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My husband & I bought a 2004 F350 King Ranch 4X4 Deleted 6.0 Turbo Diesel Dually last year. 140k miles. We got a great deal on it… but it’s been nothing but a money put. Whomever “bulletproofed” it, was an idiot, and obviously just wanted to get it traded. ripped electrical wires left dangling after an aux. gas tank was removed, (which shorted everything out) but those weren’t discovered until the entire wiring harness was removed. 1 Alternator was fried, which fried the entire engine… replaced and repaired both those issues.. then found out that the Glow Plug harness was installed backwards, so the angle was wrong, and it caused the plugs to break into pieces down into the Engine upon removal. now obviously the dang money put can’t be driven, lest the pieces of glow plug get hurled through the Engine and then the Turbo. we still owe $11k on the loan we got against the truck. Payments are Low ($211 mo.) insurance is low. And my job requires constant driving cross country. dealerships are only offering $5-6k, purchase price. I believe in Karma & don’t want to saddle someone from Craigslit with this problem by selling it privately. So, we broke down & purchased a 2011 F450 Dually (which I’m now having a separate issue with.. which is also posted on this forum in the 6.7 Diesel thread) my Father has access to a 7.3 Diesel engine for $700. mechanic says she can clean up, repair the 7.3’s high pressure pump & switch them for around $2k.
my question then, is this. Do we… #1. Sell the truck to the Dealership, eat the remainder of what we owe, and just move on.
#2. Sell it Privately As is, and hope Karma isn’t the way she usually is to me… (I’m 99.9% against this option.) #2. Swap the Engines, make sure it’s Solid, and then Re-sell it privately as a 7.3. #3. Swap the Engine, make the payments, & keep it as a backup.
I say swap & keep. Hubby says… he doesn’t know, but is tired of bleeding money into it. Yes, the rear window was open in this shot. Thanks kids. 🤦♀️
That rig certainly looks clean enough to hang onto. (I'm biased cause I own the exact same one!) Have you considered a cummins swap? More $$$, but would probably be worth 20k+ once its done. And all the components and wiring are readily available; lots of people have done them. I think it would be a nightmare trying to get the 5R110 trans to work properly with the 7.3.
It really depends on how good a condition the body is in, and how much the previous owner made it more better. Being honest with a private sale would get you closest to what’s owed. After that in this case I’d get a long block from Asheville and build it back. If it’s decent after that in todays market you should be able to get the engine and owed money back. If the work could be done in family it would be the best chance.
Sorry to say, if you got bit on a second vehicle, you probably need a Jesus moment about assessing used vehicles before the hole gets deeper.
Actually, no, we haven't considered that.... only the 7.3 because that's what was available to us. I'll have to look into the Tranny situation. It was mentioned to me in the beginning of this process by a bystander, but I've forgotten since then, as we've had other nightmares to deal with until we could get back to this one. I'll check it out. Also, does anyone have an idea what a good used Cummins (that would be compatible with this model) would sell for? trying to budget for what we can afford to do with her.
That's a good thought. I'll talk to Hubby. Also, Work wont get done in family.. but we "know somoene" LOL. Close enough. As for the other vehicle... it's not a super major issue, either bad batteries or a starter/cam/loose connection problem.
It's not just put in a 7.3 in place of the 6.0. ALOT of work has to be done, why not just go through the 6.0 top to bottom and make it right? Why spend the money on someone else's problem?
It probably doesn’t make any difference at this point but the whole backward glow plug harness thing doesn’t hold water. Its likely the wrong glow plugs were installed. There are two different lengths. Using the too long plugs causes interference with the pistons and likely significant damage.
many home mechanics and certainly a good shop will have a camera to look into the cylinder and confirm the degree of damage. That would be a logical step in making a decision about how to move forward. It may be that repair may be possible and even less expensive tab a replacement or swap. If the experience has soured your opinion of the truck, it may be smart to sell it as running truck and being honest about the damage could be a cost effective option.
Hopefully it was just the connector pieces that fell into the engine.
Just as an FYI for the OP - if the ICP sensor is behind the turbo, it takes the longer glow plugs. If the ICP is on the passenger valve cover, it takes the shorter glow plugs.
Actually, no, we haven't considered that.... only the 7.3 because that's what was available to us. I'll have to look into the Tranny situation. It was mentioned to me in the beginning of this process by a bystander, but I've forgotten since then, as we've had other nightmares to deal with until we could get back to this one. I'll check it out. Also, does anyone have an idea what a good used Cummins (that would be compatible with this model) would sell for? trying to budget for what we can afford to do with her.
Check car-part.com for used cummins pricing. There are options to make any cummins from 1990 -2010 work in our ford trucks. The newer engines will make considerably more power & run smoother & quieter, but will be more complex and expensive to purchase & install. A good resource for cummins conversion is Diesel Conversion Specialists. Honestly, if mine requires a rebuild before I decide to get rid of it, I will probably go this route with an 04+ common rail motor. I think my cost for the conversion would be 10-15k, but a professional quality rebuild of the 6.0 can easily reach 10.
There is nothing wrong with a 6.0... as long as its maintained, and taken care of. Seems most common issues is when guys put monster tuners o. them to get gobs of power out of them. My 6.0 is mainly stock, its not studded, i have 280k on it now, and I have a mild tow tune on it from 5 star with the 50 HP tow tune, and an Atlas 40 FICM. I have never had one issue with it. Sure, there is work to be done, but dont all vehicles gas or diesel need work done, diesels just cost more to fix.
If it was me, I'd take it to a reputable shop that works on 6.0s, have it gone through top to bottom and spend say 5 to 6 thousand getting it fixed right. It only has 140k on it now, it should run for 350k+ miles if taken care of. That's just my $.02. I'd fix it and continue to drive it. Besides, you said you bought a newer truck with a 6.7 and have other problems. Buying a used vehicle you never know what issues your gonna run it to, that's how it works, your buying someone else issues.
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