I bought this truck for a crew truck w/in my company......& being somewhat familiar w/ the talk surrounding the troubles w/ the 2003 6.0L, I decided to buy it b/c it was manufactured in the end of the 2003 run.

Long story short, after we built the truck out to our needs, I put the truck into daily service, & 9 days later it was blowing white smoke, idling very rough, & also drove w/ a constant vibration coming from the engine......as in when you accelerated the response was very intermitant

the truck has lost power, but still runs, but we no longer use it in our small fleet

I am taking it to the dealership today to be diagnosed

i guess my main question is, did I just get burned by a 2003 6.0L, & am in the process of learning a very expensive lesson ? Can the issues of a 2003 6.0L be corrected to allow this truck to be a light duty, & viable, crew truck ?

or

Am I "S.O.L." ??????????

All responses welcome & greatly appreciated.......including the humorous ones !!!

Thanks guys, Superdutydawg.

 

Welcome to FTE. As the owner of a 7.3 I should say, what did you expect? But since I've also got some 6.0's at work (later models)

The good news is you've found FTE. If the 03's were all complete junk they'd be sitting in junkyards somewhere. Some do seem to be plagued with more problems than others, but that may have something to do with the lack of skills or understanding by the mechanics. Some of the Ford techs are great diesel guys. Sometimes you get stuck with a gas engine mechanic that just swaps out parts the computer says are the issue without figuring out the real cause of the problem. If you decide to buy another truck, I'd get an OASIS report first so you have some idea of the history of the vehicle.

I'd suggest spending some time reading down in the 6.0 section located here 2003 - 2007 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

I'd also plan on ignoring anything the so called service adviser tells you at the dealer and just listen to what the mechanic has to say. You can post your symptoms and the mechanics recommendations down there and they can tell you if the diagnosis sounds accurate and how hard of a job this would be to do it yourself.

After you've spent enough time reading, you'll recognize the common issues that pop up, and if nothing else be able to point out to a mechanic what needs to be checked out. You'll probably get a better labor rate at an independent shop.

 

I have an 02 7.3 f250 & wouldn't give it up for the world, & wish I could find more

I didn't see the forum below for 6.0L.....so I am going to repost there.

Alot of the independent shops in our area that have a good reputation don't want anything to do w/ the 6.0L.........at least the 3 I have been referred to.

Thanks for the input

 

you have a bad injector most likely, a very common problem on the early ones.

 

Click on the link in my above post. It will take you to the 6.0 section. Do some reading. It will save you lots of $$$