[that_dude]

I'm looking at a 2005 6.0 with 35,000 miles, had it inspected and dealer found some things. Dealer states it was blowing some black smoke after 4 mile test drive, had turbo lag which they could not say if it was the turbo or possibly an injector issue, exhaust leak but did not say where. Also the front brakes are at 9mm and rear at 7-8mm, is this good? What's the thickness on new brakes?

As we were leaving the dealership something broke, dealer said it was the clamp that holds the turbo inlet pipe? And said that a leak in that may have been what was causing the exhaust leak found in the inspection. However the owner is having that problem resolved.

Thirdly the air is stuck on defrost.

My question is from your folks experience with these trucks is this a good truck? Could the broken clamp potentially cause the turbo lag problem? Before it had broken I mean.

I'm completely new to diesels so bare with any rookie knowledge.


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[BIG Laing]

That truck has been neglected. It probably sat outside in the sun/snow for months at a time. Low miles always sounds tempting, but these trucks are meant to be driven. The variable geometry turbo needs to be ran and spooled often to keep it working correctly. I wouldn't touch that truck for more then $10k IMHO.

 

[drewmeister13]

I wouldn't buy it at all. It defiantly sounds neglected. Plus the dealer sounds like an idiot and know nothing about a 6.0. Turbo lag? Mabye broke the exhaust clamp on test drive? Can't give you the specs to rotor thickness? If they can't figure out some simple issues, then any inspections they do are pointless. None the less turbo lag could be caused by an exhaust leak on the inlet pipe. If this were the case, you would see black soot on the firewall. All 6.0 have some turbo lag at first take off. If it is tuned, this could be more/less pronounced. Could also be an injector issue. Again a basic test would help. Does it have white smoke on startup? A little if it is cold out is ok. A lot is most likely a leaking injector. You are most likely not at a Ford dealer as they could hook it up to their scanner and see exactly what each injector is doing. Spend 5 minutes on this forum and I guarantee you will have more knowledge about diesels than the dealer you are at.

 

[southend]

Your trying to buy a truck with problems, expect more problems.

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[nordstrom]

How much are they asking for it..this will help determine if its a low enough price to compensate for fixing issues.. can you post a link to it? 6.0 liters do have there faults but can be made to be great trucks. First thing i would do is take it to someone that knows what the hell they are looking at cause it sounds like those guys are idiots. Make a donation to become a premium member on this site and you can get an oasis report on the premimum members board and see what has been done do it bt dealers.

 

[that_dude]

It was kind of a rushed inspection I felt. The technician had left for the day so some other guy was telling me what they had found. A clamp broke holding a pipe on the turbo after the inspection and the truck wouldn't do over 55mph. Took it back to the dealership and they said that this may have been causing the turbo lag and exhaust leek they had found. They said that they could hook it up to their computer and look at any trouble codes and determine if its an injector problem, but of course they wanted another $160 for that.

I had never asked them the specs on the brakes. Although you figured they could have told me there at 50% or whatever. That's why I asked here.


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[that_dude]

And the deal is to trade for my truck straight across. Mines a 2005 Nissan Titan with 118,000 miles and no mechanical issues.


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[BIG Laing]

And the deal is to trade for my truck straight across. Mines a 2005 Nissan Titan with 118,000 miles and no mechanical issues.


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You will regret trading your Titan in if you do this deal.

 

[deesle]

I think it depends. These are awesome trucks, I am on my third. How interested are you into getting your hands dirty or how handy are you? Personally I like buying these type of trucks as you get a good deal on them. 35k miles is not a lot of miles on the bottom end. My 05 Excursion is torn apart in my garage right now (heads off). I reconditioned the turbo which is what that truck needs, and new clamps/up-pipe gaskets, and check possible issues with the exhaust hangers or up-pipes (~$290). The turbo veins are most likely sticking, easy to diagnose and easy to fix. Easy to see in computer. At idle the dealer can do a contribution test and injector cycle to see if any of those are bad. In my view there are no major repairs to be done on a 6.0 unless you are taking heads off for head gaskets or a lower end rebuild. Turbo, injectors, etc. are pretty much weekend projects for those who don't mind getting your knuckles scraped a bit. If anything turns up on the injector test here is some info about that: Dealer usually wants 4 hours labor @ $110/hour each side, so $440 a side plus parts. OEM injectors are $1760 for 8 online + core charge. That is only if you need to replace all of them. It would take you more than 4 hours a side to install them if you haven't done it before but still not that long in the scheme of things.

At the end of the day your trade-in value on your Titan is probably 10k so it doesn't sound like that bad of a deal to me. The only thing I would say to do more is a coolant pressure test and compression test on all cylinders.

Just some thoughts.

 

[dieselmatt]

I'd keep looking if I were you.

 

[that_dude]

I don't mind getting dirty and doing the work myself. I'm pretty mechanically inclined as is. But thanks for the info and suggestions guys! Guess if I decide to do it ill have to take it back to the dealer for diagnostics, injector inspection, and possibly fluid and compression tests.


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