[1996 ford f350 dually 7.3]

I am looking at buying a 2004 f350 crew cab dually. Im just not sure about buying a 6.0 because I have heard they have a lot of issues. It has 189,000 miles. it has an oil look but i have not looked at it to find out where. Does anyone think it would be safe to buy? Is there anything I should look for specifically to make sure it is a safe buy? thanks for the help

 

[mazsecond]

Watch this video series it should answer most of your questions. Pictures or in this case a video is worth a million words.

POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners

 

[Lilpooh]

Get a oasis report, and read this.
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/6-0-tech-files/173767-things-consider-about-owning-6-0l.html

 

[95powerstroke5spd]

That depends on if you like to drop a HUGE wad of cash just to think you "bulletproofed" it. 7.3s you do average maintenance and they run next to forever. 6.0s you have a higher initial cost and your "suppose" to drop another high dollar amount just to hope that you might not blow your oil cooler, egr cooler, either head gasket, or replace your injectors.

 

[Lilpooh]

Watch this video series it should answer most of your questions. Pictures or in this case a video is worth a million words.

POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners

HA HA HA HA HA.........................!!!! enough said!

 

[d and b installer]

Stay away from the 03 early 04 trucks, the rear mounted icps are a pain in the butt. If its mounted on the valve cover its not so bad to change when it fails.

 

[colo_dually]

What is your reason for buying the Dually, in '03 and '04 they were rated GCWR at the same weight (20K). The DRW these years tows a little less due to its heavier curb weight. That didn't change until the '05+ trucks (23K with the 4.10's, and 26K with the 4.30's). I would recommend keep looking for one of the later years.

 

[Dave]

Watch this video series it should answer most of your questions. Pictures or in this case a video is worth a million words.

POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners

If you want your truck to run disregard this vid

 

[f350powerstroke]

Your coolers are probably are on it's way out the door. The 6.0 needs coolant flushing, elc coolant, and strict maintenance..

 

[PGreenSVT]

Watch this video series it should answer most of your questions. Pictures or in this case a video is worth a million words.

POWERSTROKEHELP.COM - The Information Source for Ford Power Stroke Diesel Owners

Pay no attention to that fool.

 

[PGreenSVT]

That depends on if you like to drop a HUGE wad of cash just to think you "bulletproofed" it. 7.3s you do average maintenance and they run next to forever. 6.0s you have a higher initial cost and your "suppose" to drop another high dollar amount just to hope that you might not blow your oil cooler, egr cooler, either head gasket, or replace your injectors.

If you do your own work you can pretty much set a 6.0 straight for about $1000. And it will still blow the doors off a 7.3 without breathing hard. Too bad you aren't better informed.

 

[95powerstroke5spd]

Your right who doesnt want to go through half a complete rebuild to get there pickup in working order.

 

[Galaxie]

This thread is funny. Learn what is going on....

 

[mustangman02232]

What is your reason for buying the Dually, in '03 and '04 they were rated GCWR at the same weight (20K). The DRW these years tows a little less due to its heavier curb weight. That didn't change until the '05+ trucks (23K with the 4.10's, and 26K with the 4.30's). I would recommend keep looking for one of the later years.

dont forget a dually is also alot more stable to pull with.

That depends on if you like to drop a HUGE wad of cash just to think you "bulletproofed" it. 7.3s you do average maintenance and they run next to forever. 6.0s you have a higher initial cost and your "suppose" to drop another high dollar amount just to hope that you might not blow your oil cooler, egr cooler, either head gasket, or replace your injectors.

run next to forever? you can make a yugo run forever if your willing to throw enough money at it, its no different then replacing the glass internal E4OD, Hpops, injectors, turbos etc that the 7.3s have issues with, i dont care if you own a honda, if you dont maintain it you will have problems. you wont blow your oil cooler if you maintain your coolant properly, your injectors wont crap out if you use an additive, etc. and 6.0s dont hold their value because people dont know how to correctly fix them, so there "junk" so im able to buy a 3 year old truck for 18k when i could of baughten a 5 year old 7.3 with 200k for the same price. oh and my 6.0 will run a 13 second quarter and do 19 mpg, i dont think any of my friends 7.3 PSDs are close (IDIs yes)

egr delete, oil cooler mild tune, clean coolant and a filter, fresh oil, fuel additive and im at 90k with no issues and $1100 in the truck, less then some of the 7.3s in our "fleet"

 

[Dave]

Your right who doesnt want to go through half a complete rebuild to get there pickup in working order.

Where are you going through half a complete rebuild?:doh:

 

[tonto]

I'm suprised this thread has ended up how it has...

The 6.0 is a stellar engine. Yes stellar. It is pretty much the last of the "loud" diesels. In my experience in the field it can get you ANYWHERE if youre equipped. I've used it welding in some hairy places but it will get you there better than any dirtymax or common-rail. My '05 is basically stock aside from the 4" turboback and has a beautifully clean oasis report (your truck's health history) and still runs solid WITH the EGR.

Stories aside, like mentioned earlier you should tear apart the engine yourself when doing any upgrades/maintanence. No one looks after a truck better than yourself. Delete the stupid EGR. Get rid of the Ford Gold in favor of ELC coolant. Oil changes ever 6-8k (a smart person would swap to a synthetic, injectors are not cheap). Give it the neccesary mechanical updates like the blue fuel spring regulator, STC fitting update, turbo drain/feed tube. Those 3 updates are not only incredibly crucial, but only about $200 in total. Done.

On a side note, I'm curious about the opinion of powerstrokehelp.com. I remember parusing through it many months ago but never picked up on anything bad. For the record, I'm no mechanic.