As title said, I am looking for a new truck, upgrading from my 2009 F-150 Platinum to a diesel.

Requirements: 4x4, Super Crew, Diesel.
Needs: Towing more and more...getting to the point of needing to tow either 2 trucks or 1 truck and 1 smallish tractor at a time, more than the 1/2 ton can handle.

I've heard all about the head bolt issues on the 6.0s, and the EGR issues on both, etc. etc. From what I have been reading, it looks like the issue isn't so much the head bolts them selves, that they wouldn't have failed if not put in a bad spot by the EGR, which may not have failed if there were not coolant issues (possibly the oil cooler restricting flow of the liq. coolant)

I am sure that what I buy will get some slight power mods over time, nothing too fancy, at least not so long as this remains my tow vehicle. At most, 2-4 inches of lift if any at all...nothing over the top until she gets replaced.

I am looking in the area of 2007s with the 6.0, or 2008s with the 6.4, mainly based around the price point. would even look at a 2006 if the price was right.

I guess that I am looking for opinions, is the 6.0 really as bad as some people make it out to be? Or is it stuff that can be prevented with good maintnance, or a few mods out the gate (EGR delete, coolant changes, etc.?) would head bolt changes be necassary?

Ideally, I would find a truck where EGR deletes and Head studs have already been done, then I would not need to worry about having to go too far into the truck to upgrade, correct?

 

there is nothing wrong with a 6.0 IF you get the 07 model. they were the best hands done and from what Ive read and researched have ZERO issues. Now the 6.4 is going to get horrible mpg if you leave it stock, if your state isn't picky about the pollution garbage on the motor you can simply remove it all and have a zero worry bad a$$ truck. My buddy just bought a 6.5 F250 crew cab long bed and it has all the pollution gutted off of it and thats here in NJ! I don't know how he went through inspection but they passed him, i cant even drive my 04 F350 through without them looking underneath to make sure that my cat is still in the system on my 5.4 motor

 

We don't have any pollution worries where I am. I know quite a few folks who have done EGR deletes, as far as cat deltes, strictly speaking doing that is not legal, but they don't ever really check, and there are ways around a visual inspection anyways if you can weld.

 

There's nothing special about the 2007 model year. All 2007 6.0s were made by July-ish 2006, which is how they avoided the '07 emissions and ULSD requirements. The 2006 model year was split into two groups, as of Jan 11, 2006 (SN 6,723,722) 6.0s were commonized for the 6.4L changeover, so the '07 MY is the same as the second half of the '06 MY run.

After 2004.25, the EGR cooler design sucked, so '07s still have that as a major weakness, plus the FICM and PCM tuning from the factory is a nasty combo of less power and worse MPGs, no matter what the ratings sticker says. The oil cooler is always a crap shoot on any 6.0. I'm fighting through an exhaust leak between the manifolds and turbo right now (all years have a crappy up- and y-pipe setup), and turbo rusting and EGR valve problems can happen to any model year. STC fitting on the HPOP is an '05+ gift waiting to fail.

I'd still choose a 6.0 over a 6.4, but 2007 6.0s aren't special compared to other years. Plus at this point every F-series 6.0 is at least 6 and half years old, so every unit has to be looked at on an individual basis; in that time frame even the best unit produced could still have been beat on and trashed with bad maintenance.

The engine cost a lot of people a lot of money, so some of the grudges against it are well-earned. But by this point we've seen pretty much everything that can go wrong with them, so at least you're fighting well-known issues with techs that have a lot of wrench time on them. There are so many "stupid" problems on this engine, things that seem silly that can cause multi-thousand dollar repairs if you start throwing in parts instead of adressing the root $25 part that caused it; using the wrong brand of oil filter can clog the IPR and cause no-starts, using the wrong fuel filters can feed water to the injectors, using the wrong air filter can damage the turbo, using the wrong oil or longer intervals (even factory specified weights and intervals) can cause rough running issues and injector damage, the (again, factory spec'd) coolant can damage engine parts, a weak battery or alternator can toast a $800 computer module, it's just an odd-duck where absolutely everything maintenance wise has to be correct or you'll eventually cause a cascading failure.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...used-6-0l.html
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...09&postcount=6

 

6.4 headgaskets are not so much the issue, oil cooler is good to go with proper maintance and the EGR valve really does not have any issues.

But...radiators and radiator hoses are a weak spot. radiator tends to leak at the seams..that is true all the way up to 2013 model year. They are made much cheaper now.

Coolant maintance is a much, watch the levels and checking of nitrites.

Emissions is harder with the dpf. So if you are doing alot of city stuff then it may not be for you. 6.4 is a towing/hwy motor. That is where the emissions work the best.

MPG's will not be as good. My life time is 11.5 over 79K miles. Probably 75% heavy towing.

 

well, may've found a truck. 2008 Lariat SCrew FX4, 150k miles. It is being sold by a very reputable diesel shop in my area, they are going through and making repairs (previous owner sold it to the shop due to DPF issues it seems), doing head stud job, deletes, and getting the engine all cleaned up and running right, and it looks to all be for a very reasonable price...cheaper than most trucks around here without all the delete work done to it.

And tomorrow I sign the paperwork to sell my 2009 F-150 platinum to the dealership...for the same price I bought the truck for 2.5 years ago.

 

Pictures! make sure only OEM filters are on this truck (fuel and oil).

 

In the event htat it hasnt used OEM filters its entire life, will that be much cause for concern with the motor being torn down to the smallblock at this point for head studs/gaskets?

 

Nope..just make sure they use the right stuff to start you off right.

Aftermarket oil filters might not depress the oil pressure spring enough allowing it to starve the motor of oil.

Fuel filters...well racor is the industry standard for the best filtration and fit as well.

Dead giveaway will be a Non-OEM cap on either.

 

Get a 7.3 and just drive it.

 

Have two 7.3l and they are fantastic. Have an 03 6.0l which has cost thousands in repairs and recently got rid of an 08 6.4l which also was a maintenance nightmare. As someone said with either the 6.0 or 6.4l you are one tank of bad diesel away from disaster. Both of these motors have a bad rep for a reason.

 

Lol at the uninformed 7.3 fan boys. The newest 7.3 is still 10 years old and a 7.3 can only dream of having the transmission and power of a 6.4 or 6.0.

 

I think that you could get a lemon it any form you want...I also think you need to take everthing you hear about each of them with a grain of salt..

All I know is I am very happy with my 6.4. I have towed heavy from coast to coast and up north and down south.

So for me. I'll stick with what works for me.

 

I agree with Texastech_diesel....

I'd look at a 2006-2007 Super Duty with the 6.0. My reason:

-The ability to work on the truck yourself instead of having to pay someone to do it.

The newer 6.4 trucks are well built tow monsters, but the thought of the repair costs make me shy away from them.

The 6.0 requires a few other mods upfront, but still makes a great tow vehicle.

If I for some reason my Excursion was destroyed and had to be replaced, it would be replaced with either a 2005 6.0 Excursion or 2006-2007 Super Duty, I'd take the time up front and take care of the minor nuisances that tend to catch up with you over time.

Clean fluids, filters, and fuel are a great start, but you'd need these mods/updated parts so you're not caught at a bad time.

Blue Fuel Spring Mod- Raises the fuel pressure so that it doesn't fall below 45 psi.

Updated Dummy Plugs and Standpipes- Common issue on the later 6.0. When these fail it can and will leave you on the side of the road with a crank no start condition hot or cold. Replace them up front unless the PO has proof they were done.

STC Fitting- This one is a bit of a gamble as some have had issues with it and some have not. There is an updated one piece fitting that permanently resolves the issue where the original part would seperate, leading to a hot crank no start condition, and/or hard cank/start while cold.

Coolant Flush with an ELC followed by a Coolant Filter- This is more preventative maintenance to keep your oil cooler and EGR cooler happy, as well as keep your engine cooled better.

6.0s like any other motor cost money when they are tuned, driven hard, and don't have the proper supporting mods like an exhaust. Other than that, if you can find a clean stock truck with no signs or abuse, or even better one with studs and an EGR delete, that's the route I'd go.

 

Just found a 2007 F-350 SRW Crew Cab Lariat. Truck looks very nice on the outside, clean for new england anyway. It has 112k on the odometer. I'm not to familiar with 6.0s and have read a bunch about them. The dealer wants 25k, and that seems high for a truck with 112k. Any opinions i'd love to hear. I read everything in this post, and have already learned quite a bit. I watched a buddy deal with an 08 6.4 that was a nightmare, so i'm not to interested in that. And finding a 7.3 without 250k is becoming almost impossible. I've always wanted one and would love some opinions