I am placing my order for a 2003 F250 Lariat CC 6.0L today. It is going to replace my 1992 F250 Lariat RC 5.8L.

I was very excited about this new diesel, but reading all the issues that were brought up on this forum has made me a bit weary.

However, it occured to me that most of the postings have been from people that had engine problems I am wondering if there are a whole lot of people out there that have had little or no problems with the 6.0L that have not particpated in the discussions becasue they have been problem free?

So I would like to hear if from people that have been happy with the 6.0L, and how many miles have you logged?

Thanks,
Don

 

Maybe you'll be fine... but I investigated the 6.0L and decided to stay with my 7.3 PSD when the Ford service mgr alluded to the numbers of 6.0's that have stopped on THEM - the dealership !!!
Even BEFORE they were sold....

And there are news articles about the 6.0's - but as with any new venture - the bleeding edge is always rather 'sharp' !!

 

dwaldron, i dont doubt you are correct. People buying a new vehicle assume it will perform flawlessly. If the vehicle does well, it gets a "Met Expectations" evaluation but few if any buyers will get onto the internet to crow about that. On the other hand, those who feel shortchanged will raise holy hell. If for no other reason than my respect for Ford, I am convinced there are plenty of new 6 liter diesels already in service that are peforming anywhere from "OK" to "Great". Still, the incidence of serious failures in what are essentially brand new 6 liter diesels give cause to pause, and just think about how these vehicles will perform and what their resale value will be 3 years from now. just for background purposes, i currently own a 2001 mustang, a 97 f150 and a 2003 f150 and so i am a ford fan. However, I wont buy a 6 liter diesel at this point in the game. Time will tell whether i am too cautious or whether the conservatism is justified. Best of luck on your new purchase.

 

Great post 03150man!

Could not have said it better myself.



Regards.

 

Not that I am in the market for a new truck as of yet , but if i were , i would not shell out the cash to "hopefully" get a 6.0L that won't have all the issues that these motors seem to have. I did allot of research on the 7.3L before i bought it , and so far am very pleased with it's performance. I would love to own a 6.0L with the new transmission , I just think i am going to wait a few years so Ford can get their act straight.........

 

I think what everyone needs to remember is that this is a completly new engine.. and i think problems are to be expected. Yes in my opinion i think they rushed to get these things out... and in turn are having big problems... but remember in 94- the 7.3 powerstrokes weren't flawless either. Give it time

 

Man... maybe I'm a risk taker. Isn't that what life is all about? I have read so many messages about this engine being sub-standard and a piece of junk. I disagree and challenge anyone to tell me they have never taken a chance on something. I have owned a 6.0L for over a month and love it. Yes, it may be a bit too soon to say I won't have any trouble with it. I do however have a warranty and legal options if it does become a problem. But I will tell everybody that life itself is not a guarantee.

So for all the neh-sayers out there, your right, you shouldn't buy it.

For those of you who are willing to take the chance, I can tell you that this engine and transmission are a great combination. The acceleration and smooth shifting are excellent. The engine noise is greatly reduced after warm-up and the turbo sounds like music to a diesel lover. I have yet to tow my camper with it, but am very excited to do so.

WCSD1152

2003 F-250 CrewCab Lariet 4X4, all options, Trdr Red/Silver

 

WCSD1152 you're exactly right -
we have all taken risk at one time or another....
but it's prudent to determine in YOUR situation only,
is the risk worth taking?
No one can decide that except you...
But a car purchase does not have the return that makes it an acceptable risk for some...
************************
But even waiting to purchase the 7.3L until the new 2002 Ex still didn't protect me from issues with the vehicle...
it was towed in for the tenth or so trip to the dealer (in our 6 months of ownership) this morning after the tranny went out last night... it's been many things, not just engine, but waiting 'til the bugs got worked out' did not help me either!

I absolutely LOVE the Ex platform WITH the diesel, but I also would like a dependable vehicle that when I want to drive it, I can! And thus far (after 13,300 miles) I am having second and third and fourth thoughts about the Ex...

But in the larger scheme of things, I guess it's not so terrible ! After all, it's just a car )

I can't imagine a vehicle that will fit my needs any better, but I'll have to find one soon so I can get something dependable under me...

 

Here is my take on it. I think the only person that can decide if the risk is worth it or not, is the one who is handing over the cash. In my opinion (and I respect everyone else's), since a person takes such a loss on a new vehicle when they drive it off the lot, why risk further loss/heart ache if you know there is a good chance for problems? I support the "cause for pause" theory that was stated earlier. However, I am curious to know how many "working as advertised 6.0/torque shift combo's" are out there for every one that does not? I bet there are a lot. Just trying to look at both sides.

 

Well, I placed the order for my F250 6.0L yesterday. I talked to my salesman at the dealership about all of the concerns raised in this forum. He stated that he had heard similar issues from another customer and told me he was going to talk to his head truck mechanic.

When he called back he stated that there had in fact been many of these problems with the earlier 6.0L's but that they were confident that all of the problems had been ironed out. I know that this is pretty much the response that you would expect. However, I have come to trust trust this particular salesperson.

I certainly still have some reservations, however I can not believe that Ford would replace an engine which is the backbone of their light truck sales (the 7.3L of course), with an engine that was not thoroughly tested and run through the ringers.

I also know that it is human nature to only take the time to "do something about it", which includes posting to forums when you have a problem with something. Most people that are happy with a product will not be as inclined to take action.

And then of course, the poll currently is 4 people without problems vs. 0 people with problems. Although it is a small sample, it is still encouraging.

BTW, thanks for everyone's help and advice.

 

dwaldron, congrats on the order of your future truck. I beleive that your salesman was straight with you. I work @ a dealership and I have not seen to many of the later release 6.0's with many problems as of yet, of coarse time will tell. Yes the earlier 6.0's had a few issues, the thing is that you only hear of the gripes, not to many ppl take the time to say positive things. Take that for what its worth and give us your report when you get yours,(positive or negative). Good Luck!

 

Very happy so far with the truck. I have 3700 miles on it. One disappointing aspect is the fuel mileage so far. Started out 13 - 14 mostly city driving. Highway trip @ 80-85 mph got me up to 16. So far it's been consistently lower than my old 95 psd.

 

GoEIB1,

How is your truck configured? I have been told that can make a big difference in mpg.

 

I don't buy this, "we should expect problems since it is a new engine". That may have been the norm years ago but shouldn't be now. People who buy Hondas, Toyotas, BMWs and even the Ford cars don't hold off buying one because it's a new model or engine. All the R&D and testing is suppose to find these problems. It's cheaper to find them before release than after all these are on the road.

 

I have 2500 miles on mine now and not one complaint. Runs great looks great. I think that what happens on these forums is that alot of people come here when they have problems and post but the people that dont have problems never look at the forums so you get alot more negitive then positive. just my take