2005 ford 6.0 diesal problems

[Lt CHEG]

Truth is Ford has outsold GM and Dodge combined for years and years in the diesel trucks. Last year alone Ford outsold them combined by over 100,000 units so yes, its going to look like there are more problems.

Chris

I think that this could be a little misleading to a certain extent. I think that there are a couple of reasons why Ford sold more diesels than the competition, and it's not necessarily because they are a better diesel. First off is that for a number of years Ford had the only truck on the market that had enough front axle capacity to allow a diesel engine and a 9 foot plow. So if you wanted a 9 foot plow AND a diesel your only manufacturer recommended option was Ford.

Secondly, and I think perhaps even more importantly is the fact that GM and Dodge had better non diesel engine options on their heavy duty trucks. While I'll admit that the V10 in the Ford was a great engine, a lot of people were scared (probably unnecessarily) about feeding 10 cylinders worth of fuel. The 5.4 V8 is a great half ton truck engine, but it's a lousy 3/4 and 1 ton truck engine, especially when you've got the heaviest rolling chassis on the market. I'm not saying that the 6.0 V8 in the GM's or the 5.7 Hemi are awesome in heavy duty pickups but they are in my opinion at least adequate whereas the 5.4 is not, and I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time driving each of those gas motors. So when you consider that Ford didn't even make a lot of V10's and the 5.4 is pretty underpowered in the Super Duties (especially the 2v motors) then you're pretty much left with owning a diesel if you want to get a Super Duty, which unquestionably led the pack in heavy duty pickups for a long time.

Lastly I would note that GM and Dodge 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were styled very similarly to their half ton counterparts, whereas the Ford Super Duty is styled completely differently than the F150. I know of people that hated the look of the F150 but loved the look of the Super Duty so they bought Super Duties based upon looks alone, even though they didn't need more than a half ton pickup. So when you add all that up, I realize that Ford still outsold GM and Chrysler in the 3/4 and 1 ton truck market, and I would add for good reason as they had some serious advantages that GM and Ram have only recently caught up to. However, I would argue that GM and Chrysler had better non diesel engines available in their 3/4 and 1 ton pickups than Ford did so a lot of their 3/4 and 1 ton truck buyers were able to get by without ponying up the bucks for a diesel.

I say all of this as a current owner of a 2011 GM 2500HD gas truck AND a 1997 Ford F350 7.3 Powerstroke. I see the value in all of the trucks and spend my money on what turns out to be the best value for me at the time. Oh and even though I only had it a short time my 6.4 Powerstroke equipped F250 never gave me any problems and was a powerhouse that pulled like a freight train. I liked it quite a bit.

 

[Soundguy]

I think that's where I see you more in the minority on this forum.
Seems like you are one of the few current owners with a good running 6L. I think your low-mileage helps, too. They don't start costing money until shortly before/after warranty expires.
Many more (myself included) have had big problems with their 6Ls. Look at all the 6 & 6.4L problem topics started by others.

i drive an 04 fs50 6.0psd at work, one of the other super's has a twin.

both machines are nearing 130.. with original heads. the twin has had an egr kit. mie had a leak problem with factory oil filters.. switchin gto napa oil filters solved it completely. i also changed out the air box for the napa 9490 3" thick filter. not by need but by choice. other truck runs stock air box.

has had normal maintenance and wear items.. brakes..tie rods ends.. etc. on 2nd set of batteries now.. etc. did have a programmer on it.. but early in life it went in for a service recall and the ecu was repalced and I didn't have the reciept for the superchips tuner to get it re-vinlocked.. so it's a fancy expensive scan tool now..

 

[Soundguy]

Secondly, and I think perhaps even more importantly is the fact that GM and Dodge had better non diesel engine options on their heavy duty trucks. While I'll admit that the V10 in the Ford was a great engine, a lot of people were scared (probably unnecessarily) about feeding 10 cylinders worth of fuel. The 5.4 V8 is a great half ton truck engine, but it's a lousy 3/4 and 1 ton truck engine, especially when you've got the heaviest rolling chassis on the market. I'm not saying that the 6.0 V8 in the GM's or the 5.7 Hemi are awesome in heavy duty pickups but they are in my opinion at least adequate whereas the 5.4 is not, and I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time driving each of those gas motors. So when you consider that Ford didn't even make a lot of V10's and the 5.4 is pretty underpowered in the Super Duties (especially the 2v motors) then you're pretty much left with owning a diesel if you want to get a Super Duty, which unquestionably led the pack in heavy duty pickups for a long time.

.

No real data here.. but at the same time I have owned and could drive and compair all of the following though have recently shed the dodge.

2000 yukon 1500 5.3 ( the long one) 4wd, if it decides to work uh. some 3.x rear, don't remember
1998 dodge ram 5.9(longbed Single cab) 4wd, uh? some 3.x rear don't remember
2004 f250 6.psd (crewcab)4wd 3.73 rear
1999 F450 crew cab DRW 7.3psd cab/chassie with towing bed, 2wd 4.88rear
1999 f350 crew cab DRW 4wd 4.10rear

driving and pulling with all those here are my opinions.

bottom of the pile.. the yukon and it's 5.3 it's not pepy.. don't accelerate fast.. yeah I know it's like driving a house down the raod even without a trailer. to it's credit.. it has a good ride when pulling a tandem bmper pull.. better than the dodge.. not better than any of the larger ones. not horrible on fuel.. not economical either..

next was the dodge. had more engine 'feel' to it..ok pep.. respectable..up to 55-60mph speeds but ran out at top end onthe interstate if pulling heavy trailers. empty long bed got a lil squirly sometimes on a heavy trailer.. though a pallet of sod int he bed and the trailer made for a good feleing pull.. but ate power, and turned it's only so so fuel economy pretty dismal.. for what I sold it for.. I shoulda kept it for a farm truck. 4wd shift ont he floor and long bed with gooseneck adapter and working ac and radio were ok.. dash and interior shot..

f250, most pepy of them all. the kind of pep you could blow donuts in parking lots and fling trailers to the side of the road as you pull out and pass traffic in the accel lane entering the interstate, and blow past the vehicles already traveling at hiway speed. middle of the road on fuel.. 14 city unloaded.. 11 highway loaded.. for non real heavy hauling.. it's what I would consider an every day driver truck. feels much better than a 1/2 ton. has that jaded 6.0psd history.. and not sure the engine is designed to go 300k or 500k like I will want it to? just don't know?

99 f450 . pulls awesome.. has air bag suspension.. bumper, gooseneck or 5th wheel. lots of fuel capacity.. pulls up to cdl limits effortlessly .. as long as you don't need to go over 70. that 4.88 rear end pretty much makes you a 70mph vehicle.. the 7.3 an't an acceleration demon...but i get the engine is going to go many, many miles from what I hear about the 7.3's if she had been 4wd, i would not have looked for an f350.

f350. good compromise on the rar with a 4.1 meaning I can ACtUALLY travel with traffic on the interstate.. and yet still haul a decent trailer payload.. bumper or gooseneck. same as the 450. no speed demon. does make ya feel safe in that big truck. was at a light a few months back.. a f150 tapped me in the rear.. left a cut in the bumper pad.. and a ding in the bumper.. ruined the front of the f150.. broke the hood, front cowl.. lamps.. pushed stuff into his tires.. felt bad about the guy.. asked the cop to not give him a ticket. i left with my ding int he bumper and went to work. he had to pry fenders up off his tires to pull into the jiffy store next door. the 450 was immaculate and cared for.. the 350 looked like it was owned by a contractor that's ok.. I paid a price simialr to it's condition.. was ok deal to me. nearing 200k now

 

[Soundguy]

ps.. yes.. that took me near a half hour to type in on a pad!

 

[timswi]

ps.. yes.. that took me near a half hour to type in on a pad!

I wouldn't even try that one...Tried a couple of posts on the wife's ipad...Didn't like it...Guess writing code on a keyboard all day limits me...bought a GSIII and can't type on it either.

I'm impressed with that epistle.

 

[ljohnson778]

Ok, I'm not a fan of brand bashing, so you won't get that from me. Way I see it, I may have gotten a bad apple from a manufacturer, but not enough for me to condemn a whole brand.

I will, however, share my vehicle experiences...

1999 dodge reg cab 2500 Cummins/5 sp manual - this one was my favorite, ran like a bear and never a lick of trouble. Sold it when I bought my first house, but wish I still had it.

2001 ford f250 reg cab 7.3 psd/auto tranny - don't know where to start with this one... Lets leave it at 2 oil pans, high pressure oil pump, and premature rust in places that really worried me, she was gone.

2005 Chevy 2500 reg cab 6.0 gas/auto tranny - ok truck, ran decent. Fuel mileage not great and towing power nonexistent. She went in favor of...

2007 Chevy 2500 reg cab 6.6 duramax - really liked this truck, power was awesome. Only problem, ifs front end. When it came time to buy a plow, out she went and came...

2010 ford f250 reg cab 6.4 psd/auto - I liked this truck ok, fuel mileage wasn't very good at all, though. Ran good while I had it, and man, she'd push snow. But I didn't need the plow when I bought the bigger tractor and snowblower, and wanted to switch to a super cab. So came...

2011 ford f250 s-cab 6.7 psd/auto - this thing ran STRONG. At 11,000 miles, it would randomly buck/shudder under acceleration. Never threw a code, and dealer and Ford basically said "we can't find anything". Not good enough for me, so you guessed it, see ya.

So now I'm driving a half ton, and looking for a 24v 5.9 cummins dually dump to do the heavy lifting... or maybe a powerstroke... Or a dmax.

Having said all this, the only truck I had that really pissed me off was the 2001 7.3 powerstroke. I know, I know... So many people swear by 'em. That's my point, I got one that tried its best to kill me, but that was just one truck, I won't condemn ford over it.

 

[timswi]

I think that this could be a little misleading to a certain extent. I think that there are a couple of reasons why Ford sold more diesels than the competition, and it's not necessarily because they are a better diesel. First off is that for a number of years Ford had the only truck on the market that had enough front axle capacity to allow a diesel engine and a 9 foot plow. So if you wanted a 9 foot plow AND a diesel your only manufacturer recommended option was Ford.

Secondly, and I think perhaps even more importantly is the fact that GM and Dodge had better non diesel engine options on their heavy duty trucks. While I'll admit that the V10 in the Ford was a great engine, a lot of people were scared (probably unnecessarily) about feeding 10 cylinders worth of fuel. The 5.4 V8 is a great half ton truck engine, but it's a lousy 3/4 and 1 ton truck engine, especially when you've got the heaviest rolling chassis on the market. I'm not saying that the 6.0 V8 in the GM's or the 5.7 Hemi are awesome in heavy duty pickups but they are in my opinion at least adequate whereas the 5.4 is not, and I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time driving each of those gas motors. So when you consider that Ford didn't even make a lot of V10's and the 5.4 is pretty underpowered in the Super Duties (especially the 2v motors) then you're pretty much left with owning a diesel if you want to get a Super Duty, which unquestionably led the pack in heavy duty pickups for a long time.

Lastly I would note that GM and Dodge 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were styled very similarly to their half ton counterparts, whereas the Ford Super Duty is styled completely differently than the F150. I know of people that hated the look of the F150 but loved the look of the Super Duty so they bought Super Duties based upon looks alone, even though they didn't need more than a half ton pickup. So when you add all that up, I realize that Ford still outsold GM and Chrysler in the 3/4 and 1 ton truck market, and I would add for good reason as they had some serious advantages that GM and Ram have only recently caught up to. However, I would argue that GM and Chrysler had better non diesel engines available in their 3/4 and 1 ton pickups than Ford did so a lot of their 3/4 and 1 ton truck buyers were able to get by without ponying up the bucks for a diesel.

I say all of this as a current owner of a 2011 GM 2500HD gas truck AND a 1997 Ford F350 7.3 Powerstroke. I see the value in all of the trucks and spend my money on what turns out to be the best value for me at the time. Oh and even though I only had it a short time my 6.4 Powerstroke equipped F250 never gave me any problems and was a powerhouse that pulled like a freight train. I liked it quite a bit.

Well said Cheg..Well said.

 

[Soundguy]

i've heard other stories of rusty oil pans.

so far.. the ones under my 99's are solid...

i do know the rear end on my dodge was a rusty SOB.. but no issues with the rear...

 

[timswi]

i've heard other stories of rusty oil pans.

so far.. the ones under my 99's are solid...

i do know the rear end on my dodge was a rusty SOB.. but no issues with the rear...

Thankfully the pan in my '97 V10 is good...The guy up the road has a fleet of various Fords and they have seen some of the pans rot through...Stuff happens to every manufacturer from time to time though...

 

[Diamondpilot]

I think that this could be a little misleading to a certain extent. I think that there are a couple of reasons why Ford sold more diesels than the competition, and it's not necessarily because they are a better diesel. First off is that for a number of years Ford had the only truck on the market that had enough front axle capacity to allow a diesel engine and a 9 foot plow. So if you wanted a 9 foot plow AND a diesel your only manufacturer recommended option was Ford.

Secondly, and I think perhaps even more importantly is the fact that GM and Dodge had better non diesel engine options on their heavy duty trucks. While I'll admit that the V10 in the Ford was a great engine, a lot of people were scared (probably unnecessarily) about feeding 10 cylinders worth of fuel. The 5.4 V8 is a great half ton truck engine, but it's a lousy 3/4 and 1 ton truck engine, especially when you've got the heaviest rolling chassis on the market. I'm not saying that the 6.0 V8 in the GM's or the 5.7 Hemi are awesome in heavy duty pickups but they are in my opinion at least adequate whereas the 5.4 is not, and I say this as someone who has spent a lot of time driving each of those gas motors. So when you consider that Ford didn't even make a lot of V10's and the 5.4 is pretty underpowered in the Super Duties (especially the 2v motors) then you're pretty much left with owning a diesel if you want to get a Super Duty, which unquestionably led the pack in heavy duty pickups for a long time.

Lastly I would note that GM and Dodge 3/4 and 1 ton trucks were styled very similarly to their half ton counterparts, whereas the Ford Super Duty is styled completely differently than the F150. I know of people that hated the look of the F150 but loved the look of the Super Duty so they bought Super Duties based upon looks alone, even though they didn't need more than a half ton pickup. So when you add all that up, I realize that Ford still outsold GM and Chrysler in the 3/4 and 1 ton truck market, and I would add for good reason as they had some serious advantages that GM and Ram have only recently caught up to. However, I would argue that GM and Chrysler had better non diesel engines available in their 3/4 and 1 ton pickups than Ford did so a lot of their 3/4 and 1 ton truck buyers were able to get by without ponying up the bucks for a diesel.

I say all of this as a current owner of a 2011 GM 2500HD gas truck AND a 1997 Ford F350 7.3 Powerstroke. I see the value in all of the trucks and spend my money on what turns out to be the best value for me at the time. Oh and even though I only had it a short time my 6.4 Powerstroke equipped F250 never gave me any problems and was a powerhouse that pulled like a freight train. I liked it quite a bit.

I actually agree with you on every point. Now this has changed a bit with Ford now putting in the 6.2 in the Super Duty lineup that leads the class in the gas trucks.

Chris