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6.0 power stroke owners - got questions.


baptizo
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I'm starting to lean towards buying a used 6.0 power stroke and I'm a total newb with respect to diesels, in general, much less the Fords.  

 

From what I've gathered, a bone stock is preferable vs. anything modified.  

 

Anything to look out for on bone stock 6.0's?  I'm okay with 200k + miles but between the egr, head bolts, oil cooler, FICM, and other known issues, what should I look for?  

 

 

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Talk to carwhore. He sells a butt load of these trucks and knows them inside and out. We happen to have a guy here in Columbus known for bulletproofing these motors, and carwhore's dealership does work with him.

 

Carwhore crossed my mind but I don't think they'll have anything in my budget.   As for making the 6.0 bulletproof, hell yeah, that is a must if I get one.  

 

I'm probably going to have to go back home to NC to find a clean one, though....everything up here is a modified rust bucket with no service records or receipts. 

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Unless you're doing some heavy hauling on a daily or at least weekly basis, a monster turbo-diesel as a DD is kind'a like swatting flies with a 6# sledge.  I've had several Fords--an F250 4x4 with the 5.4 gas and my current F150 2WD XtraCab with the 4.6 gas--and they have been nearly flawless over the several hundred thousand miles I've driven them.  The newer Triton blocks are pretty stout motors that, with the VVT, put out plenty of real-world torque at decent efficiency.  I routinely get 18 MPG in mostly town driving and have seen 21-22 MPG on long interstate trips.  A couple of years ago, I hauled a 16' box trailer with 3 bikes and gear to CO and back at 70-80 MPH on I-70 and averaged over 14 MPG.  I'd recommend staying with the '09 and later models that had the 6-spd tranny.

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Unless you're doing some heavy hauling on a daily or at least weekly basis, a monster turbo-diesel as a DD is kind'a like swatting flies with a 6# sledge.  I've had several Fords--an F250 4x4 with the 5.4 gas and my current F150 2WD XtraCab with the 4.6 gas--and they have been nearly flawless over the several hundred thousand miles I've driven them.  The newer Triton blocks are pretty stout motors that, with the VVT, put out plenty of real-world torque at decent efficiency.  I routinely get 18 MPG in mostly town driving and have seen 21-22 MPG on long interstate trips.  A couple of years ago, I hauled a 16' box trailer with 3 bikes and gear to CO and back at 70-80 MPH on I-70 and averaged over 14 MPG.  I'd recommend staying with the '09 and later models that had the 6-spd tranny.

 

I agree with you on some of those points but I'm not looking to spend that kind of coin on a truck and I just sold my '09 2500 Ram 4x4 Hemi which couldn't haul worth a shit so I'm not going back to a gasser in a truck anytime soon (not to mention the 12 mpg).  

 

Plus, whatever I get will be used to pull a fifth wheel and I'm not doing that with a gasser.  

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Carwhore will get your budget met. All you have to do is tell him what you want. Year, color, options etc and price, if he doesn't have it he'll get it. Always does.

 

Will do.  BTW, what is the name of the dealer he works for down in C-Bus?

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Avoid the 6.0 if you can.  I have had a few 7.3s and they still are the preferred choice.  The 6.7 is pretty damn nice, but the design of the truck is getting antiquated pretty quick.  Buddy has a new Dodge and it is amazing.  Same with the Chevy...

 

But if looking at a 6.0 due to budget, I would avoid.  Too many well documented issues and i have seen first hand even the later gen 6.0s having serious issues.  They also are rotting much quicker than previous and little stuff continue to plague as they get loads of miles... 

 

The Dodge horror stories aren't as bad as they tend to be made out to be - especially a set series of years.  Several years where they are great choices.  The tranny issues will haunt you if you are a big puller.  If medium duty and lighter, they will be just fine... 

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Avoid the 6.0 if you can. I have had a few 7.3s and they still are the preferred choice. The 6.7 is pretty damn nice, but the design of the truck is getting antiquated pretty quick. Buddy has a new Dodge and it is amazing. Same with the Chevy...

But if looking at a 6.0 due to budget, I would avoid. Too many well documented issues and i have seen first hand even the later gen 6.0s having serious issues. They also are rotting much quicker than previous and little stuff continue to plague as they get loads of miles...

The Dodge horror stories aren't as bad as they tend to be made out to be - especially a set series of years. Several years where they are great choices. The tranny issues will haunt you if you are a big puller. If medium duty and lighter, they will be just fine...

The 6.0 issues are all pretty much the same story. EGR cooling issues and head stud issues when a tuner is added. Easy solution. EGR delete and leave everything else stock. Or if you want to do a tuner, do ARP head studs also.

Not sure about the rot. Seems to be pretty much the same as every other Ford truck in the Midwest. The Ram seems to have a real bad time here. Just walk through a dealership lot and compare rust.

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Rust comes down to how well cared for too, but yes you are correct older modle dodges do have a few more wheel well issued than ford. That's not the case on newer models though and rust is cheaper to fix than motor and tranny.

The Powerstroke is considerably more to maintain and repair, the ford automatic is not as durable as the 08+ dodge tranny and the cummins make more power, lasts far longer and gets considerably better mpg. Most body shops replace the wheel well panels for $300 a side, I know because I had mine done on my 06. 600 every 4 or 5 years is a huge savings compared to what you will pay to maintain and fix the Powerstroke and factor in that the cummins averages 3-5 mpg better than the Powerstroke. At $4 a gallon that adds up fast.

I'm not bashing, I like the ford too and have had 3 powerstokes, I switched to dodge because the repairs on the fords are a killer.

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The 6.0 issues are all pretty much the same story. EGR cooling issues and head stud issues when a tuner is added. Easy solution. EGR delete and leave everything else stock. Or if you want to do a tuner, do ARP head studs also.

Not sure about the rot. Seems to be pretty much the same as every other Ford truck in the Midwest. The Ram seems to have a real bad time here. Just walk through a dealership lot and compare rust.

 

 

Bunch of other stuff with the injectors, water pumps, etc...  And those updates and mods aren't cheap.  Easier to just avoid the 6.0l in my opinion...

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What are you looking to spend? I'm considering selling my cummins.

 

The F-250's I've found have 200k + miles and priced between $9k-$12k so that is pretty much what I'm looking to spend with the max closer to $10k.  I've found one back home in NC that fits the bill but getting down there to look at it will be challenging.  

 

I know I'm unlikely to find a decent Cummins in that price range without going with a 2nd gen and most of those have been modified (not sure I want mod's).  

 

Carwhore has a nice 2003 Cummins for just under $17k with 181k miles but I would have to borrow $$$ to buy it and I'm trying to pay cash only.  

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Hi,

 I've actually owned a 6.0 and did a shit load of work to mine, however I don't have the time to type all about it and give you real details.  FWIW I Am a diehard Ford Diesel guy and can pretty much tell you anything you want to know about the 6.0, 6.4*my current DD, a little about the 6.7, and a lot about the 7.3.

 

If you are lookin at a 200K plus 6.0, you better get one with the EGR already deleted, headbolts done, and a new oil cooler done.  If not you Must find one that has the BD EGR cooler installed and NOT a stock one.  If you're looking at a high mileage diesel definitely 100% go with a 7.3, way more reliable with 1/3 the issues.

 

If you want me to go into details I can, but you'll need to call me.  FWIW things that go wrong on a 6.0, injectors, you 100% will lose injectors, they are 350 a pop for remans or decent upgrades, oil cooler will 100% go within ownership especially if original, EGR will fail, EGR valve will fail, you will get rust around the rear fenders(this is 100% of Fords in Ohio, it will happen, trust me), most likely you will have some sort of vaccum issue with the 4x4 at some point which is easy to fix bit a pain in the ass if you don't know, you most likely will have some sort of brake issues unless they have been replaced down to the hubs, oh and there will be hub issues.

 

IF or ONCE all that stuff has been covered, and with the high miles you are saying youre looking at they might be, you'll be good to goo.  If not, plan on 3,500 for the local mechanic to bullet proof it, and that is only IF the heads do not need machined.  If they do, its 700 for a new set, or about 400 for machining.

 

Like I said, I owned one for 4 years, lost 5/8 injectors, had the egr blocked and deleted, full exhaust, CAI, had to redo the brake system 3(I wold it when the 4th time happened)times $1,000 each time, custom tuning, gauges, and lift kit.  It was a badass truck but a total nightmare and that was a GOOD one.  Now if you can get one with lower miles stock or one that has stuff done already you'll be fine.

 

Also the 6.0 is about the worst diesel for a DD out there, and you can't tow without a custom tuner and all the deletes done, or the MPG will blow, trust me I know.

 

If you wanna chit chat, I can really go deep diving with you via cell.  Again they can be awesome trucks IF this stuff is done right and not already an issue, or was an issue and is now remedied.

 

And for what Rawlins is offering that dually up, I 100% would pick that up over a 6.0 and I am a diehard blue oval guy.  But the older dodges are 100% the way to go in your price range.

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You forgot turbo pedistal O rings on 7.3

Turbo vanes on 6.0

And yes hubs pretty much yearly if you do any real miles, good thing they're easy to do but they are expensive.

True but on the 7.3 that's an easy replace/fix, plus cheap anymore as there are so many used turbos being rebuilt or new upgrade turbos cheap lol.

 

Yeah the 6.0 has vane issues, but that was actually something that I didn't have, and didn't know anyone who did.

 

In the end, older Dodge single rails and the 7.3 are def the most desirable diesel in his mileage(did he post an actual price point? cuz guessing tat too.)  Plus they are by far the easiest to fix and most reliable.  

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