That's because of the general (misguided) opinion that they're a flawed design. There are exceptions to that idea: ones that have and all the crap added to 'em...Banks, Bully Dog, aftermarket intakes & other parts. But generally speaking the 6.0L is a good engine once your willing to address it's more rigid maintenance needs. If you think a 6.0L is a nightmare...don't look at the 6.4L or 6.7L since they demand even more. Thank you EPAA good but low cost one would be a ScanGauge II. At one time AutoZone was selling 'em for $160-ish. It will allow you to read/see everything the PCM sees. Which for a test drive I'd want to look at EOT (Engine Oil Temp) and ECT (Eng Coolant Temp)...and the spread between the two. If it's more than 15F while driving 65-70 down the highway...that's an indication of a clogged oil cooler. That in it's self isn't the end of the world...but your looking at a minimum of $500 in parts to fix it. Other than the speedometer, tach and OEM boost (2005 and later trucks) the factory gauges are nothing more than idiot lights with needles. Don't trust them.You never know, they may want to know if there's an issue...I'd ask before I plugged into the truck. If they object to you plugging in...ask 'em why? Your not going to be changing anything...just looking at the health of the engine. You also want to see if you can get an Oasis report (only available through Ford) for the truck. That will list any & all warranty work that's been preformed to the truck....not to mention other repairs done by a Ford/Lincoln/Merc dealership.

 

I had a ton of people who told me to stay away from the 6.0L. But thankfully i did my homework and didnt listen to the idiots who were speaking to me without showing me the facts. Everything i was told was based off the rumors those people heard. I feel that since i had done my research that is why she is not only a beautiful truck but also runs great. I havent had one problem since i have had it.

 

I have an '06 6.0 with 102k miles. The only major issue was FICM. Ball Joints were starting to go so I had them replaced.

The 6.0 is a fine diesel engine.

 

until the oil cooler goes.
or the egr cooler starts leaking.
or the EGR valve goes.
or until they will not start once warmed up.
or until the head gaskets start leaking and hydrolock the engine.
or until the rear seal goes. that one rite there is a $3,000 repair.

 

don't know anything about the rear seal but the rest is stuff that's been identified and if you take care of them before they go bad it's just like any other engine for reliability, with better power and mileage.

If you replace the coolant with ELC, the oil cooler doesn't clog. If the oil cooler doesn't clog, the EGR doesn't fail. If the EGR doesn't fail and you treat the fuel and drive it properly and either keep it stock or use the proper tuner, the head gaskets don't blow.

 

factory stock from ford oil and coolant, with coolant and oil only changed at ford.
never had any of the 30 or so trucks with the 6.0 engines last over 100,000 miles without major engine repairs. and none of them had tuners on them

 

Thanks for the info Zhilton. I didn't know what those acronyms stood for. (do now)

With all of these concerns about the 6.0 I wonder why Ford hasn't extended the warranty?
And, your everyday driver wouldn't even think of these problems, which in turn could be a cash cow for Ford! (repairs + parts)

 

ford will not extend the warranty on the 6.0 because navastar will not honor the warranty on the engines they sold to ford

 

Hey tjc, how in god's great earth do I have a BONE STOCK 6.0 with almost 300,000 miles and still with original:

Turbo
EGR Cooler
Oil Cooler
Head Gaskets
HPOP
and most of the stuff you say never lasts?

Strange.

Oh, and I'm tuned too!

Look, the bad trucks you had at that place, had one thing in common. They were abused, and not well/properly maintained. If you don't like 6.0's that's fine by me. You don't have to.

I have no problem watching people overpay for a 7.3 while I can get a steal of a deal on a 6.0 cause people like you feed bad info to so many people.

But really, if you don't like 6.0's don't talk about them.

 

I for one appreciate ALL the info here. Whether one has experienced problems or not, I think there is enough evidence in the market place to prove that the 6.0 has had problems, further evidenced by a lack of extended warranty in light of the manufacturer's knowledge of problems.
Now a lot of these problems may be exacerbated by the high performance products on the market place and their abused use, but a buyer like me has no way of knowing how previous owner(s) used or abused their trucks unless we gather info from sites like this one.

 

90% of the 6.0 "problems" are the owner's lack of proper maintenance.

Now, one thing I would agree on is that the maintenance required is a bit much. But a properly maintained 6.0 is just as reliable as any 7.3. Oh, and way faster and more fuel efficient too.

firewoodtruck, that statement fits any vehicle and engine too...

 

yup, they were poorly maintained. they all had oil changed at 3000 miles, coolant changed every 6 months, tires rotated and brakes inspected at every oil change, greased at every oil change, fuel filters every other oil change. they also were one driver trucks. they were not abused. the drivers took very good care of them. even ford could not explain why they did not last.
the only thing i can figure is they had extended idling time.

 

And that's almost certainly what caused the problems. The 6.0L is not a good long low idle engine. Between wet stacking and EGR issues I strongly recommend against long low idles. If you need to idle the truck, do the high-idle mod and deal with the slightly higher fuel burn.