6.0 Ford diesel questions

[Nevadastars]

We sold our Chateau, and now looking for another C a bit longer to replace it. I have seen a few in our price range with the 6.0 diesel. One I found has 37k on it. I believe this engine has had it's issues, but not sure if that is after high miles or what. I really like the idea of a diesel for the torque and fuel mileage. Anyone have one? Should I run away? Thanks for any advice.

[jdog]

I had and still have V-10 Crew Cab short bed that I pulled a 10,000 lbs + 32 ft 5th wheel. Had a lot of brake problems. Had to up grade to after market rotors and brake pads. Slow pulling long grades RPM as high as I could. Gradually slowing down on the long pull. Never could stay at 50 mph, pulling long grades. Brakes would get hot and fade going down hill. V-10 is a good reliable motor that keeps on going. Now I have a 2007 FORD class C with the 6.0 diesel. It is 14,500 lbs. +. I do not have brake problems or trouble pulling long grades. Most of the problems of the diesel engines were fixed by then plus motorhome engines are the better AMBULANCE MOTORS. I would not want to be pulling that weight with the V-10. I like the V-10 for it's purpose. They cannot out pull a diesel pulling heavy loads up a steep grade. Fuel milage about the same except V-10 uses a lot more fuel when pulling in the mountains.

[rjstractor]

jdog wrote:
Curious how well the V-10 will pull a 14,500 lb. 31 ft. motorhome everyday.

Just as well as the 6.0 diesel, with much better reliability. I used to have a 30 footer towing a 3000 lb car. Even with the older 265 hp version of the V10, it would pull all of the Cascade passes at 50. Got passed by some RVs of varying configuration, but passed a lot of them too. Had no problems with braking either- the V10 provided plenty of engine braking.

[Big_Katuna]

The V10 gas is so reliable, gets about the same MPG and fuel is cheaper. Argueably pulls as good. I would not sign on for the potentiol headache.
Plus there are tons of used RV s to look at.

[jdog]

The V-10 will have to work harder than the diesel in order to get up and thru the mountains. V-10 will not be as good going down the mountains which means more brake usage. Curious how well the V-10 will pull a 14,500 lb. 31 ft. motorhome everyday.

[Nevadastars]

If the power and torgue aren't worth the effort, I will pass considering the possible problems. Thanks for the responses guys.

[rjstractor]

If you are looking at a C with the 6.0, keep in mind you won't get any appreciable power or torque advantage. The 6.0 in the Econoline is detuned to 235hp/440 ft/lbs torque. The gas V10 has 425 ft./lb torque although it has to rev higher to do it.

As far as reliability, while the detuned 6.0 in the E450 is supposedly better than in the pickup, my employer has 5 E450 ambulances, 1 with the 6.0 and 4 with the older 7.3. The newer 6.0 rig spends as much time in the shop getting fixed as the other 4 combined....:E

[Hank85713]

The 6.0 has been a problematic engine. With that said I tried my damndest to find one in an RV to purchase! I have a 6.0 F350, have had it bulletproofed and it is out travel vehicle of choice when we need to go long distance with or without the TT or now the rv.

We found a few to look at, I have a scan gauge which I hooked up and then took the rig out on a test drive with. Both were good from the mechanical observation, but the wife found issues in the coach. 1 was too short she said as she could not get around the bed, the other, someone had lived in and it just had too many unknowns. So we passed on both. The power is down from that of a pickup but was pretty good for pulling the rigs.

The engine is easy to upgrade, but you must be willing to put more money in to get it there. This can be a bargaining point for you to get the $$ down. Towing with my truck about the same as a loaded 28 ft rv I get around 11mpg, 8-9 in the v10 rv.

If you really get interested on a 6.0 rv get someone who knows the engine to check it out for you 1st. There are some places around the area in phoenix and up in lost wages that are supposed to be pretty good with these engines. They are the ones I would turn to. Many of the issues with the 6.0 were due to techs not having the knowledge required to really be able to work on them, and some were reportedly also a cause of some of the problems. My 04 cost me $4000 for teh engine bulletproofing. about an average cost for a pu. vans would probably be a little more. Long idles hurt the engine so there is a need for a kit/upgrade for a high idle mod. for them.

But no matter what you decide, just be aware there are potential issues as there are in any new/used vehicle that you can buy.

[Trackrig]

Asking about a 6.0 is like asking whether you should buy Goodyear or Michelin tires, you're going to get a lot of opinions both ways. I have a 6.0 in a 2005 3/4T long bed truck and it's doing fine, I really like it. Others wouldn't be caught dead in one of them because they've had problems with them.

Bill