I'm looking for a 3/4 ton pick-up and noticed there are a lot of Ford F-250's for sale that have the "Power Stroke" 6L diesel engine. A friend of mine told me to stay away from them because they have problems, but couldn't be more specific. Anybody know the history on these engines?

Hayhauler

Nothing wrong with the 6's, just cut the dang catalytic converter out.
I pull a 30 foot goose neck tri-axle with my F-350 4X4, only licensed for 14,000 lbs of hay , so it gets a regular workout.

Change oil every 5 thous miles, fuel filter every 10 thous and don't forget the air filter as needed dependant on dust conditions.
Also, northern Alberta winters can be brutal, winter fuel is dryer than summer fuel, so don't forget the conditioner every other tank.

Mine is a 2004 crewcab long box with the auto tranny, my brothers is the same but a standard shift, he halls his backhoe around with his.

We know lots of folks that were blowing seals and cooking engines with the cat still in, motor can't breathe right, all problems went away with the cat out.

Us old truckers know what a diesel can and can't do, as well as how to look after em.
So stroke em right, rest your foot on the injector pump, take the back roads to avoid the scales and she'll take ya home

FYR-BUG

The 6.0L powerstroke has been a large mistake for both Ford and International the maker of the motor. There is a long battle between the two over warranty issues and it is far from over. They have phased out the 6.0L in favor of the new (unproven) 6.4L for the 2007/2008 year models.

I have had the 7.3 and 6.0 Powerstroke as well as a 5.9 Cummins and two 6.6 Duramax's. The 6.0 Powerstroke has been the most troublesome of them all. The biggest problems revolve around turbos and fuel issues. The ERG valve on these motors gets plugged up very easy and causes a great deal of coughing and sputtering under power. Once it has been cleaned it seems to clog up even more often until you finally buy a new (very expensive) replacement.The fuel filter on the top of the intake is easy to change however the one on the frame is a real pain to change especially if its 4wd, you will not want to attempt this in your driveway due to the amount of fuel that runs out down the frame staining your drive.

If you ever want to chip it or perform any real power modifications the 6.0 cant handle most of the aftermarket perfomance parts without breaking. This has been proven time and again at every diesel showdown in the U.S.

My advise is avoid the 6.0L and buy a dodge with the Cummins or a Chevy/GMC with a Duramax you will be very happy with your choice.

JABOYD123

I had a 2000 model f-250 with the 7.3 and had no problems. I purchased a new 03 f-250 and had nothing but problems. It ran fine just riding around but when I tried to pull my 5th wheel camper it would start missing and blowing white smoke after about 10 miles. This was not due to poor maintance as I saw someone post. This truck was brand new fresh off the lot. After about 9 months of taking to the dealership, they could not solve the problem, I decided to trade it in. I fiqured it was the first year for the new diesel and mabe they had worked the bugs out. Brought a identical 04 model. Within a week of purchaseing the truck I left on a camping trip. Same thing, after 10 miles or so it started missing and blowing black smoke.
My local dealer was no help!!!!!! Also Ford was no help. I went round and round with them for probably 8 or 9 months and finally they sent someone down from Atlanta. They completely dissassemled the motor, finally told me the turbo was cracked. They got it fixed and it ran pretty good but gets horrible gas mileage, around 16 unloaded.
now it has 63k miles on it and its messing up again. I'm taking it back to the dealer later today.
I would suggest you avoid these trucks!!!!!!!!
Some of them seem to be ok but why take the chance.
I will never own another ford product!

The Auto Man

QUOTE= J T's Auto] I had a 2007 F350 6.0, dirtrider said it well avoid like the Plague, I had that F350 six mo. 4,000 mi. No power, no mileage, had it to the Ford Dealer, NO help, they said yes we know they are junk. If you want a Truck that will Pull Your Trailer, get a Dodge Cummings. I went back to the Dodge, had a 2001, 2004, and now a 2007 and I am happy again.

mustang5oh

I have an 03 and half with the 6.0 with 130k on it and runs great. the main thing is maintaince I am a ASE certifed tech if you keep on your services it will be a good truck.
I recomend all fluids every 30k its expensive but break downs are too.and they have good power you JUST dont floor the pedal off the line the VV turbo is ment to spool before it gets max boost.50% of the people I have talk to say its been good and others bad .
Good luck buy wisely, get service records with the truck to check for maintiance

itsjb5

turbo...the vanes around the turbo move ...not the turbine wheel that is spinning. they designed this so they get more power thru the whole power band. Very good design

F350 Boomtruck

New to this site, new to the 6L problems. I have an 05 F350 with the 6.0, and at 67K it is nothing but problems! The dealership calls the loss of power/black/blue smoke a intermitten problem which makes it hard to diagnose. Today, after the 6th trip to the dealership, 14+ days in the service, 3 egr valves, 1 pcm, they still have not fixed the problem. This is NOT a lack of maintenance issue as suggested by a ASE mechanic, as I had the service contracted maint. for the first 55k, and have done extra maintenance and kept up with the routine maint as the vehicle has b to b warranty for 100k. THANK GOD! Who can afford the cost of FORD'S experimentation? THe answer, I am told today is a totally re-designed EGR valve that is on "emergency backorder", boxed and ready to ship. We will see, but that Cummins is looking better every day! Talk about terrible mileage, 13.6-14 is it! HORRIBLE!!

Lovelife42

Just to clarify,
the 6.0 liter navistar diesel engine is very strong. It will out pull a stock 7.3 any day of the week. I have owned a 2002 Ford 7.3 f-350 and now own a 2006 6.0 f-250. Both are great trucks. You will most likely have more issues with the 7.3 liter. I had to change the IDM sensor, injectors and a number of other things multiple times. The 6.0 has 36,000 miles on it an only had the hydroboost system go out on it(nothing to do with the motor). I have had friends involved in the class action lawsuit with for over the head gasket blowing due to the head studs stretching, also egr cooler valves getting stuck open. None of which happen to mine yet. If you want to be on the safe side and buy a used 6.0, take it into a diesel mechanic and change the head studs to arp and block off the egr valve. After that you will have a very reliable truck foor many years. Just my .02 cents.

Lovelife42

Go to Entrance post your issue and I bet you will get the answer you are looking for.

madison2006

don't ever buy a 6.0 ford, you WILL regret it period, i owned a 2005 f-350 for 2 rotten years, got to know service manger to well, you name these engines are junk,the truck is junk, you name it , it broke, even the trailer brake control went insane.. Don't buy one, stick with dodge or duramax, i'm back in dodge and loving the 18 miles per gallon instead of 12-13 in ford