Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum banner

most common issues

2K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  southend 
#1 ·
hey guys and gals. It looks that the 6.0 is the engine in my price range so I need to know the good bad and the ugly to these bad boys! :confused:
 
#2 ·
Lotsa reading in your near future.

Start with the stickys in thr 6.0 general discusion forum.
 
#4 · (Edited)
buy a ScanGauge II to take with you on test drives. You're going to need it or something like it anyway after the truck is yours, this isn't a waste of money. Plug it into your car to power it up, and then you can program in the XGauges you'll need.

You do have a bunch of reading to do, but you shouldn't let that scare you away. With some money and work (how much, depends on the current condition, which is what the gauge is for) it can be the best truck you could ever want. Lucky for you, you've asked the question before you bought the truck. We will be able to help you know what to avoid, and what you might just use to get the price down.

Any vehicle you were interested in, you'd get the CarFax, of course. With Ford vehicles you also want the OASYS report. This will tell you all the work done under warranty. Good info. You may have to ask at a Ford dealership to get that. I've heard some people can get them online but I don't know how that's done.

There's a few items that will need to be taken care of before they go bad, if they haven't already. So even if you found a truck that runs great now, you're going to have a minimum amount of work you need to do to it to keep it from having massive troubles later. It's a chain reaction kind of thing. Take care of some little things before they lead to big things.

Long beds have a 38 gal tank, short beds 29 gals. '05 starts coil springs in the front, shorter turn radius. King Ranch and Harley are special versions of the Lariat, top line trim level. XLT has cloth seats.

What else is there to know? I'm sure somebody will come along and help out.

You didn't mention if you've had a diesel before. This one takes 15 quarts of oil and most of us like the synthetic all year. It's special diesel oil, you don't use regular car oil. Most parts and service are more expensive than gas engines. With diesel more expensive now than gas, you kinda want to have the need for all that power, the better mileage doesn't really balance out the fuel cost anymore. Unless you're working it, of course, then it's way better.

Check the forums before you do anything. A lot of new guys jump straight into replacing things like air cleaners, put in the wrong oil filters, buying the wrong tuner, etc. because they don't read first.

If you can't find what you're looking for, ask specific questions, we'll help. There's a lot of good info in the stickied threads.
 
#11 ·
Any vehicle you were interested in, you'd get the CarFax, of course. With Ford vehicles you also want the OASYS report. This will tell you all the work done under warranty. Good info. You may have to ask at a Ford dealership to get that. I've heard some people can get them online but I don't know how that's done.
Idahoser good info I just to clarify for the OP it is an OASIS report and you can get them from members here if you are a Premium member or at a local Ford dealership
 
#6 ·
Thank you much SC. I have not owned or cared for a diesel before...unless the big red ones with a Detroit count! I did not see but is there any open preferences about the 6.0, 6.4 or 7.3?

Most i am looking at (price reasons) are the 6.0 so this equipment will be beneficial later as well?

Thanks for the info...back to reading...

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#9 ·
Biggest questions are, what is its purpose going to be? Are you looking to modify for "X" amount of HP?

The 6.0's are cheaper for that reason, problems. After your sticky reading, you may be able to find a great deal with the bulletproofing done. I personally like the 6.0's performance. But I don't like the EPA crap on them and don't want to take a chance at getting pulled over and checked when its been removed. I got a great deal on my 7.3 and no emmions to deal with and known reliability. Those are the reasons I bought it.

If your looking for a mild HP build the price will be about equal either way. The 6.0 will be more money spent on the engine and the 7.3 will in a BTS or JW trans. Fwiw an e99 will be a bit more $ due to smaller intake system.

Also, if your not comfortable on wrenching on diesels yourself, find a local shop that deals with these engines. Don't necessarily count on the dealerships either, a lot of times they suck just as bad as a mom n pop shop.


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#7 ·
my only experience is with the 6.0L, but I have read a lot. The 7.3 has a lot of loyal fans, but I understand the 6.0L will run rings around it and get better mileage doing it. Only stuff I've heard about the 6.4 is that it has multiple turbos, multiple EGR valves, and may be more troublesome than the 6.0L.
 
#8 ·
I agree I had both the 7.3l and now a 6.0l now the 7.3l is def less power then the 7.3l but the 7.3l is a godly motor the 6.0l just has little kinks that needs to be worked out
 
#13 ·
To answer the question in your title. ......
1 clogged oil cooler
2 blown egr cooler
3 blown head gaskets

In that order. All can be fixed or prevented, based on previous owner care/maintenance.

As stated before, read up on the stickies.

Sent from my phone that somebody didn't help me get.
 
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