# Give me the low down on Ford diesels 95-2003



## jmbones (Jun 17, 2009)

I may be in the market for a late 90's or early '00's Ford F350/450 diesel dump truck. I know nothing about the motors or the trucks for that matter. What is the good, bad and ugly about the 7.3 and 6.0's?


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Stay away from the 6.0s and find a 7.3.


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## Plowtoy (Dec 15, 2001)

The good, bad and the ugly huh... There are guys here that like both and guys that hate both. I like the 7.3 over all. I have had 2 and had good luck with both. They dont go without problems tho. Oil pan rot, turbo pedistal seals, leaky fuel bowl seals, IDM (injector driver modules) and the list im sure could go on. I work on 6.0s during the days and you will find issues with those also. EGR issues, turbo issues, injector issues, IPR (injector pressure regulator) issues and again, the list im sure can go on.
If I were buying, I agree with the post above, look for a 7.3 and don't be afraid of buying one with a couple hundred thousand miles on it. I have a sub who has one with almost 400k and it still runs out real good. 
No matter what you get, the key is to work them hard (not just driving them empty around town) and keep up on the maintenance. Hope that helps, Dave


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## jmbones (Jun 17, 2009)

Thanks... I spotted what is listed as an '03 F450 4x4 6.0 with 90,000 miles for $13,000. Looks excellent but that's only a picture. I won't be plowing with it, I just need a hauler for now. Here is the description:

2003 Ford F 450 Dump Truck
6.0L Turbo diesel
Automatic
4x4
90 K Miles
Air Conditioning
Power Windows/Locks
Power Mirrors
15,000 GVWR
Electric Dump
Class 4 Hitch
Electric Brakes

Is that price too good to be true?


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## Plowtoy (Dec 15, 2001)

jmbones;1638986 said:


> Thanks... I spotted what is listed as an '03 F450 4x4 6.0 with 90,000 miles for $13,000. Looks excellent but that's only a picture. I won't be plowing with it, I just need a hauler for now. Here is the description:
> 
> 2003 Ford F 450 Dump Truck
> 6.0L Turbo diesel
> ...


No, 7.3's seem to sell and blue book for more because so many people are afraid of the 6.0. I would be a little scared of that truck too because of its lower miles. It probibly sat alot and probibly was not really worked. I personally would keep looking for a 7.3


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

jmbones;1638986 said:


> Thanks... I spotted what is listed as an '03 F450 4x4 6.0 with 90,000 miles for $13,000. Looks excellent but that's only a picture. I won't be plowing with it, I just need a hauler for now. Here is the description:
> 
> 2003 Ford F 450 Dump Truck
> 6.0L Turbo diesel
> ...


I personally love the 6.0 and believe you can certainly find a nice running 6.0 that will run fine for years and miles to come. That said, the 7.3 is just an all around better (in reliability terms) Diesel. Stock its a slug off the line and needs RPM's to spool, but it tows nicely. Put a chip in it and its a completely different truck, spooling almost instantly and gets out of its own way.

A lot of 7.3's are going for more money due to the costly repairs of the 6.0 or upgrades to the 6.0 to "bulletproof" it. Studs & headgaskets, EGR Delete, Tune, etc. run upwards of $4,000 but it'll run like a bat out of h*ll and be reliable.

A 7.3 can be purchased and with regular oil changes will run forever. Sure a CPS may go but most guys keep a spare and can replace it in a few minutes. The other leaking issues won't cause the truck to die or cost much to fix. I've had mine since March and I love this thing.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

6.0s run great, when they run. Definately a more troublesome engine. I've got 6 of them at work. 
2- 05's: 1 has had -high pressure oil leak, new high pressure oil pump, new stc fitting, and new egr valve, egr cooler, oil cooler
The other has had- egr valve, egr cooler and oil cooler
Both units had right around 170 k before any egr issues. 
2- 08's: One unit got a new ficm around 110k and the other needed a new turbo around 60k
2- 09's: One currently has 96k and the other around 50 k and no issues yet

Our 7.3's have had issues but nothing major. Of the last three we have, two are 02's and on an 03. One 02 has 230k, and the other 280k. One needed a fuel return line and the other a fuel supply line going to the filter. 
The 03 has just over 200k and had its first issue a couple weeks ago, a blown high pressure oil line. Which was a $100 part and about 45 min of my time, well... plus the 11 qts of oil it pumped out! lol

Some guys will tell you a 7.3 is the only way to go, others will tell you for the price difference you can bulletproof a 6.0. Its gonna be up to you to decide. Most of our units come in pairs, literally ONE vin number apart, and each will have completely different engine issues. Luck of the draw! Good luck!


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Holland;1639046 said:


> 2- 08's: One unit got a new ficm around 110k and the other needed a new turbo around 60k
> 2- 09's: One currently has 96k and the other around 50 k and no issues yet


You sure these are 6.0's?

Cuz Furd stopped using the 6.0 in '07.

Unless they continued in vans?


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

It Continued in vans


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## tattood_1 (Dec 28, 2008)

I have a 95 7.3 and love it. Has 240k on it and hasnt missed a beat in the little over a year that I have had it. Dont know too much about the 6.0 other than what I have read.


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

I drive private ambulances. Have for the last 34 years. Mostly FORDS. I have driven ALL the FORD diesels for many / many thousands of miles. I love the 6.0 ! It's a drivers engine / transmission - when it runs right. They break down way too much. The injectors $3,000 for you to repair. If Ford does it $5,000. EGR has issues all the time. Head gasket / studs. Come on! A $7,500 engine option and you have to pay over and over to run it? I have rode in a tow truck way too much with them!

Never had many 7.3 diesels die under me! In ten years, had one upper oil leak and 3 cam sensors go bad. Thats like 200,000 miles I drove. Only had the oil leak towed and that was because I insisted, it gets towed. Don't pop a good engine.

Never had a problem with the 6.8. A buddy put 450,000 on one. A dump truck killed it, when it T-Boned the van!


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

> A lot of 7.3's are going for more money due to the costly repairs of the 6.0 or upgrades to the 6.0 to "bulletproof" it. Studs & headgaskets, EGR Delete, Tune, etc. run upwards of $4,000 but it'll run like a bat out of h*ll and be reliable.


The problem is, this does not really bulletproof the engine. It eliminates some of the more expensive issues with the engine.

It does not solve injector issues. Or STC issues. Or any one of the stupid sensors that will not allow HP oil to build allowing the truck to start. Or wiping out the FICM because of injector issues.

I have\had 3. None of them have had EGR, head gasket or head "lifting" issues. They have all had injector issues. Oil is changed at 5000 miles. Fuel filters the same time.

Spending $4K to make an engine "bulletproof" is idiotic in my opinion when there are engines available that don't need an extra $4k to make them work and not leave one stranded.


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## Holland (Aug 18, 2010)

dfd9;1639052 said:


> You sure these are 6.0's?
> 
> Cuz Furd stopped using the 6.0 in '07.
> 
> Unless they continued in vans?


I get asked this alot. Guess this time i forgot to mention that these are in fact all e-series. Ford ran the 6.0 through the 2010 model year in the E series. Starting 2011 the only options are gas, 5.4 or 6.8. Our three 2012's are all 6.8s.



plowguy43;1639057 said:


> It Continued in vans


Thumbs Up



MickiRig1;1639079 said:


> I drive private ambulances. Have for the last 34 years. Mostly FORDS. I have driven ALL the FORD diesels for many / many thousands of miles. I love the 6.0 ! It's a drivers engine / transmission - when it runs right. They break down way too much. The injectors $3,000 for you to repair. If Ford does it $5,000. EGR has issues all the time. Head gasket / studs. Come on! A $7,500 engine option and you have to pay over and over to run it? I have rode in a tow truck way too much with them!
> 
> Never had many 7.3 diesels die under me! In ten years, had one upper oil leak and 3 cam sensors go bad. Thats like 200,000 miles I drove. Only had the oil leak towed and that was because I insisted, it gets towed. Don't pop a good engine.
> 
> Never had a problem with the 6.8. A buddy put 450,000 on one. A dump truck killed it, when it T-Boned the van!


You and I always seem to agree on these. I love the 6.0 til it breaks. They have good power, are responsive, and i personally love the way they sound! (and im a gm guy!) But it seems like theres always something wrong with one of them! And its never a cheap breakdown...

Cant really say too much bad about the 6.8. I mean they've had a few issues, one 08 blew a plug out of the head around 100k and the other 08 just got a fuel pump and fuel pump module at around 120k. Other than that we have had good luck, but of the 5 6.8s we have three are 2012's and the 2008's are only around 140k right now. time will tell.



dfd9;1639096 said:


> The problem is, this does not really bulletproof the engine. It eliminates some of the more expensive issues with the engine.
> 
> It does not solve injector issues. Or STC issues. Or any one of the stupid sensors that will not allow HP oil to build allowing the truck to start. Or wiping out the FICM because of injector issues.
> 
> ...


Injectors are probably the only thing I have NEVER had an issue with around here.


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

If I had a 6.0 in a pickup I would have to hide the keys from my wife! That's how good they run, when they are running well. Even a Female would love driving one! I like the V10 too. But you pass few gas stations if you drive it much.


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

PlowToy:

Why do you say to run the diesel's hard .... and what about the 6.7 in my 2011 F250... does that need to be run hard. I drive like a little old lady ...LOL


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## Plowtoy (Dec 15, 2001)

thelettuceman;1641137 said:


> PlowToy:
> 
> Why do you say to run the diesel's hard .... and what about the 6.7 in my 2011 F250... does that need to be run hard. I drive like a little old lady ...LOL


Every time we have a warranty issue, espicially EGR, were told that we are not working them hard enough. They tell me the issue (besides even having an egr system) is that the build up in the egr system is not hard and that is a good indication of not building enough heat in the engine. Running our 6.0s in D and not OD has help some with that issue. Unfortunitly, we hardly ever "work" our diesels and have had to deal with the EGR systems. As far as the 6.7 goes, I dont have any experiance with them, but being a diesel, you know it was designed to work. Unless times have changed, I have always been told, the harder you work a diesel, the better they run. And for the 6.0, I would say that is true...


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## thelettuceman (Nov 23, 2010)

Thank you for the info


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## tjctransport (Nov 22, 2008)

if you want a proven tough as nails ford diesel, there is one on craigs list with 1,389,050 miles on the original engine for sale for $3,000.
all it needs is a trans.


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## jmbones (Jun 17, 2009)

What do you guys think about a '95 7.3l with 78k. Central hydraulics, dump, power angle plow. With new:

Exhaust Manifolds
Rear Springs and hangers
Tires
Ball Joints 
Tie Rods
Glow Plugs
Glow Plug Controller and Harness


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

That looks in real nice shape for the year, heck its just in nice shape regardless of the year.


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## mustangman02232 (Mar 21, 2011)

as much as I loved the power and economy of my last 6.0, which never gave me a single problem while I owned it the amount of nit pick maintainance I did on it I decided to go gas job after my accident, if I want to go fast I have a mustang, if I have a big job I give my buddy a case of beer for his f550, 7.3s do have some issues still mainly the fact that people still want ~20k for damn near 20 year old trucks. you can get some damn good deals on a 6.0 because of their reputation however, I would suggest going on powerstroke.org or powerstroke nation and do as much reading as you can before buying one

if you are not driving/towing with it every day I would even look at the V10


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## jmbones (Jun 17, 2009)

Well I got the '95 F350 7.3l with 78k miles. Dump, central hydros, 9' power angle plow and working a/c. Paid $8250 cash and traded my sled. Hopefully gives me many years of service. I will not be doing commercial work, just personal use.


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## peteo1 (Jul 4, 2011)

mustangman02232;1641386 said:


> as much as I loved the power and economy of my last 6.0, which never gave me a single problem while I owned it the amount of nit pick maintainance I did on it I decided to go gas job after my accident, if I want to go fast I have a mustang, if I have a big job I give my buddy a case of beer for his f550, 7.3s do have some issues still mainly the fact that people still want ~20k for damn near 20 year old trucks. you can get some damn good deals on a 6.0 because of their reputation however, I would suggest going on powerstroke.org or powerstroke nation and do as much reading as you can before buying one
> 
> if you are not driving/towing with it every day I would even look at the V10


Yeah, I'm with this guy. I have no idea what the fascination with the 7.3 is. Yes it was/is a good motor but they're old and people want way too much for them and don't even get me started on the duramax guys. The biggest problem is all of the "diesel enthusiasts" driving up the price of these trucks.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

peteo1;1641936 said:


> Yeah, I'm with this guy. I have no idea what the fascination with the 7.3 is. Yes it was/is a good motor but they're old and people want way too much for them and don't even get me started on the duramax guys. The biggest problem is all of the "diesel enthusiasts" driving up the price of these trucks.


I agree, but its also the same with the 12v/24v 2nd gen Cummin's trucks. Simplicity, emissions, and mileage. The 7.3 & 5.9's were 400-500k trucks before rebuild. Add in the fact that a new diesel is a $40-$60k truck to buy plus the lower mpg's and higher insurance that come with them, the 7.3 & 5.9's become very attractive.

I looked at a fairly basic F350 XLT Crew Cab 6.7 Diesel yesterday, didn't even have fog lights and list price was $52k, take off $10k after negotiating and rebates and its still a $42k truck, 6 times the price I paid for mine.


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## MickiRig1 (Dec 5, 2003)

The 7.3 delivers what you expect out of a diesel engine. It works day in, day out without problems. It has longevity, what you expect out of it. You don't have to throw parts and repairs in to it. I pay or someone paid a $7,500 engine upgrade fee for a diesel it should last. Not need major work every 75k miles! If you do this or that > B.S. it should last!
There are many gas engines that are " OLD"
they have been used for a long time and did well. The Ford: 300, 351, 460, 302. Dodge: 225, 318, 340, 360, 440. Chevy : 250, 256, 305, 350, 454. Most did 20 + years service in new vehicles.


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