i think i am going crazy with this diesel stuff, i have a 2004 6.0, 26,000 miles, never any propbems, (bought used). i am reading about injector problems, fuel causing injector problems, using additives, $4000 injector repairs, to modify or not, chips, tuners, water in fuel concerns, everything! i feel almost scared as hell to drive my truck! getting broke down and spending for a turbo, injectors, blah blah blah!
i remember back in the 90's, we had the 7.3 for work trucks, and no one never ever gave any special attention to the diesels, same with my friends that owned the 7.3, i don't think anyone changed fuel filters all the time, worried additives, and almost seemed to abuse their trucks, and they had no problems.
i love my truck! so am i just being paranoid or does the 6.0 really need more attention to make sure its realiable? thank you.

 

You've had 26k problem free miles, I wouldn't worry. Not to crack on anyone else's maintenance overkill, but these things come with a maintenace schedule, just follow that one. Besides, Ford gives you a 100k warranty on the engine with a $100 deductible. So if your worst fears do come true it'll cost you $100. If you want to clog-up the engine, baby it. Otherwise drive it normally, get it out on the open road from time to time and open her up. Do that and it'll treat you right. Any car has the potential to leave you stranded. Don't let this forum make you paranoid about your 6.0. Like I said, it has treated you just fine so far, hasn't it?!!

 

BF250, I too have become kind of worried from reading this forum. If I hadn't already bought my truck when I first visited here, I probably wouldn't have bought it in the first place. That would have been a shame as this has been by far the best truck I have ever owned. And I have owned a few...
I am one of those guys who are overkilling with diesel fuel additives. I don't spend the money on synthetic oil but felt that keeping fuel system clean was a worth while expense. Not too much though.
If it makes you feel any better, the only people that I hear of problems from are people here on this forum. There are a few theories about why that occurs but I will avoid input on that.
The main thing I can personally offer you is that EVERYONE I know that has a 6.0 has nothing but good things to say about it. It seems that most people are scratching their heads to figure out what all of the negative hype is about. That makes me feel alot better.
An old friend gave me some advise one time. "Don't believe anything you hear and half of what you see." This quote was actually aimed at his government job but I think it may apply here in some cases as well.
Tim

 

I can totally understand the idea behind this post........

I too have been worried, but after 70k, and really no engine related problems, yet....I find it VERY, VERY odd, that a few people, have SO DAMNED MANY problems.

I can understand and injector, or two going out on one truck.... but 7 ??? then like 5-6 more a few thousand miles later, and 10 ICP's on one truck?
5-6 EGR replacements, 5-10 turbos..... and these are usually the way it goes......most have no probs, a coupla guys have nothing but trouble.


For the record, i DO NOT believe in lemons. I believe in poor diagnosis, poor training, and lack of support from the factory.

tell me how 5 million injectors can be trouble free, and 10,000 are bad, but 3-5 of those 10,000 end up in the same trucks?

(please don't bypass the language filters - thanks).



for me, drive it like you hate it. buy the extended warranty (to cover things like ball joints and whatnot) and after 100k, either re-up your warranty, or get another truck.

I guess I am lucky to live near a large city, where the diesel techs have tremendous experience with the 6 litre, due to the sheer volume they work on, but it seems to me, if you live in the boondocks, and you have an engine issue, tow that son of a bitch to the nearest city, and have a QUALIFIED tech work on it.


not trying to flame anyone, more pissed at ford for making things so complicated......but then we gotta get mad at the EPA, and CARB, and other government agencies...



anyway, hopefully you guys get your issues worked out.

 

If you look at the number of 6.0's out there VS the # of problem trucks I think the % is small but vocal. And yes it might be because of the owner neglect or the teck not finding the root of the problem but the government mandated epa stuff is what is really hurting the reliability of engines.

 

I had no quams at all about getting the 6.0. The 7.3 was and still is great to me. All the people I talked to in person had great experiances with the 6.0. No-one and I mean no-one had anything bad to say about the 6.0 in person!! So when I seen bad things said on this site and others I thought it had to be a very small percentage. Most if not all of those were due to aftermarket Programmers!! I dove in head first and Have 2 6.0s now!! It's mostly BS because the only problem I had with mine the dealer treated me like I was Bill Ford himself. Came and got the truck and brought it back in 3 hours!!

 

Welcome to the internet, where mountains are made out of mole hills on a daily basis. If you go to any forum regarding any vehicle most of what you see is the horror stories. Very view people "vent" about how great their truck is. Don't fall for the hype.

 

To be fair, Ford is getting hammered with warranty claims on the 6.0. I'm sure a lot of you have seen the magazine story links on this forum.

My 6,0 has been great, but once the media starts doing stories about loyal "30 year" Ford Truck customers suing because their $45K truck is constantly jacked up, you should expect some negative fallout.

And, to risk some real flames, blaming the EPA misses the point. Tougher and tougher emissions standards have been a reality for the auto companies since the 70's. Everyone has to meet them, and Ford touts itself as a very environmentally friendly company. Did you know that Ford spent a ton of money putting a renewable turf roof on their headquarters??

Anyway, my own view is that Ford did what every american company does when cost and schedule conflict with quality. Quality loses. Now, they are paying for it in $$ and loss of reputation.

If they learn from this, Ford will recover and grow stronger, and I think all of us will be happy if they do!!

 

I read-up on this forum before I bought my truck. I take the good with the bad. My 87 f250 gasser did me right and so did my 97 f250 7.3 psd. I talked to people first hand who have the 6.0 and not one person said anything negative. Now that I am one of those people with the 6.0 I don't have anything bad to say. I think this new truck is just great. It will run circles around my old 97 7.3 especially towing the trailer. I have no regrets and expect years of good service just like my old trucks. When I drove up to a friend he said "welcome to the 21st century." Just do the maintenance and find a good service tech you can trust.

 

Since 1990 a lot more people have been using the internet, so reporting problems on sites like these has skyrocketed. There are a lot of 6.0s on the road, just watch when you drive, you see them everywhere. For all the 6.0s on the road I don't think there is a significant amount of problems. Just drive it and enjoy, you know you can't get the grin off your face.

 

The thing is that people come here to talk about the problems they have and ask for help mostly. If you look on the DMAX or Cummins forum you will find more of the same. Also, FORD sells the most 3/4 and 1 ton truck that any other manufacturer in that market. In my area you see lots and lots of 7.3's and 6.0's and close to the same on the Cummins but DMAX's are very scarce. Not trying to throw off our fellow diesel lovers but the DMAX just isn;t built to last like the Cummins or PowerStroke. I mean come on guys they have Aluminum heads on a Diesel and just to think the problems they had years ago with aluminum heads to a steel block in gassers. The concept of Aluminum heads on a diesel just doesn't interest me one bit in fact its scary.

 

I am paranoid as well.

I am afraid that every time I get out of my truck someone is gonna steal it 'cause it runs so good.

 

I am somebody that had problems. no chips or tuners. 100% stock. It took 1 yr of trips back to the dealer to get fixed. I have met three people that have had trouble with their trucks. In the end they all got fixed one way or the other. My problems started in the first 5000 miles. the other guys that i met with problems started early also. If i were you i would not worry. all others i have met love the truck and motor. Drive it and enjoy it. Just be careful with chips or tuners. just my .o2 worth.

 

I have to be different and say that a bunch of people that I know that drive 6.0s have had problems.

-04 F250 Scab- EGR valve failure under 20K (Not exactly sure on the mileage but it's pretty new and he doesn't drive it much)
-05 F250 Scab-Turbo failure and many oil leaks not to mention electrical problems with the truck since about one week after he got it
-04 F250 Crew cab- No real problems except for some recall crap with the EGR
-05 E450 Ambulance-Bunch of recalls and horrible smoking condition that Ford can't figure out. It's honestly embarrassing. You leave a smokescreen.

But for all that, I know of a guy that got an 03 6.0 with no problems after 25K on the clock.

I'd buy a 6.0 if the price was right and it was not an 03, but I'd still be worried about it.

Mike

Edit: Every one of those trucks are stock. No lifts, tuners, they all even have the stock tires and the new car smell.

 

thanks for the replies everyone, i know there will always be probs with everything made, i was just wondering if these new engines had to be babied more than the old diesels, the things i read seem to make it so, but guess not. this is my first diesel, my previous truck was a 1995 f350 with the 460, never did anything except put gas into it and change oil, always ran perfect, no probs, not even any oil leak after 163,000 miles when i sold it. hope for the same luck with my new truck.