Advice on 6.0 diesel purchase?

[SnowmanCO]

I have an engine question about the 6.0 PSD. A seller told me today that his 2003 F350 4x4 with a bulletproofed 6.0 with less than 160k is experiencing low oil pressure at idle. He says it is totally fine while driving.

I want to know if this is a common trait with these engines while idling and something to be expected, or if this is a big red flag?

I have never owned a diesel, so I don't know what is "normal" for these things. But I have been driving for 40 years and I do all my own maintenance, including engine and transmission overhauls as needed. I suspect that low oil pressure at idle is indicative of advanced wear in the rotating mass, with greater bearing clearances than when new.

Given that the oil pressure is normal while driving, I am wondering if I could get another 20 or 30 thousand miles with it the way it is before I would rebuild it myself? Or is this condition a time bomb with a much shorter fuse?

Please provide your perspective based on your experiences.

Thanks!

[str8t six]

I wouldnt buy it if it has low oil pressure. does he have a mechanical gauge or just the dummy light going off?

does he have documentation that it has been "bulletproofed"?

[MT Biker]

The only thing you need to know about the Ford 6.0 & 6.4 Diesel engines is to run... run far away and never look back.
Don’t care what has been done to them, or if they are claimed to be bullet proofed... run, and don’t stop running.

[MikeRP]

Go on YouTube to power stroke help and I think his website is www.powerstrokehelp.com.

He is an expert on the 6.0 and loves these engines.

I would call him in a minute. He’ll tell ya what’s wrong.

Let us know!

[debit]

X2 on "run".
................
Ram 2500 (2004) diesel / FR Surveyor 251rks

[007matman]

From someone that actually owns one thats been bullletproofed, I'd say you need to do your homework. A rightly built 6.0 is very reliable and will give you many years of service.

Not trying to start WW3 here but I completely disagree with some of you.

The early 6.0 did have issues. All years of the 6.4 were pretty bad and even.. yes, I'm going to say it the early 6.7's as well. Later years of the 6.0 were actually pretty good.

With that said, it's very probable that an early 6.0 could be brought up to later 6.0 specs. The important thing here is to ask for proof/documentation of the work that been done. If they don't have that, then it's not worth much over blue book (or even less).

One of the common issues (especially in the earlier trucks) is the HPOP (high pressure oil pump). I would take it to a reputable shop and have them take a look at it. Also, have them inspect the truck to see what works been done.

[Lynkage]

I agree with @007matman. The Hpop is what failed in mine, and was replaced under warranty. That does not mean it is a bad vehicle. Some people just respond with what they have read and have zero experience with said problem.

[Cost4133]

I'm one of those people who got burned on 6.0L. I had an 04 excursion. By 120K miles it had head gaskets twice and set of heads. Mine was bulletproofed. I fully think mine was just one of the bad ones.

That being said, Low oil pressure. First thing I would do is verify with a manual gauge. Very possible that the sender is going bad, or has a clog starting in the pressure port. a Leaking or failing HPOP will not cause the gauge to read low oil pressure. That being said, if the HPOP is leaking, you will have oil leaking off the back of the motor up top.

[SnowmanCO]

Originally Posted by 007matman

From someone that actually owns one thats been bullletproofed, I'd say you need to do your homework. A rightly built 6.0 is very reliable and will give you many years of service.

Not trying to start WW3 here but I completely disagree with some of you.

The early 6.0 did have issues. All years of the 6.4 were pretty bad and even.. yes, I'm going to say it the early 6.7's as well. Later years of the 6.0 were actually pretty good.

With that said, it's very probable that an early 6.0 could be brought up to later 6.0 specs. The important thing here is to ask for proof/documentation of the work that been done. If they don't have that, then it's not worth much over blue book (or even less).

One of the common issues (especially in the earlier trucks) is the HPOP (high pressure oil pump). I would take it to a reputable shop and have them take a look at it. Also, have them inspect the truck to see what works been done.

I saw a comparison of the HPOP between the 03/04 and the 05/07. Do you know if the newer HPOP can be used on the 03/04?

[SnowmanCO]

Hey Gang,

I've been reading the comments section on various 6.0 YouTube videos and I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be better to look for a 7.3 instead? My son says that they are dogs though. Bulletproof but nowhere near the power of a 6.0 powerstroke.

Please give me your thoughts.

Thanks!

BTW, I'll be using this truck to pull a 14K 5er.

[007matman]

The 7.3 is a dog, but can be modded to get serious power.. however, it's not anywhere near the 6.0 with reliable power out of the box.

I could bore you to death with a breakdown on the changes over the years but let's just keep this simple and say that the 6.0 was rushed to market too quickly to compete with other trucks and struggled with some of the emissions requirements placed on it (just like everyone else from this timeframe).

The number of bolts securing the head was an obvious design flaw. For many years, the solution was just to replace the gasket, slap on some new bolts and call it good. Nowadays, this is resolved through head studs and fire rings/decking the block and heads. If a truck has had that work done, a failure is extremely rare. In fact, I've never heard of a failure when this was completed and I circulate a number of sites that discuss this issue.

In the early trucks, the HPOP and the FICM (Fuel Injection Control Module) as well as the Oil Cooler, were also issues. Normally, when a full bulletproofing is done (in an earlier truck for sure) these items are updated to 2007 (or better) spec.

Injector issues were common, but that is also common for other Diesel trucks (including the 7.3). That was addressed by upping the fuel pressure through a blue spring upgrade.

There were other changes through the years, bit I think I've captured the high points here.

I looked at a few of the '03 to '05 trucks when I bought mine. Some looked like they were solid and ran well but didn't have documentation for what work was done and that to me was a show stopper. You really need to make sure the work was done by a reputable shop and was brought up to modern specs.

In the end, I found a really clean stock '07 w/ an oil cooler issue which I ended up getting for a bit less because it needed work. I then had the truck bulletproofed at a local shop (I'm spoiled and live near Atlanta where there are a number of them). The shop I took it to has a lifetime warranty on the work they do. So far, I haven't had to use it.

Purchased the truck with 120k. It now has 182k and runs like a top. I get compliments frequently and IMO, nothing beats the straight-piped sound of a 6.0.

Key to a 6.0 (as well as any other Diesel) is maintenance. Keep up on it, follow the manufacturer reccomended change intervals and it'll run forever. Cheat on the maintenance or defer it and it'll bite you in the butt.

[67L48]

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum107/

Probably frowned upon to post a different forum, but if I were on a 6.0L diesel engine forum and someone asked about whether a 2014 Rockwood UltraLite XYZ-123 trailer was any good ... I'd send them over here to the Forest River Forum.

Different tools for different jobs. Want to learn more about 6.0L PSD? I highly recommend a Ford PSD forum over a Forest River RV forum.

[007matman]

Forgot one.. the EGR cooler.

Bad design from the beginning and Ford never really addressed it. Most have handled it through either blocking off the internals (delete) or by going with a Bulletproof Diesel cooler which is built better and is less restrictive. It also keeps the truck emissions compliant.

[Telstar]

I had a 2005 F-350 6.0 PSD which I sold in 2018 with 120?000 miles and switched to Ram. I recently met up with the new owner at a campground and he loves it. He did have a modified bulletproof done (in CA a full bulletproof will not pass smog test). I kept the factory warranty up until 104,000 miles and used it often. Transmission and engine oil leak, 4 EGR cooler changes. Air hose the pops off turbo, turbo rebuild then replacement. Could go on and on.

[Bigruh36]

I have not personally owned one but several relatives and friends do. Most of them have put $5-15k into repairs over the years. But they have found using Archoil prevents and fixes a lot of their injectors issues.

[RStormC]

Run away. Our ambulance service had three 6.0s. They were all garbage. Each had a rebuild which were also garbage. There is a reason that Ford stopped selling them.

[extremebike]

Originally Posted by SnowmanCO

I have an engine question about the 6.0 PSD. A seller told me today that his 2003 F350 4x4 with a bulletproofed 6.0 with less than 160k is experiencing low oil pressure at idle. He says it is totally fine while driving.

I want to know if this is a common trait with these engines while idling and something to be expected, or if this is a big red flag?

I have never owned a diesel, so I don't know what is "normal" for these things. But I have been driving for 40 years and I do all my own maintenance, including engine and transmission overhauls as needed. I suspect that low oil pressure at idle is indicative of advanced wear in the rotating mass, with greater bearing clearances than when new.

Given that the oil pressure is normal while driving, I am wondering if I could get another 20 or 30 thousand miles with it the way it is before I would rebuild it myself? Or is this condition a time bomb with a much shorter fuse?

Please provide your perspective based on your experiences.

Thanks!

HI!

The thing I can tell you is that first find a diesel mechanic you trust with your bank account. Don't have one then don't buy it.

So you have a guy, then next thing is do you have $20K to rebuild it. Rebuilding it before it goes catastrophic so cheaper than after. Price to buy not low enough to put in the rebuild then don't buy.

Don't buy the 6.4 as it's another Ford Navistar job.

I waited so I know. Had the dealer put the screws to me. I finally found the right guy and few issues now.

Not subscribed but PM if you have questions.

[KRedburn]

Well, I have a bone stock 05 6.0 psd It regularly hauled a large trailer all its life and still going strong. 200,000+. one injector at 130.000.

change oil every 10K using blended synthetic 15 40w Schaefer Oil.

Can't complain here.

[jd4010]

I owned a 2004 6.0 F350 for 13 years and it was one of the earlier 2004 models so the same as a 2003.

I would say this....those 2 years (2003/2004) were not the best for the 6.0. The issues with that engine were largely addressed in later model years. Despite absolute meticulous maintenance and TLC on that truck, she left me stranded hauling our 5er and family a couple times once on Christmas Eve on I95 just outside of St. Augustine while headed to Disney for the week. We had injector tips break causing hydrolocked conditions and heavy haul towing afterwards. Merry Christmas to me and my wallet! And Ford could never figure out why as the fuel pressures were perfect, etc.

The 6.0 engine injectors operate using high oil pressure from the engine so oil maintenance and using good oil is imperative to prevent stiction. That high oil pressure is critical....leaks in o-rings will make your good day bad in a hurry.

My suggestion.....if you want a 6.0, go for a later model year like a 2007.

[aircommuter]

I have been in the truck repair business over 50 years. The people that say you can do all these things to (bulletproof) are people who were loyal to the blue oval only to find that the loyalty wasn’t mutual. Why fight with something that has so many design flaws unless you owe a bunch of money on it? Even then?
GM did the same thing back in the early 80s, it was even worse. They destroyed the Diesel market and even Mercedes quit importing theirs for 6 years because the market was dead.
Do a search and you will find lots of reading. I quit working on them, how can I guarantee something that has so many flaws when the factory didn’t?
https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...it-settlement/