6.0 diesel

[LTZ400rider]

what years were the ford having problems with the 6.0 diesel.
i heard they have more power and are quieter than the 7.3

[416exmx]

I think it was the late 03 6.0's that had some trouble. I have an 06 and yes they are quieter , something like 75 more hp, another gear in them, and the 05's and up cut like 13' off the turning radius.

[LTZ400rider]

i need a new truck!

what year did the 6.0 come out, cuz i can only spend 20 grand most likely

[416exmx]

late 03 were the first ones. You ought to be able to find an 03 F-250 6.0L PSD crew or extended cab 4x4 with 80,000miles + for 20ish.

[Mechanix311]

buy a dodge. I am not saying the actual structure of the dodge truck is better than a ford because the fords are really tough i just think that the cummins motor will walk all over the 6.0 and you wont have those electrical problems they have with the fords. My aunt and uncle just bought a new 6.0 and it has been in the shop more than in their garage. The dash blanks out, gauges flat line, and the alternator overcharges the system. Id give it some time.

[nosliw]

i would stay clear of the 6.0 all together. i like everything else about the ford though.... maybe buy an old(er) 6.9 or 7.3?

cummins is a good engine, especially when mated with a manual transmission.... i just very much dislike the ****ty mexican shipping crate they come in.

or you can go duramax... which is always cool....but

01-04.5 = injector woes
04.5-05 = overheating woes
06+ = price woes


pick your poisen

[LTZ400rider]

id never take a dodge

i been lookin for 2001 7.3 with 80k for 20k with the lariat packages. i still need to save 9 grand before i even do anything so i got time

my dad has a duramax and i love it, but it would be hard to find one under 25. they are the quiestest and most comforable diesels but i like the looks of the ford, u cant go wrong with any of them

[Mechanix311]

Your right they are all nice. My dodges arent the fastest or the prettiest but when it comes down to true diesel performance you cant beat that inline 6 cummins motor. Why do you think gm and ford keep changing things? Be careful of those 7.3s because they had that notorious head gasket leak and faulty oil pumps. I do think the fords are the sportiest though and they are pretty tough structurally.

[6.0Powerstroke]

Personally i love the 6.0, the 2006 has yet to have any problems, but when the 6.0 first came out they were plagued with tons of problems. The 7.3 is probably one of the most relaible engines out there so which ever way you go just dont get a 2003 6.0!

[Mechanix311]

International is the maker of the 7.3 powerstroke engine. It is one of the better motors used in buses, bobtails, light weight trucks, moving vans etc. if it is left alone with no modifications. When international was producing the 7.3 motors for ford motor company ford said their motor was overengineered and started removing and altering things that made it unreliable. They removed several head bolts that they said werent needed and used their own oil pump. If ford would have left the motor alone they would be a much better motor straight from international. International has since stopped the sale of the 7.3 motor to ford and waaalllllaaa the ford built 6.0 is now the new motor. I think the 7.3 is a way better motor than the 6.0 that comes with the new fords. If ford would have left the 7.3 alone they would still be using it and it would have been much more reliable. Their is a tsb- technical service bulletin for many faulty head bolts on the 7.3 so ask your dealer if you own one.

[stupid quad]

O.K. Here's the deal with the FORDS

Let Me preface this post by saying that I'm a Ford tech and have been working on the diesels since they had the first 6.9 non-turbo engines!

1) I'd stay away from the 6.0 unless you NEED A NEW truck. 2002 was last and BEST year for the 7.3. If you can find a way to get a clean 2001-2002 F-250/350 GRAB IT

Just make sure it wasn't beat or modified and make sure it's properly serviced. The 7.3's will tolerate Slight modifications like air filters/ exhaust /and low level chip kits.
The 7.3's will go 500k to 750k and more with no trouble at all if serviced at a regular interval eg. oil changed at 5k to 7k intervals, air filter at 7k to 10k intervals unless very dusty, and fuel filter at 10k.

The auto trans in the 2001-2002 is an electronic 4 speed and if serviced regularly is a strong/reliable unit unlike the earlier units.
The manual trans in these trucks is an indestructable 6spd german designed unit which has it's own oil pump and cooler to ensure a long life.

2) As far as the 6.0's go, WHEN they run right, they are great. More power, quieter, less emissions,less turbo lag.
To this day the 6.0's are buggy and still being researched. The injectors are still coming apart or the clips holding the injectors together are still coming undone. The injection/high pressure oil system has been redesigned 3 times so far and STILL having problems. ALOT of the high presure pumps are coming apart internally and causing failures and no-starts at low miles
The auto trans for the 6.0's is, by design, a good unit but the early 2003/2004 were coming apart... steer clear of those... a few recalls and design changes later it seems better!
DO NOT I repeat...DO NOT modify the 6.0's .... even an exhaust will void the warranty. Any modifications will effect the durability. Exhaust systems will increase the turbo's speed and cause durability problems...same with air filters etc. These things SCREAM with chips,exhaust,intake etc. BUT Ford and international watch all those commercials too and take it from me They are inspecting and may require pictures if there are major engine failures.
Services are even more important for the 6.0's they have 2 fuel filters with a very fine filtering medium so if they get ANY sediment in the fuel and thru them they need to be replaced!
The injectors are VERY susceptable to water and if any makes it thru those filters 8 out of 10 times ALL the injectors will need replacement and, by the rules, warranty will not cover water in the fuel.
The manual trans for the 6.0's are the same bulletproof unit used in the later 7.3 trucks and is a good choice. (really low creeper type gear low gear)

All in all I'd give Ford and International a few years to get this motor perfected
It took them 3-4 years to get the 7.3's up to snuff and that motor has less parts/technology.

Thnx for reading and I hope this gives a little insight??

[bulkdriverlp]

an educated post, not the norm here lately. yes, leave it alone, just drive it. it has enough power in the stock form you dont need to do anything to it. and for the guy who wants to spend less than 20g, i guess you will have to settle with a gasser, most good diesels are 25used minimum. you can buy and older model worn out one for less...

[440xcex]

If the powerjoke oops i meant powerstroke is so good why'd Ford put CUMMINS in the 650,750,850 series?Also if V-8 diesels are so great why arent they in semi's WHEN IT COMES TO DIESELS the powerstroke is a pimple on CUMMINS ***!!

i used to drive both, and i liked the 7.3 way better, the turbo kicks in at 1500 or 2000 rpm ( or somthing) , on a 6.0 it is on all the time.


wicked trucks, ours had overwight permits, and they were even heavier than what those would allow...illeagle but the company didnt care, scariest trucks i ever drove. we had drill rigs on them, very tippy. but the 7.3 would never loose speed on a hill, it would always stick where it was at or go faster, but it would never not have the balls.

[XCpred]

I have a 99 with the 7.3 and I love it. It pulls like a train. I really wouldn't want any other truck after I had this one. And the only trouble I have had with it is the master cylinder because my cousin said he cold drive it and apparently couldn't. He pulled the rod slap out of the master cylinder. I was pretty pissed, but it is a verry good truck and is running strong at 100,00+.

[Mechanix311]

i am just a true believer in an inline motor. They are just much better than any v type motor period. Just like it states above you dont see too many of the big companys cat, cummins, detroit, etc putting v type diesels in the big trucks and their is a reason for this. Cat has some nice v8 diesels motors for the big dozers d8 d9 d10 and above but everything else is pretty much an inline 6.

Thanks for the professional advice 'stupid quad'

[nosliw]

when a duramax will last about as long as a cummins, have much more power stock, and have much more 'easy hp' potential then i think the winner is clear.

if you want a slow, stinky, loud, and torquey engine, get a cummins with a manual transmission. if that's what you think diesel power should be, then you're stuck in the past.

i'm talking from experience, i had a 1995 12V 5spd before my GMC.

[Mechanix311]

duramax is putting out 300 horse from the factory and the cummins puts out 325 horse. How is the durablast putting out more ponies. I agree the older dodge diesels are loud but i have a 95 with a cummins and it has 400 thousand on the odometer and it fires up quicker than any new diesel and it only has one battery but i am not sure why. I have seen way more stranded gm owners and i have heard some terrible stories about the duramax motors. I remember when gm thought it would be a good idea to take a gas powered 350 motor and convert it into a diesel. They threw some high comp pistons in it with an injection pump and that piece was the worst built diesel in history. The new cummins are just as quiet too. People should just drive what they like to drive though. Sorry to get off subject of the powerstroke motor.

[nosliw]

Originally posted by Mechanix311
duramax is putting out 300 horse from the factory and the cummins puts out 325 horse.


i suggest you get your facts straight before you come into a conversation spouting off like that.

[400exrider99]

if you want the best desail(sp) get a cummins. they are the best ones out and for proof, go to a truck pull and look at the trucks most of them will be dodge

[nosliw]

that's because they've been out there for 14+ years.

dmax came out in 01, and more and more are showing up at dragraces/sledpulls/ect

[Mechanix311]

i hadnt realized that the duramax was putting out 360 for 06. My mistake. I would still love to take all of them stock, ford chevy dodge and put 12,000 pounds behind them and shoot them all up the steepest paved hill you could find. I think it would be interesting what would happen. I would like to see what the new 6.7 liter cummins motor is gonna do too. That thing looks sweet.

[DieselBoy]

i wish ford went with an inline six.

[Mechanix311]

I wish they all went to an inline 6. I would buy which ever had the cummins in it or a reputable inline 6. I dont care what body type or other characteristics. I think the fords and gm are way more comforatable and drive nicer than the dodges but i have dodges just for that good motor and they pull like an ox and never give up.

[DieselBoy]

yep, the cummins name is very well known. do you know when the contract with dodge is up with the cummins? it would be nice if ford used a CAT or cummins I6.

[milehigh450r]

Nosliw, I hope you know just how easily you could have modded that old 12v. Sure it wasn't a 215 hp pump, but you can get those 12v's big power for dirt cheap. The duramax isn't a bad motor, at least you didn't get a 6 leaker.

I know the 7.3 is good, but strong as the Cummins? Our neighbor has a 97 w/ a 85 hp chip and our truck could pull it faster than it can accelerate by itself. You call that torque? I dunno man....

[Mechanix311]

Dodge has to fall a dramatic number of sales in their diesel trucks to lose the cummins motor and i dont think that will ever happen. I love how ford owns the cummins motor and dodge gets to use it. Funny how everyones hands are in every one elses pockets. Ford would be wise to use a motor like this. They obviously want it. Hehehe.

Milehigh450r. You are deffinetely right about the 12valve getting big power for cheap. Cancel the anaroid, injectors, adjustable boost elbow, fuel plate. etc. It deffinetely wasnt plug and play though.

[milehigh450r]

WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA mechanix. Ford owns no part of Cummins whatsoever at all. Zip, zero, nada. Got to clear this up, I hear this a lot. I'll try and find the proof straight from Cummins, but it's 1000% true. FORD HAS NO SHARE IN CUMMINS!!!!!

[milehigh450r]

Ok, so I thought it would be a little longer than this, but they have probably heard it so much they are sick of it too.

http://www.cummins.com/na/pages/en/products/dodgeram/faq/answers.cfm?uuid=000C518F-094B-1E31-850880C4A8F00000

[mattonln]

sure, the cummins is a trusty motor, but the technology that ford and chevy have created in the diesel field has far surpassed the old dog. you just need to give them time to perfect the bugs. they are creating smaller diesel motors that rev higher, weigh less, are quieter, get ALOT better gas mileage, extremely cleaner burning and are performance monsters! You can't bash on them for pushing the technology forward. if anything, they need support to work out all the bugs so we can all drive reliable technology. powerjoke and durablast... thats funny.....

[nosliw]

Originally posted by milehigh450r
Nosliw, I hope you know just how easily you could have modded that old 12v. Sure it wasn't a 215 hp pump, but you can get those 12v's big power for dirt cheap. The duramax isn't a bad motor, at least you didn't get a 6 leaker.


oh yea, i know how much potential they have. the sky is the limit, but it is cheaper and easier to get power out of the duramax.

upgrading a cummins involves a lot more turning wrenches and getting dirty than a duramax requires. plug and play, you know?

also, it was just time to upgrade. eveything around the drivetrain was falling apart, it was a work truck so it was filthy inside, and i was turning 38"s.

and i just wanted a new truck


hell, if they stuff that 6.7L cummins into a ford and give me an allison 6spd transmission, then i'd buy it in a heartbeat!

[milehigh450r]

Originally posted by mattonln
sure, the cummins is a trusty motor, but the technology that ford and chevy have created in the diesel field has far surpassed the old dog. you just need to give them time to perfect the bugs. they are creating smaller diesel motors that rev higher, weigh less, are quieter, get ALOT better gas mileage, extremely cleaner burning and are performance monsters! You can't bash on them for pushing the technology forward. if anything, they need support to work out all the bugs so we can all drive reliable technology. powerjoke and durablast... thats funny.....

You don't know **** about diesels do you?