Ford F350 2003 - issues?

An older 50K mile diesel is hard to pass up. Chances are it's been babied.

I was talking to a PowerStroke guy that works at the NAPA store last week. His 6.0 has 155K miles, and he's had no problem at all. His thoughts are that most problems occur earlier, and if they make it to 150K, they may have an even longer life. Of course, he bought it cheap enough to where he can fix any problems that pop up and he's still ahead. The EGR problems were even worse 2005 and later.

I later was talking to a couple of great diesel mechanics. They've worked on so many 6.0's that they can easily correct the problem areas.

NO.

tim and amy wrote:
I will start by saying this, the people on this forum who have NEVER OWNED A 6.0L ford are not the people to be asking.

99% of these posters are talking out of their collective rear ends. The Ford 6.0L problems are blown way out of proportion.
So I will fill you in on the truth, and avoid the hear say BS that keeps getting posted here time and time again.

1. The 2003 is the first year of the 6.0L. Notes of Head gasket failures, Head Bolt failures and such are all related to the EGR cooler of that year. The main issue was, many people would not perform the recommended maintenance and pull the EGR out for a cleaning. When the EGR is not cleaned, the soot plugs the EGR and does not allow the exhaust gas to flow through the EGR cooler, instead it just builds up heat. The EGR cooler is a heat exchanger of Hot Exhaust gasses and the Engine coolant. That gas would boil the coolant and pop head gaskets or head bolts. The coolers were replaced or upgraded by Ford. The most common thing to do, is spend $100.00 and replace the EGR cooler or eliminate it with an EGR Bypass kit.

2. Casting Sand Rumors. There is some discussion of if casting sand made it's way into the oil cooler. It isn't confirmed anywhere but it may have happened on some early 03 engines and the rumor ran away from there. Most guys who are doing EGR bypass kits, just replace the Oil cooler at the same time.

3. Turbo issues. This is pretty rare, and those who say they have had turbo issues, should probably find a new mechanic. The turbo is a variable vane turbo built by Garrett. They are VERY easy to work on. You can pull the turbo out, tear it down and rebuild it your self for under $100.00. The only thing that ruins these turbos are soot build up and if some moron removes the Air Filter, sucking dirt and sand into the impeller.

Now, you notice a pattern here with the word "soot". A stock 6.0L engine does not produce much if any soot. My truck has 100K miles on it, it is an 04. I just did the EGR delete and pulled, tore the turbo down for inspection. Both were clean as a whistle and so was the EGR cooler and down pipe. My F350 doesn't even puff smoke out the tail pipe. Soot build up is dependent on the Fuel quality and if someone is running a tuner that is dumping mass amounts of fuel into the engine.

I am a member of Power stroke.com where we discuss these engines and trucks in great detail. The common factor of 6.0L failures are lack of maintenance and guys tuning the engines.

The 6.0L engine is not designed to be tuned without some sort of mods being done. The engine is already tuned pretty high in stock form for the specifications it was built at.
Now, diesel of any type are not cheap to work on. But they are very simple to work on if you have a laptop and a cable to plug into the diag port. For $200.00 you can buy the SW and cable, which basically you would never have to visit a mechanic if you normally know how to work on cars.
I have only had one problem with my F350 and it was the ICP sensor, basically a $100 part that monitor the fuel pressure. That's it. Yes I tow with my truck and it was my daily driver until two weeks ago.

I also want to point out, the 7.3 trucks have the garbage transmissions. So good engine, but bad transmission. Also you need to be careful of which 7.3 engine the truck has. You want to make sure it is a "powerstoke" 7.3. not the IDI 7.3L.


Don't believe what you hear on this forum about the 6.0L trucks, how many do you see on the side of the road?? I drive one, so I pay attention to this.

It's like anything else, you maintain it, and it will not give you any trouble.
My advice on 6.0L trucks. EGR bypass, 5" exhaust to reduce EGT's, change oil at 7k-10k miles per the manual. Don't idle the truck for long periods of time. If towing heavy, let the turbo cool down by idling the engine before shutting it off "should be done on all Turbo powered engines".
Do not install any tuning devices. Do NOT remove the Ford Air Filter and replace for K&N or such. The Ford Element filter, although expensive is a direct copy of what Semi's use and IS the highest flowing air filter on the market.

Sorry but top Ford engineers disagree with everything you have posted.

Now, either you are correct and top Ford engineers are idiots or Ford engineers are correct and the engine is junk.

I don't know who is correct but either way this is not a good engine to own unless some mods are done.

Besides that, anybody would have to be cracker dog crazy calls an engine that caused a manufacture to loose 1 billion in warrantee repair work .

tim and amy wrote:........

I will not repeat that long quote, but the early 6.0 have issues! Not all them, and likely less than 10%, I would say 5%, but have spoken to too many 6.0 owners that have had issues.

I made the choice after 43 years of Ford ownership, I chose to buy a Cummins diesel in a Dodge.

Unless you are a good diesel mechanic, or know one, buying a used 2003 6.0 could be an expensive purchase! There are members of this forum that have reported personal accounts of major ($4,000 to $12,000) repairs to a well maintained engine.

Yes, the 6.0 can be a good engine, but really requires doing necessary upgrades to over come the issues that were engineered into the engine, these upgrades can run between $2,500 to $5,000 or so.

tim and amy wrote:
I will start by saying this, the people on this forum who have NEVER OWNED A 6.0L ford are not the people to be asking.

99% of these posters are talking out of their collective rear ends. The Ford 6.0L problems are blown way out of proportion.
So I will fill you in on the truth, and avoid the hear say BS that keeps getting posted here time and time again.

1. The 2003 is the first year of the 6.0L. Notes of Head gasket failures, Head Bolt failures and such are all related to the EGR cooler of that year. The main issue was, many people would not perform the recommended maintenance and pull the EGR out for a cleaning. When the EGR is not cleaned, the soot plugs the EGR and does not allow the exhaust gas to flow through the EGR cooler, instead it just builds up heat. The EGR cooler is a heat exchanger of Hot Exhaust gasses and the Engine coolant. That gas would boil the coolant and pop head gaskets or head bolts. The coolers were replaced or upgraded by Ford. The most common thing to do, is spend $100.00 and replace the EGR cooler or eliminate it with an EGR Bypass kit.

2. Casting Sand Rumors. There is some discussion of if casting sand made it's way into the oil cooler. It isn't confirmed anywhere but it may have happened on some early 03 engines and the rumor ran away from there. Most guys who are doing EGR bypass kits, just replace the Oil cooler at the same time.

3. Turbo issues. This is pretty rare, and those who say they have had turbo issues, should probably find a new mechanic. The turbo is a variable vane turbo built by Garrett. They are VERY easy to work on. You can pull the turbo out, tear it down and rebuild it your self for under $100.00. The only thing that ruins these turbos are soot build up and if some moron removes the Air Filter, sucking dirt and sand into the impeller.

Now, you notice a pattern here with the word "soot". A stock 6.0L engine does not produce much if any soot. My truck has 100K miles on it, it is an 04. I just did the EGR delete and pulled, tore the turbo down for inspection. Both were clean as a whistle and so was the EGR cooler and down pipe. My F350 doesn't even puff smoke out the tail pipe. Soot build up is dependent on the Fuel quality and if someone is running a tuner that is dumping mass amounts of fuel into the engine.

I am a member of Power stroke.com where we discuss these engines and trucks in great detail. The common factor of 6.0L failures are lack of maintenance and guys tuning the engines.

The 6.0L engine is not designed to be tuned without some sort of mods being done. The engine is already tuned pretty high in stock form for the specifications it was built at.
Now, diesel of any type are not cheap to work on. But they are very simple to work on if you have a laptop and a cable to plug into the diag port. For $200.00 you can buy the SW and cable, which basically you would never have to visit a mechanic if you normally know how to work on cars.
I have only had one problem with my F350 and it was the ICP sensor, basically a $100 part that monitor the fuel pressure. That's it. Yes I tow with my truck and it was my daily driver until two weeks ago.

I also want to point out, the 7.3 trucks have the garbage transmissions. So good engine, but bad transmission. Also you need to be careful of which 7.3 engine the truck has. You want to make sure it is a "powerstoke" 7.3. not the IDI 7.3L.


Don't believe what you hear on this forum about the 6.0L trucks, how many do you see on the side of the road?? I drive one, so I pay attention to this.

It's like anything else, you maintain it, and it will not give you any trouble.
My advice on 6.0L trucks. EGR bypass, 5" exhaust to reduce EGT's, change oil at 7k-10k miles per the manual. Don't idle the truck for long periods of time. If towing heavy, let the turbo cool down by idling the engine before shutting it off "should be done on all Turbo powered engines".
Do not install any tuning devices. Do NOT remove the Ford Air Filter and replace for K&N or such. The Ford Element filter, although expensive is a direct copy of what Semi's use and IS the highest flowing air filter on the market.

X2 As you can see by my sig I have a 03' 7.3. If the price is right I wouldn't be afraid of a 6.0. Just do your research a few simple mods and you will have an awesome truck. Good luck, John

tim and amy wrote:
I will start by saying this, the people on this forum who have NEVER OWNED A 6.0L ford are not the people to be asking.

99% of these posters are talking out of their collective rear ends. The Ford 6.0L problems are blown way out of proportion.
So I will fill you in on the truth, and avoid the hear say BS that keeps getting posted here time and time again.

1. The 2003 is the first year of the 6.0L. Notes of Head gasket failures, Head Bolt failures and such are all related to the EGR cooler of that year. The main issue was, many people would not perform the recommended maintenance and pull the EGR out for a cleaning. When the EGR is not cleaned, the soot plugs the EGR and does not allow the exhaust gas to flow through the EGR cooler, instead it just builds up heat. The EGR cooler is a heat exchanger of Hot Exhaust gasses and the Engine coolant. That gas would boil the coolant and pop head gaskets or head bolts. The coolers were replaced or upgraded by Ford. The most common thing to do, is spend $100.00 and replace the EGR cooler or eliminate it with an EGR Bypass kit.

2. Casting Sand Rumors. There is some discussion of if casting sand made it's way into the oil cooler. It isn't confirmed anywhere but it may have happened on some early 03 engines and the rumor ran away from there. Most guys who are doing EGR bypass kits, just replace the Oil cooler at the same time.

3. Turbo issues. This is pretty rare, and those who say they have had turbo issues, should probably find a new mechanic. The turbo is a variable vane turbo built by Garrett. They are VERY easy to work on. You can pull the turbo out, tear it down and rebuild it your self for under $100.00. The only thing that ruins these turbos are soot build up and if some moron removes the Air Filter, sucking dirt and sand into the impeller.

Now, you notice a pattern here with the word "soot". A stock 6.0L engine does not produce much if any soot. My truck has 100K miles on it, it is an 04. I just did the EGR delete and pulled, tore the turbo down for inspection. Both were clean as a whistle and so was the EGR cooler and down pipe. My F350 doesn't even puff smoke out the tail pipe. Soot build up is dependent on the Fuel quality and if someone is running a tuner that is dumping mass amounts of fuel into the engine.

I am a member of Power stroke.com where we discuss these engines and trucks in great detail. The common factor of 6.0L failures are lack of maintenance and guys tuning the engines.

The 6.0L engine is not designed to be tuned without some sort of mods being done. The engine is already tuned pretty high in stock form for the specifications it was built at.
Now, diesel of any type are not cheap to work on. But they are very simple to work on if you have a laptop and a cable to plug into the diag port. For $200.00 you can buy the SW and cable, which basically you would never have to visit a mechanic if you normally know how to work on cars.
I have only had one problem with my F350 and it was the ICP sensor, basically a $100 part that monitor the fuel pressure. That's it. Yes I tow with my truck and it was my daily driver until two weeks ago.

I also want to point out, the 7.3 trucks have the garbage transmissions. So good engine, but bad transmission. Also you need to be careful of which 7.3 engine the truck has. You want to make sure it is a "powerstoke" 7.3. not the IDI 7.3L.


Don't believe what you hear on this forum about the 6.0L trucks, how many do you see on the side of the road?? I drive one, so I pay attention to this.

It's like anything else, you maintain it, and it will not give you any trouble.
My advice on 6.0L trucks. EGR bypass, 5" exhaust to reduce EGT's, change oil at 7k-10k miles per the manual. Don't idle the truck for long periods of time. If towing heavy, let the turbo cool down by idling the engine before shutting it off "should be done on all Turbo powered engines".
Do not install any tuning devices. Do NOT remove the Ford Air Filter and replace for K&N or such. The Ford Element filter, although expensive is a direct copy of what Semi's use and IS the highest flowing air filter on the market.

I am sure there are some good ones. But I did all the factory maintenance on my 05 6.0. Everything they told me to do. As a matter of fact I had a ford dealership do it all. First EGR cooler then head gaskets at about 60k. There were a couple other things I can't really remember as I am not a mechanic and don't claim any real knowledge on the subject. It was by far the most unreliable new truck I ever have owned and I have had many.

So yes I have owned one and had very poor luck with it.

I will start by saying this, the people on this forum who have NEVER OWNED A 6.0L ford are not the people to be asking.

99% of these posters are talking out of their collective rear ends. The Ford 6.0L problems are blown way out of proportion.
So I will fill you in on the truth, and avoid the hear say BS that keeps getting posted here time and time again.

1. The 2003 is the first year of the 6.0L. Notes of Head gasket failures, Head Bolt failures and such are all related to the EGR cooler of that year. The main issue was, many people would not perform the recommended maintenance and pull the EGR out for a cleaning. When the EGR is not cleaned, the soot plugs the EGR and does not allow the exhaust gas to flow through the EGR cooler, instead it just builds up heat. The EGR cooler is a heat exchanger of Hot Exhaust gasses and the Engine coolant. That gas would boil the coolant and pop head gaskets or head bolts. The coolers were replaced or upgraded by Ford. The most common thing to do, is spend $100.00 and replace the EGR cooler or eliminate it with an EGR Bypass kit.

2. Casting Sand Rumors. There is some discussion of if casting sand made it's way into the oil cooler. It isn't confirmed anywhere but it may have happened on some early 03 engines and the rumor ran away from there. Most guys who are doing EGR bypass kits, just replace the Oil cooler at the same time.

3. Turbo issues. This is pretty rare, and those who say they have had turbo issues, should probably find a new mechanic. The turbo is a variable vane turbo built by Garrett. They are VERY easy to work on. You can pull the turbo out, tear it down and rebuild it your self for under $100.00. The only thing that ruins these turbos are soot build up and if some moron removes the Air Filter, sucking dirt and sand into the impeller.

Now, you notice a pattern here with the word "soot". A stock 6.0L engine does not produce much if any soot. My truck has 100K miles on it, it is an 04. I just did the EGR delete and pulled, tore the turbo down for inspection. Both were clean as a whistle and so was the EGR cooler and down pipe. My F350 doesn't even puff smoke out the tail pipe. Soot build up is dependent on the Fuel quality and if someone is running a tuner that is dumping mass amounts of fuel into the engine.

I am a member of Power stroke.com where we discuss these engines and trucks in great detail. The common factor of 6.0L failures are lack of maintenance and guys tuning the engines.

The 6.0L engine is not designed to be tuned without some sort of mods being done. The engine is already tuned pretty high in stock form for the specifications it was built at.
Now, diesel of any type are not cheap to work on. But they are very simple to work on if you have a laptop and a cable to plug into the diag port. For $200.00 you can buy the SW and cable, which basically you would never have to visit a mechanic if you normally know how to work on cars.
I have only had one problem with my F350 and it was the ICP sensor, basically a $100 part that monitor the fuel pressure. That's it. Yes I tow with my truck and it was my daily driver until two weeks ago.

I also want to point out, the 7.3 trucks have the garbage transmissions. So good engine, but bad transmission. Also you need to be careful of which 7.3 engine the truck has. You want to make sure it is a "powerstoke" 7.3. not the IDI 7.3L.


Don't believe what you hear on this forum about the 6.0L trucks, how many do you see on the side of the road?? I drive one, so I pay attention to this.

It's like anything else, you maintain it, and it will not give you any trouble.
My advice on 6.0L trucks. EGR bypass, 5" exhaust to reduce EGT's, change oil at 7k-10k miles per the manual. Don't idle the truck for long periods of time. If towing heavy, let the turbo cool down by idling the engine before shutting it off "should be done on all Turbo powered engines".
Do not install any tuning devices. Do NOT remove the Ford Air Filter and replace for K&N or such. The Ford Element filter, although expensive is a direct copy of what Semi's use and IS the highest flowing air filter on the market.

The 4R100 was not that bad of a transmission behind the 7.3L If you tried to push too much power with a chipped 7.3L, it was not designed for that much power. You can help the 4R100 by adding a large stacked plate transmission oil cooler, use synthetic oil and install a heavier torque converter.

If the 2003 is a 7.3L, that is great find,especially with low mileage.

Ken

Vulcaneer wrote:
The 7.3L is a 180 degrees better than the 6.0L. But just remember the 7.3 is pretty old technology. As in much weaker by todays standards, and the transmission is also not up to todays standards. This doesn't make it a bad truck. And for your smaller/lighter 5'r it will be just great. But could be limited for future and heavier towing needs.

X2
We still have plenty of 7.3's running around here, 6.0 seems to be parked for extended periods. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Heck a 7.3 with 50K miles is a nice find especially if it was garaged.

The 7.3L is a 180 degrees better than the 6.0L. But just remember the 7.3 is pretty old technology. As in much weaker by todays standards, and the transmission is also not up to todays standards. This doesn't make it a bad truck. And for your smaller/lighter 5'r it will be just great. But could be limited for future and heavier towing needs.