Hey, so my brother is talking about buying a 2011 6.7L with about 100,000 miles from a dealer and asked me to help him take a look at it. I know what to look for when buying a used gas engine but this will be the first diesel that I have ever looked at and I was hoping you all could give me some pointers on what to watch out for. Thanks.

 

Me personally, need to be looking at a 2012 or newer. The 2011s have a tendency to drop valves right around the 100k mark.

 

X2. The odds are you won't have this happen but the odds are much better with a 12 or newer. 2011 + 100k seems to be a bad combo...

 

Go to this guys website and watch all the videos he has available because everything he says is true.

Ask the dealer if there's any sticktion in the valves, and if there is look for jackhammer marks on the pistons.

Last but not least...if you see the last guy, watch out, there's a good chance you'll get shot. On a serious note, personally I would't buy a first Gen 6.7 with that many miles without a good warranty.

 

check to see if the motor was replaced...otherwise 2013 and up is really good,

 

Two years ago I bought a job 1 2011 F-350 DRW with 117,XXX miles and no service record from an out of state dealer. At the time, the dreaded cracked valves were only occurring in the chassis cab trucks. I test drove it, checked for leaks both running and static, and used every mode of the transmission and 4WD system. I've put 50,000 miles on it since and had to replace 2 injectors (rare failure), 2 EGT sensors (common failure), and a leaking turbo coolant line (common failure). I think the advice about skipping the 2011 is sound, but based on price and the availability of some kind of warranty, your brother may be just fine with this truck. I think apart from looking back on service records (or possibly an OASIS report if available), the typical failures on these engines don't provide a telltale sign you can "look" for. When you do look at it, be aware the 6.7 does make a few funny noises that are normal.

 

thanks alot for all of the good information guys, I will watch those videos for sure Thenewboss. One thing I forgot to mention was that my brother works as a site supervisor for a construction company and as far as i understand his work days are mostly filled with driving from subdivision to subdivision checking on things, I don't know how long of a drive it is between them but I do remember from when i spent more time on this site that the other diesel engines (6.0's and 6.4's) dont do so well with short commutes, is this the same with the 6.7? I tried to talking him into buying the f150 ecoboost but he has his mind set on getting a powerstroke.

 

Ha! I was mostly joking about watching the videos so there's really no need to do so. I wasn't joking about getting a good warranty. Lots of good advice on these posts.

 

short commutes are not that good on modern diesels because of the emissions.


You would be better off with a gas motor in that case.


Prolonged idleing is just as bad.

 

Or he could delete and not worry about it...

 

thanks for the help guys

 

im sorry i have another question, my brother had heard that diesels dont use alot of gas when idling, could he just leave his truck idle when he is at the different houses instead of turning it on and off? Would this solve the emission issues or is the DPF delete still going to be necessary?

 

Modern diesels can't idle like the day of old. Idling is just as bad as short runs. The emissions system will take a hit and things will fail with extended idling.

 

Sounds like you need to spend some time reading sites like this one. Diesel are more work and require better maintenance then gas engines. Don't pull the trigger until you know what you are in for.

Diesel engines loved to be worked hard and then cooled slowly. Diesel engine and turbos need to cool down once they been worked hard. Diesel hate short runs. Not a good daily driver in traffic. But they pull like you would not believe.

There will always be another deal. Spend the time and learn first.

I would not own a diesel without warranty on it. Also be warned that Ford denies warranty on fuel system if they find any evidence of water in the system. Many people will sell their truck if they get water in fuel. This is my biggest warning.

 

Okay thanks, and yes i sure do have alot of reading to do