I know this topic has been beaten to death more than once on here, but I cant dig up any of the old post from the past. I am looking at a 04 Excursion with a 6.0L in it. 104K miles (and two owners) and according to the dealer (taken with a grain of salt) the majority of the maintence was done with them and they showed me a history of what they had (oil changes, tires, ect). There was no major repairs done to the truck and it runs great. I know the 6.0s have a mixed history of both good and bad and from what I have been able to gather, either you hated them or loved them.....Any truth to that? I am thinking 104k and two owners the people prob liked it, if it was a pain in the as* i would assume it might have a few more owners. Anything to look out for with this truck? Thanks again to the knowledgeable snowest crew!!
Thinkin bout buying a 6.0L Powerstroke....good idea??
- Thread starter zach477
- Start date
If you keep it stock you may not have a lot of the problems a lot of people have with them. Its usually when you throw a chip at it and such the EGR cooler cant handle the extra heat and the head bolts cant hold the heads down with increased boost pressures. I have a buddy that popped head gaskets on his 07 f350 6.0 with 21k on the clock. Although he had a Superchips installed.
J
JohnnyH
Well-known member
You may not get a STD from unprotected sex with a tranny but why risk it ???
If you heart is set on a Ford than stick with a 7.3. . . . .Otherwise go Gas
I have a 2005 F250 bought it New and have had Zero Problems with it and have 70000 miles on it and a Edga Chip with custom exhaust. Love my truck but the MAIN draw back to it is the lag you get if it isn't chipped. If you want to make a quick light at a intersection(while stopped or rolling) Don't cuz you aint gonna make it unless you chip it. Other then that it's been a great truck!
Michelle
Another vote for the 7.3
I know 2 people that own 6.0 powerstrokes, one is my father in law and he team ropes so he puts on a ton of miles in a year and when he bought that truck I told him he would have problems, not so much. It has been an awesome truck for him and he has owned it for 3 years and put 80,000 miles on it!! (knock on wood) I want to say it is an 04 but it may be 03
The other is another team roper who could not keep injectors from going out but it was also the first year release, he still owns a 6.0 just not that one so they must be some what alright!!
The other is another team roper who could not keep injectors from going out but it was also the first year release, he still owns a 6.0 just not that one so they must be some what alright!!
Have a newer 6.0 (2007) with 91000 on it and no motor problems. Did lose the tensioner pulley bearing. (That's no fun when it happens in rush hour or to fix after) I have not modded the motor except for a cold air intake that didn't really seem to make a difference. I believe that I'll have a larger exhaust put on it now that I'm close to the end of the warr.
I use this p/u everyday to farm out of and it has good power as long as there is 8 plus lbs of boost. Between tools and tanks and such, I roll at about 10 to 10.5K GVW. It'll still wanna turn the tires pulling say a large wheel disk, but that ain't off the line, it's once you get rolling and build boost. Don't get your front end in a mudhole or a snowbank and expect to "back right out".
When this happens, put the transmission in "R", firmly stomp down on the accelerator, and do not panic. Rearward motion will begin, but it may not occur for 3-6 seconds. I know this from first hand knowledge. Yes, as stated above, turbo lag is atrocious.
7.3 is a great motor, but you all know its a bit of a slug without a little hp bump from an "RV" chip.
FirstGen - What were the "chips" your friend had on the p/u?
) I have not modded the motor except for a cold air intake that didn't really seem to make a difference. I believe that I'll have a larger exhaust put on it now that I'm close to the end of the warr.I use this p/u everyday to farm out of and it has good power as long as there is 8 plus lbs of boost. Between tools and tanks and such, I roll at about 10 to 10.5K GVW. It'll still wanna turn the tires pulling say a large wheel disk, but that ain't off the line, it's once you get rolling and build boost. Don't get your front end in a mudhole or a snowbank and expect to "back right out".
When this happens, put the transmission in "R", firmly stomp down on the accelerator, and do not panic. Rearward motion will begin, but it may not occur for 3-6 seconds. I know this from first hand knowledge.
Yes, as stated above, turbo lag is atrocious.7.3 is a great motor, but you all know its a bit of a slug without a little hp bump from an "RV" chip.
FirstGen - What were the "chips" your friend had on the p/u?
I have extensive experience with a 6.0. Good motor, good power, smooth and quiet with good mpg. Problematic yes. You can buy these trucks cheap as dirt with 6.0's, Heck I watched a 2005 CC King Ranch with 72k miles 4x4 just sell for 15k! This truck was a 10! Thats gawd damn cheap so with that said just be prepared to buy injectors, clean turbo, put some random sensors on it. All this stuff is very cheap if you can doo it yourself. If not it can cost you big.
BTW, I am buying rebuilt injectors off Ebay in the original box's for 300 bux for 3...dont buy any from dealer.
BTW, I am buying rebuilt injectors off Ebay in the original box's for 300 bux for 3...dont buy any from dealer.
I have had 2 of them, I had a 04 f350, It has issues so I traded it in with 13000 miles on it. I have a 06 now and have not had any problems with them, they do pull hard and are pretty quiet. I have 25000 on mine now. and plan on keeping this truck for awhile.
keep it stock you are good to go.
Love the 6.0. Best thing for the repair and towing business since the variable venturi carb.
our 03 6.0 was in the shop every other week this summer for some issue. it finally blew up. It was the biggest pos ever built. ford took 10 steps backwards when they came out with that wonderful engine. I have herd the new ones are fine but I would still be scared.
You may not get a STD from unprotected sex with a tranny but why risk it ???
If you heart is set on a Ford than stick with a 7.3. . . . .Otherwise go Gas
Ok, ok, so maybe i was softening the blow? Where I went to tech school the Ford ASSET program would get free cars from Ford to practice on, usually dealer buybacks. All the cars/trucks would have to be destroyed after they were done with them, they recieved 2 early production 6.0L f350's I think were lemonlawed. Space was at a premium in the automotive department since they had about 30 cars in the pen. So they cut both trucks in half at the back of the front doors and welded them together. Both sides of the truck run and steer. They called it the F-700.
If I remember right the 7.3 came detuned from the factory by about 50% of the engine capability, thus owners would see noticable difference when modified with chips etc. In comparison I believe the 6.0 comes detuned at only 10-15% of engine capability. This would result in little improvement in engine performance from after market add ons to damage of the engine due to operation outside of it's performance rating. There is a reason the 6.0 saw a short life span with Ford and it was quickly replaced by the 6.4. The 7.3 was the best engine that Ford replaced with a sub par product.
If you even consider changing anything with the 6.0 for fuel econ, power etc, just remember that you could only safely expect a 10% performace increase. I love the excursion but would never buy a 6.0 after seeing a 7.3 out in Pierre SD achieve 30mpg with a chip, cold air intake and I believe they were running 3.73 gears. Sure it will be tougher to find a mint condition excursion with a 7.3 but you may want to reconsider your purchase.
If you even consider changing anything with the 6.0 for fuel econ, power etc, just remember that you could only safely expect a 10% performace increase. I love the excursion but would never buy a 6.0 after seeing a 7.3 out in Pierre SD achieve 30mpg with a chip, cold air intake and I believe they were running 3.73 gears. Sure it will be tougher to find a mint condition excursion with a 7.3 but you may want to reconsider your purchase.
Be aware that many of these trucks had head gaskets fail on stockers, no chip. Turbo failures as well. You need not look much further than the enormous and long lasting legal battles between Ford and IH to realize this.
Bottom line, you might get a good truck cheap, but nobody will be surprised if you get stranded.
Bottom line, you might get a good truck cheap, but nobody will be surprised if you get stranded.
Thanks guys for all the info, it has given me some insight on things to research further. The majority of the info i have found supports what Fosgate had to say in regards to chipping it and over stressing the motor. Everyone went out and bought a 03 6.0L that had alot of issues and it got a bad rap, everyone else waited until they were a year old and bought 04s and threw chips in them, blew head gaskets and head bolts, and they got a worse rap. The only thing that concerns me now, is i talked to the sales guy yesterday (who i think struggles to know the difference between a Suburban and a Mustang) and he found out that the shop did some work to the heads. The truck also has a gauge cluster on the pillar that includes fuel press, ext temp, tranny temp, and boost so i am wondering if its been chipped. It still has stock exhaust and no signs of an aftermarket ever being added. When i drove it, it seemed smooth and quick but I wouldn’t call it snappy, a lot snappier than my dads 99 7.3 but his is stock. I think I will get the low down on any other maintenance and I am going to try to track the previous owner down and interrogate him. I will also ask them to get a tech to tell me if its chipped or not. If it has been chipped in the past, is there a way to find out? Can you visually check for a chip or do you need to plug it into a computer? Thanks again!
110k on mine. Bought it new in 04'. It has had a few problems, but overall it's a good truck. I plan to keep it awhile longer.
I believe that any of the trucks pre-'08 or so could be returned to stock with no sign of having power added. I would guess that 95% of guys that have gauges have added power.
I guess I'll never know how good of truck it was, the thing sold after i left the lot on sat....ya snooze ya loose i guess. After driving that thing (04 excursion limited) i fell in love with it....talk about room! I found a 05 now that has caught my eye, 500 miles away though.
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