6L Ford diesel yeah or nay?

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SolarAndWood

SolarAndWood

Minister of Fire
Feb 3, 2008
6,788
Syracuse NY
I was reading through some of the recent threads on diesels and couldn't figure out the consensus on the 6L Ford. I came across a fair deal on a garage kept 2006 F250 Super Duty with 12K miles on it. Older couple used it to pull the pontoon boat around. So, yeah or nay on the 6L automatic?
 
Google Ford Deisel forums if you want to do a little reading. I think the Ford forum is the Diesel Stop. I do know a little about the Ford diesels but I am far from a mechanic. In a nutshell: the earlier model years with the 6.0 were more problematic. There are aluminum head bolts on that engine (crazy) that are a problem. They say that if you replace those aluminum with steel bolts and do an EGR delete, you'll be OK. I do know that when I was an ER nurse, the county replaced a fair amount of 6.0 liter Ford engines completely in the ambulances.

It may be worth the risk but be prepared for a big price tag with a repair. For me it would be the least desirable choice. My brother just bought a 2006 Duramax 4x4 with 86k for ~$24K. I'd be curious to know the price.
 
Low 20s, every option with crew cab and long bed. Perfect condition. Most important part for me is it is south of the salt line. Anything that old up here is well on its way to rotten.
 
They don't call it the "sick litre" for nothing.
 
Thanks for the link, interesting read. The article suggested that the earlier models had the problems?
 
Ford makes great trucks. You can't get a better truck than that 99 and up super duty. That engine, the 6.0, is a piece of junk. One that sat around only getting 12k on it in 6 years will be really dangerous. The repair bills for diesels are multiple thousands of dollars for seemingly small things. How ould you like to pay 7000$ for a simple engine repair which is very common on the 6 leaker. Just replacing the injectors will be thousands of dollars.

The worst 6.0 years are the late 2003 and 2004, but the problems persisted until the end when the engine was dumped. The next one, the 6.4, was a fuel hog and only lasted a couple of years. The newest engine is actually a ford engine, the 6.7, and is supposed to be quite good so far.

It's too bad, the trucks are very nice.
 
ok, thanks, I'll let it go. Painful to pass on that truck in that condition for that price though.
 
SolarAndWood said:
ok, thanks, I'll let it go. Painful to pass on that truck in that condition for that price though.
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I would agree that Ford certainly makes a decent truck but there is a reason they have been juggling diesel engines for the last 7 years or so. Probably related to the reason they are not using NavStar (International) to build their diesels anymore. I'm curious and optimistic to see how the new Ford diesel works out.

+1 on the DirtyMax too. She's 11 years old now and still kicking. My dad's '03 never ceases to amaze me.
 
The turbo on our fire department brush truck, I think it's an '05, was replaced at 11k. They said it was because (1) it sat around too much, (2) because of smoke getting sucked through the intake, or a combination of the two. It was grudgingly replaced under warranty.

And that is a Navistar engine.

The 7.3 in our Excursion that gets used as a squad has never had an issue. That's constant get in, start it, and slam it to the floor. Best you can get in a Super Duty
 
I love Ford trucks and love diesel engines, but I'm not crazy about Ford diesel trucks.

Sounds like a good deal price-wise, but there's too much risk in that 6.0. The later ones were OK, but nowhere near bulletproof. I'd walk away unless you were fully prepared to drop another $6-8k under the hood eventually.
 
lukem said:
I'd walk away unless you were fully prepared to drop another $6-8k under the hood eventually.
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Yep that's why I am walking. Wish my co-worker's dad had been a Chevy man. Finding a truck like that in that condition old enough to swing it is going to take some time.
 
SolarAndWood said:
lukem said:
I'd walk away unless you were fully prepared to drop another $6-8k under the hood eventually.
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Yep that's why I am walking. Wish my co-worker's dad had been a Chevy man. Finding a truck like that in that condition old enough to swing it is going to take some time.
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Good pass..... my best friend is a ford tech, lets just say that 6.0 has kept a job for him.
 
SolarAndWood said:
lukem said:
I'd walk away unless you were fully prepared to drop another $6-8k under the hood eventually.
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Yep that's why I am walking. Wish my co-worker's dad had been a Chevy man. Finding a truck like that in that condition old enough to swing it is going to take some time.
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Sounds like for a truck that nice its probably going to be your daily driver, no?

Don't count out those V-10s. They are as reliable as the sunrise and make good power. They are thristy, but you can buy a lot of gas for the premium a diesel fetches. Even if it is your DD, you might not drive enough to have fuel economy be your #1 factor.
 
Yeah daily driver. I can't convince myself that the economics of a 3rd car makes sense for us. We drive my wife's hybrid whenever we can, so other than my 7 mile commute it rarely gets driven anywhere that we don't "need" the truck. I bought the Suburban 5 years ago with 70K miles on it for $11K. A similarly built out diesel was twice that so I went with the 6L gas. I also had doubts that the diesels I looked at had been used as lightly as the Suburban. No one had sat in any seat other than the driver seat and there had never been a draw bar in the receiver. Kind of strange for a 3/4 ton truck. I figure the 90,000 miles I have put on it cost me $10K more with gas than diesel so close to a wash at this point.

The burb has plenty of life in it but the salt is starting to have its way with the underside. I have plenty of time to find another deal. Just a PITA because I have to shop at least 4 hours south to get to sand.
 
SolarAndWood said:
Yeah daily driver. I can't convince myself that the economics of a 3rd car makes sense for us. We drive my wife's hybrid whenever we can, so other than my 7 mile commute it rarely gets driven anywhere that we don't "need" the truck. I bought the Suburban 5 years ago with 70K miles on it for $11K. A similarly built out diesel was twice that so I went with the 6L gas. I also had doubts that the diesels I looked at had been used as lightly as the Suburban. No one had sat in any seat other than the driver seat and there had never been a draw bar in the receiver. Kind of strange for a 3/4 ton truck. I figure the 90,000 miles I have put on it cost me $10K more with gas than diesel so close to a wash at this point.

The burb has plenty of life in it but the salt is starting to have its way with the underside. I have plenty of time to find another deal. Just a PITA because I have to shop at least 4 hours south to get to sand.
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If a gasser has treated you well to this point, and it sounds like it has, I would get another. Unless you are racking tons of empty miles, or consistently logging loaded miles, gas is the way to go. If you are driving a lot of miles, empty or loaded, diesel is your best bet.

Also, today's 1/2 ton truck is a lot more capable than they used to be. I have an '09 F150 with the "small" V-8 and can pull 8K lbs without a lot of effort, and regularly carry 2500 in the bed and it still drives like a dream. Plus they are cheaper and ride better. Don't count them out either. 3/4 ton can do it better, but i can still do it pretty good with the 1/2 ton.
 
Good advice here........pass on the 6.0L........they are great if you get a good one and run strong when they run. The 7.3L is outstanding. I searched high and low and found a 2001 Super Cab with only 79K on it for $15K and snapped it up last year......awesome truck, tows well.

The 6.4L is a fuel hog and you have to remove the cab to work on it, silly design. The 6.7L is suppsed to be the cat's arse but then again so was the 6.0 and 6.4 as well....tiem will tell.
 
lukem said:
Don't count out those V-10s. They are as reliable as the sunrise and make good power. They are thristy, but you can buy a lot of gas for the premium a diesel fetches. Even if it is your DD, you might not drive enough to have fuel economy be your #1 factor.
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That's what I was gonna say. My '00 V10 F250 is no slouch! Around 300 hp and 400 lb/ft torque, I think. Reasonable 6 quart oil change, no water separating filters, issues with cold weather, etc. It is also nice and quiet. We drive this truck about 4K miles a year, so the 11 mpg is not such a big deal. I fill the tank once a month or less unless or it takes a long trip.
 
I have an 05 f-150 and with the 5.4L v-8 and i love it. I bought it in 06 with 10k miles on and now have about 65k with oil changes tires and brakes bieng the only issues. Once had to replace a strut/shock tower - spring broke. pull a 28' travel trailer with no problems up to the adirondacks every year. its not a work truck for me, but it is my daily driver and my commute is only 10 miles round trip. I would love to find a reason to get a 250, but this hasn't given anything to really gripe about.
 
For me the 3500 is totaly needed for weight capacity but not daily driving.

I have a 4 cyl standard transmission 2-wheel drive Jeep truck that gets about 30 miles to the gallon the way I drive. The jeep insurance is only $400 and the parts are cheap
 
My wife has pushed for that solution Dune. I cooked a couple 1/2 tons doing the stuff I do and appreciate the 3/4 ton. But, get towards the upper end of the capacity of the 3/4 ton with topsoil, compost, gravel or equipment in the trailer and I start thinking about the 1 ton. The problem is that truck still has to be nice enough to put the family in and drive 2 hours to camp where you really can't go without 4 wheel drive half the year and prefer not to the rest of the year. That is where I get back to the diesel 3/4 ton with a gooseneck trailer. 20 mpg that serves all purposes. Just have to find the right one at the right price. Until then, the 11 yo paid for truck that doesn't owe me anything with bumper pull trailers is more than adequate. Filling that 38.5 gallon tank on a truck that only gets 11-12 mpg on average gives you a lot of time to think though.

The biggest problem I have with the 3 car solution is that vehicles have a limited lifespan in Syracuse regardless of the number of miles you put on them. That means 3 cars rotting at a time instead of 2.
 
SolarAndWood said:
20 mpg that serves all purposes.
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Consider yourself lucky if you get 20 with a "new" diesel. You might eek that out of an old 5.9 cummins or 7.3, but the DMaxes, 6.7 cummins, and especially newer fords (not sure about the new 6.7) aren't going to get that from what i've seen and the people I've talked to. 14- 18 is probably a more realistic number depending on the truck on what you are doing with it, with fords being on the low end and dodge/chevy on the high end.
 
My V10 F250 gets about 11 around town and 15 highway. Probably just under 10 with a 6K trailer.
 
SolarAndWood said:
My wife has pushed for that solution Dune. I cooked a couple 1/2 tons doing the stuff I do and appreciate the 3/4 ton. But, get towards the upper end of the capacity of the 3/4 ton with topsoil, compost, gravel or equipment in the trailer and I start thinking about the 1 ton. The problem is that truck still has to be nice enough to put the family in and drive 2 hours to camp where you really can't go without 4 wheel drive half the year and prefer not to the rest of the year. That is where I get back to the diesel 3/4 ton with a gooseneck trailer. 20 mpg that serves all purposes. Just have to find the right one at the right price. Until then, the 11 yo paid for truck that doesn't owe me anything with bumper pull trailers is more than adequate. Filling that 38.5 gallon tank on a truck that only gets 11-12 mpg on average gives you a lot of time to think though.

The biggest problem I have with the 3 car solution is that vehicles have a limited lifespan in Syracuse regardless of the number of miles you put on them. That means 3 cars rotting at a time instead of 2.
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When you say you cooked the 1/2 tons what does that mean you cooked the transmission or the rear end or the engine? Were you towing "heavy" at the time? Just curious because I have witnessed half tons in my family pull 5th wheel trailers from MI to FL without a problem.
 
lukem said:
Consider yourself lucky if you get 20 with a "new" diesel....14- 18 is probably a more realistic number
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Huh, a few mpg might not seem like a lot but as a percentage it is pretty big. I do 11 around town and 16 on the highway now. Makes my paid for truck look even better.
 
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