I took my 2003 6.0 in for the 60k checkup and had to take it back for the idiot light indicating time to drain the water out of the fuel line reservoir. Turns out the sensor needs replacement again. I also complained of squirrely behavior when changing lanes; turns out the ball joints are worn and will be replaced under warranty. Bertha turns 4 in Nov this year and she only has 58k miles on her. I have come to trust my service guy at the local dealer as his diagnoses have always been correct plus he's always been good about picking up car rental fees for most repairs over 1 day. I just moved and am driving 700 miles/week now so the mileage is going to pick up more so than the first 4 years. I asked him if I made a mistake investing in this heavy duty vehicle that I purposely bought for towing our 23 foot boat and now for putting some serious mileage on it. He said he loves the Excursion but he's been surprised at the number of 6.0's with blown head gaskets at 80k-100k miles. On the other hand, he has a buddy with one that has 300k miles on it without issue. Is he being honest with me or being a loyal Ford employee and trying to get me to buy a new vehicle to help with the Ford rescue effort? I did a search on this forum and didn't see many posts sticking out like a sore thumb. I know the ball joints and brake discs are parts that wear out quickly on this vehicle but a head gasket? I'm 13 months from owning this vehicle outright and was looking forward to no payments for a while. The last thing I want to do is get a new vehicle but I don't want to pay $7k for a head gasket job in the next year either. How about you graybeards out there setting me straight!

 

The 03 6.0L was plagued with problems. Maybe posting particulars in the dedicated 6.0L forum will help. Have heard of many head gasket failures amongst other things.