I'm very seriously considering trading my 2006 f250 6.0 lariat in for a different truck tomorrow. Yet again, the truck nearly left me stranded. I have already needed rescue once (from a chevy) and got very close to the same thing happening a couple days ago.

The truck i'm thinking of trading for is.....













.....Another 6.0

The only real complaint I have about my truck is the lack of 4WD. I was out hunting the other day and got very close to getting stuck in a spot no real truck should ever get stuck in. My uncle was riding shotgun and after I was attempting to get unstuck said "really? Just put in 4WD," to which I laughed. He assumed my truck was a 4x4 and nearly crapped himself when he realized we might really be stuck. Last year, I got stuck trying to get to a fishing spot. Luckily, there was a good samaritan in his chevy laughing his butt off from across the reservoir and came to my aid. there were also about a dozen times i almost got stuck in the snow and ice this last winter. I moved to Idaho last year and while 2wd is fine for Las Vegas, NV, 4WD is the way to go out here.

The truck I am looking at is a 2006 f250 6.0 XLT crewcab longbed FX4. it has 155k on the clock vs my 158k. The difference is I have 4500 engine hours on my current truck and the truck I am looking at has over 6400 engine hours. I'm not too crazy about that part.

I'm on the fence about pulling the trigger on this "new" truck.


The good:
-4X4!!!
-head studs already done!! (a while ago apperently, there was some rust on the studs)
-It checked out pretty well with my gauges, except for oil cooler with a delta of ~14
-engine sounds healthy, no blowby, no stiction, turbo builds boost as it should.
-coolant is ford gold (or zerex g-05), no green crud in there
-overall, this truck seems to be mechanically sound

The bad:
-driver window doesn't move back up and only went 5 inches down. It's either the regulator or the bracket broke loose from the window.
-the climate control fan **** is missing and the center shaft it slides onto is completely bent. That needs to be fixed asap. I wasn't even able to test the A/C or heater.
-I would have to swap my 5th wheel hitch over ASAP, because I need to move my 5th wheel this weekend for work.
-stock EGR cooler (my current truck has a BDP egr cooler)
- I would have to transfer my tunes and SCT x4 over to the new truck, as well as plumb in an EGT sensor.
- almost 2000 more engine hours, despite the slightly lower mileage. probably a lot of idle time.
-downgrading from a lariat to a XLT. I'm gonna miss those leather seats.

- The truck shakes for 1-2 seconds once you get moving in reverse, but only reverse. Anybody have an idea what that is about? it feels almost like what warped rotors feel like. could this be transmission related? there are NO abnormalities when moving forward in drive.


The bolded part is my biggest concern. what do you guys think that might be and also the truck overall. Should I wait?

As far as the money part goes, My current truck has a restored salvage title, due to theft, not collision, so that plays a negative factor. It is also FULLY bulletproofed (head studs with machined heads, BPD egr cooler, fresh oil cooler and water pump at 138k, coolant filter, EGT gauge, 4" turboback exhaust and good tuning), which helped the trade-in value a lot. This small dealer is somewhat familiar with the 6.0 and offered $1800 more for the truck after I showed and told them the bulletproof stuff.
With this deal, I will have to shell out $4800 out of pocket. I think it is worth it to have 4WD, but not if that shake is coming from the transmission.

long post, thanks for reading and offering yours opinions

 

Needs a trans, hate to say it

 

6400 hours? I thought that looked really high and just went outside to check mine. I have 225k miles and 4820 engine hours. That is a ton of hours for 155k miles.

 

well, I had a bad gut feeling about this whole thing, especially when I felt that reverse shake. I'm not in too big a hurry to get a 4x4 truck with spring finally here. I guess I'll keep an eye out for a less sketchy 6.0.

Per4mance, I'm going to take your word on this one. Something about this whole thing just didn't seem right.

I think the dealer knows about the trans issue. That might be why it seemed almost too easy to talk them down over $3000 in price. I used to sell cars, so i know the negotiation tactics, but I didn't get nearly as much of a "battle" as I thought I would and actually talked them down more than I thought I'd be able to.

I guess I dodged a bullet here. I wish I could say the same about the truck I bought before my current love/hate 6.0, the only hate being the 2wd.

I didn't buy my current truck on impulse. The previous truck I bought the same day I first saw it. It was a 2001 f350 CCLB dually with the 7.3. The mechanical odometer read 142k and it seemed to run pretty good. I was fairly ignorant when it came to diesels. fast forward 4 months, I found out it had a significant high pressure oil system leak, had been dusted severely, had A LOT of blowby, horrible looking turbo blades, and actually had more than 350k miles (carfax) and the odometer had been rolled back. The engine was on its last leg and I sold the truck for half of what I paid for it, because I was actually honest about the issues. the truck was gutless and it couldn't maintain a 6% grade at highway speeds unloaded without slowing down.

This truck I am/was looking at is now giving me flashbacks of that previous truck. Whether it is transmission or not, I'm going to wait on a truck I feel more confident about, similar to when I bought my current truck.

 

that's what I was thinking. I thought 4500 hours was a bit high for my current truck at almost 159k.

 

well, I finally found and already bought my 6.0's replacement. Some here will not like what I am about to say...


I bought a 2003 Dodge ram 3500 dually with the high output cummins and 6-speed manual. It already has the 5th wheel rails in the bed, an aux. fuel tank/toolbox combo and a very heavy duty metal front bumper (deer catcher as I call them). It also is in EXCELLENT shape for the year and mileage at 197k. On top of that, It was my favorite color for a truck, dark blue. It is also a loaded laramie (similar to a loaded lariat). Another added bonus is the lack of any kind of physical emissions components. The 2003 H.O. cummins didn't even have a catalytic converter from the factory, let alone EGR.

Between past vehicles, trade-ins of customers from when I sold cars, the 6.0 I was thinking about buying and my 6.0 scaring me with the 3-5 flare, I flat-out do not trust automatic transmissions at higher mileage.

I am taking a hiatus from the outdoor electrical construction trade (long story) and currently, I am working at a used car lot, selling mostly diesel trucks. I had a lot to choose from at employee cost, so I decided to narrow my criteria down for my next truck.
My next truck had to be a 6-speed manual and 4x4. If it was to be another 6.0, it would also need to have head studs done already as well, because I like to run decent powered tunes without worrying. Needless to say, the 2003 cummins fit all my needs with other nice things that I didn't really need, but wanted.

That being said, I will still be here on the forums. I am around 6.0s nearly all day at work and still think they are the best value in the used diesel truck market and are way underrated and undeserving of the bad reputation they have. The dealership I am working at has and sells more 6.0s than any other vehicle, so I am happy to work there and will be referring my 6.0 customers here to these forums.

somewhat unrelated side note:
The dealership I work for is very familiar with the 6.0 and has 2 diesel mechanics on staff, inspecting every vehicle we sell. They specialize in the Ford diesels and specifically test coolant system pressure under load, FICM voltage, fuel pressure, oil/coolant delta, contribution test, etc. It's nice to be working for a dealership that sells GOOD trucks. I have read too many horror stories here about people who bought a 6.0 from a dealer, only for it to need to major work immediately. Just today (and tomorrow), we had a 2003 6.0 cab-off to replace the HPOP and re-do the head studs properly. The truck had ARP studs already, but had a mildly blown head gasket, due to it being done wrong the first time. This is all being done BEFORE the truck is even available for sale. I'm glad I can stand behind the trucks I am selling and will be referring new 6.0 owners here.

 

Sorry to see you leave the 6.0 crowd, but the good news is that if you get an itch to come back, it sure sounds like you'll have the pick of the litter on a near daily basis!

If the lot you are working on needs a source for FICM's, I know a guy.

 

Which one are you at?

 

It's a mom and pop type small dealership in Boise. I wasn't intending to advertise here, but it is Western Auto Sales. westernautosale.com is our website.

Ed, I will be talking to the owner for sure about trying a new source for FICMs.

 

Just curious, I grew up in that area.

 

I'm moving to Boise in June gonna be driving my new 6.0 down there I'll have to stop by sometime!

 

Hey Welcome to the 6 speed manual club!!! I know its a different truck and engine but now you know the difficulty in locating a truck that is a 6 speed manual, 4WD, diesel and in my case CCLB. You SCORED and I would definitely say the amount of Lariats in that category are even less. So I am happy that you were able to find a Laramie! Mine is only an XL, but I can make it a lariat! Congrats brother! My truck has 191k as well and the 6 speed transmission is excellent, knock on wood.

 

Just an update:

I no longer work for Western Auto Sales.

The longer I worked for Western Auto Sales, the more I realized they weren't as honest as I had originally thought. they have some good trucks, but they also have some bad ones they are trying to sell and try to hide the problems. I am not the type of person that will lie to somebody in order to make a sale, so I didn't belong there anyway.

The boss was starting to notice me steering customers away from certain trucks, so tension was already starting to rise.
I ended up quitting/getting fired because I would not sell a Ram 1500 that had a very loud lower engine knock and was out of warranty. The boss was telling me to tell the customer it was a simple exhaust leak when I knew damn well it wasn't. The customer was a family man who could barely afford the payments on the truck, let alone the inevitable engine replacement that was coming.

On another note, I have delayed listing my 6.0 up for sale as long as I could. Mainly, I did this because I wanted to make sure my "new" truck was good first. Since I am out of work once again until August when the union work picks back up, I am low on funds. I need to sell the truck. I have it listed on the classifieds here if anybody is interested.

some of you may have seen my other thread about the 3-5 shift hang/flare. That issue has been resolved with a fluid change and re-learn. I have driven it for over 1,000 miles since then without issue.

I will still be visiting these forums occasionally, even after the truck sells. I've already told myself if I end up selling the Dodge, I will go back to a 6.0, unless the next new generation of diesels miraculously don't have a DPF.

 

Now you know why I have my 2005 Excursion....

My 2001 Excursion, though lifted 6 inches only has 2wd with an open diff. So on three occasions I got stuck and Summer 2013 was the last straw. The long and short of it is that I was exploring on the beach and got stuck.

Chevy and Dodge owners are very friendly and will come help pull you out cameras in hand. I was fortunate because my buddy and his 2007 F350 with 4wd came and pulled me out.

I started looking September 2013 and had my truck October 11th, 2013, leaking EGR cooler and all. It had 123,860 on it and tonight it just rolled over 217K.

Keep looking, you'll find the right one.

 

I'm glad/sad to see I'm not the only one who had to part ways with a good truck, due to needing 4x4.

My F250 has the limited slip diff, which is what i give credit for the snow and ice. I never got stuck in it, but had a few close calls, mainly on a dirt road with about a foot of snow/ice. The two times I got into trouble were on dirt trails with steep declines with patches of shallow, slick mud. The rear tires had very little weight on them when i got stuck, and then when I almost got stuck on that 2nd occasion.

One of the first things i did with my dodge was go to a hunting spot with steep, sandy inclines i never would have attempted before. I started the hills in 2wd and didn't make it half way up the first one. Once i put it in 4wd, it crawled right up.

In order for me to sell my "new" truck, i would have to receive an outrageous offer for it first. In my area, people are brainwashed by the 5.9 cummins and the 7.3 powerstroke, especially if they have a 6-speed. I paid 17.5k for my 5.9. Fueling up the other day, I got offered 18k by a guy who's been looking for a clean 6-speed laramie for almost a year, or so he claimed. When i politely declined his offer, he asked how much i would sell it for. I told him i bought it recently and don't plan to sell it. If i ever get offered more than 20k for it, the hunt for a clean, low mile 6.0 will begin, but i don't count on that happening. 20k would buy a VERY nice 6.0 around here.
I have my 159k mile 6.0 listed locally (and here on FTE) for $9800 and haven't gotten a single call after 2 days. Meanwhile, there's a 6-speed 2005 cummins with 430k miles that recently sold in this area for 10k. I think that is absurd.