I am looking for a new toy. I have three 7.3 trucks for work running 70-80k a year.

My truck in my sig is my personal/work truck. It tows 4-5 times a week.

I was considering a 7.3 but after seeing how horrible the 6.0 market is I am looking into a nice 06-07 for about the same price as a 7.3. (15-18k)

I am hoping to get some good info on these trucks as far as making the truck bulletproof.

So far I have read about issues.. EGR delete, injectors, head gasket, head studs, ect..

My local dealer offered to make sure my truck get's all the warranty work done for free before time runs out.

He said that he will let me use ARP's instead of Ford's bolts and such.

What is that average cost for getting this truck up and running?

Which headgasket do people go back in with?

Should I try to get new injectors from ford if I pick up a later model 6.0?

I am hoping to have around $1k or so in parts for the studs and EGR delete.

Also, what is the FICM thing I keep reading about?

Thanks alot for the help guys.

 

Good questions, new to 6.0L myself, besides what I've read in the magazines.

I'll wait here with you if you don't mind.

 

rickart have a very good writeup on what to look for --- I will let him chime in as he is the resident expert here.

From my own experience, nothing better than 6.0 being given a bad rap...

When you find a good one --- never run tunes, conservatively run and well maintained... it is an absolute gem.

I found one. I fully expect it to see 500,000 miles without touching a wrench (except for the EGR valve!)

 

Headgaskets are not an issue. I'm running stock gaskets and I'm pushing my truck significantly more then a stock truck. The TTY bolts are more of of the issue.

EGR delete is not necessary if you are wanting to keep moderate hp levels(even thoughs with tunes). You go with bigger injectors, then you're looking at either a bypass or delete. The EGR system really requires different driving habits then you're used to with the 7.3. Speaking of which, the things that you are able to do with the 7.3 do not translate well to the 6.0. Do your research before you mod(if you plan to).

Oil and EGR coolers could be a problem, but with gauges you can keep an eye on things before they really become a problem.


That all depends on what you plan on doing to it.

Stock gaskets. Fire-ringed, hypermax, black onyx gaskets are a lot more trouble and cost and don't really give you more benefit then stock ones unless you plan on doing upwards of 600hp(I'm at 508).

That's up to you. I could make arguments either way and rather or not to go to remaned a/m ones versus totally stock ones. By the way, a/m ones don't translate into bigger hp injectors. Most get them for that reason, but you don't have to.

Like I said, you don't have to do the EGR Delete unless you are planning for a lot more HP then a stock or tuned truck will get you.

Also, if you not paying for labor then that should be enough money to do the job, but if you're paying for labor a headstud job will cost you more then that. Good thing is that most places don't charge for labor for other things that you do at the same time.

Fuel Injection Control Module. What have you been reading?

 

Guys

Read the posts in the Tech section, they are priceless. There are several contributors here who's knowledge is unsurpassed. Bismic, Cheezit, Beachbumcock, Myockpowerstroke and Vloney and Tex25025 are just a few that come to mind this early on a Monday. These guy's and many that have been missed contribute real world experience that is invaluable to those of us who need information on keeping our "babies" running. I posted the following a few weeks ago in response to a young guy who was looking at a 6.0. His dad was doing him a favor and went to the local Ford dealer and talked to a "tech". He dissed the 6.0 and said any one who buys a 6.0 is crazy. I responded:

The biggest problem with the 6.0 is dealership technicians like the one that talked to your dad. They do Ford, their employer, a huge disservice when they spread that stuff around. Were there issues to be dealt with on these engines, certainly? But some history is needed here. When these engines first hit the streets there was virtually no technical support in place yet. Ford put them out there and left the techs out there to fend for their selves. The ambulance debacle only exacerbated the situation with the up-fitter shop using the wrong antifreeze. This flooded the shops with problems they were ill equipped to handle. Another area that was big in the early days was fuel injector failures. The USA diesel fuel being supplied at the time was of dubious quality. Low or nebulous cetane numbers prevailed. The low sulfur fuel turned out to be too dirty for the injectors and the egr valve. More problems handed to the techs with no idea why this was happening. In the mean time Ford was selling more trucks, a lot of them. As the fleet grew and miles rose another problem was about to appear. Higher mileage trucks were beginning to see EGR valve and EGR cooler issues and failures. The immediate problem of the egr cooler was actually hiding the actual cause. The oil coolers were clogging up with casting debris left or embedded in the block. This deprived the egr cooler of the needed flow to avoid flash boiling its coolant. The egr coolant would flash boil and send the pressure out through the overflow/degas bottle cap, hence the term "puking". If the egr cooler failed at the wrong time, it leaked coolant into a cylinder or two and hydro-locked the engine. We now, in all likelihood, have stretched the head bolts and blown the head gaskets. I will add at this point that some aftermarket performance tuners also cause these problems. Now that I have scared you to death, this is the reality of today. The knowledge base on these engines has increased exponentially. The techs now have the tools and experience to troubleshoot the problems without just throwing parts at it and praying. This depends of course, that the customer has sought out a qualified tech. That is so important. Also, sites like this one are a huge distributor of great information and tech tips. The maintenance schedule as printed in the owner’s manual is not any more rigorous than most other engines. What is critical is the need to follow this schedule. This engine is very unforgiving of neglect. If the maintenance is done on schedule with the proper materials you drastically lower your chances of major issues. We know the following:
1. Change your fluids per the book. Use only genuine Ford filters and use the correct fluids. It is well documented that improper filters and incorrect fluids cause big issues with both the engine and transmission. This engine does not like extended oil change intervals. Even when using an aftermarket bypass oil filter, you should not extend your change intervals. While the oil may be marginally cleaner, the tremendous abuse it takes from the High Pressure Oil Pump(HPOP) to hydraulically operate the injectors causes the oil to shear it’s viscosity down to closer 30 wt oil in 5000 miles.
2. Always allow your engine to reach operating temperature before romping on it. You do not need to idle it until it gets to temperature, just take it easy
3. Do not idle it more than necessary, this engines egr system doesn't like it and excessive idling will cause wet fuel stacking. This causes excessive diesel fuel contamination in the engine oil.
4. Install engine monitoring capability. This is so important. There are several areas that, if monitored will tell you of an upcoming issue. PDA type monitor or gauges, your choice. The monitors are real handy because they are easy to install and monitor all the necessary events except fuel pressure. You need a gauge for that, very important. Fuel pressure issues will kill injectors. Oil pressure also requires a gauge.

5. After installing the monitoring stuff, the 3 most important things to watch are the fuel pressure reading and the engine oil temperature (EOT) and the engine coolant temperature (ECT). The fuel injectors do not like the fuel pressure to drop below 45psi, very important. The ect/eot needs to be monitored together for a comparison analysis. Ford has established the maximum allowable difference in temperatures between these readings to be 15 degrees after reaching normal engine operating temperatures. Exceed this limit; if you have warranty left, they install a new oil cooler and egr cooler. The Edge Insight monitor allows you to watch them both simultaneously on a 2 line bar graph.
6. Install an engine coolant filter. There are many here that think this should be modification number one. International thinks so too. They recalled all their trucks with this engine and installed them under warranty. Ford should have. Dieselsite makes a nice one at a fair price.
7. The performance aftermarket has risen to the challenges and is providing great products to increase reliability and performance. There are upgraded egr coolers if you want to keep it, egr delete kits if you want to get rid of it, great tuners by SCT for safe performance and CEL maintenance and better exhaust systems to lower egt's. ARP head studs virtually eliminate head gasket issues under normal use.
As you can see, most all of the big issues have been addressed. We have much better fuel, much better techs and a lot more knowledge. If you buy a 6/0, do all that you can to eliminate the weaknesses, can you have problems? Of course you can, but keep this important and revealing fact in mind. After the 2006 model year was introduced, Ford had fewer warranty claims on 06 and 07 6.0 engines than any single year of 7.3 engine production. That says a lot. Good luck in your search. I hope this helped

To the OP here, you are right. The somewhat undeserved bad rap on the 6.0 has driven their value down. They are the best buy out there in a HD pickup. I think this will change some over time. The improvement in the 6.0 marketplace is eventually going to get out and the trucks will stop being so ostracized.

Regards

Ricatic

 

I have, for all practical purposes, been accused by posters of theft when they found out what I paid for my 6.0 E series.

 

I'm still not sure that you didn't

 

Gearloose,

Who is Rickart?

 

Oh that is you.

You don't expect me to spell right?

 

I've read this already from my research. I think it should be in the "Read First" section......good stuff!

BTW, this motor gets a bad rep. the same way other things do (like the supposedly horrible Chrysler transmissions I always read about on Ford threads) enough people have bad experiences, mostly early on, and the component can't overcome it's reputation.
Plus people LOVE to repeat something they heard so they can sound important/knowledgable.