I have just purchased a 2006 f-350 King Ranch. I thought I would join FTE and now after reading the 6.0 threads I am very concerned. I guess I should have read this before my purchase. I wanted (thought I wanted) an 06 or 07 because of the bad mpg's on the 08 and newer. Are there any 6.0 owners out there that can make me feel better???

 

There are alot a reasons to buy a 6.0 , good mpg's is not one of them reguardless of the year. What has changed that you are now FREAKED OUT


BIG TRUCKS DONT GET GOOD FUEL MILEAGE

 

Good is a relative term. I would consider my 6.0 to get "good" mileage. The people who say they get 20+ mpg are questionable. Or maybe they could tell me how they do it. There are many people who have more but I have 190k on the clock with almost no problems. All you have to do is be proactive about the maintenance and you wont have a problem with a lot of the horror stories that you may find. Congrats on the purchase! And Welcome!

 

Nothing has changed with my truck. I love it. I am just worried from what I have been reading, but maybe that is to be expected when you are on a forum because that is probably why most people post on here is to find solutions to problems.

greentree... you are right on the mpg's I guess I should say better mpg's.

Basket.... Strong on the 190k. That is what I hope for!

 

Get an ODBII plug-in gauge (Scangauge2 or an app for a smartphone) so you can monitor your engine's vitals and SEE if there is anything to worry about before you panic. Welcome to FTE and the 6L club.

 

Depends on what was done to the truck and how you drive, keep your foot off the skinny pedal and you can see highway mileage of 20+ just remember any stop and go your only getting 1-3 mpg when starting from a dead stop.

 

The key to 6.0 longevity is proper maintenance.

I'll tell u this i have a 2006 KR myself that has many aftermarket power-adder's (i maintain mine exactly as folks on here say to) & my dad has a 2004 6.0 which is stock except for a Bank's exhaust, now he is not good at doing maintenance at all (must be lucky) & we both drive em like we stole em.
Dad crapped a EGR cooler once & mine has been flawless so far
I love the 6.0 & dont want anything do with the newer trucks that use DEF, our semi's at work all have those high dollar exhaust systems that u pour bottle after bottle of DEF into & i hate em
Edit: also (i heard) states that have yearly inspections (like mine) will now be doing emissions tests (not just safety inspection) on 2008+ diesels starting 2013, another reason to keep your 6.0

 

I wouldn't want a 6.4L from what I understand is they are notorious for poor fuel mileage, at least the first year they came out. And after seeing some video of people working on them makes me happy I bought a 6.0

 

Great to hear some positive feedback!

 

Stop by Ford dealer and ask for an Oasis report on your truck. Need the vin #.

This will show you what has been done to your truck while under warranty.

And don't get paranoid!!!!

Enjoy your new truck!

They are fun.

 

It would be nice if we could just skip the BS and call it what it is, a tax. I'd rather pay the fee than go down and have them pretend that some emissions check is worthwhile.

 

I have to agree with the OP here, for every good post on the 6.0 diesel there seem to me 2 or more bad ones.. Kind of like my 5.4l . Although I've been quiet satisfied; my family is growing and we will need to upgrade from Supercab to Crew here shortly (although will stay with a LB).

I've been pondering an upgrade and whether or not to go diesel, however don't have any good reason to yet and after reading some of the forums here, the 7.3 seems to be one of Fords best; however I'd like to get something newer.

It would be nice to see of list of must have maintenance/mods that are absolutely required to avoid trouble with the 6.0, from those of you that own have owned them.

 

The list of reliability mods have been posted many times here. What is needed depends quite a bit on the model year.

 

Here is a start:

05's and up have weak STC fittings, standpipes and dummy plugs. The upgraded parts are pretty reasonably priced. Having the work done can get a little expensive. Doing it yourself is recommended - all the knowledge to do so is here.
05's and up have a weak EGR cooler - can't tolerate excessive heat. BPD makes a great upgrade cooler. An EGR delete is also a solution.
03-04 have weak HPOPs. Gauges can help you troubleshoot a problem here if it starts to develop at the higher mileages.
03-04 - have a weak IPR sensor and connector - this is a pain since the sensor is tucked away under the turbo.

All have the potential for weak fuel pressure (a cheap blue spring can fix it - easy to do also)
All have undersized alternators (140A is minimum and 190A is better). They are easy to replace.
EGR valves were updated for all model years and are MUCH more reliable. These are easy to replace also.
All have had various issues with wire chaffing, but 03-05 were probably the worst. Just make a good inspection of the wiring before buying.
All have weak FICM's (cheap to repair though - FICMrepair.com is HIGHLY recommended!)

All should have the proper oil and filters at the proper interval
All should have the proper fuel filters and changed at the proper interval
All should have proper coolant and proper flushing ............ AND a coolant filter is wise.
All should have the transmission fluid flushed every 30k miles and the external filter should be changed at that time (but probably wise to change it every 15k miles).
All model years seem to be susceptibe to small oil leaks. Most are absolutely not an issue. Checking for oil leaks before a purchase is a good idea though.

Remember - do not romp on the accelerator until the engine is fully warmed up. I like to keep it below 2000 rpms.

Lastly - all model years are susceptible to the oil cooler plugging on the coolant side - it has VERY tight passageways. Some root causes are - casting sand, rust/corrosion, silicate drop out from the coolant, and gelling of the coolant. This is why a coolant filter is a good idea - some need it and some don't seem to. No idea why. I do know that excessive heat is not good on the Ford Gold coolant. Mixing coolant types is not good. Running the engine with excessively low coolant is not good. Using water other than distilled water when mixing the coolant is not a good idea (calcium, etc). Leaving the coolant in too many miles is not good. Some people choose to go w/ ELC (EC1 rated) diesel coolant and that seems to be less susceptible to problems, but you still need to properly maintain ANY coolant.

You absolutely need gauges. If you are plugging up your oil cooler, you can see it by watching the difference in coolant and oil temps after the engine gets up to operating temperature.

Gauges that are important:
- Coolant Temp
- Oil temp
- boost
- Battery voltage
- FICM voltage

You also need add-on sensors to get these additional gauge readings:
- fuel pressure
- Exhaust Gas temperature
- coolant (degas bottle) pressure

Can you live without some of the above?? sure. If you want the best chance at 350k miles, then all of the above is a good idea (depending on your model year choice as mentioned above).

Also -
A larger exhaust is nice - helps to lower EGT's.
If you want a tuner, then head studs are a good idea. Some say there are safe tunes. Maybe there are, but I won't recommend a tuner without recommending head studs. If you do install head studs, then get the heads checked for flatness and cracking. Heads can be milled, but there is a limit. Some say 0.008, I would be more comfortable with 0.005 or 0.006 personal preference). When doing the head studs, use ONLY OEM (Ford) head gaskets. The head studs need the proper amount of lube and the proper torque on install.

 

Thanks for the tips. I am about to pull the trigger on a used 6.0 but havn't decided what year yet.

Probably depend on what is available when I am ready to buy.

I am buying because I want something newer that the 7.3
This engine has been out of production at least 9 years and the market is leaving it behind.

I suspect that the newer and the lower mileage the better. Of course there are others that have all the nice mods (EGR delete, studs, oil cooler upgrade, etc) that are tempting.

Oh well, it is only money.

Thanks again.