Not sure if I should be asking this question here or on the 6.0 forum, but here goes.

I currently have an 2003 V10 with 4.30 gearing. and 140,000 miles. I tow a 10,500 lb loaded travel trailer with the X. Son was in a car accident this week and I have an idea the adjuster may call the vehicle totaled. In anticipation of this, I have started looking for another X with the V10 and 4.30 gears. They are hard to find. My dad has a neighbor who is going to be selling his 2004 Limited that has the 6.0 Diesel. the truck has 200,000 miles on it. He has taken very good care of it and the interior is immaculate. He thought he was going to want $8,500- $9,000 which seems to be a bit below book value. I have heard numerous horror stories on the 6.0. However, I also read where it seems if they have not had problems at 125,000 mark, it may be a good motor that will run many miles. Am I crazy to even be considering a 6.0? The owner told me the vehicle has been used to haul kids to sporting events and has towed an enclosed snowmobile trailer a few times. No real heavy towing. He has kept up on maintenance and seemed very honest. He pointed out every little flaw when I talked to him on the phone. I had asked if he experienced any issues with the cruise, radio or windows to which he told me no. He then called me back 10 minutes later and said he had egg on his face as his wife told him that occasionally, when using the steering wheel controls, the volume would go up when trying to change the station. Not a big deal to me and made me feel even better about his honestly.

Am I nuts for considering a 6.0 or does this sound like something that may be worth looking at?

 

Like all of these trucks, if they are cared for and not abused, they will run good and long. Ask in the 6.0 forum, but check the build date to see if it's and early '04 (2003 motor) or a late '04.

Get a scan tool and watch the difference between coolant temp and oil temp. If you don't know diesels and especially the 6.0, find an honest shop and pay them to check out the rig for you. Just because it looks great, doesn't mean it was treated great.

I'm a 7.3 guy, but a well cared for 6.0 would be worth an evaluation. Get a bright flashlight and look all over the truck from the top down.

The price is good if it's not a rust bucket and the head gaskets aren't blown. Plan to have some maintenance... It will happen and if you can't do the work yourself, it'll cost you. That's life with any truck, but diesels cost more because people are scared of them.

Give it and honest evaluation!

 

It's a late model 04. Owner made sure he pointed this out to me and told me the later models much less issues. No rust except some minor bumper rust and some surface rust on roof. Not sure why it is rusting there. He said he had a body shop fix it 4 years ago and it started to return.
I'm very confident the owner is being honest with me on the vehicles treatment. He owns a construction company and has told me stories he has had with some of his earlier 6.0's. He has never chipped it.

He has replaced the ball joints, shocks, and tie rods in the last 10,000 mile.

Also had transfer case serviced, FICM 2013, fuel pump 2015, fuel IPR (injector pressure regulator) and IPC (injector control pressure) sensor, EGR valve, fuel pump November 2014.

As I am not a diesel guy, most of this means nothing to me.

I guess I am wondering if I am better off continuing to search for a V10 with 4.30's or should I consider this. I am not very mechanical and have heard it can be 4,000 plus to bullet proof these engines. However, if it has 200,000 and has not been modified, is there any need to do anything to the engine. I often hear diesel owners say the truck is just getting broke in at 150,000-200,00 miles???

 

First of all this is jmo!

That Trk is worth more than that, imo! I'm guessing there's a reason it's priced the way it's priced. If you are not mechanically inclined and don't understand diesels you should educate yourself if you are interested in a diesel. Fwiw my wife's 05 broke a tip off of an injector last year at 110'xxx miles, 100% stock and I've owned it since it was new, no apparent reason that I could find. Anything mechanical can break at any time. Not telling you to buy or not to buy, if you are really interested you need some type of reader and drive it for 50 miles and see what it tells you.

Good luck!

 

The 6.0l is a fine beast! As mentioned if it hasn't been taken care of, it will bite you hard. Even ones that have can have an issue pop up out of no where and bite you.

If you can get a good feel for the baseline of the health of the 6.0l before you buy it the better the experience will be! Find someone to scan it for you or go and buy a scan gauge 2 from Autozone or Amazon. Program it for the 6.0l X gauges. Take the truck for a nice long test drive and monitor the engine. The 5 things to look at are EOT(engine Oil Temp),FWT(Water Temp),FLP(FICM low voltage) and FMP(FICM high voltage) and VLT(alternator voltage).

Also scan it for codes. Post up where you are at maybe someone with AE or IDS would be willing to help you look it over.

The biggest thing to remember is that oil changes are around 90-110 every 3-5k miles. Fuel filters should be changed every other oil change. You can not just jumo in it like a gasser when it is cold out. A 6.0l needs to warm up to a minimum of 125 F before being driven in colder temps.

Worse case scenario is you eat an injector like JDW1 had happen and you have to replace or rebuild the engine. used engines go for 3-7k , remanned 8k and up and a new one from Ford turbo to pan is about 15k.

Once you get use to the 6.0L you will never look back!

 

I agree with everyone. I just purchased another 6oh. I love the smell of diesel, but it can be a very costly purchase if you get a abused X.

 

I'd look for another V10 or a 7.3 if you want a diesel- they're reliable without having to re-engineer the engine.
To really 'Bulletproof' the 6.0, it'll take at least $4500 in parts and about $3000 in labor. Call a couple of reputable shops and price it out.
Others will dispute it, but them's the facts! The 6.0 is a crapshoot.
I wouldn't gamble on one unless I had Michael's money- nah, even then I'd go to a 6.7!

 

That guy Michael wouldn't go broke if he had to replace the 6.0 every month for the rest of his life

But seriously, I would count on bullet proofing the 6.0. You may get lucky and never need it, but it's nice when and if you need it your prepared. Bullet proofing as mentioned above... Can be as low as 3500 to 10k depending on how **** you are. I sent 12k under the hood

The rewards of a properly done 6.0 is unmatched, with that said the 6.0 is not for the faint of heart.

I would never recommend the 6.0 to anyone that lives paycheck to paycheck as they can stab you in the back. Until full bullet proofing is done there will always be a doubt.

Truthfully, the 6.0 Excursion owner must be an enthusiast and should have a full understand of what needs to be done to unleash its full capabilities.

Yes Ford and International did a crappy job on the 6.0, but if money is no issue and with all the proven techniques and parts available today a 6.0 can now be a very rewarding animal.

That's the way I see it....

Happy shopping!

 

After 11 years of beating my 6.0l into the ground, I'm still impressed with the power and performance of my 6.0l X.

It takes some time to learn the in's and out's. Do it right, and you've built a killer machine.

Knowledge is more valuable than money with these motors.

 

Damn, you just made me realize how old these things are
I guess I never think about it.

 

The little things are reminding me. Fiddly BS. AFA the big picture, it starts, runs, and pulls with the best of em'. Much appreciated, FoMoCo/Navi.