"Eisboch" wrote in message
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"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
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6 liter diesel?
Yup. After the first breakdown I did a bunch of internet searching and
found that this engine, introduced in 2003 to replace the 7.3 L, has had
some serious teething issues but the 2005's (mine) are supposed to have
the problems resolved. It is, however, scheduled to be replaced with yet
another engine in 2007. I also searched GMC and Dodge diesel forums and
found both of them are full of horror stories of problems with the GM
Duromax engines and, in the case of Dodge, transmissions as well. BTW,
Ford sells as many diesel powered trucks as GMC and Dodge combined on a
yearly basis.
You sort of have to take what you read on the internet automotive forums
with a grain of salt. The number of people who take the time to praise
their vehicles on these forums is quite small when compared to the people
who are more than happy to take the time to bitch about whatever problems
they've had. In other words, it's hardly an unbiased sampling. I'm very
sorry to hear about the problems with your truck, Richard. I owned a 2000
7.3 F250 SuperDuty which was not a daily driver, but more of a tow vehicle
for the boat and weekend driver. In 5 years, I only put 50,000 miles on it,
but they were all trouble-free. In December 2004, I traded it for a 2005
model of the same truck with the 6.0 liter PowerStroke. Again, only about
10,000 miles since the trade, but they have all been trouble free. In fact,
the only work that's been done to it are oil and filter changes. As much as
I liked the 7.3, the 6.0 liter is so much more refined, as is the 2005 truck
over the 2000 model (both Lariats). The 6.0 liter behaves completely
different than the 7.3. It doesn't have near the low rpm grunt as the 7.3,
but get it above 1500 rpm and it's all there and then it winds almost like a
gasser. As a highway cruiser, the 6.0 is far superior. Much quieter and a
better powerband than the 7.3. As a stump puller, hard to beat the 7.3.
Much improved suspension on the 2005 model, as well as a much tighter
turning radius for the 4X4's. Point being, in spite of your troubles, it
might be premature to second-guess your purchase decision.
It was a smart move having the truck towed to the selling dealer. It sounds
like they will do whatever it takes to make things right and put your bad
luck behind you.
If you haven't found this place already, here's what I consider the best of
the Ford Truck forums:
http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/
And to a lesser extent:
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/index.php