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Considering buying an '03 - '04

694 views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  purplehorn1977 
#1 ·
Newbie to this forum looking at moving up from F-150 to F-350 DRW.
I'm looking @ a '03 & a '04. Would be interested in comments from owners of those years (both good and bad) about what to pay particular attention to when looking at these trucks. Also, any tips about common issues that crop up at a particular mileage level.
I have seen posts about Oasis reports. Would like additional education on those also.
Thanks,
Bob
 
#3 ·
i have a 04 othere than head gaskets issues that i have fixed with studs and new gskets. i would recomend one. but remember maintenance on the 6.0 is paramount to longevity. they cant be neglected like the old 7.3 could. i would take a 6.0 over a 7.3 anyday. dont get me wrong i love my 7. 3 but the 6.0 pulls so much better and is alot more fun to drive. if the truck your looking at has 100k or more on it. get egr delete, head studs, oil cooler, coolant filter and you should be good to go for a long time.
 
#4 ·
So, is it fair to say that near the 100K miles, head gaskets are a common issue with these 6.0's?
Is the stud issue/fix installing just new studs or is it a better grade stud? Or, does it have head bolts and you change from bolts to studs?
Thanks,
Bob
 
#5 ·
no the studs replace the torque to yeild bolts which is the main cause of the head gasket failure issue. no i wouldnt say that 100k is the standard. my truck had 2 sets of gaskets before i bought it. due to turbo vanes seizing and overboosting which stretches the TTY bolts and then the HG blow. mine had 40K the first set 76K the second set and i just put HG and studs in it at 108K but will never have to do it again. ive seen trucks with 250K on them that still have factory TTY bolts and have never had issues with the HG but ive also seen trucks with 10K on them that needed heads and gaskets. thats just the luck of the draw with them. but there are way more good ones then there are bad ones.
 
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