Anybody Know Ford 6.0 Diesel Engines? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: Yesterday 10:19:43 PM EDT
| Local guy has a listing for a 2007 F350 with 78K miles on it. It has the classic high-pressure oil leak/no start failure. The frame looks decent in the pictures, and he only wants $2700 for it. I watched a couple Youtube videos on the repair(s) and was thinking of taking it on as a project. Am I retarded and dreaming, or (assuming everything else with the motor is sound) is it possible for me, a driveway mechanic, to get this thing running? |
Nothing was supposed to happen this way, Doc.
| Why do you hate money? What everyone calls bulletproofing is literally a band aid. Do you need a diesel truck ? The math does not work for most people. $6 a gallon diesel will buy a lot of gas. Unless you just want a project to work on to take the place f a boat. |
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Originally Posted By whiskerz: Why do you hate money? What everyone calls bulletproofing is literally a band aid. Do you need a diesel truck ? The math does not work for most people. $6 a gallon diesel will buy a lot of gas. Unless you just want a project to work on to take the place f a boat. ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. |
Nothing was supposed to happen this way, Doc.
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Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. |
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Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. The problem with a 6.0 is that the remaining life of the engine could be 150,000 miles or 150 miles and you will steadily spend money along the way. If you only randomly need a truck just rent one. |
RIP Jeff Reed. Tennessee Squire, Ga. Carry member, NRA,Non-puking 72 ounce drinker 2 of 6 Norcal call sign, Forgotten.
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Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: Originally Posted By whiskerz: Why do you hate money? What everyone calls bulletproofing is literally a band aid. Do you need a diesel truck ? The math does not work for most people. $6 a gallon diesel will buy a lot of gas. Unless you just want a project to work on to take the place f a boat. ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. 6.0s didn’t have a life to begin with. |
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Integrity is the essence of everything successful.
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I bought an 04 F250 with the 6.0 new. Still have it. Almost 190,000 miles. Truck runs and still looks great. The EGR delete would be helpful, Injectors failed about 150,000, . My high pressure unit failed with in the first month but no problem since. They have a few inherent flaws but bulletproof them and they last. I have not had head bolt issues yet. But I don’t run a tuner and treat the truck with respect. Plus I don’t want to spend a hundred grand to replace it. |
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Originally Posted By turbobrick: I had 3 6.ohnos. When they were running, they were good, but you couldn't pay me to own one. I did injectors on one multiple times, its a ton of work, and there are so many other problems that come up. We bulletproofed and added coolant filters to the two E350s, one of them had chronic turbo problems, the other one holed a piston at 140k out of the blue. Shop thought that the tip of the injector dropped into the cylinder and did the damage, no warning whatsoever. You could probably fix the one you're looking at for cheapish, but you'd still have a timebomb on your hands. Originally Posted By turbobrick: Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. Well, the plan which I was mulling involved hauling a free 5th wheel trailer down to Texas, then selling the truck off with 80K on the odometer. What got me thinking about buying a truck in the first place is I priced a box-truck moving van rental from Penske--they wanted $7K fucking dollars for a one-way trip to Texas. What. The. Actual. Fuck. I can BUY a fucking moving van for $5000--and (again) sell the fucker when I get wherever the fuck I'm going. |
Nothing was supposed to happen this way, Doc.
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Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: 6.0s didn’t have a life to begin with. Originally Posted By Foxtrot08: Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: Originally Posted By whiskerz: Why do you hate money? What everyone calls bulletproofing is literally a band aid. Do you need a diesel truck ? The math does not work for most people. $6 a gallon diesel will buy a lot of gas. Unless you just want a project to work on to take the place f a boat. ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. 6.0s didn’t have a life to begin with. OK. Good feedback. This is why I'm asking. |
Nothing was supposed to happen this way, Doc.
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How many hours? If the rest of the truck looks good, $2700 is not a bad deal. By the '07 model year, Ford had finally figured the 6.0L out (for the most part). That being said, depending on your abilities as a mechanic, a 6.0L isn't exactly any easy truck to work on. Pulling the cab makes motor work significantly easier, except that's not something most people can do at home. Good thing is, virtually all the 6.0L shortcomings are well documented and there is no shortage of videos available to walk you through normal repairs....and replacement parts/improvements are easily sourced (albeit not always cheap). Regardless, I'd have a hard time buying any diesel right now with diesel over $6/gal...but $2700 if the rest of the truck looks like a 70k mile truck is not a bad start. |
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Originally Posted By Jason280: How many hours? If the rest of the truck looks good, $2700 is not a bad deal. By the '07 model year, Ford had finally figured the 6.0L out (for the most part). That being said, depending on your abilities as a mechanic, a 6.0L isn't exactly any easy truck to work on. Pulling the cab makes motor work significantly easier, except that's not something most people can do at home. Good thing is, virtually all the 6.0L shortcomings are well documented and there is no shortage of videos available to walk you through normal repairs....and replacement parts/improvements are easily sourced (albeit not always cheap). Regardless, I'd have a hard time buying any diesel right now with diesel over $6/gal...but $2700 if the rest of the truck looks like a 70k mile truck is not a bad start. I don't know the hours. The truck was a dump truck for a landscaping company--which explains the mileage--and probably why the truck didn't see the winter road salt of normal vehicles of its age. |
Nothing was supposed to happen this way, Doc.
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The 6.0 was a great design, until they added shit to it. EGR makes it run hot, part of that plumbing is too close to a cylinder or cylinder head, then the hot oil is run through a system that makes things worse (IIRC basically the oil gets overheated (which IIFC is directly linked with the oil being used to cool the exhaust re-circulation), which can restrict oil flow making the engine run even hotter. The beginning of bulletproofing is through bolts to prevent the heads from warping, but that does not do much to deal with the heat problems themselves which were the reason the warping was happening in the first place. Add a delete, and an external oil cooler and I think most of the problems can be minimized. The real problem then is just the cost, and the fact that the delete is illegal. |
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Buy the truck, pull the 6.0, and drop a Caterpillar 3208 in it  You'll save money and blast by everyone on the way to the mall. 
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I am a former Ford dealership Senior Master tech, I worked on these damn things from the day they were released until I finally left working at a dealership for a fleet job. You could not pay me to own a 6.0L. I despise these engines with a passion. Every person that has ever asked me about them, I warn them to stay away and to not waste their money or time. I also let them know that if they do decide to buy one, don't call me to work on it or for advice. A friend of mine whom was also a former Ford dealer tech bought one after we had both gone to work at the same fleet job. It was an 06, had about 70,000 on it, and another of our friends, also a Senior master tech, was still working at the dealership the first guy bought it from. That friend was still there and he was the only guy who had ever worked on it previous to my other friend buying it. Needles to say, in my friends three or four attempts to drive it the 330 miles to St George Utah, it had to be towed back each time. Then at around 110,000 miles, it ate the engine. He replace that engine and it still had to be towed home a couple of more times after that. He finally dumped it after that. This truck was completely stock, had only one owner previously, an older gentleman who babied it, was maintained only by a Ford Senior master tech who specialized in the 6.0L using only Ford parts, was then bought by a former Ford Senior master who knew what he was doing, and it still was an utterly unreliable, worthless hunk of shit. Now, quick note here, when Ford unleashed the 6.4L on us, I honestly didn't think I could hate and engine worse than the 6.0. The 6.4L said, "here, hold my beer!" Anytime someone asks me about buying a 6.4L, I tell them to lose my number and to never call me again if they buy it. |
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I drive an 04 f250 with a 6.0 daily. I inherited when my dad passed. He bought it with 38000 on it I inherited it with a little over a hundred. Now it has 165 on it. I daily it with occasional 10,000ish pd towing. Have had it deleted but not studded or bulletproof. Turbo has been coming and going for about a year and it's needed injectors for about 10 years. I change the oil and do the least maintenance I can. When it gives me a big problem it goes to the scrapyard. I can say this as someone that has owned a 6.0 stroke for over 10 years. DON'T BUY A 6.0!!!!! |
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I made my 6.0 bullit proof. Forced a buy back and bought a lbz duramax. Still have it. Got stupid and bought a 2015 Mustang GT 6 speed. Great Chinese Getrig 6 speed. Sounded like it had a supercharger. Multiple transmission fluid changes late I made huge mistake and drove a Camaro with the 1 LE track package. By by Ford garbage. Still have the camaro. Alpha 1 chassis vs econo box chassis. Shame gm didn't care to continue to kick ford's ass in the pony car war. C8 is gross. |
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Here is the largest parts supplier: https://bulletproofdiesel.com/collections/all/Ford-F250-F350-2007 I seriously looked into buying one back in 2022 due to the looming CARB ban making fleets dump pre 2010 diesels. I determined that the cost of "bulletproofing" wasn't worth it. Don't forget the FICM as well. Thousands in parts plus labor either yours or your shop of choice all into a used vehicle with an unknown amount of remaining life. |
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I, unfortunately, have two 6.0's. One, a 2003, only has 15k original miles. HPOP failure. I put a new HPOP in and the damn thing is still in my shop. Been fighting with it to get the turbo back in place. What a bitch. About 3k in parts. Second one, also a 2003, with 99k miles. Mint shape and has an incredible service body, the primary reason I bought the truck. Paid $6400 for it. Turns out, both headgaskets are blown and has injector issues. Don't be like me. Save yourself money, headaches, and a bunch of time. Do not buy a Ford 6.0 or a 6.4 diesel. Find a 7.3 or 6.7, or just get a gasser. You can pick up a 1999-2003 V10 for 6 to 10k and not hate life. |
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There's like 26 failure points for a high pressure leak. The classic one is the HPOP fitting first, then the standpipes and injector cup seals will go. If you know what you're doing it's about 3-4 hours per side for the injector cups and injector seals, then maybe 3 hours in the valley for the HPOP fix. I've been elbows deep into those things too many times. For $1000 I might entertain the idea so I could flip it quick. Otherwise I'm not touching one again. |
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Originally Posted By Green_Label: I, unfortunately, have two 6.0's. One, a 2003, only has 15k original miles. HPOP failure. I put a new HPOP in and the damn thing is still in my shop. Been fighting with it to get the turbo back in place. What a bitch. About 3k in parts. I've always left the rear bolt out of the turbo after taking it out. Never had a problem. with just the front two. If you're having issues getting the Y pipe lined up, I always ran a ratchet strap from the crook of the Y pipe to the passenger side front clip, there's a little square there you can hook to. Put a bit of pressure on it, then tap the pipe with a tire iron until it jumps on. |
If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.
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Originally Posted By Sub_Arctic_Son: Buy the truck, pull the 6.0, and drop a Caterpillar 3208 in it You'll save money and blast by everyone on the way to the mall. I have 7 Cat 3208 running take-outs in the yard............. Heavy but one would probably fit a pickup chassis. Only 215HP but they would pull a Louisville or Topkick down the road. I've seen a few 6.0 to Cummins conversions too. That makes for a nice truck! |
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Originally Posted By fordtuff: Diesel tech Ron on YouTube. Rest his soil. He made several great videos walking you through the common repairs. Definitely this. Did the EGR cooler upgrade on mine, as well as replacing an aftermarket injector that failed, and the motor was fine until the damn coolant reservoir cap failed. Apparently the springs get weak on those and don't keep the system under pressure so they cause overheating. Especially while you're towing a trailer with all of your household goods over a mountain pass. The night before you start your new job. Then the heads warp and you wish you never bought a 2007 F350 with a low miles 6.0 like I did |
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Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. Your best bet would be buying it as a project and swapping a 12 or 24 valve Cummins into it. The Six Leaker is trash. |
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I kept driving past an older 4X4 Ford sitting for sale out by the road on the way to my cabin. Figured I'd put a plow on it and leave it sit on the mountain if it was cheap enough. One day I stopped and looked at it. 6.0 Got back in my truck and drove off. Probably wouldn't start and that's probably why it was sitting there for sale.
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Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it..
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Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: Well, the plan which I was mulling involved hauling a free 5th wheel trailer down to Texas, then selling the truck off with 80K on the odometer. What got me thinking about buying a truck in the first place is I priced a box-truck moving van rental from Penske--they wanted $7K fucking dollars for a one-way trip to Texas. What. The. Actual. Fuck. I can BUY a fucking moving van for $5000--and (again) sell the fucker when I get wherever the fuck I'm going. You're not paying to rent their truck, you're paying to use their insurance |
| I like the 7.3 in the Fords and the LB7 in the gmc. For something over 20 years old they are your best bet for reliability for engine and chasis. My lb7 sat for over four years before I got it. Gave $1800 for it. Had to replace the cp3 pump, injectors, all brake components and the water pump. Did all the work myself and bought all oem parts where I could but did get burned on the return line banjo seals. Tried to use aftermarket and had to redo the job with nos off ebay |
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Originally Posted By urluzn: I like the 7.3 in the Fords and the LB7 in the gmc. For something over 20 years old they are your best bet for reliability for engine and chasis. My lb7 sat for over four years before I got it. Gave $1800 for it. Had to replace the cp3 pump, injectors, all brake components and the water pump. Did all the work myself and bought all oem parts where I could but did get burned on the return line banjo seals. Tried to use aftermarket and had to redo the job with nos off ebay This. If you're gonna get a Ford, get a 97' - 03' 7.3 Powerstroke. |
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Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: Originally Posted By whiskerz: Why do you hate money? What everyone calls bulletproofing is literally a band aid. Do you need a diesel truck ? The math does not work for most people. $6 a gallon diesel will buy a lot of gas. Unless you just want a project to work on to take the place f a boat. ROFL. I was thinking about using it as a tow vehicle for a trailer. I only have a passenger car. I was thinking 78K on a diesel motor--it's gotta have some life left to it. Being that it’s a 6.0, it probably doesn’t have that much life left in it - the 6.0 is known as THE engine to avoid, out of all the diesel engines. And if your trailer is under about 7000 pounds, you’re better off towing it with a gas truck. Eta: I see you mentioned it’s pulling a gooseneck for a 1-way trip, so yeah you need a big truck. A clapped old 7.3 or a 24v Cummins would be a better choice if you can find one because it will be easier to resell. Technically, a gas 3/4 or 1 ton would have no problem pulling an unloaded gooseneck trailer (assuming flatbed and not enclosed), but it would almost certainly exceed the GVWR of a gas model. |
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People will say stuff like "they aren't a bad engine as long as you____" or "they'll last if you bulletproof them" but I know quite a few people who put a bunch of money into "bulletproofing" one only to still have catastrophic failures. The only way you can do worse in a diesel truck is with the 6.4 that replaced it and was somehow worse, which was difficult to believe at first. That people were still willing to buy a Ford diesel after that entire 7 year debacle boggles the mind. It's like dudes who marry strippers or think their 5th marriage will finally be the one that works out. If you're really committed to the idea of a Ford diesel, the 6.7s have been out for 15 years and you should be able to find one for an acceptable deal. Aside from the early ones burning through the #8 piston on regens they are generally solid unlike the other 6.x Fords, and they aren't gutless like the 7.3 was. Alternatively, you'd be better off with a V10 in a Ford of that vintage. I guess it's not a terrible deal for a roller, but plan to swap something else into it. |
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Originally Posted By HammerHammer: Being that it’s a 6.0, it probably doesn’t have that much life left in it - the 6.0 is known as THE engine to avoid, out of all the diesel engines. And if your trailer is under about 7000 pounds, you’re better off towing it with a gas truck. Eta: I see you mentioned it’s pulling a gooseneck for a 1-way trip, so yeah you need a big truck. A clapped old 7.3 or a 24v Cummins would be a better choice if you can find one because it will be easier to resell. Technically, a gas 3/4 or 1 ton would have no problem pulling an unloaded gooseneck trailer (assuming flatbed and not enclosed), but it would almost certainly exceed the GVWR of a gas model. Originally Posted By HammerHammer: Being that it’s a 6.0, it probably doesn’t have that much life left in it - the 6.0 is known as THE engine to avoid, out of all the diesel engines. And if your trailer is under about 7000 pounds, you’re better off towing it with a gas truck. Eta: I see you mentioned it’s pulling a gooseneck for a 1-way trip, so yeah you need a big truck. A clapped old 7.3 or a 24v Cummins would be a better choice if you can find one because it will be easier to resell. Technically, a gas 3/4 or 1 ton would have no problem pulling an unloaded gooseneck trailer (assuming flatbed and not enclosed), but it would almost certainly exceed the GVWR of a gas model. TBF the 6.4 was somehow worse. The current crop of gas HDs will pull more than a 7.3 Powerstroke will. Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: Well, the plan which I was mulling involved hauling a free 5th wheel trailer down to Texas, then selling the truck off with 80K on the odometer. What got me thinking about buying a truck in the first place is I priced a box-truck moving van rental from Penske--they wanted $7K fucking dollars for a one-way trip to Texas. What. The. Actual. Fuck. I can BUY a fucking moving van for $5000--and (again) sell the fucker when I get wherever the fuck I'm going. This has been an issue for a few years now with one way rentals from certain states to others. For a while it was basically impossible to rent a Uhaul for a one way trip to Texas from Cali. |
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I bought a 2004 F250 6.0 from a farmer neighbor with like 220k on it. Drove it for more farm work till just below 300k. Had to sell it when the house AC went out. No major issues but it was deff ready for a rebuild. It ran well enough but everything is expensive on those(2 batteries, oil, filters, parts, etc) I do almost everything now with a 2.7L F150 but I don't really tow heavy anymore. If I needed to I'd either rent/borrow, or have it delivered. I do miss the 8ft bed, f150 is only a 6.5ft. |
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Originally Posted By AK-12: TBF the 6.4 was somehow worse. The current crop of gas HDs will pull more than a 7.3 Powerstroke will. This has been an issue for a few years now with one way rentals from certain states to others. For a while it was basically impossible to rent a Uhaul for a one way trip to Texas from Cali. Originally Posted By AK-12: Originally Posted By HammerHammer: Being that it’s a 6.0, it probably doesn’t have that much life left in it - the 6.0 is known as THE engine to avoid, out of all the diesel engines. And if your trailer is under about 7000 pounds, you’re better off towing it with a gas truck. Eta: I see you mentioned it’s pulling a gooseneck for a 1-way trip, so yeah you need a big truck. A clapped old 7.3 or a 24v Cummins would be a better choice if you can find one because it will be easier to resell. Technically, a gas 3/4 or 1 ton would have no problem pulling an unloaded gooseneck trailer (assuming flatbed and not enclosed), but it would almost certainly exceed the GVWR of a gas model. TBF the 6.4 was somehow worse. The current crop of gas HDs will pull more than a 7.3 Powerstroke will. Originally Posted By Eight_Ring: Well, the plan which I was mulling involved hauling a free 5th wheel trailer down to Texas, then selling the truck off with 80K on the odometer. What got me thinking about buying a truck in the first place is I priced a box-truck moving van rental from Penske--they wanted $7K fucking dollars for a one-way trip to Texas. What. The. Actual. Fuck. I can BUY a fucking moving van for $5000--and (again) sell the fucker when I get wherever the fuck I'm going. This has been an issue for a few years now with one way rentals from certain states to others. For a while it was basically impossible to rent a Uhaul for a one way trip to Texas from Cali. Yeah the “current crop” of HD gas trucks are amazing for sure, but that’s probably not a realistic option for OP. And unless the gooseneck is a small 14k model, it’s still going to be too big to tow it legally with any gas motor I’m familiar with. |
| If it hasnt been bulletproofed and you are OK pulling the cab and doing that work (head studs/EGR delete/injector and fuel rail upgrades/FICIM upgrade) go for it. If not, I'd pass. |
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Anybody Know Ford 6.0 Diesel Engines? (Page 1 of 2)
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