6.0 insider tells all.

[Silver]

My dad has an 01 Excursion with the 7. 3L. He has about 33,000 miles on it. It has been to the dealer 3 times and they cannot work out the electrical bugs. No real mechanical problems, only electrical. When I first bought mine, I used to tell him how much better the engine and suspension on mine was... We used to go back and forth about whose is better. Now that mine has more mileage than his, and I have had no problems, he is starting to realize he got screwed.



His rattles... Mine is still as tight as when I bought it

He still has electrical probs... My fuel guage is out(He doesn't know this)

He gets about 14 to 16MPG... I get 18 to 19. 5



I'm glad I bought a Dodge.

 

[JStieger]

Before I purchased my '03 Ram so satisfy my Cummins cravings, I visited the local Ford dealership 2 months ago to check out the new 6. 0. The sales manager there told me to stick with the last of the 7. 3 should I decide to purchase a new Ford. They had 2 new 6. 0 on the delivery truck a week before that they couldn't even start to drive off the truck. He said that he sent them back and he wasn't impressed.



2 weeks later at work I had a contractor visit me about some possible projects and he had new Ford 6. 0 "King Ranch" that he couldn't stop gushing about when I asked him about it - "quiet... 22 mpg pulling this big trailer... awesome auto transmission"). But you never know with contractors since they can be the biggest BS artists anyway. I'll be seeing this guy again tomorrow so I'll ask him for an update.



Incidentally, before my '03 I owned a '95 Ford 3/4 ton 4x4 gasser that has been nothing but good to me the past 8 years. I just dropped her off at the proud new owner's home tonight! A big part of that great ownership experience, though, was because I was very fortunate to have only dealt with 2 top-notch service departments (boils down to good service managers that know their stuff), which seems to be more the exception than the norm these days.

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by Dl5treez



I had a customer ask me the other day why I drive a Dodge and work for Ford---like "how could I??" I explained how I have 104,000 relatively problem free miles, and his $47,000 6. 0 beast was back on a hook at 349 miles!!! (egr valve stuck open, icp failed, reflash) He shut his hole after that

Man if I was a customer that would scare the crap out of me

 

[Sled Puller]

The main difference between Ford and Dodge guys:



We admit we have some problems, and we work together to figure out the best way to solve them.



They deny ANYTHING EVER goes wrong with the Ford, and try to cover up its shortcomings.

I have seen this action from the Ford camp clear back into school, in 1980s, I expect it goes much farther back.

 

[Johnboy3]

I think the biggest problem with the Powerstroke engines is that Ford can't keep their grubby hands off them. They run fine and last long when in Complete IH trim. As soon as Ford starts sticking their electronics on them, the problems start. The 6. 0 in IH trucks has been out for well over a year before they went into the pickups. So it isn't a completely untested motor.



There are a few new 6. 0's running around here. I talk to the guys that own them usually weekly, and they haven't had any problems so far. They have been pretty happy with the motor/auto trans combo so far. We'll see what happens down the road.



We have 5 Powerstroke pickups that are work trucks. We have had very little problems with them so far. Dad's truck had a couple of injectors go bad and my crew cab's fuel heater burnt out at 145K miles. But other then that we have had no real issues with the engines. I'm the only one that changes the oil in mine at every 5k miles. I crinch to think of the last oil change in the rest of the pickups. They just keep driving them.

 

[Sled Puller]

Johnboy thinks Denial is a river in France... ... .....

 

[HVAC]

Penalty Flag Goes Down

15 yard penalty on Sled Puller for unnecessary roughness



Johnboys opinion counts and the penalty will be assessed at the first sled pull of the year:-laf :-laf

 

[Sled Puller]

Hes going to need more than 45 feet to catch me this year, silly Forder... .

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

I was just talking about the ford camps coverups yesterday. Three people I know had a failure and didnt fess up. I tell you if my truck is screwing up I tell the whole world. Maybe thats where the dillusions come from. Ford never has a failure(nobody admits too). Dodge is complete junk(most dodge owners arent brand loyalists and admit to problems). My dodge has had more than its fair share of problems. Would I switch to ford. Hmm. I do like the sound of a 6 liter psd(without the bugs). My dads ford work truck has cost about as much as mine to maintain at about the same mileage. So i think its a toss up. He works his but doesnt tow over 5 k. Its loaded with tools about 1. 5 tons. I drive as bad as one can without grenading parts on a daily basis. I push the envelope. Difficult to say. I buy when the price is right and the truck fits me.

I got this truck 10 grand cheaper than I coulda got a psd. So if the prices of used cummins are reasonable I like their upgradability. With all the money I save buying it I can turn her into a rip snorting cummins with a bullet proof transmission.



By the way my pos transmission has 180k on it. The guy I work with has a psd that made it to 130k. Whos is better. Whos is worse. Im on my second, turned up. Hes on his second, stock. I have an aftermarket tc. He does not need one.

It seems to me that the trucks are more comparable than either camp lets on.

 

[Badunit]

I just spent about an hour over at TheDieselStop http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/ . Man, those 6. 0's seem to be having some problems. Power & MPG loss, oil leaks, exhaust droning, computer problems, etc. plus problems with the trucks in general. Sounds like people are taking them into the dealer repeatedly for these things with no resolution. We have our problems too but ours are insignificant compared to the ones I read about over there. Sounds awful. But they are a loyal bunch over there; they bash anyone who complains that they think their 6. 0 has too many problems.

 

[Johnboy3]

Two things:



1. 65% of the problems on the Diesel Stop site on the new trucks are from guys who read too much on the net. Every single odd injection noise they here sends them off to the dealer. Letting the truck idle for an hour in morning doesn't compute in their heads at the end of the day when trying to figure out why they're not getting the mileage they should.



2. I'm willing to wager there are way more 6. 0 Strokes in Superduties then there are new common rail 5. 9's in the new Dodge wrappers on the road. If you take a look at the numbers on each board for the new engines forums, you will see that there are about 90% more posts and threads in on the Ford site. However, there are only about a little better then twice as many problem posts. Sounds to me like there are just that many more Fords out there. Simple reasoning and laws of probability tell us that there will be more posted problems on the Ford site.



BTW Gene, the only place I'll need 45ft is past the 300 mark to get the sled and the monster pulling it stopped.

 

[Sled Puller]

I'VE PUT 315 FEET ON YOU BEFORE, I RECKON I CAN DO IT AGAIN!!!!!

 

[Johnboy3]

I would call it more like 295 feet. The pieces of my front axle made it atleast 20 feet. I think parts count as distance.

 

[HVAC]

Johnboy3

I'm on your side, how can I help

 

[Sled Puller]

You lose that footage, because I had to pick up the parts.

 

[Straight6Jeff]

Update on the guy I know with the new 6. 0. He got it back two weeks ago after the new ICP (DA) and the reflashes. Ran great up til Sunday. Going across a busy intersection, the truck just died off idle. Now the intersection is usually busy, but being sunday, it was empty. Someones gonna get t-boned when it stalls during a busy intersection.

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by Johnboy3

Two things:



1. 65% of the problems on the Diesel Stop site on the new trucks are from guys who read too much on the net. Every single odd injection noise they here sends them off to the dealer. Letting the truck idle for an hour in morning doesn't compute in their heads at the end of the day when trying to figure out why they're not getting the mileage they should.

I think you might have something there. My Brother-in-law has a 2002 PSD. He just drives it, as long as it starts and runs that is all he cares about. I've ridden in it and it cackles. He doesn't care or even pay attention. He did not even change the fuel filter yet and it has 30K miles on it. I think he is a typical Ford/Dodge owner. Ignorance is bliss

 

[FATCAT]

I think the biggest problem with the Powerstroke engines is that Ford can't keep their grubby hands off them.

Why doesn't Ford just contract out to put the DT 466's in there new trucks and be done with it. No big engine redesign effort, no big money sucking project to build the 5-speed auto, just contract out to Eaton.



Why do Auto companies always have to develop the motor/trany/driveline/etc... components them selves, just deal with companies who expert in this stuff ... then all they have to do is make sure the frame excepts the stuff and assemble it ... done!!!



I think seeing a F350/450/550 with a DT466 badge on the side would be very nice, with a Eaton/Fuller knob on the shifter.

 

[Sled Puller]

Becuase nothing Ford makes or buys could handle the tq, weight of a 466.



They would have to redsegin their notoriously weak frames, and detune the engine so much it wouldn't run.



No doubt it would be too loud for their them, also.

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

I was just thinkin bout that sled puller. They musta strenghtened em some cause that new 6. 0 is throwin out some pretty mean numbers. Maybe they went hydroformed too.