2005 Power Stroke question

[Big Bri]

My Brother just bought a 2005 Excursion with the 6.0 and has 85k miles. What are some of the things he should be aware of while owning this thing.
does this engine have the head gasket problems, hows the trans. in this thing.
He is going to use as a daily driver, and pull a camper 30' er every now and then. would love any tips or advice on owing this thing.
Thanks
Brian

PS. He lives in El Paso but will be stationed to Colorado in about 2 months.
thanks again

 

[Diamondpilot]

By 05 they had the torque shift tranny which is the best on the market in my opinion. Better than the Allison because they seemed to get the gear ratios better matched and it will easily handle 200 more HP without modification.

As for the engine they had most issues worked out by 05 . Do not baby it or you will have issues. 6.0's like to be driven hard to keep the EGR valve clean and carbon built to a minimum. Watch the coolant for proper level and SCA. Good oil like Dello or Delvac. The early ones did not like Rotella but the later ones could tolerate it after Shell reformulated it. I still only use Rotella in my tractor and use Delvac in my Power
Strokes. Change it often, I go every 5,000 miles on my 2 6.0's especially doing any towing. Change the fuel filter and air filter every 20,000 miles and change the tranny filter every 30,000 miles.

Not knowing the history I would change the anit freeze, tranny fluid, transfer case fluid, and axle gear lube. I would also change all filters so you know where you are. This is not a 6.0 thing. I would do this to any new used piece of equipment.

Other than that enjoy it.

Chris

 

[jayste]

My Brother just bought a 2005 Excursion with the 6.0 and has 85k miles. What are some of the things he should be aware of while owning this thing.
does this engine have the head gasket problems, hows the trans. in this thing.
He is going to use as a daily driver, and pull a camper 30' er every now and then. would love any tips or advice on owing this thing.
Thanks
Brian

PS. He lives in El Paso but will be stationed to Colorado in about 2 months.
thanks again

Brian, I think they had the head bolt/gasket thing fixed by then. I think all that was common in MY year model, the 2003. Does it have the 5 spd torque shift trans? If so, I've got one in my F350 and like it. I was used to a manual shift in my trucks but the TS was a good change.

 

[Big Bri]

Chris, Jay, thanks for the replies, I'll tell my brother what you said.
I was a little nervous about him buying a 6.0 after hearing a couple of horror stories. . . but i feel better about it now.
I think he did good. its a limited model, said it was LOADED. Paid some where in the mid $20's for it. (he told me but i don't remember the exact price)
Thanks again
Brian

 

[Diamondpilot]

Big Bri

I have 2 of them, a 04 and a 06 and both have been trouble free. By far the best diesels I have owned. The only other diesels I had were a 7.3 Ford and a Dmax. The 7.3 was pretty good but did need a water pump once and a Cam Pos Sensor. The Dmax was plagued with electrical issues, injector problems, glow plug problems, and it would like to overheat.

Chris

 

[jk96]

Hope your luck is better than mine with the 6.0. I bought an 05 because is was supposed to be the "good one":laughing:

My problems started just past 100K and is and always has been stock and well serviced.

105K - Transmission (snap ring slipped while backing trailer uphill. Resulted in hole in case. Known issue with a fix but Ford only put out a bulliten for those with a snow plow package due to the constant forward and revere. The rest of us don't use reverse much do we.)
130k - ICP
135k - Head Gaskets & EGR Cooler
145k - EGR Valve
155k - FICM
175k - HPOP & EGR Cooler

Haven't replaced the turbo or injectors yet so I'm sure they're next. Good luck with yours. $12,000+ in repairs in the last 75K miles. I'm looking for a ditch to park mine in.

As a side note - I recently purchased an 01 V-10 Excursion with 65K miles and love it.

 

[ModMech]

The 6.0L was, overall, a decent engine. They make WAY more power than the 6.2L/6.5L GMs and are more reliable as well. They are not *as reliable* as the 7.3L and that caused a lot of problems.

How are they not as reliable? The main factor is the added electrical complexity for emissions reasons, we are not going to get away from electronics on diesels, but they get better every year! The bigger "problem" came not from the engine itself, but the fact that LOTS of owners were used to achieving 50% power increases with the 7.3L PSDs w/o any engine problems at all! Well, the 6.0L does NOT appreciate "hop up" parts or tuning, not one bit ad they bite hard when you try to get more power from them. Stock, they are GREAT.

I have been working on and with the 6.0L (same as the VT365 in an International) since they first came out and have YET to see a blown HG with my own eyes. I have no doubts that an engine or two has failed a HG, I just have not seen one myself. That is not to say I have not seen engines with the heads off for HG replacement, it's just that the tech couldn't SHOW me where it/they was leaking or failed.

EGR coolers are a problem and the most common cause of HG replacements BY FAR. When the EGR cooler fails you get exhaust gasses in the cooling system (dye tests fail indicating "combusion gasses in coolant" which are incorrectly assumed to be because of a HG or cracked head). The EGR coolers are fed out of the oil cooler, which has small coolant passages. Dirt and debris can clog the oil cooler on the coolant side restricting flow to the EGR cooler causing it to overheat and fail.

If you want your 6.0L to "live long and prosper", do not tune it or install "hop up" parts of ANY kind and keep your fluids in good condition.

PS: Change BOTH fuel filters at EVERY service!

 

[Dmace]

The 6.0L was, overall, a decent engine. They make WAY more power than the 6.2L/6.5L GMs and are more reliable as well.

Are you really comparing the 2003-2009 Ford 6.0l to the 1982-2000 GM 6.2/6.5l diesels...? :laughing:
Yeah, no kidding it makes WAY more power as it should. Now if you were to compare it to the GM diesel of the same year (ex: 6.6l LLY), then you would see the Duramax makes 310HP/605ft.lb vs the Ford's 6.0l 325HP/570lb.ft.

Yeah the Ford 6.0l also makes WAY more power then the 1989 Dodge Cummins at 160HP/400ft.lb but that doesn't make it a good engine. The 6.0l is THE engine that caused the massive recall and warranty problems that ended the long engine contracts between Ford and International, even calling it a "decent" engine is a stretch...

 

[ModMech]

The vast majority of 6.0Ls have had few if any problems. Those that have had significant problems are not uncommon and in many cases related to one or a combination of factors such as: Hop-up parts, poor diagnostics, incorrect fuel system service, extended oil change intervals, early injector quality problems and less commonly engine harness problems.

There were multiple "recalls" and most were for programming inprovements. This is very common in the automotive industry and cannot be held against a product as a defect.

The GM 6.2L/6.5L engines were true cr@p, not because they were under powered, because they didn't last. Needing an IP or injectors is completely different than needing a complete engine OH at 100k. There weren't all that many people screaming about a lack of quality or durability with them, but they sure do with the "better" 6.0L. Go figure.

Overall the 6.0L is not a bad engine at all, it's not the *best* by a long shot either, but that catagory is filled with various engines from every manufacturer that no one shy's away from. I wouldn't NOT buy a 6.0L, unless it was tooned or modded.