Reliability of 2005 6.0 Diesel Engines

[IheartDieselVans]

Originally Posted by dhally

"most of the warranty fixes can be done without pulling the engine"
"just put aftermarket temp gages on it and let off the accelerator when temp gets high"
"turbo carbons up but you only have to disassemble and clean every 100,000 miles"

Is it just me, or do others wonder why anybody would want to suffer these issues when a gas engine simply works?

That's a hard one, and I've asked myself if I made the right decision buying the 6.0. So far, it's been great. I got it used, with 20,000 miles and it had literally sat for over a year. I had all the fluids replaced and bought new batteries for it soon after getting it. As you might have guessed, the turbo threw a code and got cleaned/replaced, and was covered under warranty. I did purposely shop for a 2007 or 2008 since a lot of the issues were fixed by then.

I've got a Fibrine hard top and 4x4 conversion and get a 16-18 mpg consistently with mixed town and hwy driving. I don't know what the V10 would get, but I think at best it's in the low teens. The 6.0 is way more power than I need, and I can drive up mtn passes as fast as I want and tow my trailers without even feeling them, which I don't think I could say for the 5.4. Oil changes are more expensive, but I do them every 5000-6000 miles, not every 3K like the gassers. How much does an oil change cost on the V10?

I don't think there's a simple answer, but I think if I were purely basing my decision on economic factors, I would have to get the 5.4. But there's more to it than that...I also value having some power, towing capacity and fuel economy. I can afford any of them...so I chose the 6.0, and I love it. It has everything I wanted, though it does come at a price I was willing to pay. I had a sprinter before this, and and very happy I made the switch. There's no substitute for high clearance 4wd.

I think it's such a personal decision, it's impossible to say what's right for someone else....or what's 'best'. I like my 6.0 and would get one again.

[Railvan]

I would never buy another Ford 6.0 diesel. My 2006 is on turbo number three and the first one went at 6,000 miles. It has around 44,000 on it now. As others have also said, I have been told by Ford service reps to drive it hard and often, which is useless advice for a van I bought as a RV for occasional use. It sits for weeks or months and then I want it to run for days when I want it. I still do not think this is a unreasonable request of an $86,000 vehicle. Will Ford pay for my time and fuel to drive it for a few hours every few days? Of course not, but I have been told that will make it work fine. Ford seriously thinks it's the way the vehicle is used that causes this many turbo failures???

I love the van, and the diesel motor itself has not been a problem, but the turbo issues have been the causes of much stress and heartache when the check engine light comes on miles from home on an all-to-rare vacation in the van.

The service from Ford dealers has been 95 percent crap as well. The attitudes I have got from service reps would embarrass any company. It was just another vehicle to them, and me being on vacation didn't matter. Some said they were to busy too even look at it. The dealer in Burns, OR said their repair business was mainly pickups, and of that business most were diesels. The diesels had kept the service bays busy for years...

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by PatO

post-work quality issues - this was somewhat suspect for me: http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/vie...hp?f=39&t=6619 Any time something is taken apart you are increasing your risk to have something go wrong.

Understand, but I was just pointing out that I've had no post-repair related issues. I'm a diesel man through and through, and unless there's some miraculous gas engine that comes out and gives me the torque I want, while giving me the MPG I want while towing, I'll stick with a diesel every time.

Designers of gas engines took a few years to make their engines fully compatible with Ethanol, and now diesel engine designers are forced to make engines fully compatible with ULSD (one reason I use a Cetane boosting fuel additive).

Bad repair technicians, and bad dealerships, don't discriminate at providing bad service


Herb

[vandiesel]

All this talk about 6.0 makes me really glad I scored a low mileage 7.3. Must be a great service business considering there are literally hundreds of thousands of these on the road.

[Silver350]

The problem is not ULSD, its EGR and variable geometry Turbos. Also, an engine block that is made in 2 pieces is not a particularly bright idea either.

[bridges]

I have a 2005 6.0PSD SMB and I say don't do it. It went into the dealer EVERY month for a year. Get the extended warranty if you still can.

[jage]

Mine is about to go out of warranty, and you guys are starting to freak me out.

[webbmac]

Originally Posted by Silver350

The problem is not ULSD, its EGR and variable geometry Turbos. Also, an engine block that is made in 2 pieces is not a particularly bright idea either.

Stretchy head lugs are pure genius, too.

[webbmac]

Originally Posted by jage

Mine is about to go out of warranty, and you guys are starting to freak me out.

Start making the mods and bulletproof that thing. They are a nice engine if you can work the kinks out.

[TwoVans]

Originally Posted by Silver350

The problem is not ULSD, its EGR and variable geometry Turbos. Also, an engine block that is made in 2 pieces is not a particularly bright idea either.

2 Pieces??? That's news to me. Is that right?

I'm not particularly smart when it comes to engines, but that doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Is this where the "bed plate" leak issue comes from?

Knock on wood, I'm up to about 26k miles with no issues and no complaints. So, still happy with my decision...