Ford 6.0? Yay-Nay?

[Lloyd Smale]

Unless your using it every day to pull a load the gas motors get the same economy going down the road and gas is enough cheaper that the few times you actually pull something and get better economy with your diesel doesn't offset the day to day increase in cost per gallon. Nothing wrong with a good diesel truck. But theres a lot more wanabes then guys like soundguy that actually need one. Sorry but you just don't need one to pull a camper twice a year or a trailer with some atvs on it. For anyone other then someone that actually uses it as a work truck they are just not cost effective. If you just want one then fine buy one but don't try justifying it with bs like it saves money or a gas motor is to lame to pull your camper. Ill call bs on that every time. You will never recoup the 20k more they cost sitting on a lot or the 50 cents a gallon increase per gallon the fuel costs. Farmers and construction companys can save the 50cents buying off road fuel but even they are not suppose to put it in there pickups. I think about half the diesel trucks I see up here are twenty some year old guys with jacked up trucks with a dirt bike or four wheel in the bed or some old yuppie pulling his 20 foot camper that could be pulled with a car. Probably sat in an office all there lives and somehow feel like that Cummins motor makes them a macho trucker. I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite myself. Ive got a 45k truck that is used 95 percent of the time as a car. I could get by with my jeep and my trailer to haul what I need hauled. But I don't pretend that I need it or that it somehow saves me money.

Agreed. Having pulled with a gasser, then switching to a diesel is night and day. I've also found that while daily driving on a gas/diesel are real close numbers, but stick 26K behind one, and the gasser fuel economy goes to hell if you try to get the same towing characteristics as the diesel.

One other benefit.. during the hurricanes down here in florida.. you can sometimes find a diesel pump with fuel, while all the gas pumps are out. did that a few times last week myself.

I also like the extra battery capacity that most diesels have. I have (2) 950 CCA per truck . That comes in way handy when you need extra juice, vs a single 650 setting in a gasser.

Another look at fuel economy. I have both gas and diesel tractors. the gassers are 50's / 60's models. the diesel are late 50's thru 70's models, with one 2000 model.

Once you hit about 48-50 hp... gas tractors burn more than a diesel counterpart doing the same work, on the same frame. For instance.. Ford used a red tiger OHV engine design. by 1958, you could get a 172ci gas or diesel engine of that design in your tractor. Side by side, same tractor, same tranny, same weight, same work.. the gasser used more fuel. ( yes there were 144 ci diesels as well as other save configuratios of that engine in gas and LP and for industrials, from 134 thru 192 ci )

[Big Wes]

7.3 is way way better than any 6.0 no!

[richbug]

Unless your using it every day to pull a load the gas motors get the same economy going down the road and gas is enough cheaper that the few times you actually pull something and get better economy with your diesel doesn't offset the day to day increase in cost per gallon. Nothing wrong with a good diesel truck. But theres a lot more wanabes then guys like soundguy that actually need one. Sorry but you just don't need one to pull a camper twice a year or a trailer with some atvs on it. For anyone other then someone that actually uses it as a work truck they are just not cost effective. If you just want one then fine buy one but don't try justifying it with bs like it saves money or a gas motor is to lame to pull your camper. Ill call bs on that every time. You will never recoup the 20k more they cost sitting on a lot or the 50 cents a gallon increase per gallon the fuel costs. Farmers and construction companys can save the 50cents buying off road fuel but even they are not suppose to put it in there pickups. I think about half the diesel trucks I see up here are twenty some year old guys with jacked up trucks with a dirt bike or four wheel in the bed or some old yuppie pulling his 20 foot camper that could be pulled with a car. Probably sat in an office all there lives and somehow feel like that Cummins motor makes them a macho trucker. I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite myself. Ive got a 45k truck that is used 95 percent of the time as a car. I could get by with my jeep and my trailer to haul what I need hauled. But I don't pretend that I need it or that it somehow saves me money.

I'll add that even the guys that really use them as a truck may be better served with a medium duty than a diesel pickup.

[Soundguy]

Around here, e85 is the cheap fuel, the 87 Oct e10/15, then diesel, then 89 e10/15 then 91-93 e10/15. Then 93 no-e, then marina gas and 100 avgas, both non E.

Diesel actually saves me $ on fuel. I realize this scale is different in different places.

[Mytmousemalibu]

I actually worked at a diesel shop as a side job for a little bit till the owner and I had a falling out. Anyway the old 7.3 PS is a tough engine and pretty darn reliable. Most of the problems we had come in on them were injection related. The common things we had were roasted injector harnesses, in piticular the pass-through in the valve cover gaskets but sometimes the harness under the cover to the injectors. Also saw IDM's (injector driver module) here and there. To a lesser extent, high pressure oil pumps and regulators. A super common failure point on a 7.3 PS is the cam sensor. Me and my buddy kept a spare in the glove box! Both of us has had to use said spare too. Really these engines are pretty solid. Yes, eventually the injectors get pretty tired but good maintenance goes a long way to a long life. If they hadn't used the HEUI injection and used a mechanical pump, the Powerstroke would have been as bulletproof as the IDI but more refined. Common rail would have been the hot ticket. I have seen a few with oil leaks from the turbocharger pedestal mount, mine included. I actually had mine trying to close the cold warm up valve when it wasn't supposed to, choking the engine. Its incorporated into the turbo pedestal. I pulled the butterfly housing off the turbo, removed the butterfly and shaft and welded the holes shut. The oil operated actuator was pulled out (it was leaking anyway) and I TIG welded the oil passages closed to the valve. Fixed 2 birds at once and removed some exhaust restriction. I didn't need the warm up valve here, besides I plug my diesels in when its cold and do all the proper stuff. Some have had good luck with the 6.0 but the vast majority have lived a horror story with one.

[Soundguy]

I keep a cam sensor and a ? 10mm spare Chinese wrench taped to the box, in the center console.

[Lloyd Smale]

Diesel is higher then anything up here and not by a small margin. Usually between 20 and 50 cents a gallon higher. At least higher then 93. I haven't priced avgas in years so I don't know but do know it used to be very expensive.

Around here, e85 is the cheap fuel, the 87 Oct e10/15, then diesel, then 89 e10/15 then 91-93 e10/15. Then 93 no-e, then marina gas and 100 avgas, both non E.

Diesel actually saves me $ on fuel. I realize this scale is different in different places.

[Lloyd Smale]

Had to run 60 miles yesterday to see the doctor. I saw a powerstroke sitting in the bar parking lot near my home and it got me thinking so I paid attention up and back. I saw 8 diesel trucks 3 power strokes 3 duramaxs and 2 dodges. Out of 8 of them 5 of them were being driven by women. 2 buy young men that were jacked up and one by a contractor pulling as small enclosed trailer that I could pull with my jeep. Granted because they had women driving doesn't mean there not used for real work when ma gets home.

Id bet most are like the farm we shoot deer on. the owner is a ford man. bleeds ford. Even has a model a in the garage restored. He had a brand new power stroke sitting in the driveway the first day we went there this year. I had a new 1/2 ton chev so it started a conversation. I asked him if he actually got that truck dirty and this is what he said. I paid 60k for that truck. Its way to pretty to use for real work. What I do is buy a new one and use the old one on the farm. When its dead beyond what economical sense to repair I will buy another new one and use this one on the farm. He said he most dirt that truck will see for a few years is driving on the dirt road in front of his house.

Truth be told id bet not to many of those fancy 60k trucks are being used at at least 1/2 of there capability 10 percent of the time. I also asked the farmer (and this is a big farm) why he buys a diesel. He said it was simple. He has diesel pumps on his property so he doesn't have to run to town (15 miles) to buy fuel. He said a gas 3/4 ton would tow anything he ever tows and he said even if it got worse mileage he owns a farm not a over the road trucking company and the farthest he has to tow anything is about 20 miles. He said he has real trucks to pull real loads. He said he got along just fine with gas trucks up till about 15 years ago when he switched to diesels. He did say the 6.0 he had almost had him going to the chev dealership. ALMOST. Got a chuckle from him. Hes a little guy and a fireball. He said "Lloyd theres two things that will never be seen on his farm. A dodge or a John Deer.

[shdwlkr]

Well I have diesel pickups, that's right I said more than one. I have them because I never know what I will find and load in the back. One truck weights 8900 pounds which is empty to me. The other I have to admit is more of a 4x4 car so far. I have them because my kids live way out in the country with the ex and in the winter they don't plow the road for a mile and a half from their place. I have pulled my friends camper a 34 footer with my three quarter ton trucks and never found them lacking for power. Some may not like diesels or even need them I agree, but for me it has been a really long time since I had a gas engine vehicle. the newer pickups in diesel engine are way to expensive.If I were to buy a brand new truck it would be a gas engine just because of cost. I priced out a new 2017 three quarter ton and was able to hit $72,000 price range with almost no trouble, way to much for my uses. Some have good luck with gas engines or diesel engines and others have no luck no matter the engine. Which engine is best, the one that gets you from point A to point B with the least amount of cost for the longest period of time.

[Spooksar]

i have a 99 F350 with 280.5k on my 7.3. It is hard on battery sets (about 2.5 years max on a set before needing replaced), it is sometimes impossible to get started in the winter if it hasn't been plugged in overnight. That said, it doesn't require $8-15k of bulletproofing, it is very reliable (other than cold weather), it has plenty of power to pull whatever up and down mountain passes. It will not run much above 10,200' altitude. I live at 8500', average 14+ mpg.

I also have a 99 still on first set of batteries, as far as cold start I have started it in minus 30 Celius weather without it been plugged in just use the glow plugs twice. I live in Northern Alberta so my truck may set up different.

[Soundguy]

Wow, aren't fuel prices crazy across the country?? Here, the better grades of gas are more $ than diesel!

If I didn't work my trucks I sure wouldn't own them. The day after I bought my farm the wife and I traded her car and my ford ranger for larger trucks that could pull horse trailers and flatbeds. Have never looked back.

Mine get plenty of dirt inside and out. Usually there's a role of hay in the bed or compressed rectangle of hay sticking a foot past the tail gate. Or its carrying buckets of feed supplement/ feed tubs, or bags of feed by the palate ( cheaper in bulk ). Sure, occasionally on a Sunday morning its got 3 kayaks in it, headed for the river too.

Back seat is usually carrying soft sided tool bags, etc. Leather seats long since wore out and have seat covers on them. Plenty of beauty marks from driving thru brush, and faded paint down to the primer in spots from the Florida sun, plus a dent or 3 in the bumper

[tja6435]

I also have a 99 still on first set of batteries, as far as cold start I have started it in minus 30 Celius weather without it been plugged in just use the glow plugs twice. I live in Northern Alberta so my truck may set up different.

How many miles on your truck? Mine has the cold weather package, but it may be way different for how far north you are. My truck has always been a Colorado truck, lots of high altitude.

I suspect I have a sensor to two that need changed out. My intake air heater needs a different oring to get it functional again, both things I'm sure help for the super hard starts during cold weather here.

[handyman25]

Had a 2004 6.0 (new). Put 15k into it. Purchased fords since 1960, no more. I hope ford goes broke. They had a good engine in the 7.3 and gave us the 6.0 junk.

[Soundguy]

I hope they dont go broke, I believe it is government motors you are thinking of when the bailout money had hands all over it.

Ford should have stuck with the 7.3 international designed. I believe if it had a better transmission from the factory, and a better designed cam sensor setup, the 7.3 would have had a longer run.

I do realize Ford was needing speed competition and 1/4 mile runs and thus went with the upticked 6.0, which you could quadzilla/chip right into a time bomb and turn the diesel truck into a race car for a year or two before the headbolts got too long...

I do hear promising news about the 6.7.

[.45Cole]

They went to the 6.0 from the 7.3 due to emisions. The 7.3 is a no emissions, 2V, inefficient motor. The 6.0 is an EGR, 4V, upgraded motor that Ford had tuned a little hotter than International's VT365, which did really well for International. Interestingly enough International used the VT365 until something like 2010.

[Soundguy]

Considering the egr/cooler problems the 6.0 has, I'm rather glad to not have an egr! ( ill take the ebpv any day! )
As for 2v vs 4 v, and what is better? More parts font always = better. Take the 5.4 gasser.. The older ones dont eat plugs quite like the later ones do.

That's progress, right?

[Tyguy95]

Wouldn't touch it unless it's got aftermarket heads and studs

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