03 LEMON. Can this truck be saved? HELP!!!

[DVXC]

I inherited my pop's 03 CC Lariat 4x4 with 44k miles. He had a ton of probs with the truck, several turbo's, EGR's and intercoolers. All under warranty repairs but it left him stranded several times. He wasn't happy and was just getting ready to get rid of it and then became very ill and passed from Mesothelioma.

I have the beast now, and have put 6k miles on it since its last turbo / intercooler failure and something went out on it this weekend. WAY smokey, white in the morning when cold then gets real black when warm. It puffs so hard I cant even see other vehicles around at stop lights. It's at the Ford dealer getting diagnosed right now. Hmmm - EGR, turbo or intercooler I am guessing. Problem now though, its outa warranty and on my dime. Should I put money in this truck or am I wasting my greens?

IF this truck can be made reliable, what mods and cost am I looking at? I will not keep putting 3k in this truck every 7500 miles. I have read alot about the various EGR delete kits. Is this system the root of all 6.0 PSD problems? Aftermarket turbos? I want to weigh the options and really crunch the $$ to see if there is light at the end of the tunnel. The service writer told me " 2003 Super Dutys are by far the worst truck model year Ford has ever produced" Doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling.

So I am hoping to get some good feedback on here and make some informed decisions.

Thanks for reading !

DV

[nylyon]

Sorry about your dad. I have an early 2003 with 101,000 miles on it and it's been good thus far, just an ICP failure ($50). The previous owner was religious about maintenance and it was maintained by an International dealer.

The 6.0's seem to have some common problems which there are usually aftermarket fixes for. Head gasket failures, EGR, HPOP, FICM.... can all be replaced in a single teardown making the engine more reliable and robust. You would need to determine the costs of the aftermarket items and the labor to determine if it's cost effective to keep the truck or sell it.

The other factors are the maintenance. $100-$150 oil changes every 5000 miles, $50 fuel filters every 10K - 15K. Coolant changes, trans fluid changes etc.. It adds up. I use my F250 as my daily driver and to haul our 34' trailer. I love driving the truck, and when warmed up the 6.0 is such a pleasure to drive.

[DVXC]

Ford just called. #7 injector is out. Is this normal for a truck under 49k miles?

[capcalvin]

keep the truck, buy an extended warranty for a couple grand and drive it. Still cheaper than a new truck.

[nylyon]

I'm sure that many here have seen this from Diesel Power Magazine but it's worth showing again.

[DVXC]

Good read nylyon,thanks a bunch.