time to go??
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Joined: Dec 2010
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time to go??
This beautiful navy F250 Super Duty is the truck of my dreams, but it is a 2004. Heard by the way of the informant that Ford redesigned its diesel and have had many problems with the 2004. This truck has been rebuilt once about 40,000 mi. ago and it has had no problems since. Should it be looking for a new home?? Or am I safe to believe it will go on and on??
Thanks.
Thanks.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,256
Likes: 6
From: Garden Valley, Idaho
Personally, I wouldn't touch a 6 leaker with a R4100 tranny, with a 10 foot pole. Just go on line and look up the Frod TSB's for any year 6.0 diesel from 2003-2007 and that should give you a good scare for any 6 leaker close to or over the 100,000 mile warranty. Forget it and find a good used 7.3 or better yet, a good used 6.8 V-10 for the best most reliable Ford engine ever made.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 3,215
Likes: 8
From: WV
I would first get the VIN number and go to a Ford dealer that I trusted, and get them to give you an OASIS report. This should tell you any past work that was done by Ford.
Next, I would want more details on what "rebuilt 40,000 miles ago" means. Did they have to do a major overhaul on the motor? Was the truck totaled and rebuilt? What does that mean?
After those two things, you can make a more informed decision on whether you should buy or not.
Good luck!
Next, I would want more details on what "rebuilt 40,000 miles ago" means. Did they have to do a major overhaul on the motor? Was the truck totaled and rebuilt? What does that mean?
After those two things, you can make a more informed decision on whether you should buy or not.
Good luck!
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
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From: Stephensville WI
Personally, I wouldn't touch a 6 leaker with a R4100 tranny, with a 10 foot pole. Just go on line and look up the Frod TSB's for any year 6.0 diesel from 2003-2007 and that should give you a good scare for any 6 leaker close to or over the 100,000 mile warranty. Forget it and find a good used 7.3 or better yet, a good used 6.8 V-10 for the best most reliable Ford engine ever made.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,127
Likes: 6
Personally, I wouldn't touch a 6 leaker with a R4100 tranny, with a 10 foot pole. Just go on line and look up the Frod TSB's for any year 6.0 diesel from 2003-2007 and that should give you a good scare for any 6 leaker close to or over the 100,000 mile warranty. Forget it and find a good used 7.3 or better yet, a good used 6.8 V-10 for the best most reliable Ford engine ever made.
A V-10 at my current mileage (most of it racked up as a commercial vehicle hauling a full load of cargo) would have 8 cylinders in the grave.
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From: SW Virginia
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Junior User
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: West Central Indiana
Karen,
Welcome to FTE, this is a great place with tons of info. It would be nice of you to post an intro and give us a little more background info about the truck you’re looking at.
<O
What I can tell you from your limited post is the diesel motor found in Ford Super Duties in 2004 is a 6.0L V8. Ford started offering this motor in 03 and then replaced it with the 6.4 L V8 in 08. I would be very cautious about the "rebuilt" motor. Who did it? What exactly was replaced? Even the Ford dealerships are not always qualified to work on these trucks as the mechanics need special training and a lot of experience to know what they are doing on a diesel motor compared to a gasser. Look at all the documentation and talk to the actual garage that did the work and the mechanic also if possible. Your gut will tell you if the place is qualified to work on this motor or if they are just a bunch of rednecks with a few tools.
In terms of reliability the stock 6.0 is probably just as good if not better than any other diesel available in a Ford. Once a chip or tune is put into any of the diesels, they tend to lose some reliability because the chip reprograms the engine electronics to produce more HP than the stock motor was designed to handle.
<O</O
If you were an owner of a chipped motor and drove it like a sixteen year old on steroids, than you shouldn't be surprised that the truck experiences a higher rate of mechanical failures.
<O</O
An oasis report can tell you how much warrantee work has been done on the truck and also if any major work was done to the engine or tranny. (Oasis reports only detail work that was done by a certified shop, any work that cousin Vinny did in his back yard will not show up on an oasis report.) If the rebuild doesn't show up on the oasis, that should be an area of concern. I think you can still get an oasis run for free on FTE, just look in the sticky section at the top of the page in the superduty section.
<O</O
At the end of the day, whether you should buy the truck or not depends on how comfortable you are that the seller is representing the vehicle similar to what your eye is telling you. Anyone that thinks they can buy a truck with 200K on the clock and expect to drive it without problems is fooling themselves.
<O</OIf you have never owned a diesel before, several facts should be part of the decision process. Parts for diesels are generally more expensive than parts for a gasser. Repairs are generally more expensive for diesels because there are fewer qualified technicians who know how to work on these trucks. Diesel fuel for highway use has been running $.10-$.30 more per gallon for the last 3-4 years. (Doesn’t make sense, but that is a fact none the less.)
<O</OOn the positive side, diesels can have a longer life span on average than gas motors although their basic maintenance costs are a bit higher as well. They tend to be more economical when hauling heavy loads or pulling trailers. This is where they really shine IMHO. They also seem to have higher resale value even with extremely high miles.
<O</O
Welcome to FTE, this is a great place with tons of info. It would be nice of you to post an intro and give us a little more background info about the truck you’re looking at.
<O
What I can tell you from your limited post is the diesel motor found in Ford Super Duties in 2004 is a 6.0L V8. Ford started offering this motor in 03 and then replaced it with the 6.4 L V8 in 08. I would be very cautious about the "rebuilt" motor. Who did it? What exactly was replaced? Even the Ford dealerships are not always qualified to work on these trucks as the mechanics need special training and a lot of experience to know what they are doing on a diesel motor compared to a gasser. Look at all the documentation and talk to the actual garage that did the work and the mechanic also if possible. Your gut will tell you if the place is qualified to work on this motor or if they are just a bunch of rednecks with a few tools. In terms of reliability the stock 6.0 is probably just as good if not better than any other diesel available in a Ford. Once a chip or tune is put into any of the diesels, they tend to lose some reliability because the chip reprograms the engine electronics to produce more HP than the stock motor was designed to handle.
<O
</OIf you were an owner of a chipped motor and drove it like a sixteen year old on steroids, than you shouldn't be surprised that the truck experiences a higher rate of mechanical failures.
<O
</OAn oasis report can tell you how much warrantee work has been done on the truck and also if any major work was done to the engine or tranny. (Oasis reports only detail work that was done by a certified shop, any work that cousin Vinny did in his back yard will not show up on an oasis report.) If the rebuild doesn't show up on the oasis, that should be an area of concern. I think you can still get an oasis run for free on FTE, just look in the sticky section at the top of the page in the superduty section.
<O
</OAt the end of the day, whether you should buy the truck or not depends on how comfortable you are that the seller is representing the vehicle similar to what your eye is telling you. Anyone that thinks they can buy a truck with 200K on the clock and expect to drive it without problems is fooling themselves.
<O
</OIf you have never owned a diesel before, several facts should be part of the decision process. Parts for diesels are generally more expensive than parts for a gasser. Repairs are generally more expensive for diesels because there are fewer qualified technicians who know how to work on these trucks. Diesel fuel for highway use has been running $.10-$.30 more per gallon for the last 3-4 years. (Doesn’t make sense, but that is a fact none the less.) <O
</OOn the positive side, diesels can have a longer life span on average than gas motors although their basic maintenance costs are a bit higher as well. They tend to be more economical when hauling heavy loads or pulling trailers. This is where they really shine IMHO. They also seem to have higher resale value even with extremely high miles. <O
</O
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 6,127
Likes: 6
The real question is, do you have an application that needs a diesel?
Or is it a piece of jewelry you are buying?
If so, get the gasser.
The diesel is a work horse designed for people with the needs for towing, heavy hauling, etc.
Is that you?
Or is it a piece of jewelry you are buying?
If so, get the gasser.
The diesel is a work horse designed for people with the needs for towing, heavy hauling, etc.
Is that you?
Tuned
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 425
Likes: 4
I got the impression from reading the origional post that the question is wherther to trade it in rather than wherther to buy it. But it doesn't appear the OP is a serious one anyhow,one post followed by a good torpedoing of 6Ls then gone to who knows where without attempt to supply nessary info. Forgive me but it seems like now that we have a fair understanding of preventing the few hicups associated with the engine,some are not content so they want to discuss imaginary or hypothatical problems and hash every past rumer or hearsay that can be recalled. It bothers me to see the good people here who are eager to help beeing jerked around like that. I'm done and hope I am wrong about the foolishness part.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 545
Likes: 0
From: Denison, Tx
I was dissapointed in the response till I figured out she did not post in the 6.0 forum. Some of those guys are really fast to beat the 6.0 up while crowing about there V10 or 7.3 and showing there ignorance about the 6.0, don't get me wrong I loved my old 7.3 and have drove a V10 and it does have some awesome power. Hope she comes back so she can get, as Paul Harvey use to say"The rest of the story".
We need a little more detailed information to your concerns about the truck.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 177
Likes: 2
From: Ohio
I got the impression from reading the origional post that the question is wherther to trade it in rather than wherther to buy it. But it doesn't appear the OP is a serious one anyhow,one post followed by a good torpedoing of 6Ls then gone to who knows where without attempt to supply nessary info. Forgive me but it seems like now that we have a fair understanding of preventing the few hicups associated with the engine,some are not content so they want to discuss imaginary or hypothatical problems and hash every past rumer or hearsay that can be recalled. It bothers me to see the good people here who are eager to help beeing jerked around like that. I'm done and hope I am wrong about the foolishness part.
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New User
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Blue Beauty
Thank you everyone for your help. I have never done a forum before and am having trouble navigating. Can't figure how to get a picture on...
Anyway this already is my truck, the 2004, 250 Super Duty, 6.0 diesel. I bought it at 85,000 mi. after some logging company buried it in the mud somewhere. Then, I drove it for a while, 12,000 mi., it blew a head gasket, and the Ford Dealership rebuilt it, convinced me I needed an extended warrenty, okay...The truck has run great since then. The extended warrenty is used up and I was looking for someone's opinion as to whether or not to trade it in while it is still running, or pray for an extended life for the engine?? I do use it to tow a 3 horse trailer very often during the summer. But I love it too, even if I never tow with it. It's just a little red-neck part of me that is difficult to hide.
Please accept my apology if I wasn't clear in my first posting. Chalk it up to ignorance. What is an OP anyway?
Karen
Anyway this already is my truck, the 2004, 250 Super Duty, 6.0 diesel. I bought it at 85,000 mi. after some logging company buried it in the mud somewhere. Then, I drove it for a while, 12,000 mi., it blew a head gasket, and the Ford Dealership rebuilt it, convinced me I needed an extended warrenty, okay...The truck has run great since then. The extended warrenty is used up and I was looking for someone's opinion as to whether or not to trade it in while it is still running, or pray for an extended life for the engine?? I do use it to tow a 3 horse trailer very often during the summer. But I love it too, even if I never tow with it. It's just a little red-neck part of me that is difficult to hide.
Please accept my apology if I wasn't clear in my first posting. Chalk it up to ignorance. What is an OP anyway?
Karen
