Hi,


I'll preface this by saying I'm new to trucks in general, let alone diesel engines. I have plenty of experience with high compression, high horsepower, and forced induction cars, but diesel trucks are new to me


I'm looking for a used, reliable Ford truck. 95% will be used for daily driving, city and highway commutes. In the future sometime I would like to purchase a boat (dreams), so would like it to be able to tow up to 10k lbs without being a total dog.


Had been looking at F150 4x4s, but seems they fall on their face when pulling any more than 6k lbs. There's a chance i'll never end up with a boat, but if I ever do, or if I want to rent a trailer and go camping, I'd like a truck that has the ability to tow it without having to worry about the engine or transmission.


I've heard from friends that the early 2000s 7.3L F250s are unstoppable/unkillable. I've also heard the early 2000s 6.0L diesels have injector problems and to stay away from them.


I realize there are always bad stories, about any car/truck in the world, but I really want to minimize my risk and get a good, solid, tried and true platform. I take care of vehicles I own, but trying to avoid buying a truck and having to put $5k into it over the next 1-2 years


Just looking for any advice, on the engine, as well as the trucks overall that these engines went into

Thanks in advance

 

For your intended use a 6.8v10 Gasser would be more suitable, if you like bigger trucks, an f150 with the ecoboost will serve you well.

 

To address your questions the 7.3 is a reliable and long lasting engine. Whether or not it suits your needs is up to you to determine. I'm new to mine (had it for 2 1/2 years) and I have no regrets. I got it cheap (relatively speaking) and put some money into the suspension and brakes but otherwise it has been good to me. Previously I had an E-250 with a 351 in it and there is no comparison. I have an 18' beavertail trailer that I use for heavy hauling and I have grossed out at over #22,000 and the truck moved it like it was made for the job but it guzzled fuel like there was no tomorrow. There were a gazillion of these things produced and parts and support are second to none. They are getting older and if you're not capable of working on it yourself I'd recommend something newer, there are a lot of 'mechanics' out there looking to loot your bank account. If you take the dive and get yourself one you can definitely be proud of what you have.

 

I have a rig like what you're looking for. Mine was abused - then I bought it without knowing any better and did all my hard diesel learning on this poor abused beast. I've done everything I can to ruin the truck, but the silly thing keeps getting me home at about 310K miles.

It's a 16-year-old truck, and even the pampered ones are going to need a bit of work. Sensors go out, fluids grow stale, springs weaken, etc.... The transmission is not so unkillable, so before you tow heavy or get into tractor pulls - the stock transmission cooler is too small, and the torque converter and valve body can use some beefing up. There are some known weak links in the truck that are well known, so it's just a matter of a few dollars and a few weekend under the truck to modify those weak links with full instructions from this forum.

If you get deep into the hobby, you can make these things as powerful as they are tough.

 

The 7.3 is a durable platform. The 6.0's can be as well. The 6.0 has EGR, turbo, and head stud problems but a stout transmission. The 7.3's weak point is usually the transmission but there are some options there with some rebuilders that offer very stout upgrades for a stout price, and there is a Ford version of the transmission that is called the HD4R100. I just had one installed in my truck last week. It has a 3 year, unlimited mileage warranty that is serviced at any dealership in the country. If you are into forced induction cars, there are a lot of fun upgrades with these trucks that can make them perform at levels that may surprise you. They can get down the road pretty quickly for close to 8,000lbs.

 

As mentioned above, a lot of people state that the 7.3 was one of, if not the best (waiting for some Cummins people to cry out) platform ever put in a light to medium duty truck. They are reliable and can run to 1,000,000 miles replacing parts and pieces along the way. I do believe that they would have gone a lot longer than the 14 years they were produced in a vehicle if it weren't for interference from the EPA and such.

On the flip side, a lot of these trucks are now at the 15 year old mark, and as such things will be wearing out and need to be replaced, but that would be the same for any older vehicle. They are relatively easy to work on by someone with average mechanical ability and parts, for now at least, are readily available. Sure they don't perform anywhere near where the newer trucks do, but for the sounds of your needs for the truck they are more than capable of what you need and want.

The 6.0L's are good engines too, once they have been "bulletproofed" and all the known weaknesses addressed. They perform better than our trucks and as mentioned their transmissions are a lot more stout than ours. The basic chassis and bodies of these trucks are pretty much identical all the way to 2008 with the exception of steering and some suspension alterations in 2005.

Either way, this forum is excellent and can talk you through most repairs as they are needed.

Hang out in both forums, read the tech folders and ask lots of questions. These will help you decide what direction you want to go in.

 

First off ANY Ford truck is a great truck...as for you needs yes a 6.D'Oh or the 7.3 would do just nicely, but only you can really decide IF the truck will FIT YOUR needs...My Truck (Enigma) has been rode rough and put up wet each time by the previous owner (Company truck) but she has 447,777 on the ticker as of today (time of post), and so far the only parts that I HAD to replace was a rattling torque converter and the IPR (the thing with tin nut that likes to come off at times) and I have proactively bought the ICP and keep it as a spare along with a spare CPS in the glove box....