6.0 - is failure inevitable?
 

Is there such a thing as a high-mile / high hour 6.0 that has not required EOC / EGR / head stud work?

Cynics claim that it is just a matter of time until every single one requires EGR and head stud related work. Are the cynics right or wrong?

I am asking because I tried to get rid of mine last spring but the dealer who sold me the truck new will not take 6.0s in on trade and I couldn't find a private buyer. So I kept it and put it to work. Since then, the truck continues to be an excellent truck with no mechanical problems. Including pulling over 20k over serious mountain passes.

So- am I living on borrowed time or is it possible that some 6.0s are rock solid?

-Mike

nearly all 6.0 are extremely reliable as with any vehicle you treat it right it will treat you right. Just that the 6.0 is a bit more finicky then most. Unlike gassers where you can miss an oil change by 10k and it will run somewhat okay. 6.0 from what I have read and understand revolves around the oil with little tolerances for "dirt"

the 6.0 had its bad rep mainly in the beginning when people would put the wrong coolant in, which clogged oil coolers, in turn degraded the oil, which caused injectors and other catastrophic failures. As well as folks not keeping up with maintenance.

another bad rep came from folks putting tuners on the truck and not prepping the engine for the increased HP and torque. not to mention bad canned tunes.

People who have used ones like me just have to do a flush of everything, put the right fluids in. and with the exception of normal wear and tear are pretty much gtg.

head studs are not really mandatory until you put some serious strain on the motor which are usually caused by tuners.

Great truck, if you look at actual people who have had failures themselves you will see why it failed (few exceptions of course). The "well my buddies 6.0 is piece of crap" tells you nothing.

hope this helps,

Clayton

In my humble opinion, the 6.0 engine with proper maintenance and care will last a long time. There are certain "wear" items that will eventually need preventive maintenance or replacement, you could include the EGR cooler or oil cooler in that category. As with any vehicle if you don't take care of it, whether diesel or gas, it won't take care of you. My own personal example is the V10 in our 05 Excursion, it has given us 167000 miles of service, some 68000 of it with about 10K in tow. This vehicle gets the oil changed regularly and I do run full synthetic. It has not let me down yet for any reason, except batteries.

Our 2007 F350 with 6 liter engine is a fairly new acquisition for us, so far we've only put about 20K miles on it ourselves and it has just over 81000 now. Proably 5K of that towing up to 12K. It also gets serviced regularly and I do monitor the ECT and EOT for my own peace of mind and I have done some extra preventive measures such as flushing the cooling system and installing Extended Life Coolant as well as a coolant filter. I expect a long life out of this truck as well. This all boils down to my belief that the 6.0 is a rock solid engine.

I'll get off my soapbox now. Happy Motoring.

-Mark

as to the EGR, its an electronic componant whose movable parts are bombarded with carbon... they wear out. Just have to check and clean at oil changes new o-rings $5.00.

In my opinion EGR deletes are similar to saying well I might sprain my ankle so Ill just get a prosthetic leg from the knee down. It works but not the way it was intended to work. jusy my 2c

the EGR cooler upgrade hower not a bad idea, only because the rounded design was implimneted in ealier ones. If your '04 was built pre 9/??/03 then your good it has the '03 engine. which in my opinion is one of the best the '03 engine the put in '04s. No need for EGR cooler upgrade, no dummy plug stuff, no restricter plate thingy :-)(near egr), ect...

you are correct sir, I should have clarified and said the EGR cooler in reference to wear, meaning coolant and exhaust crud that causes them to leak.

-Mark

Proper maintenance INCLUDING the trans and cooling system, and getting some reliable gauges will keep most trucks out of trouble. Knowing temps and voltages is important so you can take action when problems first show up. Changing a failing battery is alot cheaper than a battery, alternator, and FICM for example. A few good habits help also, like letting it warm up for a few minutes on cold starts, burning clean fuel, and working the turbo vanes occasionally. And finially, IF you do need some work done, use a shop that knows the 6.0. Ask other owners, make phone calls, use FTE. Don't take it the nearest shop and hope for the best. Even good mechanics can make expensive mistakes on a 6.0 if they don't know it's specifics.

its mechanical.... so yes its a matter of time. the staement would be true if you had a honda as well

Well yeah... I get where you are going here. But I suspect that you understand what I am getting at.

I realize that it will wear out- that is not the question. The question is that even though this has been a good truck to date, is it inevitable that it will suffer an annoying and expensive 6.0 malady long before it wears out?

This truck gets worked hard and has performed perfectly. But I am not interested in a $3-4k repair bill if that is inevitable before 150k when I can just go to another truck where such an issue is less likely.

If the STC fitting is just a matter of time before I am going to be stuck by the side of the road, I'll try to get rid of the truck again this fall. But if some 6.0s actually do lead trouble=free lives - then I'll keep it.

I am having trouble squaring the fact that this engine has been perfect and the fact that this forum is filled with incessant 6.0 issues. Why is mine running perfectly when I hear nothing but bad things about this engine?

-Mike

cheezit: Former Ford Senior master tech, gas and diesel.1992-2012

Hey cheezit, did you retire?

there a few million 6.0's running around. I was saw a never touched econo-box with 600k on it. I have seen scores of fleet stuff beat to crap. So many of the trucks are not taken care of correctly.
the ones that get driven, not idled, get there oil changes and coolant flushed tend to do far better.


Naw not old enugh. I have chosen to follow a differnt path and will no longer be in the auto bizz.... assuming all goes as planed and I dont get sucked back in

Thanks- that is what I was wondering. It seems to me that commercial applications and well-maintained 06-07 work trucks do pretty well but I do not have anything to back that up. I figured that you would see lots of units. It seems like high heat / pressure from running loaded WFO is good for EGR system and keeping heads clean. Do you agree?

I am kinda amazed by how great my drivetrain has been - especially in light of the fact that all I hear are bad things. It is efficient (though not as good milage as a 6.7 with the double overdrive), pulls really well and doesn't leak.

So far, it is probably the best truck I have owned- which flies in the face of everything I read here. -Mike

Best of luck with the new venture!

best advise I can give is always tow as close to stock as possible, that means no tunes. A 6.0 gets very close milage to a 6.7.
Keep in mind many of the people that come here or any forum of this kind come looking for awnsers. this is really a small percent of the trucks on the road, also keep in mind people flock to this site from all over the world.

Thank you. Ill still be around to help but I may start giving bad advise }>

You already started. "advice" LOL. Good luck my friend. :-drink