6.0 life expectancy
Cargo Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,723
Likes: 5
From: Roseburg, OR
Hell, I never monitored the motor or programmed it or anything, just maintained it and its never let me down. I just started monitoring it a year ago and all seems well. Total repair money in 9 years of ownership is under $600. When is my money going to part with me over it?
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 7,827
Likes: 96
From: Manteca,Ca
Curious as to how many miles these 6.0 are running? no mods. possibly running 35" tires.normal use occasional camper towing. maintained.
I easily get 200,000+ miles on my gas motors. thinking about a diesel.
I never know what to believe online because one man's treasure is another mans junk.
So just looking for opinions. I rarely ever run over the speed limit and i never abuse my vehicles so i'm interested in opinions from those with similar driving habits. How many miles?
I easily get 200,000+ miles on my gas motors. thinking about a diesel.
I never know what to believe online because one man's treasure is another mans junk.
So just looking for opinions. I rarely ever run over the speed limit and i never abuse my vehicles so i'm interested in opinions from those with similar driving habits. How many miles?
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,599
Likes: 2
From: Farmington NM
Is the 6.0 a perfect engine? no it is not. In my opinion allot if the initial 6.0 issues were from the dealership techs just not knowing how to fix them. If you read the original issue of the service manual and look at what we now know you can understand some is the issues.
Take the egr cooler, the coolers for the most part are ok IF the oil cooler is ok, but for years the egr cooler was replaced without checking the oil cooler. If the oil cooler was bad it would take out a egr cooler in 10 to 20K miles.
non 5-40 oil and replacing injectors.
CVC system misting oil into the intake and gumming up the egr valve.
Head gasket issues made worse by TTY bolts. If you were running a tuner that added timing, or had a truck that was not driven daily and has stuck VGT you would stretch the head bolts.
Take the egr cooler, the coolers for the most part are ok IF the oil cooler is ok, but for years the egr cooler was replaced without checking the oil cooler. If the oil cooler was bad it would take out a egr cooler in 10 to 20K miles.
non 5-40 oil and replacing injectors.
CVC system misting oil into the intake and gumming up the egr valve.
Head gasket issues made worse by TTY bolts. If you were running a tuner that added timing, or had a truck that was not driven daily and has stuck VGT you would stretch the head bolts.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 215
Likes: 1
From: Buffalo NY
I can only post my personal experience, like most everyone else here. You can read my thread for full details (disappointed and disgruntled) but in a nutshell, I spent the extra coin when I bought it new in 06 because everyone I spoke to said it's worth the upfront investment in an diesel cause diesels run for hundreds of thousands of miles. Sadly mine failed at 111,000 miles with pretty solid maintenance and little abuse. My thread spells out the details, and although it was a typical failure for the motor (at least not yet), it failed me none the less. I guess I have to reset the odometer now and wait to see what happens.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,097
Likes: 23
From: Kissimmee,Fla
I've been a tech for more years than I want to remember.I worked on almost every vehicle manufacturer out there, and let me tell you this is nothing compared to some of the defects that go cover up in the auto industry.Some people just can't let things go. We here know the issues and that's why we are here, to explain and help other owners and get them back on the road with a smile.........Some people are just don't know when to stop beating a dead horse
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,097
Likes: 23
From: Kissimmee,Fla
I work for a major utility, I'm a lineman, we count on Ford trucks to help us bring home the bacon everyday.....safely and in the same shape we came in on, Dodge can't touch that......enough said
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,395
Likes: 3
From: Newmarket, Ontario
I worked for a major line utility in Ontario before I retired. Back in 06 when I was looking for a diesel to pull my fifthwheel all the mechanics in our shops all told me to go Ford as they were the toughest and most reliable of them all. Yes it cost me a little outta the gate to do the bulletproofing but I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Senior User
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 419
Likes: 1
From: Iowa
A majority of it is maintenance... but injectors will eventually fail, and head gaskets might. My main issue with the 6.0 and any modern diesel is repair costs when something does brake. That is the reason I'm not fixing my 6.0 with 256k on it and doing a Cummins swap. Does the motor still have life left in it with 256k on it, yup.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,723
Likes: 5
From: Roseburg, OR
I'm also with an electrical utility. We have all ford buckets. We still even have 6 6.0s in our local fleet.
Post Fiend
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 13,710
Likes: 5
From: Manchester, CT
Yep, i see a TON of 6.0s running around here for all sorts of companies. Must not be too bad. I love mine, granted its being a bitch right now with some electrical problems but the 6.0 itself is great. I worked for my uncle the last 5 summers and he has an 04 F550 6.0L, pulls a bobcat and hauls a couple yards of mason sand everyday from april to september. Then plows all winter. He had horrible luck the first few years of ownership, mostly from using poor filters, not letting it warm up, and the ford dealer screwing him on quite a bit. Delaminating fuel tanks also killed that truck, yet again not a 6.0 problem. I put an EGR delete on it (while the head gaskets were fine) and coolant filter and then a few months later when he needed an oil pan, i had our mechanic do studs, oil pan, all that stuff. 2 years later, truck is running awesome. He doesnt even want to sell it for a 6.7 it runs and pulls so well. I also have him using ford filters, good oil, and keeping up on maintenance with the right stuff. Its all in the owner...
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 2,599
Likes: 2
From: Farmington NM
A lineman? You have a bigger set than I do!!
New User
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
2004 PSD 117,000
Not a lot of miles, but other than the turbo issue years ago, I replaced the ficm module, did an egr delete, and as general maintenance, replaced the oil cooler, and water pump. My mechanic is a genius and if it wasn't for him I'm not sure what I would do, but that probably goes for any older vehicle. I think the major problem is finding an honest and knowledgeable mechanic. And that is almost impossible, IMO. I do a decent amount of towing, have a 10k lb rv and have never overloaded it. Can't say enough good things about it.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 371
Likes: 4
I too see alot of 6.0 trucks working for utility companies. I figure they probably do not get serviced as good as they should but are still on the road. Also they keep buying fords so they must not be disapointed.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 776
Likes: 3
From: Philly, PA USA
Here's a checklist from another 6.0 thread. Gives a general feel of what many 6.0 owners do and some things to look at when purchasing:
Stage 1: Full maintenance workup
5W40 synthetic oil, with a motorcraft/racor filter and a factory oil filter cap <<< cannot stress enough checking the oil cap immediately, incorrect cap and filter combo can damage your high pressure oil system
Fuel filters
Coolant exchange (also install high idle mod)
Trans fluid drain/fill and external filter
Drain water separator
Replace the air filter
Clean EGR valve
Load test batteries, replace if fail
If it's not there already, find a way to put the stock air filter back in it
Getting the baseline taken care of will be important, to get started on 5k mile oil changes, 10k mile fuel filters, and 30k trans fluid/filters. The air filter doesn't have to be replaced unless the vacuum indicator tells you it needs it, but changing it now gives you a chance to put a new, correct filter in that can last you 50k+ miles.
Stage 2: Common Updates/ Maintenance Mods
Coolant Filter
Blue Spring fuel pressure regulator
Gauges - absolutely a must have
Replace degas bottle cap
Updated brass drain plug in HFCM
FICM voltage testing, repair if necessary
Gauges are the most important thing here, because they'll tell you what parts of the next stage you need to take care of. There are a bunch of threads in the 6.0L forum that'll tell you what to watch, what to look for, and what problems are caused by certain readings.
Stage 3: Common Engine Failures (if needed)
STC Fitting
Standpipes and dummy plugs
Oil cooler replacement
Bullet Proof EGR Cooler replacement
HPO reservoir screen
ELC coolant
Replace CAC boots if oil soaked
Replace plastic cold side CAC tube with metal if cracked
Turbo overboost/underboost from rusted unison ring
Dusted turbo vanes from using an aftermarket air filter
DC Power Alternator
Studs, stock gaskets, leveled heads
FICM tuning, with stock PCM rollback
Do what you have to do here, some people just do what's broken and some people replace it all at once. Depends on your budget, skills, and how long the truck can be down.
Stage 4: Power Adding/Bling
SCT Tuner
Injector/turbo upgrades
Leveling/lift kit/tires
5W40 synthetic oil, with a motorcraft/racor filter and a factory oil filter cap <<< cannot stress enough checking the oil cap immediately, incorrect cap and filter combo can damage your high pressure oil system
Fuel filters
Coolant exchange (also install high idle mod)
Trans fluid drain/fill and external filter
Drain water separator
Replace the air filter
Clean EGR valve
Load test batteries, replace if fail
If it's not there already, find a way to put the stock air filter back in it
Getting the baseline taken care of will be important, to get started on 5k mile oil changes, 10k mile fuel filters, and 30k trans fluid/filters. The air filter doesn't have to be replaced unless the vacuum indicator tells you it needs it, but changing it now gives you a chance to put a new, correct filter in that can last you 50k+ miles.
Stage 2: Common Updates/ Maintenance Mods
Coolant Filter
Blue Spring fuel pressure regulator
Gauges - absolutely a must have
Replace degas bottle cap
Updated brass drain plug in HFCM
FICM voltage testing, repair if necessary
Gauges are the most important thing here, because they'll tell you what parts of the next stage you need to take care of. There are a bunch of threads in the 6.0L forum that'll tell you what to watch, what to look for, and what problems are caused by certain readings.
Stage 3: Common Engine Failures (if needed)
STC Fitting
Standpipes and dummy plugs
Oil cooler replacement
Bullet Proof EGR Cooler replacement
HPO reservoir screen
ELC coolant
Replace CAC boots if oil soaked
Replace plastic cold side CAC tube with metal if cracked
Turbo overboost/underboost from rusted unison ring
Dusted turbo vanes from using an aftermarket air filter
DC Power Alternator
Studs, stock gaskets, leveled heads
FICM tuning, with stock PCM rollback
Do what you have to do here, some people just do what's broken and some people replace it all at once. Depends on your budget, skills, and how long the truck can be down.
Stage 4: Power Adding/Bling
SCT Tuner
Injector/turbo upgrades
Leveling/lift kit/tires