Now that's some high praise.

-blaine

 

Better, but there are still issues.

The 6.0 uses engine oil to fire the injectors. The system has any number of failure points, and again, they're well-documented. Some of these can be dealt with by, again, sticking closely to the factory recommended oil change intervals.

The injectors are prone to "stiction" issues on cold starts, especially if you live in a cold climate. Again, an oil change interval issue. Using synthetic oil helps in these situations (one of the few benefits of synthetics, IMHO).

As was mentioned earlier, look closely at the OASIS report of any truck you consider. Considerable warranty work MAY mean that it's a problem child, and then again, it may also indicate that all the problems have been taken care of by now.

Early build 6.0's were much more known for problems than the '06's and '07's. By that time, most of the issues of the engine had been documented, and solutions designed and implemented.

The problem with the early build 6.0's was two-fold; first, the EPA forced the engines to market a full sixteen months before they were originally supposed to be sold (October 2002 versus January 2004). As such, the early adopters wound up being the beta testers and/or development mules for the Ford/Navistar engineers. Secondly, there were some well-documented production problems in the first six months (or so) of production; LOTS of trucks got engines without properly torqued head studs. This is what gave the 6.0 such a bad reputation, especially if you had an '03 or '04 truck.

This is to say, don't be afraid of a 6.0. But don't go into it blindly.

-blaine

 

If you are mechanically inclined, owning a 6.0 is not as bad.
You probably will spend some money on it. It will need some upgraded parts and that sucks, but here's the thing, a dmax or cummins that is known to be less problematic costs quite a bit more, and its not 100% that they wont need work done too.
So i think the 6.0 is a gamble worth taking. Fords are cheaper, and you might get lucky and not need to spend allot to fix it.

My dad has an 05, i have an 06. both bought through the internet sight unseen back in 09.
We did good, and are happy with them.

 

If and when you decide your going with a 6.0
take some time to get to know what you need to be
looking for in the one your looking at. Take some
thing like the SGII with you, Don't have then warm it up for you
on your test drive. Be the first start of the day and give it a
work out. Check the numbers and then you can make an
informed decision.
Best to you
Sean

PS <i>Even if you DO drive many short trips, one long and hot trip per week will go a long way towards absolving your engine of the short-trip sins.</i>
the question is how hot and how far. Under 100 miles or more like 200?

 

[quote=Frankenbiker;11847090] LOTS of trucks got engines without properly torqued head studs. This is what gave the 6.0 such a bad reputation, especially if you had an '03 or '04 truck.

They actually all came with head bolts.

 

yea i thought the last year of 6 litre was good ....not just over 200k ..fan clutch waterpump headgaskets oil cooler...so i did headstuds,egr delete and 4 inch straight pipe...now its bulletproof...looking into turbo upgraded impeller and banks cold air...this truck is as badass as it can be

 

I might add contributing to the 6.0's reputation that Ford in its effort to rush to market did not properly train their techs, thus a lot of parts throwing that didn't fix the problems. One good example was changing bad egr coolers when the root cause was the oil cooler. Thus the problem would be back in short order.

 

That I believe is the single biggest contribution to the bad reputation of the 6.0 and it's early high warranty claim numbers. Unfortunately we won't really know if that's true or not as there isn't going to be anyone to go through and separate legit claims from false ones. Then you have the idiots that didn't know better and put go fast parts that really didn't play well with the engine and hiding that fact from the techs.

 

in my reading I'd say the number one problem on the 6.0 is a clogged oil cooler, which then causes many other issues. The design of the oil cooler combined with Ford Gold coolant was the original sin that needs to be corrected first of all.

And you must have gauges that speak 6.0L.

 

Here's some information from Ford about the issues with the 6.0 psd. This information somewhat conflicts what's being reported in this thread!



More Internal emails from within Ford.

Also reguarding the head gasket, John Koszewnik (Ford director of North American Diesel) wrote, on July 8, 2005 that the head gasket was failing do to factors including:

#1 A less than robust engine design.

#2 Poor manufacturing, with a waviness in the cylinder head deck and prevented it from sealing properly.

#3. Cooling shstems that did not sufficiently cool the engine.



Memo from Frank Ligon, Ford's Director of Service Engineering Operations, addressing 6.0L "buy-backs;

"This is very confidential!!!

Bottom line is we are not "out of the woods" on this 6.0.... At this point we do not have a definitive repair action or production parts to properly address the concern universe. The best course of action is to have the dealer contact the hotline. I strongly urge that this information NOT be shared at this time until the "official" action is announced."


Ford's CBG Manager for 2005-2007, Michael Berardi, admitted that --in the context of Ligon's September 2004 admission that ford lacked a "definitive repair action or production parts to properly address the concern universe"---the same situation continued in 2005 and 2006.

Colin Horbal, Manager of the North American Diesel Quarterback Department, reported to Ms. Samardzich at the July 2007 PDQR that the "warranty spend" was on the 6.0L was $11 million greater than anticipated for the most recent four-month tracking period, despite the fact that "no new failure modes had been identified through claims analysis." Rather, Mr. Horbal reported that the "increased spend is driven by more claims, not an increase in cost per claim."


Please read: Mr. Horbal said that they; Ford, had no fix in sight for the 6.0 problems up to early 07 at least. Also the big warranty cost was not due to new problems. Just the same old problems nobody from Ford could fix on the 6.0L.

 

Might be a good idea to wait for the original poster to come back and see how he feels....

 

Well thanks to sites like FTE , taking a proactive approach to fundamental issues, (even though there is no evidence of a failed part) and given the fact that the 6.0 is wrapped in an inspiring design from cab to chassis, I give the 6.0 permanence in this driveway as do other owners.

This kind of thread pops up every so often, I recommend the OP and others concerned to do a search in the tech folder and other pertenent threads to help understand all there is to know regarding this high tech engine. Remembering it's the successor to the 7.3 that would run on anything you poured in the tank, and a new European influenced designed engine that was also rushed into mainstream consumers who wanted the latest and greatest. Satisfying EPA and shareholders alike.

There are lots of 300,000+ mile 6 liters on the road, there's a thread regarding who's go the most miles.

I say get into a cab you like and let the chips fall where they may as there's no freebies from any manufacturer no matter what you decide to ride.

 

Most of the questions in this thread migrated to idling and whether or not you should. I think that question has been fully explained (except we can add that fuel dilution of the oil is higher when idling and taking short trips).

As far as your post Troy, I don't really see much contradiction. I think many people knew that there was manufacturing variability and some poor quality control. Of course Ford's #1 listed item would be a "less than robust design" - basically because they can blame that on Navistar. Same with cooling. We all know that the original cooling system design was marginal when Ford and International increased the size of the water pump impellor.

As far as quality control - that was also mentioned early on with regards to head bolt torquing and cylinder head flatness. No big surprises really.

Anyway, this truck makes absolutely fantastic power and with wise choices in mods, it can be something special. Buying a used truck however will always be a gamble - whether it is a Ford, a Chevy, or whatever ..........

Oops - looks like Benchwrench beat me to it - Great post Benchwrench!

 

[quote=bismic;11851036]
As far as quality control - that was also mentioned early on with regards to head bolt torquing and cylinger head flatness. No big surprises really.
quote]

Mark,
There's more.... I hope you know where I'm getting this information!

24. As evidence of that, in June 2006-after the 6.OL had been in production for over
four years (and only six months before the end of widespread production)-Ford engineer Mike
Frommann emailed regarding one of the "usual suspects," the head gasket:

We unfortunately exceeded our own cylinder pressure specs in normally
performing engines. We don't want to have our cylinder pressure specs published
or documented by having them subpoenaed or we might face a class action.
When we have a defect, we have to honor our warranty.... I recommend we all
delete these emails.11

I do agree with your statement that buying any used truck is a gamble... It's just that some come with a higher risk than others.

 

Yup - it is all very interesting