This will be my first Diesel and wondering what year/engine is most reliable. Mostly highway travel and towing an enclosed 6x10 cargo trailer. What can I expect for engine longevity. Any and all feed back appreciated.
Tony

 

Actually found a few good threads on this subject, but any additional info is appreciated.

 

I think that question is best answered by it all depends on how well the owner maintains it and hard hard is it driven and how many miles it has.

I think that there were some issues with the 06's with leaking glycol into the the oil. But not for sure. And a couple of the trucks had to have the cab jacked up to do some minor maintenance--not sure which yrs those were.

Here are a few things to consider before buying.

Is the person the original owner
How does everything look up under the truck.
How beat up is the bed and the trailer ball or goose neck area.
What is the weekly driving patern of the owner.
What problems has the owner had to deal with.
Why are they selling the truck?

and then

PCM MODS chips or IDM mods, FPR Shim Last time CPS was changed. Any codes flashing?
and then
Turbo:
You might take the air tube off the back of the air filter and look inside of it. If there is dirt dust in there, that's not good, Check the turbo fins dusted / sand blasted look or bent. Dont cut your self they should be sharp. A little oily look is normal since the valve cover breather route to the inlet (unless it has the canister reroute vent mod). Also, check the shaft outside of the fins for any signs of damage.
Airbox:
Check the two bolts holding down the air filter down. Over time those dont seal well and let air in. Suggest doing the 6637 intake mod asap..

Tranny:
If you buy a truck with an auto tranny, finding out if it’’s been maintained is essential, as the E4OD is an expensive transmission. Also, (if auto) seeing if the truck has an auxiliary transmission cooler thats larger than 3 of your hands. Make sure that the trans fluid has no dark collor at ALL, shoulf be nice and red, Ask when the fitler was last changed.

Rear Gear Ratio:
4:10 will pull better, get slightly lower mpg’s and run a higher RPM compared to 3:55.

Coolant:
Ask the previous owner about the coolant – have they been adding FW16 or DCA4 to keep a proper SCA level? It is very important for stopping cavitation. You can get test strips to check the SCA level from NAPA, International, or <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_10_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen">Ford</NOBR>. I would test the current condition while looking over the truck, the SCA level should be between 1.5 and 3.0. Also, see if it has a block heater (it was an option on 97′’s). Also look directly behind the vacuum pump and locate the oil cooler, check the outter heads for signs of leaking oil. Run the truck until it get hot drain some to the water from the cooler and let it settle, check for oil flaoting on top later on. If oil is found thats bad and an you have to locate the source, we can help.

Front end:
Jack up the fron end and Check for wear or loose tierods, or have an alignment shop check out the ball joints and steering linkage (tie rod ends). If they are shot, it is $$$ (all four tie rods are around $400 just for parts, ball joint labor is 2x.

Oil:
The questions to ask are how often the oil was changed (at least every 5,000) and what kind of oil they used. An oil analysis could tell you if there might be an engine problem or not. Get it checked at Blackstone Laboratories

Aftermarket stuff:
Seeing if the truck has got an aftermarket downpipe and cat delete would be nice, a chip, or gauges (pyrometer, trans temp, etc.). Ask about any added items and who installed them.

Glow Plugs/Relay:
Find out if the glow plugs are in good working condition as well as the relay. Ask if either has been changed and when. You can check the glow plug resistance through the valve cover connector if needed and the relay should have power to both large terminals on top when the key is turned on, and one of the terminals should go out before ~2 minutes.

CPS Failures:
Cam position Sensor. They can leave you stranded anywhere anytime intermittedly. Finding out if it has been replaced (maybe more then once) might be a good idea to buy one for the glove box. You never know when they”ll go out, so it is best to carry a spare. These can often be had for under 50 bucks

Injector o-rings:
The injector O-rings have been known to be a problem. The new o-ring sets have a pink middle seal. If the truck has an o-ring problem, one of the signs can be a discoloration of the fuel in the filter bowl. There is a drain on the passenger side front of the filter bowl at 7:00 clock for draining water/diesel (the filter is also the water separator) and you can catch some of the drained fuel in a jar allow to sit and check for water and trash.

Leaks and Drips:
You can check the valley between the heads of the <NOBR id=itxt_nobr_17_0 style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: darkgreen">V8</NOBR> for moisture and/or fluid. It should be dry not wet. Most leaks will run through this valley and down the back of the motor dripping off by the tranny/engine coupling. Behinf the fuel bowl locate the heat sheild that is over the LPOP and pull it off inspect the hoses for wear and cracks.

VIN number:
If you take the VIN to any dealer, they can tell you when it was built, when it went into service, and some of the work that might have been done on it. You can also run prospective VIN’’s through Carfax.com to see the title history.
or VIN Number Decoder offer to you by Ford Trucks Enthusiasts | www.ford-trucks.com

 

Thanks Rocky.

 

now, what are you looking for a diesel engine to put in? Ranger? F150, 250, 350?? For me its mechanical as in a 6.9 liter or a early 7.3 as far as Powerstroke, but I honestly would prefer a cummins 4bt or 6bt mechanical. The 4bt is a little brother to the 6bt. The 4bt is a 4 cylinder, 3.9 liter, and the 6bt is a 12valve (or 24 in the electronic version) a inline 6 mechanical, high torque diesel engine. Either one is great in a ford and not hard to put in.

 

7.3s are usually the "best" Ford diesels around. If you are looking for a newer truck, I would look at the new 2011 superdutys. The new 6.7L ford diesel is supposed to be a monster that gets solid mpgs. we are talking almost 400hp and like 730ftlbs. the torque comes on strong and really low in the rpm range, 1600rpm for max torque. The 6.4 is a solid engine if you can find a solid used truck, preferably the newer model years. 6.0s are usually dogged on but the only people that are selling 6.0s are prolly the less attractive deals. 6.0s solid though if you can find a solid one.

 

I love my '03 but it's old even though it's one of the last ones. A good 7.3L is getting harder and harder to come by.

I agree that the 6.7L is an excellent powerplant. I drove one a couple of weeks ago and it makes mine look like a Ranger with a big bed on it, but it does come with a large price tag.

I hear good and bad from the 6.0L crowd. From what I gather that it's a hit or miss on the 03-04, they changed some things and the 05 was better and that the 06-07 was the best of the lot (overall...there are exceptions to everything). The one thing that keeps coming up for it, though, is that you need to stay on top of the maintenance religiously.

If I was looking for a diesel today, I would personally be looking for an 06-07 6.0L (I would go for an '11 6.7L but it is WAY out of my price range ).

This is all just my personal opinion and I apologize if I offended any of the small block diesel owners...