HEY GUYS , WAS LOOKING AT BUYING A 2006 F550 DUMP TRUCK 4X4, BUT REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE 6.0 ENGINE. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 53000 MILES AND THE OWNER BULLET PROOFED IT FOR PREVENTIVE MEASURES. STILL WAITING ON HIM TO FIND THE PAPER WORK SHOWING HE HAD THE EGR DELETE AND STUDDED. WAS LOOKING AT A 7.3 BUT SOMEONE BOUGHT IT BEFORE ME, 4X4 DUMPS ARE EXTREMELY HARD TO FIND , SO DONT WANT TO LOSE ANOTHER ONE, BUT ALSO DONT WANT TO MAKE A BAD PURCHASE. ANY ADVICE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

Is this for your lively hood?
Bulletproof is used as a catch all sometimes. Standpipes, dummy plugs, stc fitting those are part of making it reliable. as well as studs and egr delete. 53k is not alot so you would need to look at the turbo (they rust up) Maint. Is the key. You need gauges--scangauge or phone app and obdii connection. You don't buy these without testing. What coolant is in it, has it been flushed, has oil and fuel filters been changed regularly, how healthy is the oil cooler (ect and eot split), what are the ficm volts and system volts, icp and ipr values. If they don't give you the time to check this stuff and you're not willing to do some repairs after go for it (if the price is right) if not move on. Myself and most others on here have no worries with the 6.0. It is a great engine and easy to work on but it's not your granddads diesel so to speak.
And being able to do your own work will save you tons of money!!!

 

Yes this is for work, and will use everyday. I have always done all my own work on my gassers but never owned a diesel. Willing to learn though. Looks like i will need a book to decifer all the abbreviations!! Ha! I will probably just have to pay a diesel mechanic to look it over before i buy. Then learn the ins and outs from there. Diesels seem so damn problematic from the research i have done. Hope they are worth it!!

 

Good plan but not all diesel mechanics understand the 6.0 so have a good one. I was like you a few years ago and didn't know a thing about diesels but with the people on this site its been a breeze to learn and I myself wouldn't hesitate on na 6.0 if base stuff is good. Check out the tech folder and ask questions. My suggestion is if you take it to a diesel mechanic--tell us what he says.

 

And that 6.0 if right will be alot better at hauling a load then that 7.3

 

The acronyms and abbreviations are probably the hardest part of learning the 6.0. Took me a while to find what the STC fitting was. The key to the 6.0 is being willing to learn and understand the systems. HPOP (high pressure oil pump) is the one you need to understand and what to monitored to spot problems before it leaves you stranded. Oil leaks, bad IPR (injection pressure regulator) ICP (injection control pressure sensor) are the main problems on the late 04 to 07. The earlier engines had less problems with leaks, but the pump itself was less reliable.
The engine oil cooler can plug easily. This will cause two problems. First high EOT (engine oil temperature) and reduced flow to the EGR cooler. Low coolant flow to the EGR cooler an cause the cooler to leak. This can cause cooling problems including blown headgaskets. That is why its important to look at EOT compared to ECT (engine coolant temperatures). this is done by driving a fully warmed egine for at least 15 min at highway speeds. the spread should be less that 10 deg F. Also look for the EOT to come down after a spike, a hard acceleration will case the EOT to climb, but should come back down. If the oil cooler is really bad the oil temps will keep rising and not come down while driving.
For the HPOP sys I like to look at the IPR % at idle. With the engine warm it should less that 23-24 % with ICP around 550-600 psi. The IPR is a electric pressure relief valve, It dumps oil back to the engine to reduce pressure, Valve closed (85%) is higher pressure, valve open (less that 21%) is less pressure. One thing to keep in mind there is no "feedback' from the IPR. All you can read is commanded position. The valve can stick open and see full closed %
This is all stuff I learned here and from some friends that know the 6.0. My recommendation are IF you are willing to learn, and able to do your own mechanic work, they can be a good choice because of the low price.

 

Bah, scrolled down to the bottom and ended up posting in the wrong thread. Please ignore!

Finally figured out how to turn off "Show Related Threads" under the Forum Options, as I've done this quite a few times. Typically ressurrecting 10+ year old threads. Haha