Ford 6 liter - not what you think

larrie · 03-20-2015, 10:02 PM

First of all I want to thank all of you that write about your issues with the Ford 6.0 Diesel engine. Several weeks ago my daughter and her husband told us they were looking for a new truck. I told them about the the problems that I learned about the Ford 6.0 engine here on the forum.

Today they were at a car dealer looking at a 2005 F350 with 70,000 miles. The truck was just what they wanted. They were getting the hard sell from the dealer when he said it was a 6 liter diesel. She partially remembered what I had told her and gave me a call. I told her to ask the dealer if it had been bulletproofed. She called me back later and said that the dealer imediately started showing them differnent trucks as soon as she said bulletproof.

All this leads to a couple of other questions. I know the 7.3 is solid but is there a newer model year when Ford started making a solid 6.0 or other size diesel engine?

The other queation relates to the V10. If I remember correctly from what has been said on the forum, other than the spark plug and exhaust bolt issues the V10 is a solid engine. Is that right?

Again, thanks for all your insites into things I know nothing about.

gcvt · 03-21-2015, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrie

First of all I want to thank all of you that write about your issues with the Ford 6.0 Diesel engine. Several weeks ago my daughter and her husband told us they were looking for a new truck. I told them about the the problems that I learned about the Ford 6.0 engine here on the forum.

Today they were at a car dealer looking at a 2005 F350 with 70,000 miles. The truck was just what they wanted. They were getting the hard sell from the dealer when he said it was a 6 liter diesel. She partially remembered what I had told her and gave me a call. I told her to ask the dealer if it had been bulletproofed. She called me back later and said that the dealer imediately started showing them differnent trucks as soon as she said bulletproof.

All this leads to a couple of other questions. I know the 7.3 is solid but is there a newer model year when Ford started making a solid 6.0 or other size diesel engine?

The other queation relates to the V10. If I remember correctly from what has been said on the forum, other than the spark plug and exhaust bolt issues the V10 is a solid engine. Is that right?

Again, thanks for all your insites into things I know nothing about.

photographix · 03-21-2015, 01:03 AM

You really know how to start a 6.0 debate, don't you?

Edited:
I'm no Ford guru, but I think Ford sold the 6.0 in the E-series van from about 2004 to [s:uaxqd3po]2009[/s:uaxqd3po] 2010. After that [s:uaxqd3po]it was changed to 6.4, which was a different design[/s:uaxqd3po] the diesels in vans were dropped. The F-series got the 6.4 in 2009[s:uaxqd3po], a year ahead of the vans[/s:uaxqd3po]. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)

The early 6.0s had a few/tons of problems depending on who you ask, as you can see from the myriad of posts on this forum and others about that engine. By 2007, Ford had addressed most of the issues. But by then, the PR damage had been done.

Though my experience represents a statistical sample size of exactly 1, I like my 6.0. Mine's an 08 with 55K miles on the clock, and other than the belt-driven vacuum pump going bad, I haven't had any issues with it. I don't feel pressed to bulletproof it. (Knock on wood.)

It starts and runs well, pulls like a well-fed ox, and I like driving it. I add Cetane booster and OptiLube with every fuel-up, change the oil every 5K, change the fuel and air filters every 10K. We live and travel usually above 5,000 ft altitude, and we get about 14-16 mpg, often in mountain driving with a full load of gear and water.

It is not the cheapest engine to run. Diesel is still a lot pricier than gas, even with the ~40% better MPG results over a gasser. Oil changes (I do them myself) run about $70-80. Air and fuel filters are about $40-50 or so for all 3.

1der · 03-21-2015, 07:09 AM

The vans never were built with the 6.4 L diesel due to space restrictions. From 2004 to 2010 the 6.0 L diesel was an available option. After 2010 only gassers came in the vans.

REF · 03-21-2015, 07:48 AM

To clarify-The vans never got the 6.4, the 6.0 was carried through to the end of 2010. That being said, the 6.4 was short lived in the trucks before ford was able to take the wraps off of their in house designed 6.7
Larrie-like photographix said, Ford addressed most of the 6.0 problems by '07, but they still needed some attention. Also keep in mind that the 6.0 was de-tuned for the vans due to cooling issues, which is still an issue and added to the list of problems people are having that post here. I would still steer away from the early 6.0
A few friends have found some really clean 7.3 trucks. Is your daughter and her husband wanting a diesel specific truck?
Are they planning on towing? Long road trips or around town, on the farm or work. I use ours for all of the above. It depends on the intended use, or maybe they just like diesels....welcome to the club.

**daveb** · 03-21-2015, 09:50 AM

Trucks are a different animal than vans. In our fleet we have had issues with the 6.4 and the 6.7 engines. In my department (no diesel 6.0 PSD vans) over the last 15 years the most problematic has been the 6.7. I'm sure much of this is a owner/operator problem. That can be said about the 6.0 as well but we all know of the 6.0's issues. I will say the worst running single truck we had in out department was a 7.3. That thing was so hard to start it was unreal but once warmed up it just wouldn't stop. It's all the sensors that is one of the major worries I have with the 6.0 and newer engines. You can also thank the government forcing the CAFE standards that have forced us to jump from engine to engine over the years otherwise we would still have a bunch of 6.0's around. Living in a farming community, it seems like the kids who chip there engines promote engine failure causing local mechanics bitch about the 6.0. The 6.0 has been known to have issues when they sit unused for long periods of time. I make sure to run mine weekly at a minimum and avoid short run times as the engine should be brought to full running temps as often as possible. I also let the turbo cool before shutdown, plus use cetane booster. I've had my share of problems, sensors, an injector/EGR problem and a wire harness failure. I've talked to a shop about heat shielding the harness and did install hood louvers to help evacuate the heat out of the cramped engine bay. Take away the sensor problems I've had, my vans 6.0 hasn't been much different than any other diesel I've driven. Again my work driving habits are much different than my personal vehicle operations so a lot depends on that alone. It's hard to point fingers at the 6.0 when most are used in Ambulances that sit running at idle much of their lives but there could have been some better thought into the engineering of this engine.

deserteagle56 · 03-21-2015, 09:57 AM

Only the very early years of the V-10 had the spark plug issues! I don't know just what year Ford fixed that but my 2007 has the standard spark plugs instead of the funky Ford ones.

Here's what the problematic Ford plugs look like. See where the threaded part of the plug is? And that long extended snout? Well, two things would happen. The small number of threads holding the plug in, in an aluminum head, would fail occasionally and spit the plug out. And that extended snout would get carboned up after so many miles and when you tried to change the plug the snout would break off down inside the head and took a special tool and a lot of money to remove.

Once Ford went back to standard spark plugs - a good inch of threads at the bottom of the plug around the electrode - no more problems. So if they find a V-10 they like, pull a plug and see which one is used.

The V-10 has a sterling reputation. Mine has been absolutely trouble free in 45,000 miles and the company I work for has a lot of them that have up to 300,000 miles on them needing only standard maintenance. The ONLY thing I can fault it for is mileage. I can't seem to get over 12 mpg, no matter how I drive. But then its a really heavy rig.

photographix · 03-21-2015, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1der

The vans never were built with the 6.4 L diesel due to space restrictions. From 2004 to 2010 the 6.0 L diesel was an available option. After 2010 only gassers came in the vans.

I sit corrected! Thanks!

larrie · 03-21-2015, 12:57 PM

My daughter and family have a five acre hobby farm with a large garden, two head of cattle, chickens, and a couple of horses. They are wanting a diesel to haul hay and other items they need not the farm. They also take several road trips to visit friends several times a year so they believe a an F350, or something similar, is the way to go.

Am going to send her the link to this thread and several others to them. I appreciate all the great information. I have a much better understand that all 6.0 and V10 engines were not created equal and now know what years are better than others.

deserteagle56 · 03-21-2015, 01:53 PM

If they are going to be hauling or pulling much weight then the diesel is the only way to go. Torque is what moves loads. The V-10 is good for around 400 foot-pounds and to do that the engine is screaming rpms. Any of the newer diesels are at 800 foot-pounds and higher - and doing that starting at about 1600 rpm.