I have a 2005 F-250 Lariat with 78k and I recently replaced the high pressure oil pump, egr cooler, oil cooler and several other small things in an effort to keep it going. I change the engine oil every 5k and perform every other maintenance item on schedule. I also put power service in the fuel system on every fill up. I am very meticulous with maintenance.

I don't have a much money to be throwing at this and I am wondering if this is just the tip of the ice berg. I called a diesel mechanic that specializes in pickup diesel engines and asked his opinion on wether I should keep this truck. He swears that eventually the injectors will go out and that the turbo will definatley go out as well. Those things alone are estimated to be 5 to 6 thousand to fix. He also said that just because I have changed the things listed above there is a huge chance they will go out again down the road. I also talked to 2 friends in the business and they both agreed that there is lots more heart ache to come.

I have always been a Ford man at heart and love the truck dearly I am just wondering if this keeps up I will be in the poor house. I am not trying to throw dirt on Ford I am just looking out for my familys well being at this point so please don't take offense.

My question is- Am I looking at a life long battle and lots of money to keep this truck working? I am really scared this will never end.

 

Unfortunately when things start to go on these it is like a domino affect. We decided to get rid of our last 6.0 liter a few months back because it was injectors, pump, cooler and it seemed like that just started to show other items that needed to be replaced such as the turbo. it seems like you need to replace everything at once or not at all. I would probably start looking but I am surprised it happened at 78,000.

 

I just purchased my 6.0 L At 80k miles someone replaced the egr/oil cooler. I just did it again at 130k miles. The truck had no coolant filter I am sure that helped my oil cooiler get filled. As far as I can tell my truck is 100% stock. This means none of the bad mods.... but also none of the good mods. There is a wealth of information on this site. I allready know what the next improvement I am making is... the blue spring upgrade. I would say that just because idiots end up in trouble with 6.0L engines don't mean you will. Can it happen sure, will it happen....ask god I don't know. From the mechanics I talk to and the ones on this site the 6.0 is a great engine..... but it is unforgiving on skipping maintenance.... you did that so GTG there. It has weak spots what are you doing to address them?
to make the injectors last....
Cetane boost of some sort with every tank.
Blue spring upgrade
To make oil cooler last....
Regular flushes of coolant every 25k
Coolant filter.
to make egr cooler last....
watch the idling
every 15k clean egr valve.
to make turbo last....
periodically after warm do FTO to open vanes up for 10-20 secs.
.... i can go on....



I could have bought a 2012 with a warranty and be paying 800/month or more instead I am in a 2004 with a 3 year $300/month payment. Any month I spend less that $500 in maintenance on the truck I am ahead. If a turbo costs 3-5k that is 6-10 months of costs..... Most people have a truck this big for a reason.... towing, hauling, off road etc. If you ditch it what you going to get a tundra, a colorodo, a canyon,.... I would rather have my truck. As a general rule unless you are planning on buying new when you trade in a vehicle for another used you are just swapping your old headache for a new mysterious and random one.... that colorodo could have 75k miles ON THE ORIGINAL OIL for all you know

 

You have some great points and that is the dilema I am faced with. I either go to the older 7.3 or 5.9 cummins or I have to buy a new one. Either way has its draw backs. I do need a pickup but I also have an older jeep for hunting. I can't live without a truck and I refuse at all costs to drive a gasser. It really sucks cause my 6.0 is everything I ever wanted except the troubles.

I am in a quandry cause I love my truck but can't stomach the thought of constantly worrying when the problem is going to come up.

If I did buy a new one it would have to be stripped down and not loaded like the one I have.

Totally confused!

 

I would put $200 or so a month into a car / house repair fund. That is what we do.... Anything I buy at home depot or Auto zone comes out of that account (it is a seperate account at the bank) We transfer money into and out of it as neccesary. Having a thousand or 2 cash floating around for a emergenccy would eliminate your worry It needs to be a seperate account so I can't withdraw at ATM (or it would never have money) Every month when I pay the car insurance I pay the car repair fund. Of course my fund is a little low now.... but it will build up, Janruary a clutch for S-10 $1k. Feb found out wife is pregnant so need a truck that fits 2 car seats..... April I buy the F350. June need a EGR/OIL Cooler (covered partly under warranty so $1.3k) I then got the coolant filter.....

I would say you have a excellent vehicle, well maintained but the mechanics are right EVENTUALLY you will need a turbo.... you will need..... you will need $$ Those older diesels need work also.... either get a truck with a warranty or save up the cash you would have put to payments and get piece of mind.

 

do you have gauges on it, and what do they tell you?

 

Id be staying away from that shop Injectors and turbo is only 3K for parts HELL for that price Id Jump on Delta Airlines and come fix your truck anywhere in the USA LOL

Lots of BS with newer diesels IDK shure there nice but step up to those forums for a Look
Fixing this 6.0L is Pocket change compared to those


I could do a TON of Repair work for what a NEW Truck Payment would be


If I was you Id start looking into reliability MODS and Bullet Proof the 6.0L but thats just me

 

Ok, I'll throw my opinion in here. The real question is do you have a NEED for a truck like this? If your towin 6-8k lbs on short trips occasionally, maybe a F150 or similar truck might be a better choice. If you're pullin heavier or often or long trips, what you have is a good truck for the job. These trucks aren't well known for being economical to operate. They do pretty respectable on fuel mileage but the maintenance can offset those meager savings quickly. As far as the mechanic's "insight", I'm not surprised to hear his opinion, but the fact he told you 5k-6k for injectors and turbo makes me think he just "parroting" conventional wisdom. I thinking he's never owned a 6.0 and what he told you was of little significance. If you want to know more about these trucks, hang around here (or any of the other forums) it won't be as fast as a phone call but it is real. At the top of the page is a search button, click on that and then "advanced search" there's an option to limit results to 6.0 diesels. type "injectors" or "turbo" in there and read what the costs and experiences are for people who own and operate these trucks. Keep in mind this forum is for people who have questions, not too many folks think " Hey, my truck hasn't needed any work, i think i'll go online and brag about it" (although there are a few). Every once in awhile someone pops in here flaming about what a piece of junk their 6.0 is and how much it costs in repairs and they're gonna sell this and burn that. Read those too. I believe there are some problem trucks out there but you'll be surprised how many of them turn out to be related to somthing they "modified" or didn't do maintenance wise to their truck. But the point is, it's real, nobody edits the posts to make the trucks look good or bad.
Everything fails. Nothing last forever (although anvils have an impressive lifespan if taken care of ). The computer or cellphone you're typing on will quit working someday, throw it away now? Naww. Sell it now while it still has some value? Maybe, but what to replace it with? How much will THAT cost? Will the new one do the job you need it for?
Bottom line-I think the low mileage, well maintained truck you own is a good choice for a truck....if you have a need for it. If a lighter duty truck would do the job, you'd save money in the long run to sell this one. Swapping across for another similar truck would be a bigger gamble than keeping the one you have.
Good luck whatever you decide.

 

WOW WOW WOW! You get Rep's soon!

Nothing lasts forever.....Not Even the Mighty 7.3, Or 5.9. They all cost money. Stick around, find what to monitor, and see where you stand. My truck has needed $40 worth of work it shouldn't have needed. (8hrs to install them 40$parts) Other than that, I let my batteries go and it cost me $550 dollars. (Remaned Swamps FICM and 2 new batteries)

 

Oh yea, eventually at some point everything will start to crap out on you. The estimation he gave is much to high. You can stud the head, get an a/m turbo, a/m Stage I injectors, Fuel RR Kit and a/m fuel pump for less then that. Oh wait, I did.

Yep and both can cost you oodles of money, just in different ways.


Is it the same "can't live without" as it is "I refuse at all costs to drive a gasser?" If so, then you might be able to live without the truck. What are your true needs?

Also, with the statement of "I refuse at all costs to drive a gasser", if series, really makes this conversation moot. Just consider what you are having to do as part of the "at all costs" that you mentioned earlier. It sucks, but is true.

Mechanics don't have to have owned the vehicle to be privy to their failings. It helps, but not a requirement like it would be coming from someone in the general public that might have gotten their info from a 3rd party (more then likely would be the case). There are also a lot of 6.0 owners that expound "conventional wisdom" as well that are full of it. A lot of what I have a problem with as far as 6.0 owners is some of the so-called bulletproofing mods. But you have also the ones that expound the usual "stuff" that most of the general public thinks that they know about the 6.0.


Back to the OP: Stick around here. There is a lot of knowledge on this site that would rival what your mechanic said and friends. There are a lot of general public misconceptions about the 6.0. Now there are some differences how to go about fixing the 6.0 in here, but you are more then likely going to find more reliable information then a mechanic that states the obvious (eventual failure will happen to anything), but puts a high price tag on that failure.

Older diesels may or may not have the costlier single repairs, but they will get you in frequency if you don't watch it. As far as the newer ones go, better watch out if you think the 6.0 repairs are expensive. They don't hold a candle to the 6.4 and/or 6.7 and there is less room for error on those trucks then even on the 6.0.

 

Why do you think you improved your odds and costs by going to the 6.4??

 

I currently have sitting in my drive way a 2001 Dodge 2500 with the 5.9L cummins 190,000 miles and a 2003 Ford F250 with the 6.0L powerstroke 250,000 miles.
The Dodge needs a new turbo and a new transmission. It still runs and does some decent daily mileage while I'm saving up the money for the repairs. FYI - the turbo for the Dodge will be more expensive to purchase than a Powermax for my 6.0. The tranny will be more expensive too.

Generally the accessory parts have been cheaper for the Dodge ... brakes, pumps etc and it is an easier enigine to work on. But it can still hurt your wallet.

With out getting into if you should or shouldn't keep it (only you truly know your real needs and your financial situation) here's a few things to consider ...
7.3 and 5.9 trucks can be found but they are not as cheap as you might think and if they are cheap there is a reason for it.
I'll assume you'll be financing the 7.3 or 5.9 and if so you might find that a loan (with a low rate 2% - 3%) from a bank or credit union won't happen because of the age of the truck. Usually they wont finance a vehicle if its age plus the term of the loan is 10 yrs or greater.
Then you're at the mercy of the financing dept at the auto mart or emporium where you buy the truck. Could be 7%+. (I personally would not take out a few yr loan on a truck that is already 10 - 11yrs old, and definitely not a loan with a high rate)
If you're not financing and have the cash then stick that in your savings account and keep your current truck.

As has been said before, everything can and will break. I could line you up a dozen FTE members who had horror stories in the first 100,000 miles and then another dozen members who had 200,000 trouble free miles.

I've typed plenty of responses to these types of questions and deleted most of them before posting. I just did the same here. It's one of the toughest questions to answer because no one knows you and your financial situation. You didn't come here asking if this truck would not be reliable. You didn't come here asking if this truck might not be up to the task of pulling your 5th wheel .... you asked if it could hurt you financially.
Well if you have Romeny money then no it won't. Everything can be fixed. If something like $1,000 could put you and your family in a financial hurt then the answer is yes .... but so could a 7.3 or a 5.9.

You have done some good work already with the hpop, oil cooler and maintenance. GET AN ELECTRONIC GAUGE OF SOME SORT. Can't stress that part enough. Capital letters, red font, bold and underlined!!!!!!
Scangauge II is the best bang for your buck at $160.
Stay on this forum as an active member and you'll learn the best practices for maintenance and long life. Between here and youtube you'll learn how to do some of these jobs yourself. For example there's videos and step by step photos of how to refurb your turbo, or even swap it out with a new one. Straight swap for a new powermax aftermarket turbo with no labor $$$ because you did it yourself .. $1,300 - $1,500.
Same info is available for swapping the injectors. Many more examples like pulling a part and cleaning it v's $200 for a dealer to replace it. You'll save yourself thousands of dollars.

Keep it, maintain it, drive it, enjoy it.

 

I hate it when people say that, because it can cost you. If you normally do weekend jobs, but now you are having to fix your truck and you can't get that extra money. Boom, there is your labor charge. It's actually this situation why some people pay someone else to fix their trucks. It costs them more to miss out on pay for their job then it does to pay the mechanic. How much more is a different story.

Even if that doesn't affect you every time or even once, it still costs you in time. Time that you could be doing something else that holds value to you. Spending time with the kids, going fishing etc.

There is always a cost of labor, rather it's financial (and it can cost you financially to do it yourself, doesn't mean it will, but it can) or not, there is a cost.

 

a couple thoughts. first off, i'm not a diesel mechanic, so consider that.
i am pretty good with most anything mechanical, and tend to overbuild
rather than underbuild, so consider that as well. but... usually something
i've fixed, or had a hand in planning the fixing, doesn't fail.

you have some things working in your favor, the first of which is
that you just replaced a ton of the stuff you are worried about.
you have a truck, and not a van. vans are harder to get to stuff.
harder costs more if you have to hire it done.

you have a couple wild cards, in two areas, injectors/ficm, and heads.

there's people here with bunches of miles on 6.0's. and bunches of
experience with fixing them. listen to both groups.

i'd probably keep the truck, if i were you. i'd also have two targets
goals.... studs and ficm, and making sure the alternator and batteries
are up to snuff.

i'd post more, but i have 9 am tickets for the USS Iowa.... time to
go see what really overbuilding something looks like.

 

I don't disagree, but I think you get the theme of what I'm saying as it relates to the OP's dilema.

Some folks relish the thought of wrenching on the weekend with some buddies over a few beers. Other's can't or won't so they pay someone. I/We can't type out every scenario for someone, they have to think about these things themselves. I'm not going to start typing out about how they may have to buy tools and equipment and how that factors in (guess I just did huh). So to sum it up ... with a heavy duty truck with a diesel engine you pay with time or money. Choice is always up to the owner. I'm just saying he has the choice.