04 6.0 powerstroke

I know these are "bad juju" but one with > 300k miles can't be that terrible, no?

Realistically if its got those kinda miles, its fine. All the E36 M3 that was gonna break, broke.

That's what I thought. I asked them if they have head EGR or head bolt issues and they said no. They are the original owners... they just got lucky?

Not all of them have the issues. Head bolts were hit or miss and failed more on motors with the power turned up (they never really fail on the International version that puts out less power). EGR happens to most of them eventually, but is much better if the coolant is kept fresh.

Plus, when they're not having issues or if you sort out the issues, they're pretty solid motors otherwise.

m4ff3w wrote: That's what I thought. I asked them if they have head EGR or head bolt issues and they said no. They are the original owners... they just got lucky?

They's lyin' or they are on borrowed time. Or they bought the big Diesel truck so they could get the 48-pack of toilet paper from Sam's Club.

Local towing company would NOT run one more than 150k. At 150k it was out the door and sold, even if it was only a year or two old. And then they'd usually get a call from the pissed-off new owner after a couple months when it suddenly needed a ton of expensive work.

From what I have been told, EGR and switch to ARP head studs. The cab normally needs pulled to remove the head bolts/heads.

HOWEVER, one can apparently loosen the bolts enough to cut the bolt and back it out with a set of pliers or similar once the head is pulled. There isn't an interference issue with reinstallation using the ARP studs.

Back the head bolts out but leave them in the head. Hold the bolts up enough that they won't drag and pull the head out with the bolts still in.

Drop the studs into the head with nuts on the end and slide the heads back in. Screw the studs into the block and tighten the nuts.

That's how the local diesel shop does the 6.0 head (so they told me) and that's how we did it on the Duramax in the work truck.

After trying to find a diesel truck for several months, I totally gave up on the 6.0L Fords. Too many unknowns and sketchy people.

At 300k, there is a possibility that the truck will be ok, but if they say that they never needed the upgrades, don't expect too much more out of that motor. The EGR doesn't matter if the fluid was serviced properly, they were/are prone to cracking and the passages were too small.

It's your money and you do what you want, but there's a reason those trucks are much cheaper than their competitors.

Yeah, the EGR cracks aren't fluid dependent at all. But the EGR cooler clogging is. It's usually due to stuff precipitating out of the coolant due to heat. Keeping appropriate, fresh coolant in it reduces this. Ideally, it should be a proper HD diesel coolant, not the G-05 Ford filled them with.

My coworker is trying really hard not to acknowledge the irony that he knew full well about 6.0 issues, bought one anyway, and now needs headgaskets to the tune of ~$3500 at 'friend' price because he really doesn't want to do it himself even though hes been a mechanic for 20 years and teaches it for a living.

Vigo wrote: My coworker is trying really hard not to acknowledge the irony that he knew full well about 6.0 issues, bought one anyway, and now needs headgaskets to the tune of ~$3500 at 'friend' price because he really doesn't want to do it himself even though hes been a mechanic for 20 years and teaches it for a living.

That sounds exactly like what would happen to me if I broke down and bought a "cheap" 6 liter. I will say this much is defense of the 6.0 I have known people who had them and never had a problem, but they are the minority. EGR and EGR cooler issues are prevalent with these to the tune of cleaning the egr and egr passages yearly. If you do the maintenance you might get lucky but the egr will still get stuck open/shut and clog up, and the egr cooler will eventually fail if it is not replaced with the newer better design cooler. The other fix is to delete both and use a programmer to fool the ecm into thinking the egr is still working tip top. Personally I would avoid the 6.0 I have been successful in doing so myself despite the low prices I see on them.

I've put 7k miles on my 06' so far. It was bullet proofed, meticulously maintained, never modded or tuned, and from the original owners. There are good owners out there. Just have to be patient with your search if you're considering a 6.0.

I have a stick of dynamite here. I lit it, but it doesn't seem to have exploded yet. Wanna buy it?

Well..... I didn't end up with the 6.0 regarding which I was inquiring, but ended up with an '03 F250 that has been "bulletproofed"

Apr head studs, sinister head gaskets, new oil cooler, new ford high pressure oil pump , heads reworked and milled, egr delete, repaired/upgraded FICM.

If you don't mind me asking, what did that set you back?

How many miles??

In reply to m4ff3w:

Well as long as you know that it has had all that work, you have yourself a decent truck.

Step 1 for Ford F250-350 maintenance: Pull the cab. Step 2 invert wallet and shake vigorously. Step 3 repeat.

Seriously--step 1 is the one that gets me. I can pull the fender liners and get at anything on my Duramax. In a pinch, you don't even need to jack it up or pull the wheel.

The Fords are nice trucks whenever they aren't broke, but they're a bitch to work on. Good luck! It sounds like you got a nice one, after you finish hosing out all of the PO's blood, sweat, and tears.

Would you just look at that stock exhaust pipe! On a diesel pickup! I thought i'd seen it all.

So I'll say this, these engines in some way shape or form have provided rent, car payments, insurance payments, party's, track days, rotary maintenance, and bought my protege, keep in mind this has been only in 4-5 years of working on them.

Yes they can be fine but would say only about 35-40% are on the positive side, good luck if you do get one and feel free to PM me once (if.......) you have issues.

I've put 9k on it so far. I did replace the aftermarket oil cooler with a Navistar one, in addition to adding a coolant filter, new radiator, and switching to ELC coolant.