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Ford 03.5 - 2006 6.0L Turbo Diesel

DAP

New member
As some of you may know, I'm sniffing out some product on a used F350 turbo Diesel .... I'm reading forums, mags and talking to owners ... the 6.0L TD is receiving some dubious press...

Yesterday, whilst sitting in PHL waiting for a plane, I bought and read a copy of "Diesel Truck".

In the back of the mag there was a section which stated news events ... apparently Ford Motor Co. is offering a 2500 "bonus" for buyers of 2007 Ford trucks with diesel engines as (I'm quoting the mag here) "a making up for the 6.0 Litre" gesture.

I have a friend with an 04 F350 dump bed and at 29k, he just had to replace the turbocharger ....

Perhaps I should refine my search to the 7.3 (harder to find) or think about a Cummins ....

Frankly, I've never been one for American vehicles but I need a 1 ton Diesel and the big 3 have the market cornered ... for now ... *cough* toyota *cough* *cough* 2 years * cough* toyota ...

Sometimes ya get far less than what ya pay for.
:drink::drink:
 

HGM

New member
DAP said:
As some of you may know, I'm sniffing out some product on a used F350 turbo Diesel .... I'm reading forums, mags and talking to owners ... the 6.0L TD is receiving some dubious press...

Yesterday, whilst sitting in PHL waiting for a plane, I bought and read a copy of "Diesel Truck".

In the back of the mag there was a section which stated news events ... apparently Ford Motor Co. is offering a 2500 "bonus" for buyers of 2007 Ford trucks with diesel engines as (I'm quoting the mag here) "a making up for the 6.0 Litre" gesture.

I have a friend with an 04 F350 dump bed and at 29k, he just had to replace the turbocharger ....

Perhaps I should refine my search to the 7.3 (harder to find) or think about a Cummins ....

Frankly, I've never been one for American vehicles but I need a 1 ton Diesel and the big 3 have the market cornered ... for now ... *cough* toyota *cough* *cough* 2 years * cough* toyota ...

Sometimes ya get far less than what ya pay for.
:drink::drink:


:D Doug,
I'll be glad to help you weed through the junk.. Many of the problems with the 6.0L are customer induced, though its not a 7.3L .. If you can find a 7.3L for a reasonable price, jump on it.. It will be a much more forgiving engine and last you forever if you maintain it properly.. If you see air intake modifications(K&N or the like)in particular, RUN... That engine will not give you good service.. If it appears stock, and its a good buy, even with 100,000+ you will be served well..

BTW,I'll let you know hwat I find on that other one tomorrow..:thumb:
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
HGM said:
:D Doug,
I'll be glad to help you weed through the junk.. Many of the problems with the 6.0L are customer induced, though its not a 7.3L .. If you can find a 7.3L for a reasonable price, jump on it.. It will be a much more forgiving engine and last you forever if you maintain it properly.. If you see air intake modifications(K&N or the like)in particular, RUN... That engine will not give you good service.. If it appears stock, and its a good buy, even with 100,000+ you will be served well..

BTW,I'll let you know hwat I find on that other one tomorrow..:thumb:

Interesting about the air intake modifications. My local Ford dealership keeps sending me service discount things and they hype adding the AirRaid style conical filter. I have a K&N Filter in my stock housing and it has been working fine.

HGM, I've got a slow diesel leak somewhere in my engine. I'm too busy lately to get under the hood and look around but I can smell it and see the diesel on the front differential. Any usual suspects? (98.5/99 F250 SD 7.3)

PB
 

BoneheadNW

New member
My Ford F350 6 liter diesel van lost an injector (the one closest to the fire wall) at 6300 miles. Warranty covered it and I thought the problem was solved. Then 200 miles later, the turbo went out. Warranty covered it (I think the turbo was $1200) and that was that. We have our fingers crossed that nothing else will go wrong, but one of the rigs at work with the same engine had the same problem with the injector (next to the fire wall).
Bonehead
 

Dargo

Like a bad penny...
GOLD Site Supporter
If you want, I may be able to get some pics of a nice Cummins powered Dodge at the bone yard close to me. The body is done, but they are selling the engine. It is something like a '92 with only 1.1 million miles on it. People talk about not letting diesels idle because it's bad for them. Well, this particular engine basically ran 24/7 besides all the miles on it. The guy who had it was a "hot shot" driver and he didn't like how long the Cummins took to warm up in the mornings. So, when he stayed in these motels along the road, he just locked his truck up with it running and took his spare key in his room with him. It is estimated to have idled literally for years. It is totally bone stock and has never had the head off of it. I understand that it does have a few minor oil leaks, but I assume that is to be expected...:thumb:

I sort of liked the 7.3 liter Ford because it had considerably more power stock than the similar year Dodge diesel had. The 7.3 won't last as long as the Cummins, but not many people drive their truck over 300k anyway. I'm no fan of the 6.0 liter at all. From where I stand in my business, that engine has caused me nothing but trouble. Hopefully Ford will get it right with their next diesel. I have always liked Ford trucks better that Chevy or Dodge trucks, but I've been burned on both the Chevy diesel and the Ford diesel. I never was too keen on the Dodge trucks, but after having my Cummins powered Dodge so many years, it's starting to grow on me. Besides, driving the new diesel pickups seems like such a let down for me. :( They all seem extremely weak on power. There again, my Cummins isn't exactly stock. At the rear wheels on dyno-daze, it put out just over 1000 ft. lbs. of torque. Knowing that, I laugh when I hear the ads for the new diesel pickups bragging about a class leading 500 or 600 ft. lbs. of torque. The only down side is that my fuel economy has gone down with my mods...:whistle:
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
I have about 20,000 miles on my 06 ford 6.0L with no problems so far . It is completely stock . Lots of power . Now you guys got me nervous:confused:
 

HGM

New member
PBinWA said:
Interesting about the air intake modifications. My local Ford dealership keeps sending me service discount things and they hype adding the AirRaid style conical filter. I have a K&N Filter in my stock housing and it has been working fine.

HGM, I've got a slow diesel leak somewhere in my engine. I'm too busy lately to get under the hood and look around but I can smell it and see the diesel on the front differential. Any usual suspects? (98.5/99 F250 SD 7.3)

PB


PB,
Some dealers will sell whatever they can make money on.. Right now, especially with diesel, power sells.. In the customers mind, if they buy a performance adder at a dealer it must be ok.... Well, ask the dealer what happens if you were to buy this filter assembly from them and have a problem develope while you are out of town and the other dealer finds out that the engine is dusted(lack of compression because of inadequate air filtration), the diesel engine will suck the oil off one of those filters, then you just have the bigger holes to alow more dirt in, not to mention coating your MAF with the oil(dont like them for gas burners either for similar reasons).. Bet he has a smart comment....

I'd look at the water drain on your truck, have you drained it recently? Maybe the o-rings are leaking.. Worse yet, maybe the housing cracked this winter because of water in it:eek: .. Take a look on the back side of the filter housing, maybe you can see something...

Bone,
The most common reason for injector failure on the 6.0L is low fuel pressure.. Change your filters at least every 15k mi, I might be inclined to strech the regulator spring(very little makes a big change). Of course contaminated fuel will destroy them too, just usually it gets the filters first.. The turbo is usually due to excessive idle time.. Because a diesel doesnt have a throttle plate to suck against, they build very little heat at idle, as a matter of fact, they tend to run cooler.. This causes excessive carbon buildup from cool exhaust temps..This is why over the road trucks and trucks that need to idle long periods of time have idle controls to set the idle at 1500-2000rpm and cover the radiator.. I dont know about the Dodge, but Ford has systems built in to help warm it up quicker.. The variable turbo will increase backpressure and the 7.3L had a backpressure valve to do the same, but you still shouldnt idle too long..Also, short drive times will get to the turbo. Dont forget you have a variable turbo(changes displacement) so if it builds condensation it can rust, you need to burn that stuff off and not idle it excessively..

All,
I recomend a cetane enhancer with lubricity additives in every tank. Power Services, Stanadyne or Motorcraft(onlyavailable at the dealer) are awsome products. They will reduce the carbon build up, increase power and fuel efficency along with helping to protect the injectors.. I noticed about 1-2mpg increase mixed at the minimum amount.. It cost's about $7 per bottle and you get 2-3 tanks out of a bottle, it will pay for itself. Also, the filter on the 6.0L actually flows betterthan the K&N style as well, so you would have nothing to gain from the bigger holes alowing more dirt into your engine.
 

LarryRB

Member
I have an 01 Dodge with the H.O.Cummins and 6sp stnd transmission in it... Something like 130 HP and 590 Lbs ft of torque. I use it to pull my tractor and very little else.. Has 53,000 on it now and has performed flawlessly. Far cry from the 3406 Cat's that I use to run..... Still, around here a place called Bigelow Hollow, 29% grade, this old cummins pulls up and over with no problems,,, The Ford 6.0, Ford has tweaked a little to far. Had this argument with cowboydoc on tbn.. Cowbow didn't realize the 6.0 is not a new motor... School busses have been running them for years, Although, in the school busses, International Harvester doesn't need to tweak the computer to Oh my God specs....
 

HGM

New member
LarryRB said:
The Ford 6.0, Ford has tweaked a little to far. Had this argument with cowboydoc on tbn.. Cowbow didn't realize the 6.0 is not a new motor... School busses have been running them for years, Although, in the school busses, International Harvester doesn't need to tweak the computer to Oh my God specs....

While youre correct that the 6.0 is'nt new, it's still only been around since about '01(late if I remember correctly) in the International trucks(about a year and a half before the Ford version).. The whole concept of a 4 valve per cyl 4000RPM diesel with a variable turbo and EGR is new though, but now its going into its 5th year in Ford trucks, so "new" is a relative term. I agree that things have gone too far with the HP wars, all brands will see more issues in the future...
 

Av8r3400

Gone Flyin'
It all a matter of general design. The Cummins motor which is used in pickups is the dame design (only smaller) that goes into heavy equipment and OTR semis. The Durimax and PS are V-8's designed to be quiet, smooth and car-like, which is what the ignorant, general public demand.

Will the v-8's last? Sure. If taken care of anything will last. It all depends on what you want out of the truck.

I've mentioned a neighbor friend of mine and his PS Fords here before. The first 6.0 he had (2002) went through 2 turbos, 2 or 3 injector pumps and a tranny before Ford bought it back. He happily got the replacement (2004). About 10k miles into owning that one, the first turbo went. He sold it and went to a Cummins (2004). Now he's got something near 50K on that one with out issue, so far. For the record, all the truck were/are totally stock with heavy towing packages for his use of pulling horse trailers. (He and his family show horses all over the country)

When was the last time you saw a v-8 in a semi truck? Maybe way back in the days of the two-stroke Detroits? Those are days we'd all like to forget.

I like Ford Trucks. I don't like Ford engines. I bought a Cummins. It just happened to be wrapped in a Dodge truck. (1994, 4x4, 5-speed, 2500, 160k miles and still running fine.)
 

DAP

New member
Man thats one tough clam to swallow. Can you imagine plunkin down 49 thousand U.S. dollars on a Henry Ford 2006 Super Duty King Ranch Dual Rear Wheel Long Bed of your favorite color with a 6.0L blue oval diesel suckin Iraqi blood to the tune of 16mpg ONLY to have it blow a turbo at 8392 miles????

Ummm .... there will be 3 companies in a few years, Citibank, Microsoft and Toyota ....

If you scratching your head, you weren't payin attention.

:1062::17875:
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
DAP said:
Man thats one tough clam to swallow. Can you imagine plunkin down 49 thousand U.S. dollars on a Henry Ford 2006 Super Duty King Ranch Dual Rear Wheel Long Bed of your favorite color with a 6.0L blue oval diesel suckin Iraqi blood to the tune of 16mpg ONLY to have it blow a turbo at 8392 miles????

Ummm .... there will be 3 companies in a few years, Citibank, Microsoft and Toyota ....

If you scratching your head, you weren't payin attention.

:1062::17875:

Ok I feel sick :puke1:
 

HGM

New member
BigAl said:
Ok I feel sick :puke1:


;) Dont worry Al, take care of your truck and get any issues handled before they become big... You should be fine if you dont abuse or neglect it.. If you notice anything funny feel free to PM me and I'll see if I can help... Even if they break they arent that bad if you find someone capable of working on them..
 
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