Anybody out there wish that they didn't purchase their 6.0? Im tossing the idea of selling my v10 and buying a 6.0. My current ride is a 2009 f250 v10 crew cab. Its a very nice truck, I love all the features and comfort of it. I just cant get anymore than 11mpg, at best usually. Towing my 5th wheel is around 6-8 mpgs. I know the 6.0 will do better empty and towing, but is more to maintain. I just don't wanna get a 6.0 and then have to put a lot of money into it for repairs. I owned a 1999 7.3 for 14 years and 275,000 miles then went to the v10, so I was used to towing and working on/with a diesel. I have read lots and lots on the 6.0, good and bad. Just looking for input on owners. The happy owners are never on the forums complaining.

 

I regret not buying two when they were new. Not sure I'd be thrilled about picking up a lot of the used ones out there now.

Look for unmolested trucks, not ones where their wife's cousin's uncle "bulletproofed it" and now they're dumping it for under blue book in ad advertisement listing a ton of upgrades because the shade tree idiot screwed it up. People will try to warn you off of low miles claiming it damages the turbos and such; a turbo is a lot cheaper part and easier swap than repairing a hacked up head gasket job.

Bulletproof ain't Stupidproof (c)

 

Getting there .......

 

I think I would look at what you would actually save in fuel each year before you buy one.
Yes, the V10 never saw a gas stop it didn't like. I can attest to that with the 2013 F450 box truck I drive at work. 6 to 8 unloaded or not........but it's never been in the shop for anything other than regular upkeep. It's also an annoying engine drone to listen to when I drive it and can hardly stand it.....and yes the exhaust manifolds leak a bit like every other one I have heard.

If you find the fuel savings are worth it then yes, I would look for one. Bryan makes some great pointers about what to look for.
The good thing is you know better than to look for a 6.4

 

Being I have 2 6.0 to look after I can tell you maintenance is high when you first get them and Gremlins are lurking everywhere. I have no regrets about buying them. I knew what I was getting into. If that V10 is in good shape, I would look into some mileage mods for it if you tow only a little bit. If your doing long distance, a healthy 6.0 is the way to go.

 

The V10 was not a problem free motor, but by your year it darn near was So, if problem-free is your number one criteria, stay where you are...

You say you are thinking of tossing the idea of of buying a 6.0 -- have you gotten yourself educated on what to look for and analyze and have you been looking?

Or are you asking us if it is worth it...?

I think you've gotten some good advice -- if you tow a lot, you may benefit from a diesel. But all diesels require more maintenance than a gasser. And across the brands even there are problems with the various diesels. The 6.0 is a complicated piece of equipment that you really need to understand before and after purchase.

Then again, most of us here still have that 6.0 grin -- hard to wipe off your face when your right foot gets twitchy Count me as one of the Happy Owners...!

There is a ton of educational material up in our tech section, if you haven't done some homework yet, that'd be the place to start. Then there are some really good folk here on this forum to help you if you do go out and look/buy a 6.0...

Good luck,

Scott

 

If you learn about all the well known 6.0 problems, and know how to fix them, and have time and effort, it's not a big problem, else stay away from it. If I have a V10 2009 already, I would keep it instead of going with 6.0l. But if I have time and resources, I would have both :-)

I was looking for either newer V10 or 6.0l when I wanted to buy a truck. Gas price is a factor depending how much you pay a year. 6.0l maintenance cost vs 6.8 gas.

Other than that, it may go down to preferences.
I am sure there are many buyer remorses out there, I don't think you need to ask. Not many people can fix or have time/resources to fix 6.0l problem.
But on the other hand, it's not as scary as it sounds. If you want proof, go to states that have lots of 6.0, and do a search on used trucks. Most of them go over 200K miles. I don't think half them bullet proofed. But, do the search yourselves.

 

I have some crazy friends,with that being said, ever seen a supercharged V10? Believe it or not he got a fuel mileage improvement. It also can smoke some tires. With that being said,if your truck is in good shape and you really like it,spend some bucks making the mods. It will pay off better in the long run,at least in my opinion,but you know how that goes,everybody's got one.

 

I was just commenting to my wife today how great of a truck my 06 has been. Yes, I bulletproofed it at 100k (now at 130k). But I've really only had one issue with it and that was a long time ago. I am currently about to undergo a oil cooler replacement, not due to failure, but warning signs. I made the mistake of using a non OEM cooler at the time of bulletproofing. So, in a nutshell, I would not change my decision to buy the 6.0 . Just be prepared for more expensive oil changes and keep up on maintenance schedule. The power is worth every penny.

 

I am happy with my 2006 F250 for sure. But I put a large amount of money into my truck because I bought it with head gasket issues, and that was @ 41,000 miles. So yes they can eat you alive pretty quickly but once the engine is sound they do well.

For your case I honestly would keep the V10 unless your prepared to invest several thousand dollars to get it sound. If you like your truck and its only fuel costs getting you down buying a used 6.0 is one juicy rolling of the dice.

Odds are your not going to be running down the streets shouting Winner Winner either.

So if its operating fuel costs only I think you would be nuts to sell that truck.

 

The power is nice. Truck is nice. But overall cost is not worth it. ( If you do all your own repairs and maintenance you will save a lot.) But a 6.0 F350 will cost you a bundle. I live in Canada where we pay a lot more for parts and labour. Just for an example Ford dealer: Diagnose and repair no start , camshaft sensor $92.59, labour $411.00. Fuel filters cost $99.65, oil filters $55.10. Plus labour to install. I could go on and on. I just hope that this truck keeps running without any major repairs. Just maintaining general service and some repairs, this truck is by far the most expensive vehicle I have ever owned. (also questionable reliability is always in the back of my mind. )It usually starts and runs good but 3 times it was a no start and had to get towed to the Ford dealer. Cam sensor failure every time. All other no starts were from a weak battery which cost me a bundle do to the cascading failures that result from that. Lesson learned. Many thanks to this forum.

 

I dont regret buying my 2003 6.0 at all. I made the mistake of not being ready for it though, I.e. I didnt know what to look for problem wise. I got mine with a bad oil cooler and blown headgaskets. Once I learned how to tell what the issues looked like and read on how to fix them I took care of it all in my driveway to the tune of about 2k. That was last year and I have had no problems out of it since. I bought it with 150k on it and have put about 20k on it now. But I'm out of the woods as far as the big repairs are concerned. Now that I know is a ballsey statement and I keep money for it aside but I love my truck. I know it in and out. I'm the one who repairs it and know the work I did. I will drive it until it gives up then fix it and drive it some more. I plan to buy another 6.0 in the future. I like the motor, its easy to work on, and most of all the comminuty that supports these trucks is the best I've seen.

 

Has your HPOP ever been replaced? You are approaching that range where the early ones can (do) go. Good news is they often give you some warning with hard starts. Have a painter friend and he kept complaining his truck ('03 6.0) with about 190K on it was hard to start in the morning. I told him to try parking it nose down and see if it helped. Well I guess it did as he ran it another 30K and then it did a hard failure on the freeway. He took it to a reputable shop and they diagnosed HPOP. He fixed it and sold it and got a F150, which is all he ever needed anyway - at least he stayed Ford! ...

I have to say, you read through all these posts to this thread and see what a nice, honest bunch of folk hang out here. I've been on forums where a question like this would bring out the worst in the "diesel lovers" for pages and pages...

Scott

 

Not yet no but that will be my next "big" job. I'm currently trying to see if the adrenaline is worth the extra $$. But I dont have any hard start issues yet luckily but I figure maybe summer ill replace it preventatively.

 

If you're good at wrenching, maybe a 6.0 is ok for you. If you need to use a shop, they can cost a bundle.
I took a chance on a 2005 with 216k on it. It seemed fine, but gremlins were indeed lurking. So far it has put me on the side of the road 3 times in two years. So, I have addressed all of the known issues but it cost a lot of money:
- new radiator
- new y pipe
- new degas bottle
- ss tube type egr cooler
- new oil cooler
- new egr coolant outlet cover
- new oil cooler cover
- 2 new glow plug modules
- new glow plugs
- new glow plug harnesses
- 5 injectors
- new ebp sensor
- new map sensor
- new ebp pigtail
- new cam sensor
- new egr valve
- blue spring upgrade
- upgrade stc fitting
- new standpipes
- new nipple seals
- new fan clutch
- driver side front wheel bearing
- driver side knuckle seals
- driver side front u joint and shaft seal
- fuel filters
- air filter
- driver side rear fuel rail plug
- new degas bottle cap
- coolant pressure sensor
- coolant filter
- new cac tubes
- new alternator
- new serpentine belt
- new thermostat
- new coolant temperature sensor
All work done by me. Truck seems to run fine now but I have recurring P0470 and P0671 so need to address those.


Power on these is fine, they tow great. Just be ready to work on it since most of them are getting long in the tooth now.


Good Luck.