# Diesel owners , do we have any on board ?



## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Maybe a long shot here , but do we have any diesel truck owners on our site ? Interested in 6.0 power strokes mainly but am looking for any information anyone can contribute . Being a noobie as far as diesels , I joined the FTE forum and as to this point I feel like I'm miles behind the majority of their discussions . Looking for a good place to start with the basics . Dave


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## ErichKeane (Oct 30, 2020)

I've go ta 7.3 power stroke, my buddy has a 6.0. The 6.0 is a grenade until you 'bullet proof' it, which costs a pretty penny and requires pulling the heads.  In my buddy's case, the two of us did it over evenings over a month.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Cool . The truck I bought already had the work done to it . Studs , deletes , upgraded turbo etc . I'm getting info on the other site regarding coolant as well a oil . Rotella elc and 5-40 synthetic is the way to go . Agree ? I also have the SCT tuner but do not have a monitor as of yet . Is there one that stands out above the rest . Edge ? SCT ? Forscan ? I see you can download systems from the net also , too many choices and I'm a rookie at this game . 

Going down the new wabbithole I guess .


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## Nutfarmer (Oct 30, 2020)

Diesel truck long time owner no power strokes. I switched over to Cummings when Ford stopped using the International engine. Ford is a nicer truck than Dodge but the Cummings engine has fewer problems than the power stroke  engine. Wish Ford made a truck with a Cummings engine and an Allison transmission. The fire department  has a power stroke that goes through turbo chargers I think it's on its fourth one. If you want to change the injector pump on a newer power stroke the body has to be partly removed. I am sure someone will have more experience with the power stroke engine and can contribute .


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## dlane (Oct 30, 2020)

I have a 03 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins 1ton bought new , it’s been a good truck, I’ve put 4” turbo back exhaust, cold air intake and a tuner on it . Have friends with ford diesels they like them the only complaints is to change injections the cab has to come off , and injectors run off of high pressure oil, also not as customizable for more power. Ever watch the sled pulls on tv , always dodge’s or Chevy duramax haven't seen a Ford .


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## ErichKeane (Oct 30, 2020)

mmcmdl said:


> Cool . The truck I bought already had the work done to it . Studs , deletes , upgraded turbo etc . I'm getting info on the other site regarding coolant as well a oil . Rotella elc and 5-40 synthetic is the way to go . Agree ?


Did you get paperwork saying so? When my buddy was shopping we found a lot of people advertising they did so, but an inspection proved otherwise.

I like the Rotella for mine, it's quite expensive (4 gallons on the 7.3!), but worth it in my opinion.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

I and my mechanic checked it over . Seemed all that was stated from the seller was true . It's time for me to get into the oil changes and fluid changes etc and other maintenance duties . I figure if _'m puliing some things off  , I should just replace or clean up a few items while in there . 

Sorry , not sure what happened to the script ! _


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Test , ok , alls well once again .


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## ErichKeane (Oct 30, 2020)

mmcmdl said:


> I and my mechanic checked it over . Seemed all that was stated from the seller was true . It's time for me to get into the oil changes and fluid changes etc and other maintenance duties . I figure if _'m puliing some things off  , I should just replace or clean up a few items while in there .
> 
> Sorry , not sure what happened to the script ! _


I think mine is the same body style (2001), but my buddy and I both found it beneficial to replace the brake fluid. Someone mentioned to us at one point that there is something about the design of the master cylinder that lets water into the system more readily.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

I'm guessing this is what I'm reading about a so called seporator somewhere . Good info .


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## Dhal22 (Oct 30, 2020)

I still drive my '03 F350 swb Superduty occasionally.   I had the injectors replaced many years ago but that was my fault (lack of maintenance).   Other than that zero issues over the years, now around 275,000 miles it still purrs like kitten. 

Four door, long bed, 4x4, what a great truck it has been.  I would buy another one but this one doesn't quit.   I switched to an Expedition in '18 instead but kept the truck for work and towing.  

Hurricane blew trees over everywhere here this week.   Fireplace wood is easy pickings right now,  my sons and I will cut another truckload tomorrow.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Dhal22 said:


> I still drive my '03 F350 swb Superduty occasionally.



I may just be knocking on your PM page quite a bit soon !


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## ErichKeane (Oct 30, 2020)

Dhal22 said:


> I still drive my '03 F350 swb Superduty occasionally.   I had the injectors replaced many years ago but that was my fault (lack of maintenance).   Other than that zero issues over the years, now around 275,000 miles it still purrs like kitten.
> 
> Four door, long bed, 4x4, what a great truck it has been.  I would buy another one but this one doesn't quit.   I switched to an Expedition in '18 instead but kept the truck for work and towing.
> 
> Hurricane blew trees over everywhere here this week.   Fireplace wood is easy pickings right now,  my sons and I will cut another truckload tomorrow.


Before the 'Rona let me work from home all the time, I daily drove my 01 longbed F250 superduty (ext cab?  whatever it is called).  I JUST hit 200k and haven't had to do much maintenance besides a turbo platform (again a 7.3).  I'm amazed at how great of a truck it is with such a shoddy made interior.  The nice part though is the replacement parts are cheap!


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## Dhal22 (Oct 30, 2020)

Better,  just knock on my door,  I'll hand you the keys.   Drive it around for a few weeks then return it.  A few more miles won't hurt it.


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## Dhal22 (Oct 30, 2020)

ErichKeane said:


> Before the 'Rona let me work from home all the time, I daily drove my 01 longbed F250 superduty (ext cab?  whatever it is called).  I JUST hit 200k and haven't had to do much maintenance besides a turbo platform (again a 7.3).  I'm amazed at how great of a truck it is with such a shoddy made interior.  The nice part though is the replacement parts are cheap!




I bought the Lariat, heated leather seats and rearview mirrors.  Grey wood interior, etc.   It was a nice truck for many years before wear and tear set in.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

I'm switching back and forth among the HM and FTE forums tonight . I'm in the need of a monitor . I have a SCT tuner already but need to know what is going on in the engine .


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## Dhal22 (Oct 30, 2020)

My brother had an '05 dually with super tuner.  Holey Smokes!, what an over powered beast that was.  I could shred the rear 4 wheels with the tap of the accelerator.


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## ErichKeane (Oct 30, 2020)

Dhal22 said:


> I bought the Lariat, heated leather seats and rearview mirrors.  Grey wood interior, etc.   It was a nice truck for many years before wear and tear set in.


Ah, thats much nicer than mine   I have just the XLT, but it has the cloth interior.  However, mine is the "4x4" model (later sold as the FX4) with the steel rock guards everywhere.

I just remembered, I did struts(or shocks? I forget which is which) on mine all 4 corners right away.  Mine had some fancy brand for the 4x4/FX4 which are apparently overrated, so I did Bildstiens pretty affordably.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Dhal22 said:


> I bought the Lariat, heated leather seats and rearview mirrors. Grey wood interior, etc. It was a nice truck for many years before wear and tear set in.



Centennial 03 Lariat here as well . Truck is absolutely gorgeous as well as interior . As with everything I've owned , I don't want this truck to be pushed to the back burner . It's too nice a vehicle to let go to the weeds .

There's a pic of the truck in here .........................



			https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/browne-sharp-618-micromaster-hydraulic-surface-grinder.76942/


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## middle.road (Oct 30, 2020)

2001 F350 SD, 7.3L, 128,000 miles, sitting in the driveway with a knockered transmission. Basic XL 2-door, 4WD.
Received in lieu of payment for services rendered.
Drove it ~250 miles when the tranny conked out.


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## ErichKeane (Oct 30, 2020)

mmcmdl said:


> Centennial 03 Lariat here as well . Truck is absolutely gorgeous as well as interior . As with everything I owned , I don't want this truck to be pushed to the back burner . It's too nice a vehicle to let go to the weeds .


My theory on my trucks is that I want something i won't feel bad 'treating like a truck'.  My pickup before was a long-bed XL (no T!) '92 F250.  So it was RWD and pretty beat to hell.  I loaded that bed with as much gravel as it would take without hitting the overload springs, and it seemed to love it.  Now THAT interior was garbage... 

The previous body style (before yours/my current one) had a defect with the door handles where frequent opening of the drivers door would 'tear' the metal making it so it would frequently re-break the handles.  I probably replaced it like 10x despite every time I pulled off the door card doing something to try to fix the tear.  I loved that truck though... best looking F250s ever.


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## Jackle1312 (Oct 30, 2020)

Forscan lite works well with a Bluetooth obd mx adapter and a smart phone. Have been using it on the 7.3l for over a year instead of pulling out the labtop with AE on it.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

I'm on the other forum and the Edge CTS was advised . Any input on this piece ?


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## Jackle1312 (Oct 30, 2020)

All I did was install egt and boost gauges to monitor the basics and use forscan when something is acting funny since I can take screen shots as a reference. Still have a fuel press and hpop sitting on the shelf that will be installed when I pull the motor to fix the oil pan. 

FTE is a good place to get reviews on what works well as well as for repair/troubleshooting. Would also recommend picking up a copy of the factory manual on cd.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Thanks Jackle , I'm flip flopping back and forth as we speak . I would rather go the gauge route myself also . My confidence level on these motors has dropped 10 fold reading up on FTE . My brain is fried .


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## Jackle1312 (Oct 30, 2020)

from what I understand is that if the fixes are completed the the 6.0 is a good motor and you just have to worry about the gremlins that pop up from time to time just like on the 7.3. Biggest thing is to keep the oil clean since the injectors are run off of the high pressure oil. Hardest part is troubleshooting the sensors when they start acting up but that's where FTE comes in handy. FTE is like here where help is right around the corner when you need it.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 30, 2020)

Jackle1312 said:


> from what I understand is that if the fixes are completed the the 6.0 is a good motor and you just have to worry about the gremlins that pop up from time to time just like on the 7.3. Biggest thing is to keep the oil clean since the injectors are run off of the high pressure oil. Hardest part is troubleshooting the sensors when they start acting up but that's where FTE comes in handy. FTE is like here where help is right around the corner when you need it.



I'm finding it a very friendly site also as this one is , just trying to absorb as much information as I can in a short period .


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## Jackle1312 (Oct 30, 2020)

you have all the time you  need until the gremlins come out to play


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## Aukai (Oct 31, 2020)

I had an 02 Dmax, so I'm no help. I pulled a 15,000 lb boat, and 10" I beam triple axle trailer for 100,000 miles, and changed 1 injector.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 31, 2020)

Aukai said:


> I had an 02 Dmax, so I'm no help. I pulled a 15,000 lb boat, and 10" I beam triple axle trailer for 100,000 miles, and changed 1 injector.



Yeah , but could it have handled my new camp stove ?


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## Aukai (Oct 31, 2020)

Indubitably


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## vocatexas (Oct 31, 2020)

A friend of mine is the original owner of a '99 F-350 4x4 dually crew cab with the 7.3 Powerstroke. Great guy, but has no concept of 'maintenance'. He has over 800k on the odometer. That's miles, not kilometers, by the way. 

I've got a 2001 F-250 Supercab we use to move sea containers. Bought it used with a bit over 200k on the clock. We've put 50k on it the last three years. It only moves when it has a load behind it. So far it's been a great rig. We've hauled sea containers 300 miles with it before, in Texas summer heat.

Our fire department has an '06 F-450 Supercab brush truck with the 6.0 in it. So far we haven't had an issue with the engine, other than blowing the flex elbow off the turbo a few times.


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## Liljoebrshooter (Oct 31, 2020)

Around here a '99 would look like a Fred Flintstone mobile.  No floor boards, rockers or fenders.  Heck a lot of '09's are  that bad.
Joe


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## Janderso (Oct 31, 2020)

My opinions are based on the day to day operations of a Ford dealership general manager.
Yes the 7.3 is a no frills under powered run forever diesel.
In 2003 Ford brought in the proven 6.0 engine. I say proven because it was a very dependable, durable engine until they added the EGR system, EGR cooler and all the other emission related components that were poorly engineered.
In 2004, Ford realized they had a big problem. They came up with all kinds of de-tuning programming, mechanical patches to retrofit the 2003 motor etc. 
Someone mentioned the, Bulletproof brand components, these products are what Ford engineers should have used.
In 2008 Ford came out with the 6.4 which had it’s own problems but was considerably better imho. It was a stop gap until the 6.7 was ready. I understand Ford put millions of miles Testing it to make sure the 6.7 was going to be the engine that would bring back the Ford brand.
In 2011 Ford introduced the Ford manufactured 6.7.
The 6.7 has been an incredible motor.
The dealership is in Ford country. This is a farming community and 85% of the trucks on the road are Ford diesels.


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## ErichKeane (Oct 31, 2020)

Janderso said:


> My opinions are based on the day to day operations of a Ford dealership general manager.
> Yes the 7.3 is a no frills under powered run forever diesel.
> In 2003 Ford brought in the proven 6.0 engine. I say proven because it was a very dependable, durable engine until they added the EGR system, EGR cooler and all the other emission related components that were poorly engineered.
> In 2004, Ford realized they had a big problem. They came up with all kinds of de-tuning programming, mechanical patches to retrofit the 2003 motor etc.
> ...


Oh yeah, the 7.3 is not very powerful even with a pretty aggressive tune (Five Star 80hp tune at the moment). That said, it doesn't even notice when towing or with a load in the back. I put my surface grinder in the bed full of hydro fluid, and it was like it wasn't there! I towed my lathe (about 5k lbs), and if it wasn't for mirrors I wouldn't have known it was there. 

I even towed a stuck mail truck (not a delivery one, the big box cab ones) out of the mud/ditch at one point and it just kept trucking 

That said my buddy's 6.0 will definitely accel much more aggressively.


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## dlane (Oct 31, 2020)

mmcmdl said:


> I'm on the other forum and the Edge CTS was advised . Any input on this piece ?


I’m running the Edge CTS on my dodge, I like it it’ll tell you anything the computer monitors and EGT.


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## middle.road (Oct 31, 2020)

I operated this 7.3L several times before it came to live with me.
Hauled 10-15K no problem all day long. Even brought out a skid steer in a 12K dump trailer from a location in the back woods, down a mile long muddy road trail. Took awhile but we got it out.
Wish the tranny hadn't given out when I got it.   
The acquaintance whose business went bust had a handful of diesels and unfortunately he didn't do any real maintenance on them.
Rule #1 - diesels like maintenance. @vocatexas' friend withstanding.
He asked me to store the trucks here on our property until disposal. Well... we still have a F450 XLT Crew Cab Flatbed 2WD sitting here. 
It has had two rebuilds on the 6.0L. Enjoyable truck to drive OTR, very comfortable and quick. 
I should have gone for it instead, if I had but known...


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## ErichKeane (Oct 31, 2020)

middle.road said:


> I operated this 7.3L several times before it came to live with me.
> Hauled 10-15K no problem all day long. Even brought out a skid steer in a 12K dump trailer from a location in the back woods, down a mile long muddy road trail. Took awhile but we got it out.
> Wish the tranny hadn't given out when I got it.
> The acquaintance whose business went bust had a handful of diesels and unfortunately he didn't do any real maintenance on them.
> ...


A rebuilt transmission for that is only like $1800 apparently!  Plus an afternoon to install (plus the 6 pack afterwards ).

Any idea what is wrong with it?  It might be repairable.


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## Janderso (Oct 31, 2020)

We’ve talked about the programmers before.
I don’t like them because they cause damage to engines and transmission then im the one who has to make a decision to charge the customer or embezzle from Ford.
These engineers design these powertrains to meet emission requirements, provide good performance and last hundreds of thousands of dependable miles.


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## middle.road (Oct 31, 2020)

Yep, I've gotten estimates of $1800-$3000 *if* I pull it and bring it in. And I just don't have the 'oomph' to drop it and reinstall.
Now if I had a lift, a trans hoist, then maybe. . . 

I read on one forum about (3) bolts up under the first valve body that come loose.
Though there are others that say that isn't the problem.

We were coming home in it one night after our first long drive in it and went through an intersection that was washboard from heavy truck traffic.
This beast has a very stiff suspension and we rather bounced a lot through the intersection.
It immediately started to rev out in 'D' as if it had been put into neutral. I coasted into a gas station and got it to move in 2nd.
Nursed it home. Next day tried topping off the fluid, nogo in 'D' but was still somewhat functional in 2nd.
Took it for a run down the road and 2nd started to fail. Crawled home in 1st.
By the time I parked it where it sits today, only 'R' and 1st were working.
Dropped the pan a couple of weeks later and the fluid was very clean, no debris in the pan at all.
Was hoping that maybe the filter had failed - nope.
And that it where it has been at for two years now. . .


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## ErichKeane (Oct 31, 2020)

middle.road said:


> Yep, I've gotten estimates of $1800-$3000 *if* I pull it and bring it in. And I just don't have the 'oomph' to drop it and reinstall.
> Now if I had a lift, a trans hoist, then maybe. . .
> 
> I read on one forum about (3) bolts up under the first valve body that come loose.
> ...


The truck is high enough I'd figure you could pull the transmission on the floor and use a floor jack to lift it into place (plus a buddy or two  ).  I just googled quick go find the 1800 reman price (and perhaps only $2700 new from Ford?!?), But am enough of a DIYer that I'd just do it myself in the garage.

Of interest, I ALSO found a replacement for $2500 or so that has a PTO! That sounds like fun...


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## 7milesup (Oct 31, 2020)

Look for a tranny on --->Car Part.com<---.  You might find a decent used one for not a lot of money.

I have a Dodge EcoDiesel.  Yep, not a 3/4 ton but I sure do love my little diesel.  Put a Green Diesel Engineering tune on it before they got temporarily shut down by the EPA.  I am surprised that any of these tuners are still in business.  The EPA is getting nasty.
When our government decided to put EGRs on diesels, that was essentially the end of diesel engine longevity.  The GDE tune I have electronically turns off the EGR valve but all of the actual hardware on the truck is still there.  I like to breath clean air and get ****** when these kids delete their trucks and blow gobs of black smoke out the tailpipe, but there are ways to eliminate that EGR and not pollute the crap out of our earth.  The tailpipes of my truck are cleaner than my wife's 4 cylinder Hyundai Santa Fe.  
If I could, I would buy a newer Ram 2500 Cummins.  Can't find one though, and if I do, they want an arm and a leg for it.  Laramie or Limited is my choice of trim levels.  I love driving a nice vehicle, just don't like paying for it.
As a side note, my EcoDiesel had a huge issue at 87,000 miles.  Dealer couldn't figure out what the issue was.  $9000 in parts.  I did not pay a dime.  My dealer is awesome.  They treat me like gold.  Just had a water pump replaced yesterday.  $700 for the water pump plus labor and other parts.  My extended warranty covered it all.  Don't normally buy extended warranties but this one was worth it. Didn't pay a dime for my $1200 water pump bill.  My extended warranty originally cost me $1300.


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## middle.road (Oct 31, 2020)

ErichKeane said:


> The truck is high enough I'd figure you could pull the transmission on the floor and use a floor jack to lift it into place (plus a buddy or two  ).  I just googled quick go find the 1800 reman price (and perhaps only $2700 new from Ford?!?), But am enough of a DIYer that I'd just do it myself in the garage.
> 
> Of interest, I ALSO found a replacement for $2500 or so that has a PTO! That sounds like fun...


Definitely high enough that is for sure. It's one of those sits up a mile-hi.
I'm game for it, though my back has lodged protests, that's really what is holding me up.
Shoulders down into my upper back get rather sore laying on the driveway. Though thankfully it is concrete.
Honey scored me a bunch of those 3x3 gym mats and those help quite a bit.


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## ErichKeane (Oct 31, 2020)

middle.road said:


> Definitely high enough that is for sure. It's one of those sits up a mile-hi.
> I'm game for it, though my back has lodged protests, that's really what is holding me up.
> Shoulders down into my upper back get rather sore laying on the driveway. Though thankfully it is concrete.
> Honey scored me a bunch of those 3x3 gym mats and those help quite a bit.


Those mats are a great idea! I just use cardboard (or the lift for my cars), and have been thinking about getting a rolling creeper, but never did.

I ended up helping someone with a transmission on a 240z, and me + his creeper was his transmission jack


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## 7milesup (Oct 31, 2020)

I hate rolling creepers.  They always catch on some little rock or something or the wrench is always under the creeper.  I use a $7 Walmart yoga mat.  Works great.


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## ErichKeane (Oct 31, 2020)

7milesup said:


> I hate rolling creepers.  They always catch on some little rock or something or the wrench is always under the creeper.  I use a $7 Walmart yoga mat.  Works great.


My problem with creepers is that they roll when you need to apply torque to a tight bolt. I end up flopping around the floor like a fish


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## 7milesup (Oct 31, 2020)

ErichKeane said:


> My problem with creepers is that they roll when you need to apply torque to a tight bolt. I end up flopping around the floor like a fish


Ha!  True.  My father in law called it the crappie flop.


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## Aukai (Oct 31, 2020)

My friend has a repair shop, and would rather do an R&R on a Ford AOD transmission, something about not liking to rebuild, and dealing with the electronic internals. His specialty is automatic transmissions too.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 31, 2020)

Janderso said:


> My opinions are based on the day to day operations of a Ford dealership general manager.
> Yes the 7.3 is a no frills under powered run forever diesel.
> In 2003 Ford brought in the proven 6.0 engine. I say proven because it was a very dependable, durable engine until they added the EGR system, EGR cooler and all the other emission related components that were poorly engineered.
> In 2004, Ford realized they had a big problem. They came up with all kinds of de-tuning programming, mechanical patches to retrofit the 2003 motor etc.
> ...



Jeff , sounds like you are "da man" I need to talk to on this matter !


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## mmcmdl (Oct 31, 2020)

dlane said:


> I’m running the Edge CTS on my dodge, I like it it’ll tell you anything the computer monitors and EGT.


 
Thanks dlane , this is exactly what I wanted to hear without 15 pages of other info . I'll be looking at the CTS3 and probe when I get time off . 

I have the SCT tuner already and am running a stock tune and don't want to pump it with juice until I get the monitor . 

I also read you can download a Forscan program for monitoring other parameters , that'll be awhile out in the future . Still trying to learn the weak points and basics of this 6.0 . Thanks for the info . Dave


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## Aukai (Oct 31, 2020)

There was a tow truck here that had the cab lifted off, and under repair more than it was on the road....


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## Bi11Hudson (Oct 31, 2020)

I may be out of line here but I had a Chev 6.6 diesel, a "DuraMax" and Allison automatic. I had wanted a Ford, but the Chev was almost handed to me at about 100K miles. I was using it as a company truck, high mileage. And almost doubled the mileage in a year or so.  I was told, at the time, that "older" Fords had an International engine and newer ones had a Ford engine that had problems. In the ensuing 12-15 years since that time, Ford seems to have ironed out the problems. This relates to older trucks (ca.2006) and probably isn't really useful for someone shopping today. Just thought I'd throw it in if it would help.
.


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## mmcmdl (Oct 31, 2020)

I have the older 2003 6.0 Bill . But I'm soaking up any information on diesels .


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## Aukai (Oct 31, 2020)

Oh, similar to electricity "don't let the smoke out" on a diesel "don't let the air in" to the fuel system. I never had to prime a truck, but I had plenty of practice on my twin Cummins 6.9s on the boat. The trucks have an electric lift pump....


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## ErichKeane (Oct 31, 2020)

Aukai said:


> Oh, similar to electricity "don't let the smoke out" on a diesel "don't let the air in" to the fuel system. I never had to prime a truck, but I had plenty of practice on my twin Cummins 6.9s on the boat. The trucks have an electric lift pump....


Heh, my first F250 had a broken fuel gauge at one point (it would randomly read 'high' on one of the tanks), so I ran it dry once or twice.  It suUUCKED.  Fortunately, it had a schraider valve to bleed it and a motor-driven fuel pump, so you would just crank it for a bit, then bleed out air with the valve.  It would usually take about 20 minutes of going back and forth (plus waiting for the batteries on the charger!), but definitely not something I'd like to have to do again.


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## Jim F (Nov 1, 2020)

Nutfarmer said:


> Diesel truck long time owner no power strokes. I switched over to Cummings when Ford stopped using the International engine. Ford is a nicer truck than Dodge but the Cummings engine has fewer problems than the power stroke  engine. Wish Ford made a truck with a Cummings engine and an Allison transmission. The fire department  has a power stroke that goes through turbo chargers I think it's on its fourth one. If you want to change the injector pump on a newer power stroke the body has to be partly removed. I am sure someone will have more experience with the power stroke engine and can contribute .


Ford used Navstar up through the 6.4L.
The 6.7L is Fords design.


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## matthewsx (Nov 1, 2020)

I've owned my OBS 2WD 1997 F250 Heavy Duty since new in 1998. I had the tranny gone through in 2008 because the guys at the shop next to my buddies place were desperate for work and gave me a smokin' deal. Did the oil cooler myself in 2009, that was fun.... Had some injectors replaced in 2015 or so, my fault for not keeping up on oil changes. It currently has about 315k on it and runs as good as the day I bought it.

Back then I subscribed to the Powerstroke Magazine (remember those)? I figured I'd get it to 100k and start doing mods once it was out of warranty. Well, it never once failed to do what I asked of it, towing with a Lance Camper on the back, hauling my fully loaded race trailer, moving to Arizona, then Michigan, then back to California, etc, etc, etc. I figure the engineers probably knew what they were doing so no need to change anything that isn't broken, maybe some day I'll get around to switching over to an electric fuel pump but I'm in no hurry since the original is still working.

Maybe I'm funny but I don't need my pickup to do anything except haul whatever I need to move and it does that great. Before this one I had a 1967 F 250 that I let go because it blew a head gasket and I already had a race car and several project cars. I didn't need my pickup to be a project too at the time or I would have kept it. I figure the '67 lasted 30 years (mostly not with me) so if I can get 30 years out of this one I'll never need to buy another truck. So far so good 




John


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## Janderso (Nov 2, 2020)

Dave,


mmcmdl said:


> I have the older 2003 6.0 Bill . But I'm soaking up any information on diesels .


We have a local farm equipment rep. That had nothing but problems with his 2003 6.0. The first hundred thousand miles were torture and under warranty. He had us install all the bullet proof gear, he was able to enjoy a fairly problem free engine for another 300,000 miles. No programmer!


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## cjtoombs (Nov 2, 2020)

I have a 2003 F550 with the 6.0 Powerstroke.  After I bought it about 5 years ago I figured out it had blown head gaskets.  Turns out after I tore it down it was blown head gaskets, cracked heads, worn out tubocharger among a few other things.  I did the work myself and the bill was about $4500.  Works great now.  A lot of folks poo-poo the 6.0, but from what I've seen and heard from knowlegable peaople, if you take care of the maintenance and don't hot rod it it is a good engine.  Since the price of diesel fuel is now consistenly higher than gasoline, any economic incentive to own a diesel is gone.  I had to buy a replacement, since I can no longer use it as a truck (CA commercial emissions rules) and this time I bought a gasoline truck.  The only reason that I would buy a medium duty truck with a diesel is if I planned on running it heavily loaded for most of it's life.  Otherwise it makes no sense.  Don't get me wrong, I do love that F550, but higher purchase, maintenance and fuel costs are way more than the savings from any improved fuel mileage.  It gets 6.5 mpg with my Lance 1161 camper on it, so I don't know how much worse a gasoline truck would be but it couldnt be much..


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## Dhal22 (Nov 2, 2020)

I've owned my 2003 6.0 almost 18 years.   Probably will have it another 18 years since it's semi retired.   My Expedition gets replaced every 5 years.


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## mmcmdl (Nov 2, 2020)

Dhal22 , that is great to hear ! Im hoping to keep this thing alive myself . The price of trucks is skyrocketing .


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## matthewsx (Nov 2, 2020)

61 posts and I'm the only one with a picture? You guys are slipping

John


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## middle.road (Nov 2, 2020)

matthewsx said:


> I've owned my OBS 2WD 1997 F250 Heavy Duty since new in 1998. I had the tranny gone through in 2008 because the guys at the shop next to my buddies place were desperate for work and gave me a smokin' deal. Did the oil cooler myself in 2009, that was fun.... Had some injectors replaced in 2015 or so, my fault for not keeping up on oil changes. It currently has about 315k on it and runs as good as the day I bought it.
> 
> Back then I subscribed to the Powerstroke Magazine (remember those)? I figured I'd get it to 100k and start doing mods once it was out of warranty. Well, it never once failed to do what I asked of it, towing with a Lance Camper on the back, hauling my fully loaded race trailer, moving to Arizona, then Michigan, then back to California, etc, etc, etc. I figure the engineers probably knew what they were doing so no need to change anything that isn't broken, maybe some day I'll get around to switching over to an electric fuel pump but I'm in no hurry since the original is still working.
> 
> ...


Cool Camper! Love it!



matthewsx said:


> 61 posts and I'm the only one with a picture? You guys are slipping
> 
> John


What's to show? My 'Dead in the Water' F350 has moss growing on it and under it...


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## matthewsx (Nov 2, 2020)

Camper was sold this summer, I'll bet you can get some artsy shots of that truck though  

John


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## middle.road (Nov 3, 2020)

This is how she looked back in July of '16 when I was getting her running. She'd been sitting for six months.


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## Alcap (Nov 3, 2020)

We had just one 6.0 and a few 6.4 , now the 6.7s , What I saw at work was the big problem they had before I got to that location was lack of maintenance ,   Ford recommends the oil changes at 10,000 miles or 250 hours ,fuel filters at 500 hours  and that lies the problem , as a utility or any use that has high idle times it doesn't take long to hit 250 hours , at work they kept to th 10,000 ( actually were getting them before the number ) but we have trucks that would get 30+ hours a week and during overtime it could easily double that . Once I got there I would write the miles and hours and keep those figures under the hood , the early 6.7s had the same matiniace requirements . Ford was still having issues and the last 6.7 we got have a " CHANGE OIL " light that comes on , the first new truck the light came on around 3,400 miles ,the driver came to me thinking it was a mistake I went through the owners manual and nothing listed on either the miles nor hour just change it when the lights come on . I checked the hours and it was very close to 250 hours so they must use the computer with hours , miles and how it was driven ( idle time ) to turn the light on .


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## Alcap (Nov 5, 2020)

Just thinking if you do your own oil changes , Ford wants the oil filter ( canister on top of the engine next to the secondary fuel filter )  at least loosened enough for the internal drain let the dirty oil go into the pan , , I usually just let it drain a little then just replace it then go and drain the oil from the pan ,


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## mmcmdl (Dec 9, 2020)

The past couple days I've been out in the driveway doing a oil change and coolant flush on the 6.0 . I found my source of what I thought was smoke coming up thru the dash . When I drained the old " green coolant " , I got a little over a gallon in the pan . Hm...…………..suppose to take 5 gallons or so .  Filling up for the first flush I had water pouring out of the de gas bottle .

Not driving the truck other than a short jaunt to work maybe once a week , I never even thought about checking the fluid . This thing went to NY twice and this was the only times when this " smoke " appeared then disappeared . Turns out it was steam coming thru the bottle and getting sucked in the cab .

Anyway , the truck now has fresh Rotella and Archoil in the engine , and the Rotella red stuff in coolant system . I'm very fortunate that I didn't smoke the engine as it really never gets up to operating temps other than the property trips  !


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## Alcap (Dec 10, 2020)

Here's a great site for learning about your 6.0  , DieselTechRon unfortunately past away in a accident but I picked up a lot for him on the 6.0 & 6.4https://www.youtube.com/user/DieselTechRon


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## mmcmdl (Dec 10, 2020)

Alcap said:


> Here's a great site for learning about your 6.0 , DieselTechRon unfortunately past away in a accident but I picked up a lot for him on the 6.0 & 6.4



Thanks cap . Yep , I've checked 'em all out on the tube and also over on the FTE site . That diesel is new to me and I'm soaking up as much as I can . Between the brakes , the oil and coolant flush , I'm into it about $2500 last week . ( I think that's what I had into my last 20 vehicles combined )


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## Papa Charlie (Dec 10, 2020)

I purchased my 2003 F350 4x4, 7.3lt IHC, 4 Door, long bed, dually used. It had 140K on it and now has 180K. Love my truck. When we travel we take it and not the wife's Yukon. Much more comfortable for long trips. Plus I have the bed in case I come across something that I cannot live without.

I have a friend that has the almost the same truck, 2001, he has close to 500K on it and still going strong. He replaced the seats in it a while back from the wrecking ward. But mechanically, they are really reliable.

The thing to remember with diesels is you have to change the oil and oil filters religiously. Mine holds 14qts. The fuel filter is also one of those essentials. The only bad thing about these big trucks is that when you have to have work done on them, it is never cheap. When I buy tires, I wish I had only four but for heavy loads, my dually will handle most anything I will ever haul.

I plan to have this truck until the wheels fall off.

If you are looking for a good forum for Ford truck onwers, I highly recommend "Ford Truck Enthusiasts". https://www.ford-trucks.com/


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## Aukai (Dec 10, 2020)

Sounds like you need to see what else I need from down in the basement


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## Papa Charlie (Dec 10, 2020)

While you are looking for @Aukai, I am looking for a 0-4" .001 dial indicator!


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## mmcmdl (Dec 10, 2020)

Hey Charlie , I'm over on the FTE site under mmcmdl also .


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## mmcmdl (Dec 10, 2020)

Aukai said:


> Sounds like you need to see what else I need from down in the basement



You have to steer me in the right direction Mike .


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## Aukai (Dec 10, 2020)

How about an ex long MT3 1.125 drill bit, and if you find a door on the ground floor with stairs going down inside of the house, you may have found the basement.


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## Dhal22 (Dec 11, 2020)

Was driving mine today,  I bought it new,  my 2003 F350, crew cab, long bed, 4x4 lariat.


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