"Eisboch" wrote in message
...

"Shortwave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

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

"RG" wrote in message
news:zGhnf.10841$fz5.5088@dukeread04...


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




Good advice. I am going to see how this repair works out because otherwise
I like the truck very much. I agree with all you said - mine's a 350 -
little stiffer springs but still yields a nice ride. It was interesting
that the salesman wanted to find the build date because I've heard "rumors"
that there was a major flaw in the engine design that was corrected after a
certain date.

Thanks,

Eisboch

Good advice. I am going to see how this repair works out because
otherwise I like the truck very much. I agree with all you said - mine's
a 350 - little stiffer springs but still yields a nice ride. It was
interesting that the salesman wanted to find the build date because I've
heard "rumors" that there was a major flaw in the engine design that was
corrected after a certain date.


I believe the 6.0 came out in the 2003 model year, and for a while you could
purchase an '03 with either the 7.3 or the 6.0. The early 6.0's were indeed
fraught with problems, but as I understand it, most of those issues were
worked out by the 2004 model year, and by the 2005 model year, things were
essentially as good as the 7.3 ever was, at least in terms of reliability.
The approximate build date of your truck is printed on a sticker on the
trailing edge of the driver's door, in the format mm/yy. The exact build
date of your engine can be read on the sticker on the Fuel Injection Control
Module in the format dd/mm/yy. The label on the FICM is difficult to read,
but doable. You'll find the FICM on the driver's side of the engine near
the firewall under the coolant recovery tank. My engine has a build date of
October 22, 2004 and a the sticker on the door reads 10/04.

Here's what the FICM looks like:

http://dan.prxy.org/Truck/6L_bible_h.../Page_010.html

I'd be interested to hear what the current diagnosis is, as well as the
dealer's remedy.