2004 250
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2004 250
I just bought a 2004 250 6.0 diesel. What do I need to do to it to make it reliable as possible, will not be towing anything just highway miles. It has 40,000 miles on it and well maintained. Thanks
Fleet Owner
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,918
Likes: 3,636
For starters - CLEAN OIL AND CLEAN FUEL
Oil -
OEM or OEM style oil filters - lots of threads on this
Oil change at 5000 miles
Oil type - Motorcraft 15W-40 (diesel) works, but many prefer synthetic 5W-40
Fuel -
Get your fuel at high volume stations
Fuel filters (two) - use OEM and change every 10,000 to 15,000
Use a fuel additive, no alcohol, that de-emulsifies water
I have just begun to add 2% Biodiesel for Lubricity (along w/ Stanadyne)
Air -
Use OEM "Donaldson" filters, no aftermarket. Change when filterminder shows the need (in the manual). I change mine more often, but most say it is not necessary.
Operation -
Let it warm up for at least 20-30 seconds before taking off.
Make sure you cool it down (Exhaust gas temps) after hard driving or towing
Modifications -
GAUGES!
Coolant filter
Oil bypass filter
LOTS - LOTS MORE if you have the $$'s
Enjoy your truck and welcome to the forum
Oil -
OEM or OEM style oil filters - lots of threads on this
Oil change at 5000 miles
Oil type - Motorcraft 15W-40 (diesel) works, but many prefer synthetic 5W-40
Fuel -
Get your fuel at high volume stations
Fuel filters (two) - use OEM and change every 10,000 to 15,000
Use a fuel additive, no alcohol, that de-emulsifies water
I have just begun to add 2% Biodiesel for Lubricity (along w/ Stanadyne)
Air -
Use OEM "Donaldson" filters, no aftermarket. Change when filterminder shows the need (in the manual). I change mine more often, but most say it is not necessary.
Operation -
Let it warm up for at least 20-30 seconds before taking off.
Make sure you cool it down (Exhaust gas temps) after hard driving or towing
Modifications -
GAUGES!
Coolant filter
Oil bypass filter
LOTS - LOTS MORE if you have the $$'s
Enjoy your truck and welcome to the forum
Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,612
Likes: 2
From: Dunwoody, GA
For every engine you will find just about the same amount of "negatives". It mostly depends on how well the engine has been maintained. The issues that most have are covered under the 100k warranty.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,918
Likes: 3,636
Even if you know the person you bought the truck from, you probably should get an OASIS report by posting your VIN number in the OASIS Report Thread.
Also - if you haven't already, read the tech folder.
The 2004 engines performed well, but had a few weaknesses. Sticking turbo vanes were an issue w/ some causing overboosting and then head gasket problems, loss of coolant, and egr cooler failures, etc. This is where gages are a really good idea (boost pressure, Exhaust gas temp, fuel pressure, transmission fluid temp, are some good ones to start with). You can prevent problems from becoming more serious w/ gages - even if you aren't towing or running a tuner.
I wish I knew where it was first said, but the advice given here to periodically "drive it like you stole it" is great. Keeps lots of parts moving (ones that do not like to sit in one position for long periods of time).
If you ever see signs of trouble w/ your trucks performance, posting here for discovering "what is wrong" is the way to go. This site is amazing. Quite a few 6.0 technicians, master technicians, etc here that give their time unselfishly. Many others do as well making this site
Also - if you haven't already, read the tech folder.
The 2004 engines performed well, but had a few weaknesses. Sticking turbo vanes were an issue w/ some causing overboosting and then head gasket problems, loss of coolant, and egr cooler failures, etc. This is where gages are a really good idea (boost pressure, Exhaust gas temp, fuel pressure, transmission fluid temp, are some good ones to start with). You can prevent problems from becoming more serious w/ gages - even if you aren't towing or running a tuner.
I wish I knew where it was first said, but the advice given here to periodically "drive it like you stole it" is great. Keeps lots of parts moving (ones that do not like to sit in one position for long periods of time).
If you ever see signs of trouble w/ your trucks performance, posting here for discovering "what is wrong" is the way to go. This site is amazing. Quite a few 6.0 technicians, master technicians, etc here that give their time unselfishly. Many others do as well making this site
Fleet Owner
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 27,918
Likes: 3,636
Originally Posted by LvTitan
i have 60K on my 04, and i DO drive it like i stole it just about every day, NO PROBS , and, yes, it's modded 
"i have 180cc injectors, a larger turbo, a FASS 150/180 fuel pump/filter/separator, and fuel crossover with regulated return.
i dont forsee running out of fuel anytime in the near future, i have enough to reach my 550 RWHP goals."
The turbo, fuel system, and the SCT tunes are all performance mods AND reliability mods (in my opinion).
LongTime - These are some of the "other" mods I hinted at. Also the FluidDampr, ccv reroute, egr delete, MBRP (or similar) exhaust, Bilstein shocks, upgraded ball joints (MOOG greasable), etc ....
Last edited by bismic; Sep 16, 2007 at 09:44 PM.
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