Looked at a 05 PSD with 185k miles Motor starts great from cold without any misses or hiccups... No smoke boiling out of the tailpipe. Degas bottle looked clean and the coolant looked good. Truck ran good... Batteries were dead as it has been pretty cold so they had to be jumped off before I could start it. FICM concern there I suppose. Drivers side TTY bolts had lines on them indicating that the driver side head had been removed and reinstalled at some point. These lines were not on the passenger side TTY bolts.I have a decent understanding of these motors but I can't figure out why only one head would be pulled at some time. I thought if a 6.0 popped a HG you pulled both heads and did both at the same time. Any idea why ford would have replaced just one HG? Mostly just curious... I'm a gasser at heart but for $11,900 for a crew cab XLT F250 Short Bed 2wd... With a perfect body and interior...I'm at least curious...Thanks!Jeremiah

jerem0621 wrote:Looked at a 05 PSD with 185k miles Motor starts great from cold without any misses or hiccups... No smoke boiling out of the tailpipe. Degas bottle looked clean and the coolant looked good. Truck ran good... Batteries were dead as it has been pretty cold so they had to be jumped off before I could start it. FICM concern there I suppose. Drivers side TTY bolts had lines on them indicating that the driver side head had been removed and reinstalled at some point. These lines were not on the passenger side TTY bolts.I have a decent understanding of these motors but I can't figure out why only one head would be pulled at some time. I thought if a 6.0 popped a HG you pulled both heads and did both at the same time. Any idea why ford would have replaced just one HG? Mostly just curious... I'm a gasser at heart but for $11,900 for a crew cab XLT F250 Short Bed 2wd... With a perfect body and interior...I'm at least curious...Thanks!JeremiahI believe they are great motors when properly bullet proofed Jeremiah but I do believe I wouldn't touch it for more than 8-9000 unless they had a history or receipts to show what has been done. Does it still have the EGR and cooler? Has the HPOP been replaced with the new upgraded fitting? Oil cooler? Fuel pressure blue spring? If it has sit very long I would want to take the turbo off and clean it. This is JMO. Like I said, I have one I drive daily and have been working on them (5 of them) since 2005 and they are good strong motors but need TLC to keep them in good running order. When it fired off you said it run with no hiccups or misfires? The injectors are good if so. How many times did it take to start once it hit? Did it fire and run smooth the first time or take a couple cycles?

Thanks for the feedback. It's a trade in at a Chevy Dealership. I couldn't find any service record in the truck. The truck had been sitting for about four days so it was dead cold and it started within 3-5 seconds once I hit the starter. I was pretty suprised how quickly it started. The EGR cooler appears to be intact. The no records thing concerns me.Thanks!Jeremiah

If you have access to a ScanGauge, monitor FICM output voltage at cold start (low batteries are bad on this module). If the voltage is low, it will eventually fail resulting in a $300-900 repair or replacement.My 2005 F250 XL Super Cab short bed 4wd PSD recently sold for quite a bit more but had only 110K miles and all the service records from only one original owner (me).

jerem0621 wrote:Thanks for the feedback. It's a trade in at a Chevy Dealership. I couldn't find any service record in the truck. The truck had been sitting for about four days so it was dead cold and it started within 3-5 seconds once I hit the starter. I was pretty suprised how quickly it started. The EGR cooler appears to be intact. The no records thing concerns me.Thanks!JeremiahLike Bedlam said, I would be concerned with the FICM if it had only been sitting for 4 days and needed a jump. Remember, the FICM's on these trucks have to convert battery voltage to 48 volts. Bad batteries are a real strain on them. I usually get 3-5 years out of my 6.0 batteries and they start getting weaker than I like. The cold start system on these trucks pull their power directly from the batteries for up to two minutes (depending on outside temp) before the alt is allowed to start charging.Also, to be honest, my truck starts between 1-3 seconds. I hope you are just misjudging your time. If it takes 5 seconds there is more than likely a problem with the HPO system. The Computer will not fire the injectors until it reads a certain pressure which I believe is 600 psi minimum. It will crank for a certain amount of time and if it don't get the pressure it wants it will start closing the pressure regulator until it gets that pressure. This indicates a leak in the HPO system (more than likely the SCT fitting). If it is the OE fitting , it will get to where it won't start. If it is the updated fitting then it was not put in correctly.

6.0 Powerstroke question | Good Sam Community

BurbMan
Explorer II
Mar 05, 2015
Hey just a thought....the dealer gave you the BS that it's been sitting "just 4 days" and the battery went dead...I'll bet it's been sitting for a lot longer because he can't unload it. I would offer him $9k and see if he wants to deal. He doesn't want you to think it's been sitting because that gives you leverage...which you have.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 6.0...IF the price was right. There's been enough write-ups on how to diagnose and bulletproof these, that if you factor those costs in upfront you can still come out with a good reliable truck.
thomasgunnar
Explorer
Mar 05, 2015
mabynack wrote:
T diesel wrote:
A 6.0 is a VERY expensive******shoot.
If you can put $5000.00 aside for the inevitable,
I guess it's a life lesson for you! ;)
Enjoy this tutorial.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvi6KcOHcCg

I searched the web and found a site that documented the legal issues between Navistar and Ford over the 6.0. The press release said that Ford spent more per vehicle to repair the 6.0 than any other engine they've ever released. The average cost per vehicle for warrantee was about $1000. The problems were bad enough that Ford curtailed their contract with Navistar for the remaining undelivered engines and stopped doing business with them.

The troubles with my 2005 Powerstroke started at about 95,000 miles and were only apparent when towing in the mountains. When towing up a hill most of the coolant blew out of the degas bottle.

There are companies like "Bulletproof Diesel" and sinister diesel that are making a lot of money building replacement parts for this engine. The information that you're hearing about the problems isn't just confined to a few trucks, it's a documented fact that this engine is prone to expensive failures even if you baby it.

That was the 6.4 not the 6.0 that was the final straw.
Bedlam
Moderator
Mar 05, 2015
If you love the Hitler rants, get someone that speaks one of the Romance or Latin Languages fired up. It seems their culture embraces emotion and expression - It is quite entertaining unless you are on the receiving end.
hone_eagle
Explorer
Mar 05, 2015
Gawd I love those hitler rants.
Fordlover
Explorer
Mar 05, 2015
Flashman wrote:
T diesel wrote:
A 6.0 is a VERY expensive******shoot.
If you can put $5000.00 aside for the inevitable,
I guess it's a life lesson for you! ;)
Enjoy this tutorial.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvi6KcOHcCg

Great youtube - couldn't stop laughing.

I'd only seen this version before.
Hitler discovers
filrupmark
Explorer
Mar 05, 2015
Our 2004 is used for pulling our fifth wheel. I maintain it properly and did not chip it and it has been excellent. Super pulling power and good fuel mileage. 18-20 unloaded and 10-12 with our fifth wheel.
Targa
Explorer
Mar 05, 2015
jerem0621 wrote:
OP Here, still not 100% decided one way or another.

I am not scared of the Diesel as I do most (all) of my own wrenching in my driveway. Biggest issue is cost of parts for me as I will install them myself. I would prefer not to spend 12k on a 6.0 truck, But this truck is beautiful. I would most likely purchase a BPD EGR cooler and a new Motocraft Oil Cooler and install them proactively when I cleaned the coolant system and install the coolant filters. No biggie really there.

Just need to keep weighing my options and needs.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Why spend 12, offer them 10. I would be surprised if they didn't accept that offer, if not immediately a couple of days later when they call you and ask if your offer still stands.
RooDude09
Explorer
Mar 05, 2015
The only time I've had to pull only one head is to reseal the rocker carrier to the head
rowekmr
Explorer
Mar 04, 2015
I agree with Transamz9 they are motors that normally need good attention and maintenance. I also think the price is too high for the miles plus the fact the dealership has it on lot to sell yet the battery had to be jumped after 4 days. Makes me wonder how much attention they paid to recondition truck.

I currently drive one that I bought with high miles and had to spend the $$$ to get it running right but it (engine) hasn't given me any problems in the 2 years I've had it. I have been basically addressing other parts that wear out like others said like power options that stop working and suspension/brakes wearing out. In the meanwhile I bought another as project, fixed it up (with parts from another 6.0L) and sold it with only FICM replacement.

As other says there are other choices some with more stellar backgrounds but if this is what you want make sure you go into it with your eyes (and possibly wallet) open.
shum02
Explorer
Jan 28, 2015
jerem0621 wrote:
OP Here, still not 100% decided one way or another.

I am not scared of the Diesel as I do most (all) of my own wrenching in my driveway. Biggest issue is cost of parts for me as I will install them myself.

OEM and aftermarket parts are in my opinion no more expensive that parts for any other truck. NTM most of the "bullet proofing" parts require no special tools that any decent driveway mechanic wouldn't already have. A weekend spent under the hood methodically doing these replacements/upgrades could quite literally save thousands in labour costs. Youtube is full of some very helpful Ford diesel techs who have "how to" video's online. Have saved me a BUNDLE and kept me from pulling all my hair out! ;)

Good luck with which ever way you go. Alos a lot of the diesel forums have check lists for looking at used trucks. If you are aware of potential red flags it may save you a lot of grief.

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