I have an 04 250 with the 6.0 I was heading to work and everything seemed fine. I got about 2 miles from home and suddenly lost power. The truck would not accelerate, and when I got to a stop sign died instantly. A couple months ago I put about 18k into it getting the truck gone through at a diesel shop so I'm uncertain as to what the issue could be but when I try to start it out does not turn over. Any help with diagnosis is appreciated.



I changed the fuel filters and was able to get it running but when it was it was running rough. Turned it off and it won't start again I had a shop go through it earlier this year and was told that mechanically it was sound. I'm sitting here racking my brain trying to figure the issue out but coming to no specific conclusions. Thinking maybe an alternator issue? But pretty sure it's something else

 

Doesn't turn over? If you can rotate the engine by hand with a breaker bar then start with electrical diagnosis. If you can't turn it with a breaker bar then it's usually internal mechanical problems, another way of saying expensive.

 

Welcome to Ford 6.0 life. Unless you are a DIY type car guy, then you'd be better off cutting your losses and getting rid of the 6.0. Trying to keep a 6.0 running by paying shop labor rates to fix stuff is more expensive than buying a new truck, even at today's insane new truck prices.
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First, definitely check voltage at the batteries, if either is bad it could smoke the alternator, and sometimes the FICM goes too. What was your volt gauge reading when things went haywire? Does the starter click at all when you try to start the truck, do the lights dim/go out? If the voltage is bad, replace BOTH batteries, pull the alternator and have it checked, and search for the process to check the FICM. If the voltage is good, pull the starter and have it checked.

Before you pull anything though, just to check, see if you can turn the motor over with a breaker bar on the crank harmonic balancer (if you have a socket that size). If it will roll over by hand then you haven't seized the engine which is good and promising. If it won't...well you're in trouble because there's any number of things that could have gone wrong and they're ALL expensive.

I would suggest dropping down to the 6.0 forums, though. You'll find a LOT more info specific to the 6.0 down there.

 

Good advice, the post before? Eh.

 

I disagree. If your 6.0 was relatively healthy before it quit, and depending on the outcome of what caused it, they're really not that tough to keep running unless you're abusing them.

I had 2, at the same time. One completely stock, one bulletproofed. The completely stock one had some rust related issues but otherwise was a good, solid running truck. The bulletproofed one ran good until a pair of injectors died, once they were fixed it ran great again.

At this point in time, these are getting to be about 20 year old trucks. Finding one that DOESN'T have rust issues is going to be tough, fixing rust issues is often tougher.

 

My experience, and experiences of three other friends have more or less been playing the same song. “It’s a hobby.”
One 2004 three 2006’s, hobbies.
6.0 cult is almost as bad as Scientology!

 

@ChrisSr head on over and post to the 6.0 section of the forum if you still need help. For the most part you can avoid the peanut gallery comments when you’re just looking for insight. See ya over there.

 

The Ford 6.0 is a flawed design that is inherently unreliable compared to just about every other engine ever made. To make them reliable enough to be useful it takes an enthusiast owner thats willing to take special care of it. Relying on shops to keep a 6.0 going is a very expensive proposition, a DIY guy with decent skill can do it, but it requires a lot of babysitting and meticulous maintenance.

Bottom line, a 6.0 is way more trouble than it's worth for the vast majority of owners out there. When they run they're pretty nice, they're smooth, powerful, refined, a pleasure to drive and tow with,,, it's the keeping them running part that's their Achilles heel.

Rust depends on where you live/ where the truck has lived. Here in central Texas rust is almost a foreign concept. Rusty vehicles here are either yankee imports or people that drive on the beach to often. Bone yards are FULL of rust free 6.0's around here, which is nice if say you want to swap out the front Dana 50 in your Excursion for a super duty Dana 60, makes for plenty of available axles and the prices of them are low. The downside is you're trying to get rid of 6.0, the core prices are also really low.
Yanked out a running 6.0 because i was tired of throwing good money at a bad engine and replaced it with a much more reliable engine design.



Got less than $60 for the 6.0 core (still more than it's probably worth). I did keep the turbo, injectors, HPOP and FICM hoping to sell them separately as cores. Thats been almost two years ago and I still have everything besides the FICM because I can't find any place that will even take them, much less pay for them.

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BTW op, the cult members are quite Good at proselytizing. 😂

 

Our great father of knowledge is correct and he hath converted me through his own proselytizing. A great conversion has taken place. My new advice based on this great conversion is to dig a gigantic pit and roll your truck into it making sure to set a gigantic limestone rock directly on top. The rock will prevent anyone else from suffering in the future. Cover this evil beast with clay ensuring to follow the compaction schedule of a competent engineering firm. Only then will you too be redeemed. Be free my friends…..be free.

Or you can go to the 6.0 section of the forum and get sound advice on how to repair/ maintain the 6.0. We all have the freedom to choose. At least for now.

 

lol, that was one of the best forum responses I've ever read, top 5 for sure.

The 6.0 has a following like some college Football teams. No matter how bad they are, people have still selected them as "their team" and no amount of logic ,stats or basic self-evident reality will dissuade them from thinking their team is the best .
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But isn’t that true of most everything in the 1st world realm? Eagles vs Cowboys/ Republican vs Democrat/ Snap-on vs MAC/ Ford vs Chevy, on and on ad nauseum. Have you ever considered the fact that some of us still have these platforms because we know them, we like them, and we can work on them? Have you considered maybe we’re comfortable in knowing its shortcomings and have taken steps to ensure their reliability? Have you considered the cost of a new truck and people like some of us don’t want to shell out a mortgage payment every month for a truck with all the EPA mandated systems on it that have also proven unreliable? I’m not sure I have ever been on the 6.0 section of the forum and had anybody say that platform was the best. In fact, it often quite the contrary. But for most of us the answer isn’t going to be throw it away and buy a Cummins. Most of us are going to say, “oh your problem is this, and here is how you fix it”. It ain’t a fan boy thing for me, it’s a truck I’ve had since 2008. I didn’t know anything about the 6.0 then. I do now, I’ve cut my teeth on it. It’s paid for, and I plan on keeping it until the Pennsylvania winters finally eat it to oblivion. If I can help others along the way with things I’ve learned and point them to folks on the forum with more experience, I feel that’s a win. If I learn something new along the way, win win.

 

^^^ these are the key words in all your considerations.

The OP is taking his to a shop (and has already spent a healthy sum). If an owner isn’t doing the repair/ maintenance work themselves , a 6.0 will cost more to own than a new truck, and should be gotten rid of.
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Well, the transmissions are great!