2004 6.0 bullet proof or Cummins swap
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Mar 2024
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2004 6.0 bullet proof or Cummins swap
I live in Florida, just wondering what you guys would do. I bought an older truck 304000 miles. Needs work. I love it tho. Thought I would just get it bullet proofed it’s not overheating however the things I want to do to it in the future may cause some issues with the egr just don’t want to see it end up like the ones that have trouble. I just drove 1000 miles to see some family and it didn’t have any issues but I was definitely worried about it. The truck has been abused but slowly getting it right just looking for any and all helpful advice guys. Sorry for the post before this. 🤣
Last edited by Njb; Mar 5, 2024 at 06:06 PM.
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From: Stephensville WI
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5th Wheeling
Joined: Mar 2024
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didn’t even think about this! Sorry all!
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
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If I recall, there's a shop in Alabama that specializes in repairing 6.0 trucks - I've referenced their stuff a LOT in the past.
The 6.0's issues mainly stemmed from people trying to run too much boost on stock internals and blowing the headgaskets - though there were other issues as well. That said, if the truck made it to 304k and you made a 1k trip just fine, then I'd venture to say you got one of the solid trucks (or one that was better cared for than you realize).
The 6.0's issues mainly stemmed from people trying to run too much boost on stock internals and blowing the headgaskets - though there were other issues as well. That said, if the truck made it to 304k and you made a 1k trip just fine, then I'd venture to say you got one of the solid trucks (or one that was better cared for than you realize).
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2023
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The 6.0’s reputation is well earned. There are still some diehard fans out there that will standby the 6.0, but there were also Cleveland Browns fans too.
A 6.0 can be made to run but it requires a lot more attention / babysitting than literally every other engine ever made to do so.
My 05 Excursion ( which had an 04 model 6.0 in it because the final year Excursions kinda got the scrap left overs) lived a pampered life of pulling a 30 ft travel trailer ( maybe 9k pounds) with an owner that did all the babysitting required to keep a 6.0 running,,,and it was still an unreliable POS.
When it ran it was awesome, smooth, powerful, refined, just a pleasure to drive and tow with, but it frequently didn’t run, or didn’t run correctly.
I concluded that the 6.0 life wasn’t for me and Cummins swapped the Excursion, it’s been great ever since. The only thing I miss about the 6.0 is the sound. The Cummins sounds like a tractor, the 6.0 sounded like a diesel sports car.
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A 6.0 can be made to run but it requires a lot more attention / babysitting than literally every other engine ever made to do so.
My 05 Excursion ( which had an 04 model 6.0 in it because the final year Excursions kinda got the scrap left overs) lived a pampered life of pulling a 30 ft travel trailer ( maybe 9k pounds) with an owner that did all the babysitting required to keep a 6.0 running,,,and it was still an unreliable POS.
When it ran it was awesome, smooth, powerful, refined, just a pleasure to drive and tow with, but it frequently didn’t run, or didn’t run correctly.
I concluded that the 6.0 life wasn’t for me and Cummins swapped the Excursion, it’s been great ever since. The only thing I miss about the 6.0 is the sound. The Cummins sounds like a tractor, the 6.0 sounded like a diesel sports car.
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More Turbo
Joined: Oct 2023
Posts: 700
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If you're planning to put it to work id say just leave it factory and deal with it if it gives you a problem. If you've got time and money id say swap in a reman 6.0 and do all the bulletproofing for a fresh start or do the Cummins swap for an even more reliable outcome.
I put 380k on my 6.0 using it for work pulling a 10k trailer in its younger years and then a 14k trailer for the rest of its original engines life. It wasnt at all the most reliable engine and I had too much down time for my liking with it over those miles. My 5.4L F250 was always there to pick up the slack but once the trailers got over 10k I started looking for a more reliable replacement to the 6.0 altogether. If I had a time machine id go back to 2009 when I purchased the 6.0 and instead looked for a Cummins or Duramax platform instead.
I put 380k on my 6.0 using it for work pulling a 10k trailer in its younger years and then a 14k trailer for the rest of its original engines life. It wasnt at all the most reliable engine and I had too much down time for my liking with it over those miles. My 5.4L F250 was always there to pick up the slack but once the trailers got over 10k I started looking for a more reliable replacement to the 6.0 altogether. If I had a time machine id go back to 2009 when I purchased the 6.0 and instead looked for a Cummins or Duramax platform instead.
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More Turbo
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Does anyone know how the 6.0 and the Cummins compare on HP and TQ? Maybe that could be a factor in the decision?
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Lead Driver
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Both engines are very easy to make 450whp, but the 6.0 is a revver.....it lacks the brutal torque of a cummins. They're totally different driving experiences; both fun, but the 6.0 will have to downshift. The cummins will take an absolute beating though, no comparison there at all.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2011
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I thought about this today, and it's simple and real. We stud our 6.0s and hope, vs studding our cummins' and never think about it again. I have always really enjoyed driving tuned 6.0s, and some of that has to do with the 5r110, but diesel shops are still filled with head gasket jobs on studded 6.0s. That's in comparison to 10-15 years ago when they were making their bread and butter off of studding stock HG failures, tuned or not.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
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Man what do you guys do to your 6.0's? Mine (I had 2 because I liked the first so much) had rust and a few electrical bugs (that ended up being caused by rust), but I never once had issues with the motors themselves and I drove them for almost 10 years. Maybe I got lucky, but oil changes every 5k with Rotella T6 and I'd get in and drive.
Lead Driver
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 5,790
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Man what do you guys do to your 6.0's? Mine (I had 2 because I liked the first so much) had rust and a few electrical bugs (that ended up being caused by rust), but I never once had issues with the motors themselves and I drove them for almost 10 years. Maybe I got lucky, but oil changes every 5k with Rotella T6 and I'd get in and drive.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2023
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Man what do you guys do to your 6.0's? Mine (I had 2 because I liked the first so much) had rust and a few electrical bugs (that ended up being caused by rust), but I never once had issues with the motors themselves and I drove them for almost 10 years. Maybe I got lucky, but oil changes every 5k with Rotella T6 and I'd get in and drive.
Dang 6.0 PSD is worse than a boat , you basically just end up throwing money into a black hole for as long as you own it.
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Lead Driver
Joined: May 2011
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I had the audacity to actually want to drive it more than 10 feet without drooping $1k on parts. My 6.0 was like a jealous woman, it you were sending money on something else, then it would throw a tantrum until you spend more money on it.
Dang 6.0 PSD is worse than a boat , you basically just end up throwing money into a black hole for as long as you own it.
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Dang 6.0 PSD is worse than a boat , you basically just end up throwing money into a black hole for as long as you own it.
...