Looking to purchace a truck to pull my 5th wheel. I have a test drive tomorrow morning in a 04 Super Duty F-350 6.0l with 139,000 mile on it. I'm new to diesel truck and while looking through some of the post, I find alot of people reporting problems with the 6.0l. Is this something I should be concerened about? This will also be my primary vehicle. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Make sure you obtain an Oasis report for the truck, this will tell you plenty of how the trucdk was care for. The 6.0 does have a bad rep. However if you educate yourself as much as you can on it you'll find it is well worth it to get one that was well cared for. Stay away from one that had a tuner on it to be safe.

 

Thank you for responding. I've done a lot of reading, now my head is spinning.. lol.. I'll definately ask for the report.

 

Honestly thats completely normal when spending this kinda money for our trucks. I ordered a 2011 and I'm still not sure I want it. I love my 6.0 It has been very good to me but I'm also a nut when it comes to maintenance and thats all the 6.0 really needs. That and a coolant filter is highly recommended

 

Agreed with all above statements (accept the "just ordered a 2011" statement... ohhhh to be so fortunate! lol). As long as the truck has been properly maintained, and you properly maintain it, you will be fine. I am a stickler for maintenance and so are the 6.0Ls. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of things that are flawed with the 6.0L design such as the EGR valve and EGR cooler, but every vehicle has it's lesser quality parts anyway, and the horror stories you hear of 6.0Ls mostly stems from improper maintenance, making the truck do something it was not designed to do such as push out 60# of boost or an extra couple of hundred HP with a tuner, etc. A lot of people I have talked to that have had bad experiences with their 6.0 also have had 7.3s and have treated them as such (going a few thou. on oil changes, 50K on fuel filters, etc.). The 7.3 has it's place, as it to me is more of a fleet truck (loud, but can go longer with more neglected servicing), where as the 6.0L is more refined. They are extremely quiet, PLENTY of torque and power, good fuel economy, will tow about anything most people will ever need to tow, and is an all around good rig for work or daily driving.
All in all, be good to it and the 6.0PSD will be good to you. Just be sure that the truck has been well serviced (oil every 5,000 miles, fuel filters every 10,000 miles, etc.) and be sure to keep those intervals up. Also make sure that you keep the fuel above 1/4 tank, as no diesel likes to be run dry, and this also helps keep the condensation out of the tank (i.e. water). Once you get a 6.0L though, I think you will be happy with it. The ride is nice, quiet, pulls strong, has a great feel to it, and working on the truck is a piece of cake for most servicing procedures (even the oil filter and one of the fuel filters is right on top of the motor!) All in all though, it really depends on what you want, but don't be afraid of what you have heard... the 6.0 is a good engine as long as you treat it right. Good luck with the test drive and have fun!

 

You know, I don't really think it's the EGR system in of itself that's a problem or a flawed design. I think it's more of it's the first time it was on a diesel and people didn't know how to handle a diesel that all of a sudden had these things thrust upon it. There are too many people that haven't had issues and have that system still active for me to think of it as a design flaw in the strictest sense.

If you aren't careful on how you take care of the 6.0, the EGR system can give you a hard time if you drive it like people drove the 7.3 and previous diesel engines. I think as a whole people have to be a little more educated with how to deal with diesels then they had to before the 6.0.

A lot of people don't like the idea of that, but none the less that is how it is and it's something that they better adjust to quickly otherwise they are either going to have troubles or going to need to stay with the much older vehicles.

 

I agree partially with that. The EGR cooler has a lot of sand casting from the factory, which can cause gunk, soot, and crap to build up in it over time. But you are right, how one drives their truck makes a LOT of difference. Every now and then, it is a good idea to drive it like you stole it. Last night I went through Gatlinburg at the Rod Run, and was sitting in traffic for four and a half hours! I shut the truck off when I was not able to move for more than a minute or two, but still was not feeling good about going so long at idle. As soon as I got onto the interstate again, I turned on the tow package and put my foot in it for a few minutes, to let the truck blow out some of the soot from where it was sitting at idle so much. about 20 minutes before I got to the house I drove it normally, to allow the turbo to cool down properly, and feel confident I blew out any soot that may have collected. Also, performance tuners probably take their toll on the EGR cooler/valve as well. You see a lot of guys that have tuners on their trucks bellowing out black smoke on the higher settings. With all that black smoke out the pipes, it makes you wonder how much is going through the EGR, provided they still have one on their trucks.

 

I believe it's the oil cooler that is more prone to the casting sand problem. I don't recall hearing of that with the EGR cooler. Now the oil cooler will affect the EGR cooler, but I think that it's the oil cooler that is prone to that problem first hand, then as a ripple effect, it affects the EGR cooler.

 

Well, I am a new owner of a used 2004 F-350 Super Duty 4x4 Crew Cab. I'll be picking it up tomorrow. It said that it had the tow package, hope the dealer wasn't pulling my leg. Question for anyone; the truck has one odd ball tire it, must have had a problem when it was traded in. Any ideas of a decent set of tires to throw on? We will be towing a 37ft 5th wheel on in a while, but mainly be driving it on combined highway/city.

Thanks again to everyone with their responces, it really did help out.

 

Congrats on the new rig! Wahoo! Take a look at the shifter, it should have a button on the end that when pressed lights up "tow/haul".

 

Lots of good tire choices, just make sure it has the weight rating to pull the 5er. The tread design is more up to you and what your main driving conditions will be in. I like the a/t tires that have more of a hiway tread pattern because they get more mileage,are quiter, and I get around in mud, snow and sand just fine.Right now I am running Cooper because a new dealer moved into town and has better prices. I have used Toyo's for years with good luck. Goodyear Wranglers were good for me too, but have not had a set in 15 years.

 

Well if the tires are in pretty good shape, I would just buy 2 new ones to match and rotate them around. If they are worn, then depending on driving style there are alot of great tires out there.

 

Well, I think my ignorance about Diesel trucks just got me taken for a ride from the Ford dealer. The sales guy said that the light on the instrument panel, which I just found out is the HFCM, he said that it meant that I needed fuel. I suppose the two thunks that I hear when I come to a complete stop and then again when I take off isn't normal, as he said it was. Would like to know what that really is then??? How can I find out what the exact weight rating is for towing a 5er on the 04 F-350 cc super Duty? I just downloeaded the owners manual from the internet, the truck didn't have one in it, and it said with 5er the weight is 12,7000 lbs. The owner of the dealership sat there and said this truck will tow 14,500lbs. Can anyone help with this info?????

 

Is the light three little droplettes? If so, that is indeed the HFCM, no biggie, just means it needs to be drained. Ten minute job at best. As for the clunk, I would take it back and have them fix it, should DEFINITELY not do that. Sorry to hear the dealer tried to BS you.

 

First off, the dealer is an idiot! Clunks are not normal at all. Period.
That tow number sounds low, actually. I am not 100%, but I think the tow rating is 12K at the hitch but around 22K at the goose neck, but I could be wrong about that. The GVWR should be found on your truck's door jamb sticker. This is the best way to verify.