Who is incorrect..The Ford dealer or me? (sorry long)

[wcaldwell]

Dl5treez,



Looked like most of the service guys were trying to give good information and make proper recommendations to owner's questions.



Do we Cummins guys have a site like this one you linked to?



Wayne

 

[Dane]

I work at a dealership. Your boss is kinda gullible. Any service manager that told a prospective customer that the product they sell has problems would be fired. Of course the sales person is going to say the stories are false, it's his/her job. That's like asking the waitress/waiter if the food is good

 

[C. Harlan]

I had a member of this board call me today, he's got a fleet of Fords at work. He was on his way to the dealership (ford) for the 3rd time with a 6. 0 diesel. None had over 10,000 miles, all were 03's... stumbling, gooey oily mess in the radiator, and so on, the same "rumors" that the guys at the diesel stop are swearing by. One of them wouldn't even get to 60 mph, with his foot planted firmly on the floor.

Ok. . Here's the rundown so far...



1) 2003 F-550 reg cab utility bed/bucket truck with 16,000 miles, had #7 injector failure. Has been to dealer in past for faulty injectors.



2) 2003 F-550 Crew Cab Utility bed/ Bucket truck with 26,000 miles, had 2 injectors out. Has been to dealer before for faulty injectors.



3) 2003 F-550 Reg Cab/ Stakebed, 9,200 miles, ON MOTOR #2 ALREADY, has sludge for coolant, leading me to think it is a blown headgasket.





I think this speaks for itself y'all. I was really impressed with the way these things run EMPTY and STOCK, but with a full load on there, they have no get up and go. Bottom line is, if you are hellbent on a 6. 0, opt for a 2003 with a 7. 3, or a 2004 with the 6. 0... Still not saying much, but to each their own.



I just recently accepted a position in the Fleet Operations department at work, and I am dreading the day the 6. 0's are no longer warranty. Since I had surgery recently, I am the one delivering the vehicles to and from the dealerships, and service centers.





-Chris-

 

[RonWeiss]

Try posting your question at the diesel stop web site. Tell them just like you told us and see what their replys are.



I'll bet you, to a man that they would say stay away from that 03 6. 0L.



And these are die hard Ford lovers.



Ron w.

 

[Big_Daddy_T]

Even better would be an OASIS report. Ford keeps track of everything from the moment it was bought to the first repair. This thing has obviously spent a lot of time in the shop. It will be on there.

Im glad he has decided not too. A late 04 model 6. 0 should be fine. The biggest problems have been eliminated. Like the other poster hinted the fixes on the 04 were more than a reflash. I think they changed as much as 100 different things. Even moddified the turbo and fuel system. Its too bad the 03s turned out so bad. The injectors were its biggest failing. The first 1000 engines built went thru 3 sets of injectors before they left the building. Ford should of waited on the launch but chevy and dodge were wittling away at their market share. Those ford boys sure are loyal though. Gotta give em credit for loving their blue oval.

My ford dealer experience was pretty good. My last ford was in the shop a little more than I liked but the dealer was fantastic. I was on my way to buy a toyota tundra when I saw my 98 dodge. It was love at first site. What can I say. Im a sucker for inline sixes. Although Ive made several attempts to get another ford but the dealer never works with me. I can haggle for days but they stonewall me. Thats ok. Dodge doesnt mind the business Im sure. Sooner or later CAL is gonna get tired of buying me dvd players and digital cameras and Ill get another ford. Never had anything against em sept for discontinuing the 300.

 

[DPelletier]

I still have three 300 sixes. Great motors.



Dave

 

[ndurbin]

First truck I had was a 1980 F150 w/ a 300 six. It was/still is pretty tough.



Even the wifes car (Geo Tracker ) is an inline. It's a gutless wonder but at 20 mpg intown and 30+ on the highway I'm not going to complain right now.



Nathan

 

[C. Harlan]

UPDATE!

Friday, I picked up one with 1 injector out... . 22,??? miles (Didnt really pay attention) F-250 Ex Cab



Today, I picked up another F-250 Ex Cab with a bad wiring harness... 10,027 on the clock.



I am still waiting on the bad one with the sludge in the coolant to get fixed.



So far the score is 4 rejects, one pending.



If you ever want to know about the life of new cars, go straight to the service counter before dealing with the salesmen. the Service guys will tell you straight up.



I am not trying to start a brand war by any means, but rather I feel this information is essential to those who may be interested in the bad's of the 6. 0. I am sure there are lots of good ones out there, but being at the service counter, you only see the bad ones. Oh well, I will keep y'all posted on all the 6. 0's coming and going!



-Chris-

 

[C. Harlan]

One of the first 4 I picked up the previous week has once again been admitted, and released, along with yet another truck! The one which was admitted for a second time had 2 more injectors replaced, a new Injector pump, along with a fuel pump... 12,004 Miles on the clock.



The other one had 1 bad injector as well. . Not sure how many miles on it, but that tacks onto the score card I am keeping for these trucks!



On the truck with the sludge in the coolant, they diagnosed it as a blown oil cooler. 9,??? miles, and on motor #2. I will keep y'all updated!



-Chris-

 

[rbattelle]

jgillott - what ever happened with this?



-Ryan

 

[jgillott]

Wow. . I forgot about this thread.



So here is the one year update. My boss ended up leasing an '05 crew cab Ford with the 6. 0L Powerstroke. He actually didn't make a deal until May. So, it took him almost a year to make up his mind. There is a little funny story that goes along with it.



Last August, we received 25 new medium duty Internationals at work that are powered by the Navistar VT-365. By the end of December, we already had 2 catastrophic failures (rod through the block) and 4 down with head gasket failures. Keep in mind that these happened at approximately 8-9K on the trucks. By June of this year, 12 of the original 25 are still on the road in their original condition. There has been another with a broken rod, 5 more with head gasket issues, and one more with a blown turbo. To this point, they are just starting to turn 20K.



So, getting back to my boss. He was obviously seeing first hand what several of us were trying to tell him about the reliability of the Navistar engine design. To his credit, he actually went out and test drove numerous Dodge and GM trucks in various configurations over the winter before he decided on the Ford. When it came down to it, he just wanted that Ford. From what I understand, he decided to go with the lease so that he would not be tempted to keep the truck beyond the warranty period. I'm not sure that I agree on the whole thing, but he is a heck of a good guy and I didn't want to continue to hassle him over the issue.



On a side note, I've driven his truck several times now and it is quite a comfortable unit. I'm sure that he will enjoy it as long as it holds together for him.



Justin

 

[WyattEarp]

I have a person i work with that has a brand new 04 psd with new 6. 0 he came to me last week asking about the Cummins because he knows i have one and he has had so much trouble with the Ford he is going crazy, this guy well his family has a large cattle business also and he needs something dependable.

The following is what he has told me about his ford with 16000 miles on it...

1. been to 3 different dealers

2. has intercooler leak(can't fix)

3. Water in fuel(runs rough every time he fuels up)

4. Surge in engine, pulsing while driving

5. Possible turbo shaft or bearing going bad(making noise at shutdown) i told him to check propeller shaft if he could for movement

6. rear main oil seal leak(refer to #1 above, still leaking)

7. when got truck had high air intake(aftermarket) put on and a box due to truck had no pulling power from get go.

8. every time he starts the truck its a new adventure in whats it going to do or not going to do next( told him i might be possesed) :-laf

He is to the point of basically trying to get rid of it and to get a cummins, he asked me about the new 600 cummins, told him from what i understand those engines are not having any problems with the engines, their doing good(take in mind i have my 24valve and don't need to know about anymore trucks). He has been shopping around for a dodge, now take in mind this guy has the money and really don't need to be working but is a good guy and works hard no matter what, told him he would be taking a loss but if it were me and i had that headache to deal with i would opt for a Cummins that is 2yr older and with alot of miles on it, regardless.

Told them there is one way, drain 7qts of oil out, sieze 'er up and put oil back in, now i know thats wrong but i'll be damned if i would put up with that out of any brand vehicle, and 3 dealers have no idea what the problem is with the leak or the pulse surging its doing... I mean Cmon

 

[nickleinonen]

Told them there is one way, drain 7qts of oil out, sieze 'er up and put oil back in,

that is only about 1/2 the oil in the psd sump... if he does this, make sure to really heat the oil that is drained out to get it to burn somewhat [oxidize] before pouring it back in... if he toasts the engine and pours in fresh oil, they will know something is up

 

[WyattEarp]

if it keeps up its current track he won't have to do anything LOL... He is beyond the point of caring by now.

 

[jrobinson2]

Told them there is one way, drain 7qts of oil out, sieze 'er up and put oil back in

I've been told a Powerstroke will stop fireing the injectors before the oil gets low enough to hurt the engine... ...



Jared

 

[dslmacdown]

I've been told a Powerstroke will stop fireing the injectors before the oil gets low enough to hurt the engine... ...



Jared

True,

No oil = no way to fire the injectors



I have seen powerstrokes run weird being only a quart and a half low, they won't run if you have the wrong kind or weight of oil.

 

[jgillott]

For those of you who were following this thread from the beginning, the '05 6. 0L Ford that my friend leased earlier this year just came back from a complete long block engine replacement. The original engine locked up at 9600 miles. More details to come...

 

[JoshPeters]

For those of you who were following this thread from the beginning, the '05 6. 0L Ford that my friend leased earlier this year just came back from a complete long block engine replacement. The original engine locked up at 9600 miles. More details to come...

:-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf :-laf

 

[Rescue Ram]

Bummer for the boss.

 

[mlewis73]

There's PLENTY of information out there about Ford's disaster otherwise known as the 2003 and early 2004 SuperDuty truck with the 6. 0L diesel engine.



Check out www.thedieselstop.com for starters.



Then, do a web search on 6. 0/Ford/problems and you'll find NUMEROUS articles written in auto magazines, etc. , that describe the MANY problems with the 6. 0.



It is the number 2 reason I'm planning on a Dodge purchase this year. The number 1 reason is because I just want a Cummins and feel betrayed by Ford. Their quality has gone through the floor the past few years, and they can't put a good engine in a truck for a price that a guy with a college degree (soon to be 2 of them--a master's) can afford.



Dodge has a quad cab that suits my needs and LOTS of nice options for $32,000. That includes the nav system, in a truck with SLT trim. By contrast, Ford's extended cab is too small. Their crewcab is nice but is too expensive. Interior quality on the '06 trucks STINKS. So... I was kinda compelled to break 10 years of tradition and buy something other than a Ford.



If Dodge wants my business again in 2016, then the 2006 I'm buying better last and better not nickle and dime me to death while I'm making payments after the 3/36 warranty has ended.



Mike