a lot of people on here who claim to have had no problems really have once they get down to it or they replaced the problem areas. The facts are there is a greater chance you are going to have a problem than not OR you are going to sink thousands into the engine to try and get it to run right and prevent said problems.

Now get ready for the koolaid 6.0L drinkers.

 

As opposed to the anti-6.0L koolaid drinkers?

I'd recommend the OP go ahead and post his question down in the 6.0 section as he'll get much more discussion and input from those that currently own the 6.0L. I think he'll get good discussion from both sides of the fence and see where the problem areas lie. Also, the OP can search through all the posts he wants to gain his own insight into his potential purchase. IMO, this particular section is more populated by "haters" than "supporters" of the 6.0L and can give one a slanted view of the 6.0L. Don't get me wrong, I like cruising through this section as it has a lot of good info and input on general SD issues. However, if I have a 6.0L question I ask it in the 6.0L section.

With that said, would I buy another 6.0L? Without a doubt yes. However, let me caveat that with the statement that I'd do some serious research into the maintenance history (OASIS/Car Fax) before I made a decision.

 

Subscribing

 

I like my 6.0L. I would avoid the 2003 and early 2004 6.0L if possible as they corrected most of the problems by then. Look for the ICP on the passenger side valve cover, if it is there you have the later 6.0L. Before buying mine I did a bunch of research and decided it was the right engine for me. We get about 15mpg around town and almost 20mpg hwy. It is louder than the gassers but quieter than the 7.3L. More than one diesel tech said look for one that was used occasionally for towing as the 6.0L need to be worked hard once ina while to keep the VGT freed up.

 

I didn't drink any friggen kool-aide, but I'll gladly buy you a beer if you ever come to Texas, because I'm not an ******* with my panties in a twist.

Amazingly, my truck has 51,000 problem-free miles. My dad's has 54,000 problem free miles. A very good friend of mine has driven a 2003 for 270,000 miles almost-problem free miles, only had to replace the turbo because it rusted down after a year in his barn not getting driven..... after 230,000 engine-problem free miles . So all I can say is exactly what you can say......... "In my experience with the 6.0L:"


It's is a perfectly good engine.

 

Agreed with what has been said before.. I'd gladly buy a 6.0 again.. Outta my rigs 110k miles, ive replaced EGR cooler and two injectors. And i bought the truck with 60k on the odo. BUT, i wouldnt buy a 6.0 without looking into the oasis etc.. As we all know the 6.0 is maintenance prone..

Also, think about how many 6.0s were built! That motor ran from mid 03 to 07..

 

Moved to the 6.0L Powerstroke Diesel forum.

 

So your 6 trucks went through 48 injectors in the first 10k?

 

I will say it repetitively -

Lots of folks without problems. Then you have one person that maintains 6 trucks, of which all have problems. The compelling arguement is that the owner has more of a statistical influence than he will own up to ..........

KoolAide - LMAO. Someone is just trying to stir up arguements (instead of discussion) IMO. The collosal ego to say that he can proclaim what is true and untrue for the entirety of 6.0L engines.

 

Actually, the 6.0L was used in the E series until they ran out sometime in 2010. Not sure about the exact end date but it's in the ball park.

 

Bis - I'd luv to give you some rep but I gots to spread some around first.

Let me add, I have just over 95k on the odometer. Has the truck been problem free? No. I had to get the snap to connect fitting replaced and I had to get my oil cooler replaced and turbo center section replaced. This was all done under warranty between 75k and
85k. Thanks to this site, I knew what to expect and what to look for. None of these issues left me stranded and I also received outstanding service from my servicing dealer. On the STC fitting problem, I dropped the truck off late in the afternoon and had it back late the following afternoon. On the oil cooler and turbo issue, these were diagnosed when I took the truck in for a diagnostic just prior to my warranty expiring on time. Advisor, who is also an ex-diesel tech, said the problems weren't urgent but needed to be addressed soon. Dropped the truck off a couple weeks later on a Friday afternoon and had the truck back the following Monday afternoon. Again, can't complain about the service and it was fixed right each time. Now it's out of warranty so any repairs here on out are on my dime. I do have a rainy day fund set aside for when the next event arises as anything as complex as the newer diesels, whether it's a 6.0, 6.4, or 6.7, will eventually break. I can accept that and move on. I'll jump in my 6.0 right now and go cross country without thinking twice.

Unlike some, I don't expect perfection when dealing with anything mechanical and I'm not going to bash an entire product line if I do have a problem. You just have to know the weak points and work around them or fix them if possible. I'm not trying to minimize those who have had problems far more serious than I as I know more than a few have had them. However, it's really hard to filter out what problems are legit from those that were caused by owner abuse/neglect/misinformation and/or servicing dealer error.