I am supposed to be going tomorrow to purchase my first diesel. I know very little about them. The truck is a 2003 F 250 with the 6.0. I just started hearing all of the horror stories tonight of the dreaded engine, and need to make sure I don't buy a time bomb. As I said it's an 03 and it has 185k. Crew cab 4x4 if it makes a difference . What am I looking for ? Thanks guys

 

Read this first
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...used-6-0l.html

 

Lots of good info in there. The only thing I noticed was most of that was for later models. Does the same still apply to the older generation like the 03?

 

Much (probably most) of that thread applies to all year models.

The 03 model year weaknesses (vs the other model years) include:
1. a less reliable high pressure oil pump
2. Injectors that do not have the reliability upgrades of the later model year injectors (IMO well taken care of injectors should last 250k to 300k miles)
3. Some people say that the torquing of the head bolts was inconsistent in the early year models (I can't comment on the validity or extent of that).

All year models are prone to:
1. low fuel pressure due to the stock regulator spring aging and weakening. The fix is easy and cheap.
2. weak FICM circuitry. FICM upgrades are not all that expensive.
3. solids dropping out of the Ford Gold coolant if it is not properly taken care of and routinely flushed (some coolant systems came with solids in them - mine did). Switching to an ELC coolant is not all that expensive and it is probably wise.
4. Oil coolers plug when the solids drop out of the coolant. This can be on the expensive side, so you really MUST get a monitor to see if the oil cooler is healthy before buying a used 6.0L.
5. Improper oil or poor oil maintenance can cause injector spool valves to stick (stiction). Proper maintenance is not cheap on an annual basis, but it isn't so bad that you should skimp on it!

If the 6.0L engine is not properly maintained (proper filters and fluids), you can get excess soot in the exhaust and that can plug up the EGR valve and it can also cause issues with the turbo operation (the turbo's exhaust wheel has a variable inlet guide vane system to the exhaust wheel that can stick). Here again, a gauge system can help you keep an eye on your engines performance!

The 03 engine is less prone to get leaks in the high pressure oil system (although it still has quite a few o-rings that can eventually leak). Also, the 03 engine has a very reliable EGR cooler design.