# 6.0 powerstroke?



## blee1ash (Mar 22, 2006)

I'm thinking of updating my truck. I found several used 6.0 powerstrokes, but some of the stroies about the 6.0 have me scared. What problem areas should I look for, and are certain years better than others? Have the updates and recalls taken care of the problems?


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## firedawg (Nov 4, 2009)

i have the first year 6.0 and love it ! it has had its problems! but i would buy an one in a heart beat! if u can find a good mechanic like i did its not as bad! the 2006 6.0 is the best out there from what im told! check out powerstrokehelp.com and watch the videos maybe he can help too!


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

i drive one and only one problem, and that is a new alternator which i got last month


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## firedawg (Nov 4, 2009)

on my second alternator in a year, but as my mechanic told me it wasnt the alternator it was a bad battery! so that sucked !


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

hey fire dawg my diesel is newer than your diesel! lol. jk. but yea to the op some are good and some are bad, so you just have to get a good one and alwasy rember to plug it in on cold nights,


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## firedawg (Nov 4, 2009)

thats funny i just had to replace that too! im lucky my truck didnt burn down from the block heater, it was so hot i couldnt even touch the hose on the engine. i hope i found the right one! the only thing is it sat on the dealers lot for a year before i bought it ! and i bought it when diesel was 5.00 a gallon! i got a great deal! it only has 88000 miles and the mechanic says it will go an easy 200,000 miles as long as he keeps his eyes on it! hahahaha


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## sno commander (Oct 16, 2007)

get an oasis report and if it checks out ok your good. theres a ton of aftermarket upgrades to solve all the common problems. id stick with the 05-07 they seem to be better.


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## cmo18 (Mar 10, 2008)

firedawg;1005475 said:


> thats funny i just had to replace that too! im lucky my truck didnt burn down from the block heater, it was so hot i couldnt even touch the hose on the engine. i hope i found the right one! the only thing is it sat on the dealers lot for a year before i bought it ! and i bought it when diesel was 5.00 a gallon! i got a great deal! it only has 88000 miles and the mechanic says it will go an easy 200,000 miles as long as he keeps his eyes on it! hahahaha


u guys sure trust your mechanic. IMO you are the person who drives it, you are the decider to how long it will last. The mechanic just likes seen you come back putting more money in his pocket.


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## suzuki0702 (Apr 6, 2008)

05 and up and oasis...do a search there is a million and half threads about this


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

I have an 04 with 57,000miles been a great truck and motor.


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## coldcoffee (Jul 17, 2008)

I have an 03 that I'm quite happy w/ so far. I've had it about 19 months and it's been a beast to plow w/.

Like firedawg mentioned, check out powerstroke.com. The guy puts out some great info on the powerstrokes. Here's a discussion on the 6.0 :


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## blee1ash (Mar 22, 2006)

Thanks for the help.


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## ScottPA (Nov 11, 2009)

I have a 2006 6.0 Powerstroke about to hit 50,000 miles. Not one problem, lots of power. Starts even on the coldest mornings in about 2 seconds. Love it. Not sure I would get anything later model than an 06.


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

[email protected]/\/\ you guys dot drive your trucks anywhere! I have a 04 with 103000, got it at 88k so 15k a year


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## suzuki0702 (Apr 6, 2008)

Mackman;1005556 said:


> I have an 04 with 57,000miles been a great truck and motor.


there are always exceptions to rules!


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been looking at these trucks myself for the last month or so and its fairly easy to tell which ones were taken care of and will last compared to the beat ones. After driving them I'm hooked and am dieing to pull the trigger. Just do some research and purchase an extended warranty from Ford if its still below 100k "just in case"-diesel parts are expensive.


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## Snowplowkid (Feb 12, 2008)

We just replace a turbo in one of our 06's...$1500 total, $900 parts, $600 labor. 35,000 mi. It still didnt fix it completely.


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## KBTConst (Oct 25, 2009)

I have a 03 bought it new 23 miles on it now 160,000 put new injectors in @ about 80,000 and then the normal stuff plow is 9' 2" boss nothing like plowing and not loosing any power. i also have 95 with a 5.8 love this truck but never would go back to gas i pull the doze and a backhoe all summer long and have never been disappointed with it.


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## SMLCAT (Jan 31, 2010)

Snowplowkid;1006944 said:


> We just replace a turbo in one of our 06's...$1500 total, $900 parts, $600 labor. 35,000 mi. It still didnt fix it completely.


Wouldn't that have been covered under your 100K factory warranty?

I have an '06 and just triped over 75K. It's been a great truck but you have to stay on top of the maintenance or they will bite you in the a$$


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

For those who say the 06-07 6.0s are good and not much worry there are still bad ones out there. I drove an 06 6.0 F350 with a Boss V on it for one winter, when it ran it was very nice and plowed well. To bad it was broke more then not. Both the trucks owner and I took care of it, didn't run it into the ground, let it warm up before taking off down the road, etc. I used to see it on a flatbed about once or twice a month heading to be fixed. Had around 50k on it and as far as I'm concerned it was junk. Only F350 I've driven that I wished was a 5.4 or 6.8 because it probably would have been 100% reliable. Nothing like going outside at 2am and praying that it would start and stay running thru the whole route.


On the other hand, the farm I work at has an 05 6.0 F350 with about 62k on it, been pretty good with very few problems, it's worked pretty hard, lots of short trips on a cold motor, quite a bit of idle time, some heavy loads behind it, etc. 


If it was me I'd be pretty cautious unless you want to spend some money and do head studs, egr delete, exhaust, and a tuner. They still worry me though, if the 05 was the only one I had experience with I'd buy one but after the 06 I'm still a bit afraid.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

Like said above though- if you check the oasis and its had minimal stuff done to it, you should be set as long as you keep up with the maintenance. If the oasis is 10 pages long and has a bunch of big items on it, then run and don't look back. Its hard to believe all the horror stories when most of the Superduties I see running around daily are Diesels and most are the 6.0's. Plus I have more then a few friends who rely on them as work trucks for their landscaping/plow business, and its the only truck they'll buy.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

I had nothing but good luck with my 6.0. I bought it new in 04 and change the oil every 5,000 and do the fuel filters every 10,000. Just turn over 57,000 and all it ever needed was a EGR valve. Other then that it runs great. It is 100% stock. 

4 of my friends have 6.0s and 3 of them are chipped up and all that BS. Only me and my other friend the one who left his stock have no problems. I think the guys who chip them ask for trouble.


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## SMLCAT (Jan 31, 2010)

Mackman;1008319 said:


> ...4 of my friends have 6.0s and 3 of them are chipped up and all that BS. *Only me and my other friend the one who left his stock have no problems. I think the guys who chip them ask for trouble*.


That is exactly the situation with the 6.0. If you chip it you're going to need a whole lot of work. If you leave it stock and maintain it properly they are great trucks...


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## Evan528 (Jan 12, 2000)

I dont quite understand why people chip them anyway. Diesel trucks have plenty of power stock. If you want a race car buy a porsche...... not a pickup truck!


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

Evan528;1009243 said:


> I dont quite understand why people chip them anyway. Diesel trucks have plenty of power stock. If you want a race car buy a porsche...... not a pickup truck!


x2...........


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

Evan528;1009243 said:


> I dont quite understand why people chip them anyway. Diesel trucks have plenty of power stock. If you want a race car buy a porsche...... not a pickup truck!


Come on... Everyone needs a 12 second plow truck. 

I see both sides of the argument, but having a 450hp+ daily driver, work truck, plow truck, and play toy can be fun though.


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

Mark13;1009262 said:


> Come on... Everyone needs a 12 second plow truck.
> 
> I see both sides of the argument, but having a 450hp+ daily driver, work truck, plow truck, and play toy can be fun though.


It can be alot of fun. If you have the deep pockets to pay for it. payup


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## lude1990 (Jan 19, 2010)

For a 6.0 all you really need to do is the headgaskets and studs and egr delete and it is good to go but i prefer the good old 7.3.


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## SMLCAT (Jan 31, 2010)

Evan528;1009243 said:


> I dont quite understand why people chip them anyway. Diesel trucks have plenty of power stock. If you want a race car buy a porsche...... not a pickup truck!


Exactly !


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## Evan528 (Jan 12, 2000)

x2......................


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## TGM (Feb 26, 2007)

Evan528;1009243 said:


> I dont quite understand why people chip them anyway. Diesel trucks have plenty of power stock. If you want a race car buy a porsche...... not a pickup truck!


because it's wrong... and that's why it's so much fun. :redbounce


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## RobE (Feb 22, 2010)

do the '05+ still have the headgasket/studs problem?


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

RobE;1010411 said:


> do the '05+ still have the headgasket/studs problem?


Yea i think all 6.0s do. But I have an 04 and never had one problem with it. So some need them and some dont. But if you chip them or yahoo around in it im sure it will need them.


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## TGM (Feb 26, 2007)

get rid of the EGR cooler, install head studs, and keep up on your maintenance... you shouldn't have any real problems running a chip.

what most guys do is run a chip on high settings and push the truck beyond what the stock parts can handle. the EGT's get hot and the headgaskets starts to leak. and the coolant boils in the egr cooler which helps to push the headgaskets out. a lot of guys then push the truck after they've started leaking (and haven't fully blown). from there it goes downhill with melted pistons, warped heads, trashed rod bearings, etc.

i wouldn't be afraid to turn it up with studs, fuel system, programmed chip with upped trans pressures, exhaust/intake, and turbo if you're pushing enough fuel.. keep the egt's reasonable and the timing down.. and you shouldn't have any problems with 400-500 rwhp


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