2006 Ford F350 6.0L Diesel - ?

[Fman]

My father is thinking about a purchase on a 2006 Ford F350 with the 6.0L diesel, tow package, automatic, 2 wheel drive to haul around his 5th wheel. The truck has 107,000 miles on it. I heard that Ford had issues with the 6.0L diesel? Anyone here happen to own one or know anything about these trucks. I would hate for him to buy something that could end up having a bunch of engine issues. I thought he 7.3L Ford was the better of the two???

Also, if anyone is in the market for a 2000 Dodge Diesel extra cab (6 cyl), MANUAL, with 147,000 miles on it he is selling this truck for around $9,500 - rated at 13,500 lbs for towing. Its a very clean ride and would be a great boat pulling truck, I would be picking it up but its a stick shift and I dont feel comfortable having my wife pull out the boat with a stick shift on the launch ramp. He is only selling this because its a stick shift and wants an automatic.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Fman

[wakesetter8796]

My father is thinking about a purchase on a 2006 Ford F350 with the 6.0L diesel, tow package, automatic, 2 wheel drive to haul around his 5th wheel. The truck has 107,000 miles on it. I heard that Ford had issues with the 6.0L diesel? Anyone here happen to own one or know anything about these trucks. I would hate for him to buy something that could end up having a bunch of engine issues. I thought he 7.3L Ford was the better of the two???<br /> <br />Also, if anyone is in the market for a 2000 Dodge Diesel (6 cyl), MANUAL, with 147,000 miles on it he is selling this truck for around $9,500 - rated at 13,500 lbs for towing. Its a very clean ride and would be a great boat pulling truck, I would be picking it up but its a stick shift and I dont feel comfortable having my wife pull out the boat with a stick shift on the launch ramp. He is only selling this because its a stick shift and wants an automatic.

<br /><br /><br />7.3 would be better reliability wise, but stock they are a dog power wise and smoke a lot. Not to mention a low mileage one is up there with the 6.0's, and very rare. <br />The 6.0 had issues with injectors and other things, and they need to be "bulletproofed", and there are numerous online threads on this. The 6.0 is a powerhouse once you add bigger injectors, tune, exhaust, etc.

[Pnwrider]

My father is thinking about a purchase on a 2006 Ford F350 with the 6.0L diesel, tow package, automatic, 2 wheel drive to haul around his 5th wheel. The truck has 107,000 miles on it. I heard that Ford had issues with the 6.0L diesel? Anyone here happen to own one or know anything about these trucks. I would hate for him to buy something that could end up having a bunch of engine issues. I thought he 7.3L Ford was the better of the two???

Also, if anyone is in the market for a 2000 Dodge Diesel (6 cyl), MANUAL, with 147,000 miles on it he is selling this truck for around $9,500 - rated at 13,500 lbs for towing. Its a very clean ride and would be a great boat pulling truck, I would be picking it up but its a stick shift and I dont feel comfortable having my wife pull out the boat with a stick shift on the launch ramp. He is only selling this because its a stick shift and wants an automatic.

He would be going from one of the most bullet proof diesel platforms out there (cummins with a manual) to one of the worst. The 6.0 had head stud issues. One of my friends just traded his in after getting a quote over 6k to bullet proof it. The diesel tuner was actually shocked his didn't have any issues with 140k and still stock. There is a reason the 6.0 psd can be had so cheap. A 7.3 would be a more reliable option but people seem to think they are made out of gold and tend to price them as such.

[wakesetter8796]

What about an 06 cummins 5.9? One of the last years, and no emissions crap to deal with. Has that nice 5 9 rumble too.

[Slayer]

I echo all the comments on the 6.0. Once it's been studded and tuned, it becomes a strong performer.

[Tims]

I had a 2006 6.0 PSD and never had a problem with it pulling a 12,000lb goose neck. By that year most of the bugs had been worked out. Still, the EGR and head gaskets are weak points. Has the truck ever been run with a tune? If no tune, I would not be scared of it. Personally, I would delete the EGR, stud the heads, tune it, and enjoy. The 6.0 with a proper custom tune is a great engine. Night and day when compared to a 7.3

[wedge88]

I agree with above. Just sold my 2006 Ford 250 6.0L. Once you delete the EGR, stud the heads it will be a great truck. I had 117000 on mine. I was so worried about injector issues that plagued this model in 2003-2005 that I purposely looked for a 2006. Never did have injector issues but others listed above. If he is buying from a dealer it would be worth looking into a Ford ESP if the major issues have not already been repaired.

[malibu2004]

I would run as fast as I could from it. That is unless he likes repair bills.

[Bozboat]

just curious, does removing the EGR make it any more difficult to get the DOT annual inspection?

[Tims]

just curious, does removing the EGR make it any more difficult to get the DOT annual inspection?

Depends on the inspection criteria. Typically they perform a smoke check and visual inspection for presence of emission devices on diesels. You can install a block plate in the EGR to effectively disable it and still pass inspection. The primary duty of the EGR is is cool down burnt exhaust gas and re-inject it into the intake to reduce NOx emissions. Of course that increases fuel consumption and lines your intake track with sticky soot.

[bradfr]

I echo all the comments on the 6.0. Once it's been studded and tuned, it becomes a strong performer.

Ditto: I own one and once it was studded and deleted the EGR cooler this truck has become very reliable and very strong. I have a 2004 with 165k miles and it is running stronger than it did when I bought it.

Edited March 3, 2014 by bradfr

[Fman]

What is the indicator the engine needs to have the studs repaired? What does this mean? He is planning on doing a car fax on the truck and looking into extended warranty. The truck is being sold at the same place he is buying his 5th wheel. It's super clean and already setup for a trailer.

[malibu2004]

http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/

For your viewing pleasure.

[Fman]

The truck is super clean, priced at $13,500 which is 6k below low blue book. The dealer bought it from someone who traded there trailer in. It's a great deal if the truck checks out with no issues. He was going to take it in and have a diesel truck center give it a look.

[Tims]

Check the coolant overflow tank for any signs of water boiling over/out of the cap area. It will look like white powder around the cap area and on the hood above the cap. Typically when a head gasket fails on these engines it will pressurize the coolant system causing it to puke out of the tank. Replacing the head bolts with ARP or like studs prevents stretching and gasket failure.

Seems like a good price and if your dad has to put in another $5K to make it bullet proof, I think he will still be money ahead and have a great pulling engine.

[wedge88]

If you go to one of the Ford Truck forums you can ask the Admin to run a Oasis report by the vin#: If the truck was serviced at any Ford dealership, it will show up in this report.

[Nitrousbird]

Lol, everyone acting like "studding" the motor is no big deal. For a DIY person it is doable if you know how to pull heads but is a good chunk of work. If paying someone that is an expensive job. That is assuming the 8 year old, 100k truck will have no other issues pop up when pulling the heads.

[MLBurns]

Easier to pull the cab off to do both heads. Walk in a Ford service shop and see how many cabs are off the frame, has become pretty much standard for any significant work on the motor.

[Tims]

Lol, everyone acting like "studding" the motor is no big deal. For a DIY person it is doable if you know how to pull heads but is a good chunk of work. If paying someone that is an expensive job. That is assuming the 8 year old, 100k truck will have no other issues pop up when pulling the heads.

Lol, who in these posts said it is no big deal? Don't think anyone mentioned DYI either. And quite a lots of people put studs in a 8 year old truck with no issues, but with anything there is risk.

[Fman]

Thanks for all the feedback, he is getting it checked out tomorrow by a certified diesel shop and currently getting a car fax history to see if any work has been done by previous owner.

[BlackBluMalibu]

I had 2 of these. A 2003 (first year with 6.0) .... Did not have any issues, but because I do plow contracts, I sold mind with 110k on it. I just traded my 2005 for a new 2014. Had 76k on the 05. No issues, but everything I've read they usually occurred most often after the 100k mark. I recommend reading and evaluating the risk. Get on one of the diesel truck forums and read, read and some more. I never had injector issues , but was concerned about the oil cooler and erg, but did not have any issues with either. Both performed very well with the usual maintenance. With that mileage, just make sure erg and oil cooler are not clogged or as someone else suggested, go " Bullet Proof", which is pricey, but should alleviate any possible issues with the cooling system.... Good luck!

Edited March 4, 2014 by BlackBluMalibu

[Bawshogg]

You only buy a 6.0l if you have a spare 10g's to make it reliable.

[Fman]

I got an update from my father, he found a good diesel shop that gave him the rundown on the 6.0 liter. The oil cooling system totally needs to be replaced, this is the main fault of these motors. They have an aftermarket oil cooling system, and EGR valve replacement kit. They also perform a test on the motor to determine the oil temperature in comparison to the engine temperature, once it exceeds 15 degree variance they recommend the oil kit. They tested his truck and it was at 14 degress, which is an indicator the oil cooling system is beginning to fail. The shop said the head studs elongating are typically caused by over tuning the motor with a chip, or aftermarket performance parts. They did not recommend he replace the head studs with a factory stock engine. The shop said once the oil kit is installed the truck will be solid, transmission and rear end are good. He got such a great deal on the truck looks like he is going to have them install the aftermarket kits and still be money ahead on the low bluebook value of the truck.

As others mentioned, they take the cab completely off the frame to perform these modifications, sounds crazy but makes sense with the access they gain to the engine.

Edited March 5, 2014 by Fman

[Slayer]

Good news, Fman. SHould be a good truck for him.

[Nitrousbird]

If they are taking the cab off, it would be stupid to NOT do the head studs at that time.