2004 F-450 6.0 DRW Bullet Proof

dgreen1069 wrote:

Halmfamily wrote:

rjd2516 wrote:
I owned a 2004 f250 lariat. Loved the truck but had engine problems with it. I would recommend passing on the 6.0 engine, and not because of the reliability issues. They just dont have the "nuts" to pull any weight. The smaller block on these engines work really hard when pulling hills. I could only pull a 6% grade at 35 mph with 8500 lbs behind it. And it would run hot , even with that huge radiator it came with. It just never pulled very well. My 7.3, duramax and cummins friends would leave me behind. So I chipped it. And it blew up. $9000 in parts to fix it. I loved driving that truck, except when something was attached to the back.

My 06 6.0 pulls like a beast. My fiver last scaled at 12600lbs is pulled up 6% grades at 65 all day with no problem. When my fan kicks on it sounds lime an airplane under the hood. I have put a new oil cooler, egr cooler, fan clutch, coolant filter, coolant cap and changed out to ELC. Zero issues with overheating. I will be driving this truck for years to come.

I agree, my Excursion is my third diesel and is the truck I was looking for the first two times. I've had my truck and trailer all over the country and can maintain highway speeds on all the major grades. To be honest, I'm always amazed at how well the truck pulls. As a reference, my trailer is right at 8k lbs. A lot of what is said about the 6.0 is true, but low on power is not one of them. My truck is an early 2003 and is the best vehicle I've ever owned. I have 174k miles now and hope to get another 100k. With that said, I realize I've been lucky and doubt I would risk buying a used 6.0. I'm hopeful the 6.7 is reliable because I think Ford builds an awesome truck. My Excursion is my first Ford ever (and I've owned a lot of vehicles), but it has held up better than anything else I've ever owned.....and it has been far from babied.

My 6.0 used to tow an 11K+ lb TH and now tows 7000 lbs with 4000 lbs loaded on the rear. It's never been lacking in power whether towing over 8000'+ mountains or lower elevation 10% grades. It's rare when my transmission has to drop a gear that makes the engine spin over 3000 rpm (usually spins at 2500-2750 rpm when working hard and 1750-2250 rpm when cruising with a load).

Even when my fan clutch started to fail, I could keep going without overheating in 90 degree weather with the AC off at 55 mph and I was over 19k lbs GCW.

I'm not going to sugar coat this: rjd2516 had an engine with cooling issues and destroyed it by modifying it instead of addressing the problem.