Hey guys! It's been awhile since i've posted and most of you probably don't remember me as its been a year or two! My '99 F250SD V10 met an untimely demise at 125,000mi this past March with a connecting rod bearing going out. I sold the truck for more than it would cost to fix it, and cut my losses. My recent daily driver has been a trusty 1998 5.4L F150 4x4 Lariat SuperCab with 215,000 mi on her. I'm not for sure but i think these trucks are bullet proof! Anyways, on to the thread title...I have had a boner for PowerStroke diesels for the past, well, since I first layed eyes on my Super Duty (college expenses made it hard enough to afford the low mileage V10, let alone a diesel!). I now have enough funds to afford a higher mileage diesel (trying to stay in the mid $20k's). I am currently looking at a 2003 F250 SuperCrew Long bed 4x4 Lariat, the usual wet dream fodder, with the 6.0L powerstroker, bone-stock. The truck has 98,000 miles on it, but the price is a very affordable 23,500. The truck is immaculate and runs like new. I was wondering what kind of longevity you 6.0 strokers are getting or know about out of these motors? I wouldn't have any doubts if it had the 7.3L mill in it, but i haven't heard good things about the 6.0 lasting very long before encountering expensive troubles. All that the dealership has told me about this truck repair-wise is that it's had all new injectors, new turbo, and he put a pin in the egr valve so it wouldn't open (apparently improves engine component longevity?). I know some of our gin trucks at work with the 6.0 have had injector problems, and the recent fix that ford came up with was pumping the oil back off the injectors when you shut it down. However, we've always traded the trucks in (all of them F550 4x4s) before they got much over 125,000. Thanks for any help or advice you can give me!

 

i think if you change the oil every 5K, fuel filters every 10K and give it a dose of fuel treatment every tank it would go 500K easy.

 

Get the vin number and have an oasis report run on it and then go from there. The 03' and 04' 6.0's were very problematic, but there were some good ones. I paid $19900 for my 03' in Dec with 125k on it. I would think you could get it for alot less than they are asking. Good luck, Dale

 

why do the fuel filters need changed so often? also, would a pipe, intake, chip make it last longer? i've heard both sides, thanks!

 

i figure since i'm going to borrow money again i need it to at least outlast the loan. My previous SD left me high and dry with a loan to pay off on a truck that didn't run! The V10 died of previous misuse prior to my owning it, apparently the goat-roper that owned it before i did felt the need to run rotella tractor oil in it.

 

i wouldnt go with an intake unless you wanted to make over 500HP. not worth the chance of dusting if you ask me.


i let other chime in for the rest.

 

ROFLMFAO!



i feel for you bro.

 

i would like to make as much power as possible while keeping it fairly stock, just bolt on parts. Alot of the strokers i see run a aftermarket intake and we have some at work and they seem to add a ton of power. I will be pulling a heavy flatdeck trailer grossing around 12 to 14,000 pounds of oilfield equipment.

 

If you want to make much more power than stock you will need to run head studs because the early 6.oh no's liked to float the heads when you ran extra power. Don't just believe what the dealer told you go down to the 6.0 fourm and post the vin and ask for a oasis report. You don't know how many times it has had these repairs, and the problematic ones need them over and over.

 

what was the mfr date of the "early" 6.0s made? what was the problem and how was it fixed?

 

If the one your looking at has already had injectors and a turbo changed run like it had the plague. The 6.0L that has had problems will always have problems again and again and again and again, you catching on yet, and again. I would avoid that one and find one with out injectors problems, turbo problems, egr problems. The ones the had problems were the 03's and early 04's. I personally would never buy 6.0L before a build of 05. There have been a few of the early ones that weren't problematic, but a lot of them were. I think I would look more at a 7.3L in the money you are talking. The 02's and 03's, had PMR rods which are fine for minor stuff like chips, intakes, and exhausts, but if you ever want to add a bigger turbo, or bigger injectors, or other high perfromance mods the can cause problems. I think, I would personally try to find a low mileage 00 or 01. I found my 99.5 a couple of months ago with only 70k on it and one owner. I would get a VIN and get an Oasis report, if it says anything about injector problems, or turbo problems, run like the wind.

 

They "early" 6.0's until a mfg date of 2005. The best way to fix the problem is to trade the truck in if it has problems which it looks like that is what the PO did because it is only 2k miles from the warranty ending. Like RogueSpear2023 said once it has problems it will happen forever. IT sounds like you have already fallin in love and you need to come back to reality because this might be a bad purchase.

 

okay i decided not to get the truck. and just so ya know we have been having problems with the 6.0s at work on our 06 (96,000 mi) and 07 (92,000 mi) F550s. This problem hasn't been fixed with the "new" 6.0, which is perhaps why it only lasted 4 years with the release of the 6.4L TT. My ford mechanic told me this problem can happen on any newer diesel, and we've had problems with injectors on early 2000s 7.3L *gasp*. The problem is that if the truck sits around and idles alot, the oil on top of the injectors gets gummy and starts sticking the injectors. Ford's new "fix" is to put heating elements in the injectors and while the glow plugs warm up, so do the injector warmers to free up the sticky oil on top of the injectors. I work for a oilfield repair shop that services all of central and southwest kansas, and when these trucks are fired up, they aren't shut off until we get home that night. I imagine the majority of you guys that have problems let your diesels sit around and idle alot, which builds up the injector gunk. Anywho, thanks for the advice! I will more than likely buy a 6.0 soon as the dealer i'm working with offers a 4 year unlimited mileage warranty for 800 bucks.

 

So what ever happened, did you buy a truck? $800 for a warrenty is cheap!

 

i haven't yet purchased a diesel for a daily driver, still waiting around for a lower mileage 7.3L, 2000-2003 range. I bought an '03 6L CC LB 4x4 at a rebuilders auction in november. It had a salvage title for theft recovery, and just needed a hood, fender, and back seat. I replaced these and sold the truck to a good friend of mine. It had a 4.5 DR lift, 37s, and 18" Weld Cheyenne 8s on it. It was a hell of a nice truck, i just don't feel that the 6.0 is very reliable. Plus i made about 4k on the deal. I would love to find a lower mileage 02 or 03 CC LB 4x4 with the 7.3 and preferrably Lariat package, and the 6spd would also be desirable to me. Still beating the 5.4 down the road for now...