Changing my truck!

[NSP-Biker]

This was kind of spontaneous, hopefully a good decision. What I have is a '99 F350SRW 7.3L with airbags and no other major mods. What I just bought for a screaming deal is an '03 F350DRW 6.0L Lariat set up for a fifth wheel. We have a NL 10-2. Normally I research stuff intensely before I buy but the opportunity was there. The justification was two-fold. 100,000 fewer miles than my 99 (147k) and the DRW because I feel really fragile and rolly-polly even with airbags at 100#. I have two questions, one you can answer "did I make a good choice?". The other is "do I keep or sell the 99?". One thing I didn't think about until later is the fact that now I'll need to get brackets for my Happi Jacks to fit the DRW. I love my 99, but she's showing some wear and I'm not sure whether to sell it to buy a boat or use it as a "farm truck". I don't have a farm...

[SoCalDesertRid1]

If you live in a non-emissions area, you can remove the 6.0 and replace it with a 7.3...

[mabynack]

I hope you have better luck with your 6.0 than I've had with mine. I replaced a Fuel Injection Control Module at 80,000 miles and another one at 96,000. That was about $800 a pop. I had brake issues where the driver's side front brake would lock up going down the road - I took it to the shop twice for that at $1600 a visit. At 106,000 I blew a head gasket and had the truck "bulletproofed" by a shop that I wouldn't recommend. It cost me $8000. About six months later the truck developed an intermittent miss and I took it to the dealer. They cleaned the turbo for $1300 and replaced a weak fuel pressure regulator spring. At 110,000 the intermittent miss became a dead miss on #8 cylinder. The first shop that bulletproofed the engine had gone out of business, so I took it to a different shop. They determined that:

1. The cam follower and injector had failed scattering metal parts throughout the engine and caused bent pushrods and bent valves.
2. A lot of the work that I had paid the previous shop for hadn't been done. The valve job that I had paid for wasn't done and the previous shop had charged me for a new oil cooler, but had just cleaned the old one and reinstalled it.

That second trip cost me another $7000.

Right now the truck is running better than it ever has - knock on wood. The rest of the truck is great. It's just been the engine and brakes that have given me issues.

[Powerdude]

Take your 7.3 liter engine, and transfer it to the 6.0 dually you just got. 7.3 liter is probably 4 times more reliable.

The guy who got a great deal was the guy you bought the 6.0 from.

You just bought the chassis, interior and brakes for a hugely inflated price.

The engine is going to need about $6-8k worth of bulletproofing parts and labor to be made reliable, in order to last for years without leaving you on the side of the road.

Sorry for the bad news, I just tell it like it is.

[sonuvabug]

NSP-Biker wrote:
Ok you guys have both scared and inspired me. The link to BPD was informative and I will be going through this truck patiently as it needs to serve us for years, reliably. Thank you all for your perspective!

Race ... don't drive to the Ford Truck Enthusiast (FTE) website. There in the 6.0 forum, you will find all that is good and bad with your engine. Once bulletproofed, it is an awesome mill. Here's the FTE link.

FTE 6.0 Forum Linky

[STANG23L]

Sell the 7.3L and use the funds to immediately get the truck bullet proofed. Once done it will be a solid reliable truck.

I had an early 04' and had all problems except for head gasket before bullet proofing. Sold the truck with 198K miles and it still ran like a top.

[towpro]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM38rFuI_YE

$5 PART WILL SAVE YOUR POWERSTROKE FROM SELF DESTRUCTION

this same guy has lots of informative videos.
http://powerstrokehelp.com/6liter/6-0_main.asp

[Ranger_Tim]

Do the Bulletproof EGR Cooler update (and put a new oil cooler in too) and the coolant bypass filter. Keep the oil changed regularly and the coolant changed. Get an app to monitor sensors on the fly. Do the Archoil 9100 treatment to keep injectors happy. You will love the power and performance of the motor. Don't let people scare you off, chances are they buy into the hype about the motor. Love my truck, and plan on keeping it for another 200,000.

[NVR2L82AV8]

6 point oh has it's issues but just do your homework and you can make it a potent, reliable and enjoyable camper hauler. If you have mech skilz you can save yourself lots of $$. Get on the 'net and Youtube to "bulletproof" your new ride. Congrats!

[SoCalDesertRid1]

You can use the front/rear axles/wheels/tires/springs and the dually bed from the '03 to convert your '99 to dual rear wheels.
Then you'll have a good 7.3 dually! 🙂

[SoCalDesertRid1]

I would have held on to the 7.3 truck...

[SugarHillCTD]

Hey, enjoy your dually. I'm jealous!

[NSP-Biker]

Ok you guys have both scared and inspired me. The link to BPD was informative and I will be going through this truck patiently as it needs to serve us for years, reliably.

Thank you all for your perspective!

[bighatnohorse]

You're going to love the dually. If the 6.0 has already been bulletproofed, then it is a screaming deal. Keep the camper on the dually and use the 7.3 as a daily driver - it's paid for and that's about a cheap as it gets.

[Golden_HVAC]

Make sure that you get a coolant water filter on it as soon as possible. Also change the coolant if at all dirty. You will plug the first coolant filter in about 400 miles, and the second one in about 2,000 miles. The third one should last a year or so, around 15,000+ miles. But change it every year.

Coolant filter Napa #FIL 4070 and a kit to install it is napa #FIL 4019. I put a coolant filter on my 97 Bounder with a 460" gas engine. So far, no need to change the water pump, or any coolant problems. It keeps the inside of the radiator pretty clean. Heat transfer is better, no minerals in the water pump to mess up the gaskets or pump seal.

I installed one on my class C with 1/2" ball valves at the inlet and outlet, so changing the filter is very fast, with little coolant loss.

The biggest problem with the 6L is the oil cooler can get clogged when there is junk in the coolant. Then there is lack of coolant flow to the engine exhaust cooler (that exhaust gas is sent into the intake manifold in a effort to cool the spark temperature, thus making less Nitrogen Oxides). When the exhaust gas cooler is overheated (due to loss of coolant flow thought the oil cooler then the EGR cooler) the exhaust gas cooler overheats and cracks, letting pressurized coolant to flow into the intake manifold and engine. Coolant does not compress, and typically will punch a hole into the piston instead.

International recalled all of it's trucks and school busses, installed a coolant filter, and fixed the problem. Ford did not fix the problem.

Your SRW F-350 only has a 9,900 GVWR due to the tiny tires (3042 pounds weight rating each) and has a very limited cargo rating. The 2003 F-350 SRW had the same 9,900 GVWR, while the dually has 12,000 (give or take a few pounds). While not nearly as much as the 2005 and later trucks, it is better than what you have. But a much better pick would have been a 2005 and later dually, with 13,500 or 14,000 GVWR. No need for the air bags on the newer truck.

Good luck,

Fred.