Do the 6.0 PSD diesel Excursion have the same problem with Head Gaskets that the trucks have? I guess the reason I am asking this is to see if it is a use issue (pulling, loads and other truck stuff) that caused the head gaskets to pop or just the general design. I have an 02 F250 PSD and would like to find an excursion to go with it. The 2002-2000 Excursions seem impossible to find in decent condition, that leaves me looking at 2003-2005 models. Any advice? I like the idea of having a newer rig for my wife but don't want to have to worry about reliability on long trips.

Thanks

 

I have a 03 excursion 6.0 I pull my 34' tt over steep grades running 65 and I have yet to have head gasket problems. Seems that if you leave them stock and maintain they do just fine

 

Yes, it is the same engine and they have the same issues as the trucks have.

 

check the classified section there are a few 7.3 s over there one of them is mine and it is very clean and priced to sell.

 

Nice X, but it has to be 4WD. Good luck with the sale

 

Head gaskets can go on anything really, but I have certainly not heard of it being a notorious problem with the 6.0 at all. I have a 6.0 and 210k miles and no issues to speak of.

 

Just sold my '04 F350 6.0L with 212k mi. No head gasket issues. Some do, some don't. There are ways to make the 6.0L bulletproof for about $3000 (studs, gaskets, EGR delete, etc). Then you have an incredible engine with more engine then suspension on an X. Big power. I had mine with SCT tunes and TB exhaust and never had any engine problems.

 

The biggest reason for hg failure on 6.0s is due to a ruptured egr cooler that essentially puts steam into the cylinder and lifts the heads. Also adding tunes that increases boost over the factory settings will blow them quickly. The downfall is the poor quality and insufficient quantity of factory headbolts. ARP studs effictively solve this issue, though they are expensive to buy and especially install unless you have big enough nuts to try it yourself.

 

"impossible in good condition" for the 00-02s is not an entirely accurate statement. Of course, if you add for a price your willing to pay..." in front, your getting closer. Also, don't rule out finding 2003 7.3s Exs (there VINs will have an F in them instead of P). You will have to pay a premium for the 6.0 bulletproof upgrades and you may love the extra jump off the line than your used too. It's your call.

 

sigh......

 

The 6.0 engine in the excursion is the same as the trucks, and it has the same weaknesses through the model years that the trucks had. While there are quite a few 6.0 owners in the excursion forum, you will find a lot more tech and a lot more people with specific experience tearing apart and fixing the 6.0 in the 6.0 powerstroke forum. I pop over there when I have an engine specific question.
The problems with the 6.0 are many, and yes, the primary problem is that the oil cooler is prone to getting plugged with what many believe is sand left in the 6.0 block after casting, and others believe to be silica dropout from the ford gold coolant. Once coolant flow over the oil cooler is hampered, the EGR cooler does not have sufficient coolant flow through it, which lets it get overheated by hot exhaust gases and it ruptures, leaking coolant into the intake of the truck. Eventually the coolant levels go down which can run the truck out of coolant. As this happens, the oil cooler is still plugged, so oil temperatures rise. The 6.0 uses oil at extremely high pressure (thousands of psi) to fire the injectors, so it gets very hot. In addition, the 6.0 has weak headbolts from the factory that are prone to lifting, especially under the heavy foot of one towing heavy loads and therefore sustaining high boost for long periods of time. In an overheating engine that is running low on coolant, headgaskets are doubly likely to fail. In an engine with a tuner dialing in higher than stock boost, again, failures are more likely. but there are many recorded head gasket failures for completely stock engines that were not used hard. And the rub with engines that don't experience hard use is that the EGR system tends to get plugged up with soot.
On top of all that, the fuel injector control modules are known to go bad. aftermarket companies have come out with rebuilds that outlast the ford components at a lower price, but its still worth mentioning. Injector failures are also common, although my limited experience with other diesel engines suggests this is a common replacement part in most diesel trucks.

There are members with excursions who spent thousands of dollars installing all the "bulletproof" mods only to blow a headgasket months after. There are members who have stock engines with 200k+ on them who have had no problems. There is little rhyme or reason.

The bottom line is that the 6.0 does have trouble spots. It requires regular maintenance. When it does have problems, it is more complicated than the 7.3 it replaces, and can be harder to troubleshoot and harder to repair, especially for the average DIY mechanic like me. I also feel like its safe to say that the repairs will be more expensive, just because the 6.0 has all the emissions components that fail and have to be cleaned and replaced.

The 6.0 also gets better fuel mileage, is quieter, and makes a good bit more power than a stock 7.3, and comes coupled to a transmission that is a lot nicer (5 speed versus 4 speed, although the OD on both is pretty similar), more robust, and has a nice tow/haul feature that really helps control loads especially if you tow in hilly terrain or sit in stop/go traffic.

The '05 6.0's had some small improvements over the 03's and 04's and so would be most desirable, although they are very difficult to find in a 4wd excursion. If I could do it again and had to buy an excursion, I think I'd have either found a cheap enough 00 7.3 that I could pay cash, or I would have bought an 05 v10. My 6.0 is ok, but I've had a few problems, and now that I know everything about the engine and how expensive all the problem spots can be, I just kinda always have a fear in the back of my heart that something might go that I can't afford to fix right now. I'm out of work right now and have been for a while, so that adds to it as well.

 

Thanks for all of the information. Keep it coming!

 

A simple $130 part will prevent the whole headgasket/EGR/Oil issue from ever occurring: http://www.dieselsite.com/2003-20076...waterpump.aspx

What starts the chain reaction is casting sand becoming trapped in the oil cooler clogging the passages. This restricts coolant to the EGR cooler which then expands due to the intense heat and no cooling and ruptures. It may start as a slow, unoticable leak or it may show itself as white smoke billowing out of your tailpipe as you drive.

The smartest thing to do BEFORE purchasing a 6.0 is to have someone with an AE monitor the EOT (Engine Oil Temp) and ECT (Engine Coolant Temp), should they notice a delta of 15 degrees or more, the oil cooler may be clogged and you may have a ticking time bomb on your hands. If need be, you can use the repair as barganing chip before you buy.

Bottom line: The 6.0 may have somewhat of a bad reputation, but is a good, strong motor when properly maintainted. They require specific TLC such as Motorcraft and Motorcraft only parts and filters and regular on-time maintenance (i.e. oil changes, filter changes, flushes). If you can find one that's been well cared for or even has an EGR delete and Studs, don't hesitate to go for it!

 

What is an AE monitor? I hate to assume anything, but is this something a Ford dealership can do?

 

Why pay the dealerhsip when you can do this yourself?

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