6.0L good/bad?
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Junior User
Joined: Oct 2005
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6.0L good/bad?
I have a general question on the 6.0L, I read in a magizine the other day that the 6.0L wasn't that good of a motor and has lots of problems.I have a 06 that has about 20,000 miles now without any issues. My farther in-law also has one but his is a 03 and hasn't had any problems either. Is it in the early models they had problems? I heard someone say that they had wiring problems in the first year or so. Some friends of mine say the old 7.3L was a better motor but when I pull past them like there standing still, I dont see how. Whats different about the 6.0L that makes some people say its better? Im just a little concerned now because I was hoping to keep this truck a long time and put a couple hondred thousand on it like my friends have done with there older ford diesels.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: NJ
do a lot of searching on this site, you'll find happy owners and angry owners of these trucks. I took the gamble with an 06 and still own my 97 with the 7.3 i don't have enough miles on my truck to know if i made the wrong decision or not.
i really don't think it's the motor itself. it's the parts on it, or computer problems that are causing some of the issues people are having.
JMO
i really don't think it's the motor itself. it's the parts on it, or computer problems that are causing some of the issues people are having.
JMO
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: TEXAS
There have been lots of reports of problems, especially it seems with turbos. It may be only 1 of 100 owners or less, but that is still a lot. I have 43,000+ on my 2004 with no problems and am very happy with it. I have a friend with a 2003 with 90,000+. He was very happy until he recently starting having a problem with periodic loss of power that they have not been able to correct yet. The first thing they did was replace the turbo, but that did not solve the problem. So he is still waiting for a fix.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Ohio
The 7.3L is like an old pair of shoes you don't want to get rid of because they are comfortable. The 6.0L is high tech and scares people.
The 6.0L block is 2 piece with the crank sandwiched, this 2 piece block design is stronger than a crank and main cap. The heads are 4 valve which flow more fuel and air, the 2 valve head design is limited to flow. The 7.3 engine has limits because of the heads and main cap design where crank shaft end play is common and increases beyond specifications.
The 7.3L could not meet EPA standards and was outdated like the Model T many years prior. The 6.0L has had growing pains. The problems I had with my 7.3 are non existent with more available HP and torque backed by an advanced torq-shift transmission.
The 6.0L block is 2 piece with the crank sandwiched, this 2 piece block design is stronger than a crank and main cap. The heads are 4 valve which flow more fuel and air, the 2 valve head design is limited to flow. The 7.3 engine has limits because of the heads and main cap design where crank shaft end play is common and increases beyond specifications.
The 7.3L could not meet EPA standards and was outdated like the Model T many years prior. The 6.0L has had growing pains. The problems I had with my 7.3 are non existent with more available HP and torque backed by an advanced torq-shift transmission.
Super Moderator
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Omaha/Elkhorn, NE
I've driven the 7.3 (brothers truck) and I own an '06 with the 6.0. Haven't had any problems with the 6.0, pulls awesome, and will outrun/outpull the 7.3. I will say, the 7.3 is a very good motor, though. I think the big issues with the 6.0 were with the 03/04 model trucks.
Jäger
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,491
Likes: 5
From: Northern Arizona
Originally Posted by atvraptorman
I have a general question on the 6.0L, I read in a magizine the other day that the 6.0L wasn't that good of a motor and has lots of problems.I have a 06 that has about 20,000 miles now without any issues. My father in-law also has one but his is a 03 and hasn't had any problems either. Is it in the early models they had problems? I heard someone say that they had wiring problems in the first year or so. Some friends of mine say the old 7.3L was a better motor but when I pull past them like there standing still, I dont see how. Whats different about the 6.0L that makes some people say its better? Im just a little concerned now because I was hoping to keep this truck a long time and put a couple hondred thousand on it like my friends have done with there older ford diesels.
I like that magazine overall, but that statement is somewhat over the top regarding performance. I also believe the warranty costs were inflated by the poor Technician training (Ford's fault) and the fact that the 6.0 is a technologically advanced engine/electronics combination. Some Techs and Service Managers were throwing parts at the 6.0 instead of diagnosing the issues. The performance is not at all disappointing for the majority of owners! The 6.0 does require a good preventive maintenance program including proper oil/filter and fuel filter change intervals and also top quality fuel. It's a high-performance engine and needs to be treated as such.
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,366
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From: Northern Utah
I'll go out on a limb here- IMO The biggest issue Ford had with the 6.0 was that the sales teams were selling loads of them and the service departments (unfortunately) did not receive proper (any?) training... Along with some first year production issues (programming/reflash, injectors and few other idiosyncrasies). This combination made for some very unhappy owners.
For the record: My 03 6.0 was an awesome vehicle with a great engine. Although the first 45 days of ownership was a fiasco
For the record: My 03 6.0 was an awesome vehicle with a great engine. Although the first 45 days of ownership was a fiasco
Last edited by utahtom; Sep 18, 2006 at 09:38 AM.
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Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2004
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From: Ohio
I would agree on lack of training and mis-diagnosis. IH has a Quality Control problem on engine assembly and casting which did not help. Just my opinion.
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The earliest '03's had a few bugs that ford had to work out, and generally did. My '04 is the best truck I could imagine. Every year ford makes little improvements on the engine to make it even better. No doubt the 6.4 will expierance the exact same sequence of problems and solutions...they all do. The real question is this: will the 6.4 be able to perform with all that enviromental junk on it?
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: None of your business
Originally Posted by BarebackJD
The earliest '03's had a few bugs that ford had to work out, and generally did. My '04 is the best truck I could imagine. Every year ford makes little improvements on the engine to make it even better. No doubt the 6.4 will expierance the exact same sequence of problems and solutions...they all do. The real question is this: will the 6.4 be able to perform with all that enviromental junk on it?
Mike
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Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Utah Currently
My '03 has 86,000 miles on it and is doing well. No major problems. I am happy with it. Total weight, I hauled 27,000 pounds from Alaska to Utah. The truck did great. I got 11-12 miles per gallon. I get 17-18 with no weight. I wouldn't trade the truck for anything.
Elder User
Joined: Jun 2006
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I have an 06' F250 myself and im quite happy with it thus far. i have about 10k miles on the truck and just got back from a 3k mile round trip. the truck was great and so far the only real complaint i have is the price of Diesel. I think that most of what was said in the mag art was mis informed people judging the psd on the 03/04 debuging years. every vehicel has good and bad stuff about it. most of us i would have to say are more then proud of our trucks. good choice... keep it FORD. 