I'm an EMT and my company bought a bunch of new F-350 ambulances to replace our out of date and horribly inefficient ford V10s. My 2021 F350 7.3 V8 Ambulance has over 100k miles as of 3/1/23 with almost no issues besides a catalytic clog. It's been ran to the ground with medics testing its guts by red-lining the hell out of it in 100+ degree weather, popping it into neutral and then back into drive at 60 MPH, and redlining while still cold in -5 degree weather, time after time. This is the best engine ford has made thus far. Take that for what you will.
Thanks @Pio - this is great to hear! Real-world use is the best type of actual comments that I like to see. Sounds like your team has put the truck/engine through the ringer and it's holding up as advertised. Thanks for sharing.
Hi guys, Im a Truck Mechanic at a Local Ford Dealership. From January 2023 to May 2023 i have replaced a total of 4 of those 7.3L Log Blocks for the same concern. I have only worked on 4 vehicles with that engine and all had to be replaced after teardown inspection. So far Ford has not issued anything regarding a known issue with this engine, but every time i request the new Longblocks they arrive pretty quick, like if they are expecting this to happen. Nice video and great info man.
Thanks for watching and leaving the comment. It's nice to have some inside information from you - someone who is seeing it first hand at the dealership. We really appreciate you letting us know. Keep us posted as you see/hear more.
I'm real happy with mine. I just turned 10,000 miles on it yesterday. It does what I need. It hauls my tractor just fine. And it sound real good when I mash on it! I ran diesels for over 20 years and I ain't looking back!
Every time I drive it, especially towing - I'm amazed. But even on long road trips empty, it's still an amazing truck. th-cam.com/video/SvPcL6s2yNk/w-d-xo.html
Good video. My 3 F350 with the 7.3 have not had any issues and all 3 have well over 40,000 miles. I'm not saying the problem doesn't exist but so far I haven't had that problem. 🙂
Thanks for the video, I'm waiting to take delivery of the exact same truck in a 2023. Not going to lie, it does make me nervous and its something I'll have to watch. BUT, I know RAM had similar issues with both the 5.7 and 6.4 HEMI gas engines so, I mean what the heck can you do? walk everywhere?.. Really appreciate your time and effort on these videos. Good luck.
Good video! I own a 2021 F350 Lariat, it has 56,435 miles on it. Daily driver and has not had any problems so far,🤞🏻I too have Ford do 100% of the service. I change the oil at 5k religiously. So far so good!
Only 10300 miles on my 22f250 bought it brand new and no issues at all with this truck. we love it ! heard it was the cab and chassis trucks that were having this problem but you know some people just love to complain . been a ford guy all my life and im not worried, been plenty of all the brands having a plethora of issues. nothing new.
That's what I've heard too - the cab and chassis trucks. But I wonder if they put different components in those engines - or if those applications are different running conditions. Thanks for watching! I'm hopeful it's much ado about nothing!
I've got a 2022 Super Duty with the 7.3, just had my first oil change at the dealership at 3,000 miles. So far I've had no issues. I ordered it new, waited 10 months to get it, so far, I'm very happy with it. Thanks for putting your time in on this, I will follow along and add input if I have any. I got it to tow my toy hauler and boat, prior to this I've had 3 or 4 F-150's and the toy hauler seemed just a bit to heavy for them. Feels much better / safer towing it now.
I'm sad to say this but we brought this on ourselves. Car buyers have lowered their standard immensely in the last decades, you guys will pay whatever ridiculous amount if it looks nice, has fancy tech and "power" that most of you never really use. I remember a friend being "brand disappointed" that his car failed after 10 years although being regularlly maintained. In Europe we used to keep them for 15-20 years. Now people make 10k miles reviews praising the car for being sooo reliable :))
I can't say I disagree. I wish we would/could have kept our old vehicles longer. I had a 1983 Ford Bronco that was my favorite vehicle ever. Unfortunately, things just don't last forever and have to be replaced with newer models eventually. Even though I loved that 1983 Bronco - the frame was rusting through (our PA winters with salt hurt the steel), the body was nearing the point of not passing our annual state vehicle inspections. And we like the safety features of the new vehicles to keep our family safe. That old Bronco had no anti-lock brakes, no air bags - not even shoulder seat belts in the rear seats. It didn't even have headrests in the front seats (which can prevent severe neck injuries). So while the Bronco lasted me a long time - we needed to upgrade. And while we liked lots about our 17 year old 2005 F350, that diesel engine was so problematic it wasn't worth keeping (soaking more money into).
I already found a easy solution. Before the 36k bumper-to-bumper warranty is up buy a factory extended for powertrain. It doesn't cost that much. That's what I'm going to do.
My 2000 BMW 528i is still running awesomely. I do nearly all the MX and repair and in 100k, there have been very few. My '99 4Runner is similarly reliable with 188K on the clock.
I have a 2020 F250 with the 7.3, with 28,000 miles on it. I use it to pull a 7,000 pound travel trailer. I've pulled the tailer approximately 2,000 thousand miles along the east coast NY, Del, NC, and Massachusetts. When not doing that it's used around town. I haven't had any problems. I maintain it better than the manual calls for. I am very happy with it. I like your video, I am gonna watch more of them....
I had 2006 F350 6.0 dually with 301,000 miles and it was an amazing truck. No problems, just normal wear, 4 of 8 injectors @ 148K, replaced all, no tranny service or issues etc. Although, I changed oil @ 3500k (most peeps thought that was excessive....not me). The only mod was EGR delete. Awesome truck, now I have the 2021 F-250 7.3, I hope it will be just as reliable, only time will tell but, I will be praying.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 6.0! That’s great. There was a lot we really liked about our 2005 - but we just couldn’t get that 6.0 to work for us. We tried for 17 years - but couldn’t take any more. I think part of the problem was that we actually didn’t drive the truck regularly enough. You certainly did a lot of oil changes on that Powerstroke! That’s 15 quarts at a time! :) I hope you and I both have your good luck with these 7.3s!
Same hear had x2 6.o f350s no problems ever delete egr at 50k for safety sake .Other than service work no problems over 200k towing hd for my excavation business.
2021 F250 7.3 49950 miles no issues. I bought a 2004 F350 6.0 diesel new had it 18 yrs just sold it . Had several problems it was a great truck but no more diesel for me. The 7.3 gas engine pulls as good as my diesel ever did. Love the new Godzilla engine and I pull heavy loads every week 8000 to 12000 lbs.
This is great and exactly what I've been hearing from others! I agree- we don't regret switching from the 6.0 to the Godzilla 7.3. We do miss some aspects of the 2005 F350 - but not that engine.
I'm coming from an 06 6.0 diesel bulletproofed 2 years ago now it's broke down saying possibly valve springs or needs new motor smh I'm over diesel been a money pit with my 6.0
I've got 25k on my 22 F350 7.3 gas. I changed the oil myself at 1500, 3000 and every 4500 miles since. I use Motorcraft oil and Wix filter. I absolutely love the truck and the engine is nothing short of amazing. The internet forums are filled with complainers and people with way too much time on their hands and very little real world experience. They piss and moan about the super duty riding too stiff, the transmission isn't smooth enough and on and on. The people you never hear from are the guys out working long hours every day and putting 35,000 trouble free miles on their truck every year.
I tow heavy weekly with my 2020 f250 7.3 , 60k miles, like you said its an amazing powerhouse that won't quit. The 10 speed tranny is very intelligent and you will notice most if your a weekly tow guy like me. I want another one.
@berserker406my truck is doing fine 41k 2022 all driven by me and I drive it like I stole it! Especially when I found out how to unleash all the power thru the traction button.
I have 48k on my Godzilla. The engine has been great but unfortunately I'm having transmission issues with the 10R140. They're fixing it under warranty per TSB 21-2420. Personally, I think Ford is playing games with the oil life /service interval recommendations. When my oil life hits 50% I start planning on changing it. My next oil change I'm going to send an oil sample in for analysis.
Just change your oil every 5000 miles. It's cheap insurance. My 22 year old nissan frontier was serviced every 3000 and it was clean as a whistle inside when I changed the valve cover seals. I change the oil in my 2016 tundra at 5000, even though they call for 10,000 mile intervals.
That sucks Warren, I saw you on TFLT and I was wondering what the outcome was. I have the same truck, so I'm hoping I don't have this problem as well. 🤞
There is a tuner. Will be coming out soon for transmission only the guy designing it is the best in the business for the 10 speed to fix the issues with them not lasting..
Improper valve lash or valve float can cause the same issue. If the lifter is leaving contract with the cam roller at any point, the valve spring slams the lifter back into the cam and is basically hammering the roller into the cam. This could also be a oil pressure issue, the Godzilla has a variable oil pump. The gauge on the dash is basically an idiot light that trips at 8psi. The loss of oil pressure at higher rpm will effect the backlash. I am not 100% convinced that is a lifter or cam materials problem.
I was thinking along similar lines, I know they are using tall valve springs, wonder if they are good when compressed but get a "little light" towards the end letting the roller skip.
@@berserker406 It's a big-block V8 in a 3/4 ton or larger truck. If you gave a damn about economy, you'd be driving something else. So why sweat the FE so much, Ford?
@matthewholzmueller6292 Ford claimed they selected extra tall springs in order to increase valve spring life. The Godzilla valves experience very high lift - something like 0.5" on the intake and 0.6" on the exhaust
Would have to be laminated to de-laminate, that failure mode is called spalling. It's a fatigue failure that initiates below the surface of the material and creates a small crack that then propagates and causes a piece of material to spall or flake off
Literally did not help anyone by chiming in with your wording change while the OP is helping hundreds or thousands of people by taking the time to post a video on this possibly overstated "issue".
I'm right at 5k miles with my 7.3L. I have noticed this problem coming up more lately. I bought the 100k mile service contract when I bought this thing though. Fingers crossed but I'm not going to lose sleep over it regardless of what happens. I did an oil change at 2500 miles and will probably do another one early. Makes me feel better.
I'm right with you, I changed at 3K, and will every 5K regardless if I'm towing, or unloaded. I plan on getting the ESP through Flood Ford soon, but waiting until the dealership tries to fix a couple nuisance issues first. For some reason the Ford app says my truck is in deep sleep mode to conserve battery power because it' says it's low even from day one. The charging pad for my phone while it lights up, does not actually charge, and my rear seat 400w AC outlet does not work.
@@niceatrya3477 mine did the deep sleep thing from day one. There's a software upgrade you can have done to the truck to prevent this but I haven't had time to take it in for it. There's a channel I follow up on here that gives you real repair experiences and he explained it in a video one day. Powerstroke tech talk w/ Arod
I usually don’t go for the extended warranties. But I was definitely glad to find a truck with the Ford Blue Oval Gold Certified used protections. I hope I never need it - but it’s nice to have in my back pocket.
@@PurpleCollarLife that may have been legitimate. I knew mine was BS because I trickle charged my battery and drove the truck for 20 mins and the message came back. I knew that wasn't far enough to kill the battery that much. And then I later found it to be a nuisance message.
18729 miles. 2022 super duty. I just recently heard about this and it has me bummed completely out. I needed this video to help talk me in off the ledge. Thanks!! Fingers crossed we’ll see how this goes.
Glad to help. We're all just waiting to either confirm that we made a great decision with a truck that is reliable and impressive - or we made a mistake buying a truck/engine manufactured during a pandemic and counting on the dealership to take care of us. I truly believe that it's not as large an issue as what people are making it sound online.
Thanks for sharing. I have been on the fence as to weather I would upgrade from my 2015 6.2l to the 7.3l. Other than regular maintenance the two 6.2l F-250's I have owned have been rock solid, with more than enough power for our use. I think you may be right about the internet blowing the issue out of proportion, but for me it's still a potential deal breaker, at least for the first couple years of production. That being said, any first gen engine runs the risk of a failures. I am fairly certain that Ford has quietly corrected that issue on newer models of the 7.3's.
Thanks for watching! So far, we’re really happy with the 7.3. Lots of pulling power. I have lots of friends with the 6.2 who wouldn’t trade them for the 7.3 though - just because they really like the 6.2
Im one of those with a failed lifter in a pickup, truck is all stock, started ticking around 10,000 miles and got real bad at 20,000 miles. My local dealer replaced the long block at 25,000 miles. No questions asked. Ford is well aware of the problem. My local dealer said they had a bunch of ambulances and motorhomes with failed lifters but my truck was the first pickup that they had done. whole body has to come off of the frame on a lift, etc....
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sorry to hear that your truck is one I've got to make the tally mark in the failure column. Good to know that Ford took care of it though.
I've got 20k on my 2021 F250 and no problems so far. Towed 8 times last year. 6 camping trips and 2 big loads of top soil in my utility trailer. I change my oil myself every 5 k miles and it always looks clean. I'm 59 and this is my 7th new Ford truck I've owned. I've had a V6 Ranger, a straight 6 F150, two 5.4 V8's, two 5.0's and now the 7.3. Knock on wood, but I've never had any engine issues with any of them. Maybe it could happen this time but hopefully not. Good luck to all of us!
Thanks for sharing! You've had lots of great Ford vehicles. That straight 6 Ford 300 engine is my favorite all-time. Tons of torque and very reliable. I had the 300 in my 1983 Ford Bronco. I also had a couple Broncos with the 351 Windsor engine. They were great too.
Nice (and I would say fair) review. I have a 2022 F250 Lariat with the 7.3 and have towed my 9K lb travel trailer over 24,000 miles, from the Midwest to the East Coast, to the Gulf Coast, to Arizona. I have not been over the Colorado Rockies yet but that is coming. Great truck, great engine, and the transmission has done a great job of maintaining speeds both up hill and down hill with the cruise control activated. The 2% failure rate from the cam and lifter problems is certainly something to keep an eye on but its my understanding the majority of those failures have been in commercial vehicles that idle a lot. I have experienced about 9.5 to 10 MPG while towing and about 16 MPG at highway speeds while not towing. In town I see about 10 MPG. However, considering the diesel is $8K more to purchase, has higher maintenance costs and only gets about 3 MPG better millage while towing, I think its a no brainer to go with this engine when you are towing less than 14K lbs
Thanks for sharing your experience! I agree entirely with the thought that unless you're towing daily and towing heavy - the 7.3 gas engine is a better option than a diesel (any brand).
Good to know cause I just bought a 9000lb trailer and glad to see it’s preforming. I got the 2023 F250 Lariat and will be traveling the same places. I didn’t buy gas because it was cheeper but but because of several of past experiences of not being able to find diesel when traveling and didn’t want to deal with def anymore either.
Normally I just thank the person who posted the video but thank you very much for this reply as well. I'm in the process of trying to decide on one that's available in Pennsylvania about 1100 miles from my house which puts the gas bill at around $2,000 just to get it back down to Houston. Pouring through all the comments to find if anyone actually has these delamination issues or if it's so uncommon that it's not even worth bothering with. I really don't want to buy a diesel because if I do I'm absolutely going to have to delete it so there will be my daily driver. I'm not going to deal with the problems that follow a non deleted daily driver. I've been there, done that and I'm not going to be broken down on the side of the freeway again just because of a darn sensor.
Thanks! We tried to make an informative video. We are one of those owners who love the truck - but also don't want to have to worry about this potential issue. I'm hearing less about it now - so I think it was just a lot of press/talk over a few isolated issues.
My 2021 F250 with the 7.3 has 39k on it with 1/3 of the miles towing a camper and so far the only issues we’ve experienced have been the plug wire fail and a small oil leak from the rear main oil seal plate.
Great video 21 7.3 11k no issues. So far when I pull the dip stick it's the cleanest oil I have ever seen even close to change time. I'm not going to worry about it. I saw the box truck video.
Having the dealership change your oil? Might be useful to have maintenance records in their shop when you have to threaten to sue to get warranty work done. Otherwise, I can not imagine not doing my own oil changes.
I've done my own oil changes most of the time with all our other vehicles (several of them we've made videos of on the channel). But with this newer truck/engine - I thought it would be wise to let the dealership do them for a while. Plus - it's often included with the purchase, so you might as well take advantage of the included ones.
Thanks for the video on the Godzilla. I have a 2017 F350 with the 6.7 Diesel. Despite only 34k miles or light duty use, the maintenance costs for it are alarming, especially for the DPF system. What I've read about the oil pump is also alarming. Selling it to get a newer F350 with the 7.3 gas engine is tempting, as long as I'm not just trading one set of problems for another. P.S. The rust on the tow hooks may well be because they were not plated from end to end, but held only partially immersed in the electroplating fluid.
I'd take my old black painted tow hooks back any day! All the problems and maintenance with the diesel are exactly why we decided to skip it in this truck. AND - the 7.3 certainly has the power that we need for our towing excursions. I just hope it holds up as long as it should. I could see this engine going 500,000 miles due to it's basic simplicity if the components are all up to spec and routine maintenance is performed.
Most of the issues are blown out of proportion. Had a expedition from new to 10 years and 150k miles, never had a powertrain or cam phaser failure. Still ran great when traded in, cracks me up when people say the 5.4 sucked when I had no mechanical issues performing oil changes every 4-5k miles using Motorcraft synthetic blend oil changes at the dealer. Same with a 2019 3.5 ecoboost f150, no issues yet performing oil changes in a timely manner. I’m curious what oil the “delaminated” engines used, haven’t had a problem using Motorcraft, Castrol, or Amsoil in any Ford/ Lincoln product I’ve owned. If you maintain a vehicle under the moderate/severe service intervals in the owners manual you should have a relatively trouble free 150-200k miles on a vehicle.
Same here. 2005 F150 fx4 5.4. Supposedly had all sorts of problems. Mot mine. I take care of it very well-change fluids religiously and i’ve run 93 octane since day 1. Just went over 202,000 miles. It was running just fine, but finally put a new timing kit on it last week. While I was in there I replaced the lifters and rockers (cams were fine), added hi-flow oil pump, new water pump, plugs, and vct’s. With any luck I’ll get another 100,000k out of her. Beats dropping $80k on a new one.
Hay PCL. I have a Ford F350 2021 with 44,000 miles on it. At 41,000 miles my check engine light came on while on my way from Michigan to Phoenix. I made an appointment at Bell Ford in Phoenix. They quickly diagnosed the problem as a delaminated Lifter. That damaged the cam. They repaired my engine replacing the cam and all lifters along with all of the other necessary items. It runs fine now. Covered by the 5 year 60,000 mile warranty. Personally I think this is all related to Covid quality issues. I am however concerned about the likelihood of another failure relating tho this issue. I have written Ford customer service on this and not heard back yet. The Technician at Bell Ford said this is the third one of these he has seen. I use my truck to haul my Truck Camper and pull my boat. Thanks for your information.
Just took my 2020 F-350 in to the dealer for a noise that I thought was the transmission. Turns out that they think that one or two of the lifters have collapsed. I have not noticed any change in power, but I haven't been pulling it hard for the last several months. I started hearing noises from the left side of the engine/transmission area at about 64,000 miles. Especially noisy when it's cold, and when the rpms were between 2000 and 3000 rpm (during up shifts). The truck now has 68,000 miles. Dealer called yesterday and said they are going to have to "tear it down to the point of failure" to determine exactly what is going on, but they think it's the lifters. I love this engine and transmission, but this is discouraging. I've always owned Ford diesels until I bought this truck. Can't stand the emission issues that most all diesels experience, and $1.00 to $1.80/gallon difference in the price of diesel just isn't worth it.
Sorry that you’re now having an issue. Will it be covered under warranty or TSB or something at that mileage? You’re right about the diesel - that’s exactly why we made the switch to the 7.3 gas Godzilla too!
@@Deep_South ended up with a basically new engine. Metal shavings throughout so they got a short-block and rebuilt my engine. Got the truck back at the end of April. Thinking about whether I soups trade out off or not. Only 25,000 miles left extended warranty….. oh, it had two bad lifters that wiped two cam lobes.
@@robertprice9288 what were the initial signs? I’ve always had a weird vibration at idle. Almost feels like the engine wants to stall out but RPMs don’t fluctuate and it goes away while driving. Just idling in park or in drive with the foot on the brake is very shaky. Dealership always says that it’s normal since it’s a big pushrod v8. Something feels wrong but the scanners never pick up any issues nor do their machines. I’m at 38,000
I have a 2020 F250 super duty with the Godzilla engine and now have over 46,000 miles on it with NO ISSUES. It has all the power and torque I need to pull my trailer with ease, not to mention that I only get two miles per gallon than my buddy with a 2017 truck with the 6.7l Powerstroke. With his higher fuel bill and MUCH HIGHER maintenance costs, my gas engine costs much less per mile than the diesel. (not to mention saving $10,000 in the purchase price. Oil doesn't wear out, it gets dirty and the additives get overloaded so changing your oil and filter will improve any engine's life regardless of make and engine size. Oil is MUCH CHEAPER than buying a new engine so it is money well spent
The issue of idling destroying these engines makes sense, if they let them idle at low rpms, these engines have variable rate oil pumps, so not as much oil flow at low idle.
2020 7.3 48,000. No problems. Knock on wood! Tow a 37 ft travel trailer all over the country in the summer. Had a 6.7 diesel before this.. Gas mileage only changed about 1.5 -2 mpg towing the same trailer. Very impressed by this truck.
From what I have read, the cab and chassis models have a higher failure rate due to it having the detuned 300hp 7.3 engine. It uses a different oil pump for better fuel economy, but most of those vehicles idle more, and thus the engine doesn't have enough oil to the cam and lifters.
I've heard that same thing. Though - some commenters have mentioned that they have the regular truck setup (like ours) and have also had the cam/lifter failure.
‘22 250 with this motor. 25,100 miles not a problem yet. Honestly I’m more worried about the transmission. Seems a little clunky to me. Maybe I’m still just not use to it. I will be doing an oil sample on the next change. I’ll be getting oil samples a lot after warranty though 😂
Good idea with the oil sample. I plan to do the same using Blackstone. I also am still getting used to the transmission. That’s another reason I have the long warranty term! :)
I have a 2020 f 250 with the 7.3 and now have over 75,000 miles. Love the truck, haven't had any problems. Changed plug wires because I heard there were problems. I tow a 4 horse trailer down to Arizona. 50,000 of my miles is with a trailer. 😊
I saw one video that correlated the cam lifter issues in vehicles with low rear gear ratios 4:10 - 4:30 resulting in extended high rpm operation. Basically valve float.
High rpm does not equal valve float. Valve float should NOT HAPPEN anywhere in the rev range below factory rpm limit. I don't think 4:30 gears will result in running at the rev limiter.
@@morley3810 it's just what I heard. If the valve springs somehow are weaker than they should be it would seem to me the problems would manifest most frequently in higher rpm vehicles. Also I'm curious what is your definition of valve float?
@@gratefultrucker7781 It's not my definition. Valve float is a pretty well established condition. It's when the springs lose control over the valve movement and can no longer keep the pushrod/lifter etc in contact with the camshaft. This SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING with a stock engine operating ANYWHERE in the rev range permitted by the ECU parameters. If it is, that's a serious engineering deficiency. Although it is a Ford soooooo....
I hope it is just a bit of a fluke with the engine. I have the 2003 F250 6.0 Diesel. I had issues to say the least. I spent the money and had it fixed. She is still running. Only has 70K. As for the tow hooks, chrome is not what chrome use to be. Try a little chrome polish. I did that on my front bumper and it did clean up fairly nice. I agree with you that you will have it serviced at the dealership to ensure you do not have any warranty issues. Great video, beautiful truck.
Thanks for watching! That's certainly low miles on a 2003 6.0 Powerstroke. When ours ran, it ran great! Lots of power and great performance. But when it wasn't running - it was so frustrating.
No problems with my 21' F350 7.3L so far anyway. Time will tell. ... I have found over the years that the people that bad mouth certain items; do not own them or have never used one.
@@PurpleCollarLife I had a 2015 with a 3.5l ECO. LOVED IT! I heard so much negative stuff about them, yet myself and 2 friends never had any issues. And please note Chev & Toyota have gone to turbos as well in their p/u.
They upgraded the pistons, rings, camshaft on the 2023 7.3’s. The 6.8L is a 7.3L with a shorter stroke according to a Ford Engine designer. The 2023 7.3L with the small changes is also suppose to get slightly better mileage.
I maintain a fleet of ambulances and about 40 per cent are E-450's with Godzilla 7.3. We have seen failures at 50 k and 150 k. Currently have 4 2023's with 24 k average miles on them. Expecting any day to get the call about an engine miss, indicating a wiped cam lobe or lifter failure. Not quite as bad if unit fails during warranty, but it's $10 k otherwise!!! Ticking bomb! I will be pulling oil samples for analysis before the current 4 newer ambo's shed their warranty!
Hey PCL. Couple of things to note. 1. I appreciate all the info. I was actually considering buying a ford with the 7.3 . Havent owned a ford for at least 10 yrs. 2. Motorcraft oil and filters isnt the worst thing you can do for your engine, but there are way more better options out there. We run amsoil in everything from the lawn mower to equipment and eveything in between. 3. Ford seems to have a tendency to hang its customers out to dry, so not a good choice. 4. My son, who is a diehard ford guy, said "Dad, just stick with chevy ". Thanks for your time...
@Chris Mansel - I know these potential engine and transmission issues are causing some worry (in our case). But actual performance and experience with the truck so far has been excellent! I've always read that the Motorcraft oil filters are very good quality. I am always interested in the studies on the website "Bob is the Oil Guy". They have torn apart and tested so many brands of filters - and Motorcraft always seem to score high in the tests. I'm not sure about the oil as much - but I always figure the OEM brand is what the engineers tested the engine with. I've used Amsoil in the past on some other equipment. It's great stuff! I still run it in some small engine equipment. It's so expensive though for oil change intervals in my daily drivers. I put about 3000 miles on per month on some cases. In our experience with our previous Ford truck - we've had good luck with warranty issues being handled properly. A couple times out of our local area when traveling, we had to be a squeaky wheel to get the questionable items covered. But for the most case - within the warranty (or extended warranty) period- our local dealerships have been good.
@@armslength2618 they are actually towards the bottom. I always thought they were good as well till i saw independent testing on them as well as fram, who makes them both. No Bueno!
i'm holding on to my 6.7 for a few more years. The early 6.7's had a fair share of problems until 2015 when they fixed most of the known issues. The 6.2 was trash at the beginning but was eventually tuned into a extremely reliable gas engine as it takes years of real world testing to critique the weak links along the way. The problem with Ford and most car manufactures today is they don't hold onto a engine design long enough to evolve a engine into perfection. An example of this is the ol chevy 350 at the end of its long manufacturing years problems were extremely rare
Excellent point! The brands all change engines so fast. I think back to the old Chevy 350s, the Ford 300 (straight 6), 302, 351, and 460, and the Dodge 318 and 360. All great engines that were manufactured for decades - not only in vehicles, but in boats, RVs. etc.
@@PurpleCollarLife I thing the EPA and Gov restriction along with competition force companies to go back to the drawing board more often than not. All they seem to care about is what looks good on paper and not the longterm service the products provide for customers.
Only thing I hate about my 18 6.7 is the upper oil pan leak. other than that I love the 6.7. I traded it in for the 6.2 because I lifted my 6.7 up 8 inch. It was fun at first then its not practical for me any more. Traded it in for a 6.2. Not as powerful but does the job. I'm happy with it. I wouldn't buy a 7.3 if given the chance just because like you said its a new engine it will have problems. How many revisions does 6.2 goes through before it became reliable.
@@a-a-ron8437 I was running a 7.3 power stroke with 500k miles at the time the 6.2 rolled out i'm not sure the revisions during that time, but there were many. i have not had any upper oil leaks on my 15/ 6.7, i'm totally down for a 7.3 gas but i'm waiting several years to do so. The early 6.7's 2011-2014 had its fair share of weakness before the 2015 upgrade happened and i waited for that improvements before buying
I have about 15,700 miles on my 2020 F-250 Lariat. No issues of any kind yet. It’s primarily used for towing our 32’ travel trailer. I will get an oil sample and send it off to Blackstone Lab just to ensure there’s no issues lurking before it goes out of warranty.
Good to hear that you haven't had any issues either. What is your trailer weight? Just curious. I took my sample from the oil change just yesterday. I'm sending it to Blackstone lab too. Thanks for the comment!
I have a 2021 with 25k and my engine and transmission have been flawless thus far. I do all scheduled maintenance, and oil changes every 5k. I tow and daily drive and have not seen any oil glitter yet. But, word on the street was they had a bad batch of cams that the hard coating on them was substandard and that is what has been coming up.
Research is not reading through forums. If you think they are. You are not very bright. Forums claim my 2016 F150 2.7 was going to lose at least one turbo by 60k miles. My truck has 93k miles and I'm still running on both stock turbos.
Don't forget that a 2% failure rate is in trucks that are at max only 3 years old. By the time these trucks have 100,000 mi or more I think the failure rate is going to be very significant. Likely MUCH more than 2%
Good points. One thing, I don’t think you should be seeing glitter in your dipstick since it would be caught by the oil filter? At least I don’t think?
Interesting point. I’m not sure if you would or not now. You’d think any particles would be picked up in the filter before the oil gets back down to the oil pan. So I’m thinking you’re right and even if there was a problem, you wouldn’t see evidence on the dip stick.
The company I drive for bought a 2021 Ford F650 with a 24' stake bed and the 7.3 motor. 20,000+ miles so far having the oil changed every 5000 miles and no problems yet. BTW we load the crud out of this thing with tons (literally) of construction supplies daily.
Noticed the air filter element can be seen through the inlet. If it's cats and dogs out, or a powerful horizontal rinse at the carwash, directed water will soak the filter.
I wondered about that also - driving in heavy rain from time to time I've checked the air filter. I think it must get enough air flow that if it does get wet - it dries out pretty quickly. I've never noticed it being wet after driving in rain.
i run my 2021 f350 7.3 gas as a hot shot truck. have 150 k on it doing nothin but pulling a trailer and no issue's other then a sparkplug wire. the lifters are the LS lifter, suck cuz you would think ford would have learned from chevys mistakes but is a very small % that its happening to and under warranty.
I have a Pressure Cleaning business and pull a trailer every day for the last 20years and always had a F150. Last year decided to change and get F250 with 25000 miles used with a factory warranty and at 31000 I just had a problem with cam shaft. has been in the shop for almost 2 months and is not ready.
2 months in the shop?!! Did they have a vehicle that they could loan you while it’s being repaired? That’s the worst when you need it for your livelihood.
Go full synthetic, blends are nonsense! How much synthetic oil is in a blend? Synthetic oil has conventional oils beat in every category of testing. Spending $50-70K+ on a truck and then skimping on the oil to save a few dollars, is like training at the gym every day and then eating at Taco Bell for every meal!
I haven't heard a bad comment about the old V10 yet. I have a couple friends who refuse to switch to a new truck because they love the V10 so much in their earlier Super Duty trucks.
I am very glad to hear that Ford is covering it under warranty and replacing the engine. But it’s so disappointing that you only have 40,000 miles on a truck and it needs a new engine! Any idea how long you’ll be without your truck while they repair it?
2022 F350 with the 7.3 Godzilla. It had this failure at 22,832 miles. Ford kept the truck for over 3 months and it was covered under warranty it was out for a total of 98 days. They replaced the camshaft, heads and everything in between. I was told that there are no updated parts and same stock of parts were put in. Good luck.
@@PurpleCollarLife I’ve always had ford do the oil change so motorcraft but I try to get it done between 4500-5k , it was my daily work driver towing a small trailer but got a new work truck to save the miles on it
I have a 2021 ford f250 with the 7.3 godzilla engine with almost 70000 miles on it and I've been towing 18000 lbs a couple times a week and the only problem I just recently encountered was I just had to replace the spark plug wires. To me it's been a very reliable truck
I have a 2022 F250 Lariat with the 7.3 and have towed my 12,500# 5th wheel 12,000 of the 22,750 miles on my odometer. I have towed over the rocky mountains 11,500 ft pass the engine worked perfect plenty of power. Of course not power stroke torque but I don't plan on pulling 25,000#. I got it just to pull my 5th wheel and did not want to deal with diesel. I change the oil and filter at 7,500 miles use full syn. oil and cut the filter open and have seen no metal shavings So far so good
Thanks for the update on your F250 with the 7.3! I think it's great to be able to read through all these comments and see the different ways people use their trucks. Your use is just like ours - just for towing the 5th wheel and boat - and maybe around 1/2 of our total mileage will be towing. Keep us posted as you add miles! Thanks.
We have 25000 on our 2021 F350 7.3. I use full syn & change @ 5k. So far no issues. Occasionally tow a 7k# trailer, majority is 60-75mph, low idle time. Snowplowed this winter, light duty.
I have 2020 F350 with the 7.3 that i bought new. I had a check engine light come on, and the Ford app on my phone told me it was a misfire. I took it to the dealership I bought it from, and they supposedly did the common failures at the time, plug wires, and wiring harness. Both of those things were fine. They cleared the code and sent me on my way. Within a day or two, the check engine light was back on. Long story short, they had my truck off, and on the whole summer of 2022. They finally replaced the engine. I was never told what the problem was, I can only assume it was the cam or lifter issue.The truck drove fine at highway speeds. The only time I could feel any issues was backing into my garage or creeping along at a stop sign. It would have a slight lugging or a miss. At the time, it had 55k miles.
Unfortunately, all things mechanical will eventually fail. That fact aside, I am also following these issues closely as I purchased my 2022 F350 with the7.3 Godzilla (new) last Summer. However, as you stated these failure seem to be happening while the powertrain is still under warranty. I currently have only 5,600 miles on my truck as it is not a daily driver. The wife and I carpool as much as possible to save fuel and wear and tear on the second vehicle. I put around 5,000 miles per year on my last truck and expect to put on between 5,000 to 10,000 per year on this truck. I also purchased an 8 year 85,000 mile extended warranty on the truck so hopefully any premature failures will occur inside of that age and mileage range. I am more currently more concerned with the 10 speed transmission and the fact it jumps while in park when it is started. I intend to have the dealer look at that when the weather breaks and before towing season. By what I am reading there appears to be a TSB on the issue and hopefully it's a simple correction for the dealer to make. My biggest issue is I don't trust anyone as I have worked around and seen too many people with the attitude that we just need to put a band aid on the problem long enough to get the customer out of their warranty. As for the chrome tow hooks, unfortunately Chrome plating has not been anywhere as durable as it once was since they removed the nickel from it years ago. Every vehicle I have owned since the mid 90's that had any chrome on it required constant cleaning with steel wool and wd-40 or other oil (I like Tranny Fluid) to keep the rust at bay.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Since the F350 isn't a daily driver for us, but is used heavily for long travel and boating/camping trips during some vacations in the summer, we average about 5000-10,000 miles a year also. I wish this truck had the black tow hooks instead of chrome. Honestly, I sometimes wish it had the black bumper and black front grill because even though they don't look as nice when new - they tend to look better than the chrome over time.
@@PurpleCollarLife if your want them to be black, take the tow hooks off and run them to your nearest LINEX dealer. Have them prep them and spray them with LINEX. That LINEX will out last the chrome without question.
I have a 2021 6.7 with 16,000 miles and numerous problems with the biggest one ended up with having to put in a new long block and turbo. With all the years I've had Fords I've never really had any trouble with them until this one. Its a pain not having your vehicle and being in the shop many weeks on end but my biggest gripe is Ford didn't cover the big problem costs. They would cover the little things but the motor and turbo was all mine to pay for and the truck was still under warranty. And Ford customer service is the worst ones to deal with, you call them and tell them your issues and all they say is I'm sorry your having these problems but there is nothing we can do....wrong there is something you can do but you refuse to. If a multi billion dollar company won't stand behind their product and treat their customers better than that its time to spend my money elsewhere.
@@arrowslingr4929 I know that you are absolutely full of 💩 how in the world would they have determined owner at fault? Unless you bought used as is no warranty or you literally can’t even change your own oil correctly it would be covered under factory warranty.
Great video , used is the way to go. Now in 2023 it seems that the price is not a Hugh difference between new and used. I would like to buy the 6.8 liter in a few years.
You're right - not a huge difference anymore between new and slightly used. But the advantage to used for us was availability with the features we wanted, AND the 100,000 mile used warranty from Ford.
All it takes is a handful of failures for the internet to blow it up. I know a couple of the godzillas with over 100k miles on them already without any trouble.
I agree - the internet can certainly magnify the smallest issue and make it seem huge. Glad to hear you know of some that have passed that 100,000 mile mark!!
…just looked at my Ford Pass and last oil change was at 57,900 and truck now shows 60,400 with 72% oil life left. I will be changing again around 63k 👍
Thanks for sharing! I'm curious - when you're at 5-7K miles, what oil life does the computer say you have left? I agree with changing it at that interval - I'm just curious what the computer says.
I honestly think you should have got all the deleting done to your 6.0 and held on to it for ever. I will not be letting go of ours. However their are plenty of benefits to a gas. I hope the for the best. Take care chad.
We really considered it. But after just soaking nearly $8K into the repairs, we couldn't justify spending thousands more to do all the delete process. Our old truck didn't take long to sell off the dealership lot - even being 17 years old. I hope someone out there is enjoying it and that it lasts them a long time. That truck was certainly part of the family.
2020 F-250 Tremor 7.3L, 14K miles (10K towing a trailer), the only issue is a piece of the roof trim has come loose at the rear attachment point. Most likely caused by the auto-matic car wash that I was going to. However, it makes you wonder about being "Built Ford Tough".
This problem sucks for people that don't put a lot of miles on their truck.. trucks are a second vehicle for a lot of people. I do about 8K miles a year on my truck so if the motor blows at 41K id be up the creek because of the time factor of the warranty.. I think 60K miles is fair but they should give you 8 years to hit 60,000 miles, not 5.
Outstanding point! My F350 isn't my daily driver either. Our old 2005 only had about 130,000 miles on it after 17 years. It would certainly be nice if the coverage was for the miles and not the years.
Chris - thanks for checking! I think that's unacceptable. In a salted area or a non-salted area - these tow hooks (designed to be attachment points for straps and chains) should not be getting surface rusting like this.
@PurpleCollarLife I use Australian brand, Penrite, not cheap, but the man who started company in 1923, was the head scientist for Castrol, I call it the klingon oil, been using it from 80s when I lived there, now in New Zealand, and still using it in my diesel, harly and have got LOTS of people to use, all really like it
Has Ford made any comment on this problem? Are there any predisposing factors to the failure such as the type of oil used? Is it possible that Ford got a bad batch of camshafts and lifters? This is a truck I would consider if I were to tow a larger trailer. I think I’ll probably never tow a larger trailer because the American big three all have lifter and cam issues now. 2% of engines having catastrophic failure is very unacceptable.
Nice! I've been impressed with the fuel economy in these trucks - considering the size and weight of them, plus the power available. th-cam.com/video/TMQ-QNrPDw4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=8rHaW9s6r8AETLef
Once you see glitter on the dipstick, it's too late. I want to love the Ford pickup. I will be following your journey. Maybe it's vehicles with poor maintenance history. Chrome is not what it used to be. Enjoy the Journey - Cheers
Thanks @Bota Bob - that's true about the dipstick. Once you're seeing the glitter the damage is already done. But not driving any further may prevent more catastrophic failure. I'm so disappointed with the chrome. I remember the truck chrome bumpers of old - yes they weighed hundreds of pounds - but they lasted a long time.
My solution would be to replace the camshaft before before failure with a hotter 3rd party unit. (Think comp cams or similar) that way you'll be both cooler and more reliable.
Our truck is still under factory Ford Gold Certified pre-owned warranty - so it would be covered if there is a future issue (up to 100,000 miles). I did research having the camshaft and lifters replaced pre-emptively, but that would cost around $4000 out of pocket for the parts and labor.
I posted a comment 9 months ago, still no lifter issues on my 2 trucks, but I do have a 10 speed issues on the 2020. The 10 speeds will be much more of an issue than the engine lifter failure issue.
I own a 2020 F-350 with 13,000 miles. Not a single issue so far. I am the original owner and have been very happy with it. Still have about 3 years left on my powertrain warranty so I'm not overly concerned yet. No way I will hit the mileage limit before I hit the 5 year mark. Hopefully if it is a widespread problem, Ford will step up and address it.
Thanks for watching. We're over 25,000 miles on ours now and no issue. Just had a fresh oil change and it all looks good. I'm sending it out for analysis though.
Don't count on Ford ever "stepping up". They still won't even acknowledge death wobble and that goes back decades. Not to mention the disaster that was their 6.4-diesel. Denial is the name of the game!
The thing I hate about warranties is having to get vehicles serviced by expensive dealerships. I change the oil on my truck religiously every 3000 miles. I have almost 200k on my 20 year old chevy motor with no issues; engine still runs strong. You may have a point about vans idling but that shouldn't be an issue. I wonder if it's more of a service issue? At any rate, I am very impressed with the truck, even though I'm not crazy about the purchase price of Fords. For me, it's time for a newer truck.
I always prefer to take vehicles to a local garage with an independent mechanic. I found they always do the best work (usually places with a first name in the title - like Larry's Garage, or Bob's shop, Steve's garage). But with this new truck - I wanted to have the dealership have all the records of the maintenance and fixes.
@PurpleCollarLife nice....keep us posted. My 6.2l tows my shredding equipment so well (11.2k lbs) but am at the top end of my towing ratings. 2018 f250 fx4 xlt. But if a 6.8l, mini-zilla were reasonable sure would consider a trade!
I have a 2020 7.3 Godzilla . I just replaced my engine at 94000 miles due to lifter and cam failure. I have always used Mobil 1 and motorcraft filter. My engine idles a lot daily.
2021 - F350 XL - 7.3 - 89k miles. Lifter 6 just went out. Been having transmission issues since 10k miles. Absolutely zero help from Ford. Very disappointing having a truck under 100k with a junk motor.
Always get the 100k mile warranty. And it's all good. I've had GREAT luck with the Ford warranty in the past. (On a expedition with the 5.4) Didn't use it but only 2 times, once for a water pump, and other for a transmission issue (it worked fine but shift werid) super easy and didn't cost me a dime. Things break, it happens. It's always better when it's under warranty.
We were lucky to find this truck used, with the Blue Oval Certified Gold warranty - so we will have the 100,000 mile power train coverage. I’m really happy about that! It certainly provides peace of mind.
Rockin' my 2020 F-250 7.3 Godzilla daily - zero negative issues. 15,000 miles, very little towing, and have loved driving every mile. The truck is physically unable to drive past a gas station, but hell - I'M A RED BLOODED AMERICAN and I deal with it! If spalling becomes an issue, I'll just trade it in and pick up a 'Ford - Lightning' pickup. Bwaaahahahahhaahahaha!!! Yeah, right!
I'm an EMT and my company bought a bunch of new F-350 ambulances to replace our out of date and horribly inefficient ford V10s. My 2021 F350 7.3 V8 Ambulance has over 100k miles as of 3/1/23 with almost no issues besides a catalytic clog. It's been ran to the ground with medics testing its guts by red-lining the hell out of it in 100+ degree weather, popping it into neutral and then back into drive at 60 MPH, and redlining while still cold in -5 degree weather, time after time. This is the best engine ford has made thus far. Take that for what you will.
Thanks @Pio - this is great to hear! Real-world use is the best type of actual comments that I like to see. Sounds like your team has put the truck/engine through the ringer and it's holding up as advertised. Thanks for sharing.
That sounds insane. Why would they do that to the ambulance?
How often do your ambulances go in for service?
Hi guys, Im a Truck Mechanic at a Local Ford Dealership. From January 2023 to May 2023 i have replaced a total of 4 of those 7.3L Log Blocks for the same concern. I have only worked on 4 vehicles with that engine and all had to be replaced after teardown inspection. So far Ford has not issued anything regarding a known issue with this engine, but every time i request the new Longblocks they arrive pretty quick, like if they are expecting this to happen. Nice video and great info man.
Thanks for watching and leaving the comment. It's nice to have some inside information from you - someone who is seeing it first hand at the dealership. We really appreciate you letting us know. Keep us posted as you see/hear more.
I understand first year issues but still in 2022 and 2023??!
We just blew engine number 3 on ours and it’s back in the dealer for engine number 4. We only have 51,000 miles on it.
On engine number 3 just got it back yesterday 85k
I'm real happy with mine. I just turned 10,000 miles on it yesterday. It does what I need. It hauls my tractor just fine. And it sound real good when I mash on it! I ran diesels for over 20 years and I ain't looking back!
Good to hear!
4mpg probably as well lol
F650 bought last September. Currently with 54k miles and no issues so far.
Thanks for sharing! Good to hear another positive report.
I have a 2022 with 31k. Super happy, no issues, many advantages over the new diesels. Pulls trailers weighing 10-15k regularly.
Every time I drive it, especially towing - I'm amazed. But even on long road trips empty, it's still an amazing truck. th-cam.com/video/SvPcL6s2yNk/w-d-xo.html
Good video. My 3 F350 with the 7.3 have not had any issues and all 3 have well over 40,000 miles. I'm not saying the problem doesn't exist but so far I haven't had that problem. 🙂
That's good to hear! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the video, I'm waiting to take delivery of the exact same truck in a 2023. Not going to lie, it does make me nervous and its something I'll have to watch. BUT, I know RAM had similar issues with both the 5.7 and 6.4 HEMI gas engines so, I mean what the heck can you do? walk everywhere?.. Really appreciate your time and effort on these videos. Good luck.
I think we're going to find that it's a lot of excitement over nothing. Thanks for watching!
Hey You would think they taken care of these issues by now on all manufacturing brands with cam, lifter issues
Good video! I own a 2021 F350 Lariat, it has 56,435 miles on it. Daily driver and has not had any problems so far,🤞🏻I too have Ford do 100% of the service. I change the oil at 5k religiously. So far so good!
Thanks for sharing!
Only 10300 miles on my 22f250 bought it brand new and no issues at all with this truck. we love it ! heard it was the cab and chassis trucks that were having this problem but you know some people just love to complain . been a ford guy all my life and im not worried, been plenty of all the brands having a plethora of issues. nothing new.
That's what I've heard too - the cab and chassis trucks. But I wonder if they put different components in those engines - or if those applications are different running conditions. Thanks for watching! I'm hopeful it's much ado about nothing!
I've got a 2022 Super Duty with the 7.3, just had my first oil change at the dealership at 3,000 miles. So far I've had no issues. I ordered it new, waited 10 months to get it, so far, I'm very happy with it. Thanks for putting your time in on this, I will follow along and add input if I have any. I got it to tow my toy hauler and boat, prior to this I've had 3 or 4 F-150's and the toy hauler seemed just a bit to heavy for them. Feels much better / safer towing it now.
Thanks for sharing! I'm sure you'll continue to appreciate the difference between the Super Duty and the F150 when towing.
good call getting a bigger truck its all about duty cycle , (a toyota tercel will tow anything ..just not very long )
I'm sad to say this but we brought this on ourselves. Car buyers have lowered their standard immensely in the last decades, you guys will pay whatever ridiculous amount if it looks nice, has fancy tech and "power" that most of you never really use. I remember a friend being "brand disappointed" that his car failed after 10 years although being regularlly maintained. In Europe we used to keep them for 15-20 years. Now people make 10k miles reviews praising the car for being sooo reliable :))
I can't say I disagree. I wish we would/could have kept our old vehicles longer. I had a 1983 Ford Bronco that was my favorite vehicle ever. Unfortunately, things just don't last forever and have to be replaced with newer models eventually. Even though I loved that 1983 Bronco - the frame was rusting through (our PA winters with salt hurt the steel), the body was nearing the point of not passing our annual state vehicle inspections. And we like the safety features of the new vehicles to keep our family safe. That old Bronco had no anti-lock brakes, no air bags - not even shoulder seat belts in the rear seats. It didn't even have headrests in the front seats (which can prevent severe neck injuries). So while the Bronco lasted me a long time - we needed to upgrade. And while we liked lots about our 17 year old 2005 F350, that diesel engine was so problematic it wasn't worth keeping (soaking more money into).
I have owned my 95 Dodge Cummins for 24 years, can't find enough reasons to replace probably the best diesel powered truck ever made!
I already found a easy solution. Before the 36k bumper-to-bumper warranty is up buy a factory extended for powertrain. It doesn't cost that much. That's what I'm going to do.
My 2000 BMW 528i is still running awesomely. I do nearly all the MX and repair and in 100k, there have been very few. My '99 4Runner is similarly reliable with 188K on the clock.
@@melissasmess2773 The 12 valve in my '83 Chevy is insanely reliable. Best diesel ever put in a pickup.
I have a 2020 F250 with the 7.3, with 28,000 miles on it. I use it to pull a 7,000 pound travel trailer. I've pulled the tailer approximately 2,000 thousand miles along the east coast NY, Del, NC, and Massachusetts. When not doing that it's used around town. I haven't had any problems. I maintain it better than the manual calls for. I am very happy with it. I like your video, I am gonna watch more of them....
We're glad you enjoyed the video! Thank you for sharing your truck experience and thanks for checking out our other videos.
I had 2006 F350 6.0 dually with 301,000 miles and it was an amazing truck. No problems, just normal wear, 4 of 8 injectors @ 148K, replaced all, no tranny service or issues etc. Although, I changed oil @ 3500k (most peeps thought that was excessive....not me). The only mod was EGR delete. Awesome truck, now I have the 2021 F-250 7.3, I hope it will be just as reliable, only time will tell but, I will be praying.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the 6.0! That’s great. There was a lot we really liked about our 2005 - but we just couldn’t get that 6.0 to work for us. We tried for 17 years - but couldn’t take any more. I think part of the problem was that we actually didn’t drive the truck regularly enough. You certainly did a lot of oil changes on that Powerstroke! That’s 15 quarts at a time! :) I hope you and I both have your good luck with these 7.3s!
Why didn’t you pick the proven, 6.2?
Same hear had x2 6.o f350s no problems ever delete egr at 50k for safety sake .Other than service work no problems over 200k towing hd for my excavation business.
How did you evade the epa with the egr delete?
Should've got the 6.7..........
I love Ford but they couldn't give one of these trucks. I would IMMEDIATELY trade it in for a powerstroke.
2021 F250 7.3 49950 miles no issues. I bought a 2004 F350 6.0 diesel new had it 18 yrs just sold it . Had several problems it was a great truck but no more diesel for me. The 7.3 gas engine pulls as good as my diesel ever did. Love the new Godzilla engine and I pull heavy loads every week 8000 to 12000 lbs.
This is great and exactly what I've been hearing from others! I agree- we don't regret switching from the 6.0 to the Godzilla 7.3. We do miss some aspects of the 2005 F350 - but not that engine.
I'm coming from an 06 6.0 diesel bulletproofed 2 years ago now it's broke down saying possibly valve springs or needs new motor smh I'm over diesel been a money pit with my 6.0
I've got 25k on my 22 F350 7.3 gas. I changed the oil myself at 1500, 3000 and every 4500 miles since. I use Motorcraft oil and Wix filter. I absolutely love the truck and the engine is nothing short of amazing. The internet forums are filled with complainers and people with way too much time on their hands and very little real world experience. They piss and moan about the super duty riding too stiff, the transmission isn't smooth enough and on and on. The people you never hear from are the guys out working long hours every day and putting 35,000 trouble free miles on their truck every year.
Exactly! Thanks.
I tow heavy weekly with my 2020 f250 7.3 , 60k miles, like you said its an amazing powerhouse that won't quit. The 10 speed tranny is very intelligent and you will notice most if your a weekly tow guy like me. I want another one.
Why are you using a semi syn. Oil ? Ford recommendation is bare minimum, not what's best .
Motorcraft oil is almost impossible to find where I'm at, so I run full synthetic Valvoline.
@berserker406my truck is doing fine 41k 2022 all driven by me and I drive it like I stole it! Especially when I found out how to unleash all the power thru the traction button.
I have 48k on my Godzilla. The engine has been great but unfortunately I'm having transmission issues with the 10R140. They're fixing it under warranty per TSB 21-2420.
Personally, I think Ford is playing games with the oil life /service interval recommendations. When my oil life hits 50% I start planning on changing it. My next oil change I'm going to send an oil sample in for analysis.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry to hear about the transmission issue - but glad they're taking care of it.
Just change your oil every 5000 miles. It's cheap insurance. My 22 year old nissan frontier was serviced every 3000 and it was clean as a whistle inside when I changed the valve cover seals. I change the oil in my 2016 tundra at 5000, even though they call for 10,000 mile intervals.
That sucks Warren, I saw you on TFLT and I was wondering what the outcome was. I have the same truck, so I'm hoping I don't have this problem as well. 🤞
There is a tuner. Will be coming out soon for transmission only the guy designing it is the best in the business for the 10 speed to fix the issues with them not lasting..
Improper valve lash or valve float can cause the same issue. If the lifter is leaving contract with the cam roller at any point, the valve spring slams the lifter back into the cam and is basically hammering the roller into the cam. This could also be a oil pressure issue, the Godzilla has a variable oil pump. The gauge on the dash is basically an idiot light that trips at 8psi. The loss of oil pressure at higher rpm will effect the backlash. I am not 100% convinced that is a lifter or cam materials problem.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
I was thinking along similar lines, I know they are using tall valve springs, wonder if they are good when compressed but get a "little light" towards the end letting the roller skip.
@@berserker406 It's a big-block V8 in a 3/4 ton or larger truck. If you gave a damn about economy, you'd be driving something else. So why sweat the FE so much, Ford?
@matthewholzmueller6292 Ford claimed they selected extra tall springs in order to increase valve spring life. The Godzilla valves experience very high lift - something like 0.5" on the intake and 0.6" on the exhaust
Would have to be laminated to de-laminate, that failure mode is called spalling.
It's a fatigue failure that initiates below the surface of the material and creates a small crack that then propagates and causes a piece of material to spall or flake off
Thanks! I'm not sure why the web is referring to it as delaminating. But you're right - it's better described as spalling.
Just to many experts jumping on the band wagon
Literally did not help anyone by chiming in with your wording change while the OP is helping hundreds or thousands of people by taking the time to post a video on this possibly overstated "issue".
I'm right at 5k miles with my 7.3L. I have noticed this problem coming up more lately. I bought the 100k mile service contract when I bought this thing though. Fingers crossed but I'm not going to lose sleep over it regardless of what happens. I did an oil change at 2500 miles and will probably do another one early. Makes me feel better.
I'm right with you, I changed at 3K, and will every 5K regardless if I'm towing, or unloaded. I plan on getting the ESP through Flood Ford soon, but waiting until the dealership tries to fix a couple nuisance issues first. For some reason the Ford app says my truck is in deep sleep mode to conserve battery power because it' says it's low even from day one. The charging pad for my phone while it lights up, does not actually charge, and my rear seat 400w AC outlet does not work.
@@niceatrya3477 mine did the deep sleep thing from day one. There's a software upgrade you can have done to the truck to prevent this but I haven't had time to take it in for it. There's a channel I follow up on here that gives you real repair experiences and he explained it in a video one day. Powerstroke tech talk w/ Arod
I usually don’t go for the extended warranties. But I was definitely glad to find a truck with the Ford Blue Oval Gold Certified used protections. I hope I never need it - but it’s nice to have in my back pocket.
@Nicea Trya - I had the deep sleep thing happen once. I had the truck sitting for about 14 days straight and it came up.
@@PurpleCollarLife that may have been legitimate. I knew mine was BS because I trickle charged my battery and drove the truck for 20 mins and the message came back. I knew that wasn't far enough to kill the battery that much. And then I later found it to be a nuisance message.
18729 miles. 2022 super duty. I just recently heard about this and it has me bummed completely out. I needed this video to help talk me in off the ledge. Thanks!! Fingers crossed we’ll see how this goes.
You're being mind controlled with basically zero real data.
Glad to help. We're all just waiting to either confirm that we made a great decision with a truck that is reliable and impressive - or we made a mistake buying a truck/engine manufactured during a pandemic and counting on the dealership to take care of us. I truly believe that it's not as large an issue as what people are making it sound online.
Thanks @Dustin Marshall
Thanks for sharing. I have been on the fence as to weather I would upgrade from my 2015 6.2l to the 7.3l. Other than regular maintenance the two 6.2l F-250's I have owned have been rock solid, with more than enough power for our use. I think you may be right about the internet blowing the issue out of proportion, but for me it's still a potential deal breaker, at least for the first couple years of production. That being said, any first gen engine runs the risk of a failures. I am fairly certain that Ford has quietly corrected that issue on newer models of the 7.3's.
I'm going to test drive a 7.3 CC dump today. Thinking about trading in my 2015 dump with the 6.2 , trucks been great too
i also heard ford is outing the 6.2 and replacing it with a 6.8 gas
@@rws99l I haven't looked into the 6.8. That may be a good option as well.
Thanks for watching! So far, we’re really happy with the 7.3. Lots of pulling power. I have lots of friends with the 6.2 who wouldn’t trade them for the 7.3 though - just because they really like the 6.2
What did you decide?
Im one of those with a failed lifter in a pickup, truck is all stock, started ticking around 10,000 miles and got real bad at 20,000 miles. My local dealer replaced the long block at 25,000 miles. No questions asked. Ford is well aware of the problem. My local dealer said they had a bunch of ambulances and motorhomes with failed lifters but my truck was the first pickup that they had done. whole body has to come off of the frame on a lift, etc....
Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sorry to hear that your truck is one I've got to make the tally mark in the failure column. Good to know that Ford took care of it though.
How did you know they were failing? Engine light or could you feel it?
I could audibly hear the ticking under load, which as stated got louder and louder.@@Deep_South
what year ??
@@billbeck5232 2021. I had not towed anything, nor had i let the truck idle excessively.
I've got 20k on my 2021 F250 and no problems so far. Towed 8 times last year. 6 camping trips and 2 big loads of top soil in my utility trailer. I change my oil myself every 5 k miles and it always looks clean. I'm 59 and this is my 7th new Ford truck I've owned. I've had a V6 Ranger, a straight 6 F150, two 5.4 V8's, two 5.0's and now the 7.3. Knock on wood, but I've never had any engine issues with any of them. Maybe it could happen this time but hopefully not. Good luck to all of us!
Thanks for sharing! You've had lots of great Ford vehicles. That straight 6 Ford 300 engine is my favorite all-time. Tons of torque and very reliable. I had the 300 in my 1983 Ford Bronco. I also had a couple Broncos with the 351 Windsor engine. They were great too.
I think maintenance is the key to success with vehicles. But any thing can happen.
Nice (and I would say fair) review. I have a 2022 F250 Lariat with the 7.3 and have towed my 9K lb travel trailer over 24,000 miles, from the Midwest to the East Coast, to the Gulf Coast, to Arizona. I have not been over the Colorado Rockies yet but that is coming. Great truck, great engine, and the transmission has done a great job of maintaining speeds both up hill and down hill with the cruise control activated. The 2% failure rate from the cam and lifter problems is certainly something to keep an eye on but its my understanding the majority of those failures have been in commercial vehicles that idle a lot. I have experienced about 9.5 to 10 MPG while towing and about 16 MPG at highway speeds while not towing. In town I see about 10 MPG. However, considering the diesel is $8K more to purchase, has higher maintenance costs and only gets about 3 MPG better millage while towing, I think its a no brainer to go with this engine when you are towing less than 14K lbs
Thanks for sharing your experience! I agree entirely with the thought that unless you're towing daily and towing heavy - the 7.3 gas engine is a better option than a diesel (any brand).
Good to know cause I just bought a 9000lb trailer and glad to see it’s preforming. I got the 2023 F250 Lariat and will be traveling the same places. I didn’t buy gas because it was cheeper but but because of several of past experiences of not being able to find diesel when traveling and didn’t want to deal with def anymore either.
Normally I just thank the person who posted the video but thank you very much for this reply as well. I'm in the process of trying to decide on one that's available in Pennsylvania about 1100 miles from my house which puts the gas bill at around $2,000 just to get it back down to Houston. Pouring through all the comments to find if anyone actually has these delamination issues or if it's so uncommon that it's not even worth bothering with. I really don't want to buy a diesel because if I do I'm absolutely going to have to delete it so there will be my daily driver. I'm not going to deal with the problems that follow a non deleted daily driver. I've been there, done that and I'm not going to be broken down on the side of the freeway again just because of a darn sensor.
Its really informative information to those owners not yet affected. For those that purchased a faulty truck, it’s all encompassing!
Thanks! We tried to make an informative video. We are one of those owners who love the truck - but also don't want to have to worry about this potential issue. I'm hearing less about it now - so I think it was just a lot of press/talk over a few isolated issues.
My 2021 F250 with the 7.3 has 39k on it with 1/3 of the miles towing a camper and so far the only issues we’ve experienced have been the plug wire fail and a small oil leak from the rear main oil seal plate.
Thanks for sharing!
I have a 2020 F250 with the 7.3 l godzilla with a little over 36,000 miles, so far no issues keeping my fingers crossed!
Keep us posted! This is really good to hear.
@@PurpleCollarLife 10-4 will do!
Great video 21 7.3 11k no issues. So far when I pull the dip stick it's the cleanest oil I have ever seen even close to change time. I'm not going to worry about it. I saw the box truck video.
Good stuff! I agree - the oil is consistently clean and clear.
2020 F250 with 71k miles. No issues currently. I have PremiumCare warranty till 150k miles.
Good luck with yours man. I hope it problem free for you.
Great job with the extended warranty to 150,000 miles! That's awesome.
So far so good with ours. We still love the truck.
Having the dealership change your oil? Might be useful to have maintenance records in their shop when you have to threaten to sue to get warranty work done. Otherwise, I can not imagine not doing my own oil changes.
I've done my own oil changes most of the time with all our other vehicles (several of them we've made videos of on the channel). But with this newer truck/engine - I thought it would be wise to let the dealership do them for a while. Plus - it's often included with the purchase, so you might as well take advantage of the included ones.
Thanks for the video on the Godzilla. I have a 2017 F350 with the 6.7 Diesel. Despite only 34k miles or light duty use, the maintenance costs for it are alarming, especially for the DPF system. What I've read about the oil pump is also alarming. Selling it to get a newer F350 with the 7.3 gas engine is tempting, as long as I'm not just trading one set of problems for another. P.S. The rust on the tow hooks may well be because they were not plated from end to end, but held only partially immersed in the electroplating fluid.
I'd take my old black painted tow hooks back any day!
All the problems and maintenance with the diesel are exactly why we decided to skip it in this truck. AND - the 7.3 certainly has the power that we need for our towing excursions. I just hope it holds up as long as it should. I could see this engine going 500,000 miles due to it's basic simplicity if the components are all up to spec and routine maintenance is performed.
Most of the issues are blown out of proportion. Had a expedition from new to 10 years and 150k miles, never had a powertrain or cam phaser failure. Still ran great when traded in, cracks me up when people say the 5.4 sucked when I had no mechanical issues performing oil changes every 4-5k miles using Motorcraft synthetic blend oil changes at the dealer. Same with a 2019 3.5 ecoboost f150, no issues yet performing oil changes in a timely manner. I’m curious what oil the “delaminated” engines used, haven’t had a problem using Motorcraft, Castrol, or Amsoil in any Ford/ Lincoln product I’ve owned. If you maintain a vehicle under the moderate/severe service intervals in the owners manual you should have a relatively trouble free 150-200k miles on a vehicle.
Thanks for the comment. We’ve had the 5.4 in a F250 we had in 2019, and a 5.4 in our 2010 Ford Expedition. Neither engine gave us any trouble.
Same here. 2005 F150 fx4 5.4. Supposedly had all sorts of problems. Mot mine. I take care of it very well-change fluids religiously and i’ve run 93 octane since day 1. Just went over 202,000 miles. It was running just fine, but finally put a new timing kit on it last week. While I was in there I replaced the lifters and rockers (cams were fine), added hi-flow oil pump, new water pump, plugs, and vct’s. With any luck I’ll get another 100,000k out of her. Beats dropping $80k on a new one.
Hay PCL. I have a Ford F350 2021 with 44,000 miles on it. At 41,000 miles my check engine light came on while on my way from Michigan to Phoenix. I made an appointment at Bell Ford in Phoenix. They quickly diagnosed the problem as a delaminated Lifter. That damaged the cam. They repaired my engine replacing the cam and all lifters along with all of the other necessary items. It runs fine now. Covered by the 5 year 60,000 mile warranty. Personally I think this is all related to Covid quality issues. I am however concerned about the likelihood of another failure relating tho this issue. I have written Ford customer service on this and not heard back yet. The Technician at Bell Ford said this is the third one of these he has seen.
I use my truck to haul my Truck Camper and pull my boat.
Thanks for your information.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad to hear they fixed the problem without issue. AND - that it did not require an entire new block.
Could you feel any problems or just the light
Just took my 2020 F-350 in to the dealer for a noise that I thought was the transmission. Turns out that they think that one or two of the lifters have collapsed. I have not noticed any change in power, but I haven't been pulling it hard for the last several months. I started hearing noises from the left side of the engine/transmission area at about 64,000 miles. Especially noisy when it's cold, and when the rpms were between 2000 and 3000 rpm (during up shifts). The truck now has 68,000 miles. Dealer called yesterday and said they are going to have to "tear it down to the point of failure" to determine exactly what is going on, but they think it's the lifters. I love this engine and transmission, but this is discouraging. I've always owned Ford diesels until I bought this truck. Can't stand the emission issues that most all diesels experience, and $1.00 to $1.80/gallon difference in the price of diesel just isn't worth it.
Sorry that you’re now having an issue. Will it be covered under warranty or TSB or something at that mileage? You’re right about the diesel - that’s exactly why we made the switch to the 7.3 gas Godzilla too!
@@PurpleCollarLife I always buy the extended warranty with my trucks, for this exact reason. Luckily this will be covered!
Any update here? What was wrong with the truck?
@@Deep_South ended up with a basically new engine. Metal shavings throughout so they got a short-block and rebuilt my engine. Got the truck back at the end of April. Thinking about whether I soups trade out off or not. Only 25,000 miles left extended warranty….. oh, it had two bad lifters that wiped two cam lobes.
@@robertprice9288 what were the initial signs? I’ve always had a weird vibration at idle. Almost feels like the engine wants to stall out but RPMs don’t fluctuate and it goes away while driving. Just idling in park or in drive with the foot on the brake is very shaky. Dealership always says that it’s normal since it’s a big pushrod v8. Something feels wrong but the scanners never pick up any issues nor do their machines. I’m at 38,000
Sorry to hear about the gasser 7.3. My old 97 Exploder with a 302 had over 200k and was solid as a rock.
The classic 302 was a good engine. So was the straight 300 -6, and the 351 V8
People are surprised when I tell them the 2017 Ford Transit 250 I drive has 224,000 miles on the original motor and transmission.
I have a 2020 F250 super duty with the Godzilla engine and now have over 46,000 miles on it with NO ISSUES. It has all the power and torque I need to pull my trailer with ease, not to mention that I only get two miles per gallon than my buddy with a 2017 truck with the 6.7l Powerstroke. With his higher fuel bill and MUCH HIGHER maintenance costs, my gas engine costs much less per mile than the diesel. (not to mention saving $10,000 in the purchase price.
Oil doesn't wear out, it gets dirty and the additives get overloaded so changing your oil and filter will improve any engine's life regardless of make and engine size. Oil is MUCH CHEAPER than buying a new engine so it is money well spent
Excellent report! Thank you.
The issue of idling destroying these engines makes sense, if they let them idle at low rpms, these engines have variable rate oil pumps, so not as much oil flow at low idle.
I was thinking that same thing. Thanks for watching and commenting.
2020 7.3 48,000. No problems. Knock on wood! Tow a 37 ft travel trailer all over the country in the summer. Had a 6.7 diesel before this.. Gas mileage only changed about 1.5 -2 mpg towing the same trailer. Very impressed by this truck.
Another excellent report! Thanks for sharing your experience. Real world miles doing real-world work!
From what I have read, the cab and chassis models have a higher failure rate due to it having the detuned 300hp 7.3 engine. It uses a different oil pump for better fuel economy, but most of those vehicles idle more, and thus the engine doesn't have enough oil to the cam and lifters.
I've heard that same thing. Though - some commenters have mentioned that they have the regular truck setup (like ours) and have also had the cam/lifter failure.
‘22 250 with this motor. 25,100 miles not a problem yet. Honestly I’m more worried about the transmission. Seems a little clunky to me. Maybe I’m still just not use to it. I will be doing an oil sample on the next change. I’ll be getting oil samples a lot after warranty though 😂
Good idea with the oil sample. I plan to do the same using Blackstone. I also am still getting used to the transmission. That’s another reason I have the long warranty term! :)
I'm going to check into a trans update at ford want to keep the warranty.
Trans is clunky, gets a trans relearn from Ford. Fixed my issues
@@sly9263 did you have to pay for that.
@@mileshiles1287 no- warranty. it's a software thing anyway- low effort from them as I understand.
I have a 2020 f 250 with the 7.3 and now have over 75,000 miles. Love the truck, haven't had any problems. Changed plug wires because I heard there were problems. I tow a 4 horse trailer down to Arizona. 50,000 of my miles is with a trailer. 😊
That's great to hear! Which version of the plug wires did you change to? So far, my wires seem to be good.
I saw one video that correlated the cam lifter issues in vehicles with low rear gear ratios 4:10 - 4:30 resulting in extended high rpm operation. Basically valve float.
Interesting!
High rpm does not equal valve float. Valve float should NOT HAPPEN anywhere in the rev range below factory rpm limit. I don't think 4:30 gears will result in running at the rev limiter.
@@morley3810 it's just what I heard. If the valve springs somehow are weaker than they should be it would seem to me the problems would manifest most frequently in higher rpm vehicles. Also I'm curious what is your definition of valve float?
@@gratefultrucker7781 It's not my definition. Valve float is a pretty well established condition. It's when the springs lose control over the valve movement and can no longer keep the pushrod/lifter etc in contact with the camshaft. This SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING with a stock engine operating ANYWHERE in the rev range permitted by the ECU parameters. If it is, that's a serious engineering deficiency. Although it is a Ford soooooo....
That video would be from someone who's a complete idiot! Good God
I hope it is just a bit of a fluke with the engine. I have the 2003 F250 6.0 Diesel. I had issues to say the least. I spent the money and had it fixed. She is still running. Only has 70K. As for the tow hooks, chrome is not what chrome use to be. Try a little chrome polish. I did that on my front bumper and it did clean up fairly nice. I agree with you that you will have it serviced at the dealership to ensure you do not have any warranty issues. Great video, beautiful truck.
Thanks for watching! That's certainly low miles on a 2003 6.0 Powerstroke. When ours ran, it ran great! Lots of power and great performance. But when it wasn't running - it was so frustrating.
Another 2020 7.3 with lifter failure.
70,000km. Well serviced, maintained, babied unit, not idling, daily driver.
That's horrible!
I am at 20600 miles on my 2022. I have had it since October of 21, and have had zero drivetrain issues to date.
Thanks! You’ve accumulated seat time pretty quickly.
No problems with my 21' F350 7.3L so far anyway. Time will tell. ... I have found over the years that the people that bad mouth certain items; do not own them or have never used one.
We wondered this same thing - how many of the people saying there is a problem are actually not even owners?? Thanks for watching!
@@PurpleCollarLife I had a 2015 with a 3.5l ECO. LOVED IT! I heard so much negative stuff about them, yet myself and 2 friends never had any issues. And please note Chev & Toyota have gone to turbos as well in their p/u.
They upgraded the pistons, rings, camshaft on the 2023 7.3’s. The 6.8L is a 7.3L with a shorter stroke according to a Ford Engine designer. The 2023 7.3L with the small changes is also suppose to get slightly better mileage.
Thanks for the info!
I maintain a fleet of ambulances and about 40 per cent are E-450's with Godzilla 7.3. We have seen failures at 50 k and 150 k. Currently have 4 2023's with 24 k average miles on them. Expecting any day to get the call about an engine miss, indicating a wiped cam lobe or lifter failure. Not quite as bad if unit fails during warranty, but it's $10 k otherwise!!! Ticking bomb! I will be pulling oil samples for analysis before the current 4 newer ambo's shed their warranty!
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Hey PCL. Couple of things to note. 1. I appreciate all the info. I was actually considering buying a ford with the 7.3 . Havent owned a ford for at least 10 yrs. 2. Motorcraft oil and filters isnt the worst thing you can do for your engine, but there are way more better options out there. We run amsoil in everything from the lawn mower to equipment and eveything in between. 3. Ford seems to have a tendency to hang its customers out to dry, so not a good choice. 4. My son, who is a diehard ford guy, said "Dad, just stick with chevy ". Thanks for your time...
@Chris Mansel - I know these potential engine and transmission issues are causing some worry (in our case). But actual performance and experience with the truck so far has been excellent! I've always read that the Motorcraft oil filters are very good quality. I am always interested in the studies on the website "Bob is the Oil Guy". They have torn apart and tested so many brands of filters - and Motorcraft always seem to score high in the tests. I'm not sure about the oil as much - but I always figure the OEM brand is what the engineers tested the engine with. I've used Amsoil in the past on some other equipment. It's great stuff! I still run it in some small engine equipment. It's so expensive though for oil change intervals in my daily drivers. I put about 3000 miles on per month on some cases. In our experience with our previous Ford truck - we've had good luck with warranty issues being handled properly. A couple times out of our local area when traveling, we had to be a squeaky wheel to get the questionable items covered. But for the most case - within the warranty (or extended warranty) period- our local dealerships have been good.
Thanks @arms length - I've always read that the Motorcraft filters are very good.
@@armslength2618 they are actually towards the bottom. I always thought they were good as well till i saw independent testing on them as well as fram, who makes them both. No Bueno!
i'm holding on to my 6.7 for a few more years. The early 6.7's had a fair share of problems until 2015 when they fixed most of the known issues. The 6.2 was trash at the beginning but was eventually tuned into a extremely reliable gas engine as it takes years of real world testing to critique the weak links along the way. The problem with Ford and most car manufactures today is they don't hold onto a engine design long enough to evolve a engine into perfection. An example of this is the ol chevy 350 at the end of its long manufacturing years problems were extremely rare
Excellent point! The brands all change engines so fast. I think back to the old Chevy 350s, the Ford 300 (straight 6), 302, 351, and 460, and the Dodge 318 and 360. All great engines that were manufactured for decades - not only in vehicles, but in boats, RVs. etc.
@@PurpleCollarLife I thing the EPA and Gov restriction along with competition force companies to go back to the drawing board more often than not. All they seem to care about is what looks good on paper and not the longterm service the products provide for customers.
Only thing I hate about my 18 6.7 is the upper oil pan leak. other than that I love the 6.7. I traded it in for the 6.2 because I lifted my 6.7 up 8 inch. It was fun at first then its not practical for me any more. Traded it in for a 6.2. Not as powerful but does the job. I'm happy with it. I wouldn't buy a 7.3 if given the chance just because like you said its a new engine it will have problems. How many revisions does 6.2 goes through before it became reliable.
@@a-a-ron8437 I was running a 7.3 power stroke with 500k miles at the time the 6.2 rolled out i'm not sure the revisions during that time, but there were many. i have not had any upper oil leaks on my 15/ 6.7, i'm totally down for a 7.3 gas but i'm waiting several years to do so. The early 6.7's 2011-2014 had its fair share of weakness before the 2015 upgrade happened and i waited for that improvements before buying
My 6.2 was built in 2012. 184k, zero issues.
I have about 15,700 miles on my 2020 F-250 Lariat. No issues of any kind yet. It’s primarily used for towing our 32’ travel trailer. I will get an oil sample and send it off to Blackstone Lab just to ensure there’s no issues lurking before it goes out of warranty.
Good to hear that you haven't had any issues either. What is your trailer weight? Just curious.
I took my sample from the oil change just yesterday. I'm sending it to Blackstone lab too. Thanks for the comment!
I have a 2021 with 25k and my engine and transmission have been flawless thus far. I do all scheduled maintenance, and oil changes every 5k. I tow and daily drive and have not seen any oil glitter yet. But, word on the street was they had a bad batch of cams that the hard coating on them was substandard and that is what has been coming up.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad to hear there have been no issues yet. I wonder how many cams were in that batch?
I think I would take periodic oil samples and send them in for analysis.
I actually just requested some sample bottles from Blackstone after reading your comment. Great idea.
@@PurpleCollarLife The other thing I was thinking that if this was a wide spread issue; Ford would surely issue a recall.
Another great video! Just like the old Fram oil filter commercials used to say pay me now or pay me later
Great point!
2022 F250 7.3 11K and no issues so far.
Thanks for sharing! Another one with no issues. That seems to be the trend.
Research is not reading through forums. If you think they are. You are not very bright. Forums claim my 2016 F150 2.7 was going to lose at least one turbo by 60k miles. My truck has 93k miles and I'm still running on both stock turbos.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Don't forget that a 2% failure rate is in trucks that are at max only 3 years old. By the time these trucks have 100,000 mi or more I think the failure rate is going to be very significant. Likely MUCH more than 2%
You make a good point. There probably aren't many of these 7.3 engines (in comparison to the number manufactured) that have high mileage yet.
Good points. One thing, I don’t think you should be seeing glitter in your dipstick since it would be caught by the oil filter? At least I don’t think?
Interesting point. I’m not sure if you would or not now. You’d think any particles would be picked up in the filter before the oil gets back down to the oil pan. So I’m thinking you’re right and even if there was a problem, you wouldn’t see evidence on the dip stick.
@@PurpleCollarLife yea I really don’t know, never thought about it until I saw your video. Lets not find out!😂
The company I drive for bought a 2021 Ford F650 with a 24' stake bed and the 7.3 motor. 20,000+ miles so far having the oil changed every 5000 miles and no problems yet. BTW we load the crud out of this thing with tons (literally) of construction supplies daily.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad to hear that even under commercial use - the truck is still performing well.
Noticed the air filter element can be seen through the inlet. If it's cats and dogs out, or a powerful horizontal rinse at the carwash, directed water will soak the filter.
I wondered about that also - driving in heavy rain from time to time I've checked the air filter. I think it must get enough air flow that if it does get wet - it dries out pretty quickly. I've never noticed it being wet after driving in rain.
They do test for this scenario during development.
i run my 2021 f350 7.3 gas as a hot shot truck. have 150 k on it doing nothin but pulling a trailer and no issue's other then a sparkplug wire. the lifters are the LS lifter, suck cuz you would think ford would have learned from chevys mistakes but is a very small % that its happening to and under warranty.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the truck! You've definitely got some seat time and miles!
I have a Pressure Cleaning business and pull a trailer every day for the last 20years and always had a F150. Last year decided to change and get F250 with 25000 miles used with a factory warranty and at 31000 I just had a problem with cam shaft. has been in the shop for almost 2 months and is not ready.
2 months in the shop?!! Did they have a vehicle that they could loan you while it’s being repaired? That’s the worst when you need it for your livelihood.
Do you think switching to synthetic oil would be a good idea? I change my oil at 4000 miles now.
Great question! I think my dealership uses the Motorcraft synthetic blend oil during the oil changes.
For my research following some Ford mechanics online it's not an oil issue
@@PurpleCollarLife I switch every other change (myself and the dealer) I use Motorcraft synthetic blend and Motorcraft filters.
Go full synthetic, blends are nonsense! How much synthetic oil is in a blend?
Synthetic oil has conventional oils beat in every category of testing.
Spending $50-70K+ on a truck and then skimping on the oil to save a few dollars, is like training at the gym every day and then eating at Taco Bell for every meal!
@@pauldiesel4582 I like the idea of using synthetic oil but I thought everyone went to Taco Bell after the gym!
The web said the same about the 3v V10, I have a V10 and abuse it and still no issues with my bought new 2007 350. Maintenance is key.
I haven't heard a bad comment about the old V10 yet. I have a couple friends who refuse to switch to a new truck because they love the V10 so much in their earlier Super Duty trucks.
Just had my 2021f250 Lariat 7.3 lifter failure. Right at 40000 miles. Ford is warranting it and replacing engine.
I am very glad to hear that Ford is covering it under warranty and replacing the engine. But it’s so disappointing that you only have 40,000 miles on a truck and it needs a new engine! Any idea how long you’ll be without your truck while they repair it?
2022 F350 with the 7.3 Godzilla. It had this failure at 22,832 miles. Ford kept the truck for over 3 months and it was covered under warranty it was out for a total of 98 days. They replaced the camshaft, heads and everything in between. I was told that there are no updated parts and same stock of parts were put in. Good luck.
Wow - 98 days!!
The only engine I would get would be the 6.2 as it is proven to be tough.
I think it's proven to be reliable in the last several years. I think it had a couple bugs to work out in the initial year or two.
I’m at 53k running great and love it, fingers crossed that won’t happen
Sounds like it's all good so far. How often to you change the oil and what type oil have you been using?
@@PurpleCollarLife I’ve always had ford do the oil change so motorcraft but I try to get it done between 4500-5k , it was my daily work driver towing a small trailer but got a new work truck to save the miles on it
I have a 2021 ford f250 with the 7.3 godzilla engine with almost 70000 miles on it and I've been towing 18000 lbs a couple times a week and the only problem I just recently encountered was I just had to replace the spark plug wires. To me it's been a very reliable truck
That's great! Thanks for leaving a comment. Which spark plug wires did you go with?
I have a 2022 F250 Lariat with the 7.3 and have towed my 12,500# 5th wheel 12,000 of the 22,750 miles on my odometer. I have towed over the rocky mountains 11,500 ft pass the engine worked perfect plenty of power. Of course not power stroke torque but I don't plan on pulling 25,000#. I got it just to pull my 5th wheel and did not want to deal with diesel. I change the oil and filter at 7,500 miles use full syn. oil and cut the filter open and have seen no metal shavings So far so good
Thanks for the update on your F250 with the 7.3! I think it's great to be able to read through all these comments and see the different ways people use their trucks. Your use is just like ours - just for towing the 5th wheel and boat - and maybe around 1/2 of our total mileage will be towing. Keep us posted as you add miles! Thanks.
We have 25000 on our 2021 F350 7.3. I use full syn & change @ 5k. So far no issues. Occasionally tow a 7k# trailer, majority is 60-75mph, low idle time. Snowplowed this winter, light duty.
Thanks for sharing! What oil have you gone with for the full synthetic?
@@PurpleCollarLife Walmart's SuperTech, Motorcraft FL820S filter
I have 2020 F350 with the 7.3 that i bought new. I had a check engine light come on, and the Ford app on my phone told me it was a misfire. I took it to the dealership I bought it from, and they supposedly did the common failures at the time, plug wires, and wiring harness. Both of those things were fine. They cleared the code and sent me on my way. Within a day or two, the check engine light was back on. Long story short, they had my truck off, and on the whole summer of 2022. They finally replaced the engine. I was never told what the problem was, I can only assume it was the cam or lifter issue.The truck drove fine at highway speeds. The only time I could feel any issues was backing into my garage or creeping along at a stop sign. It would have a slight lugging or a miss. At the time, it had 55k miles.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Any issues with the replacement engine? Did they extend the engine warranty?
Unfortunately, all things mechanical will eventually fail. That fact aside, I am also following these issues closely as I purchased my 2022 F350 with the7.3 Godzilla (new) last Summer. However, as you stated these failure seem to be happening while the powertrain is still under warranty. I currently have only 5,600 miles on my truck as it is not a daily driver. The wife and I carpool as much as possible to save fuel and wear and tear on the second vehicle. I put around 5,000 miles per year on my last truck and expect to put on between 5,000 to 10,000 per year on this truck. I also purchased an 8 year 85,000 mile extended warranty on the truck so hopefully any premature failures will occur inside of that age and mileage range. I am more currently more concerned with the 10 speed transmission and the fact it jumps while in park when it is started. I intend to have the dealer look at that when the weather breaks and before towing season. By what I am reading there appears to be a TSB on the issue and hopefully it's a simple correction for the dealer to make. My biggest issue is I don't trust anyone as I have worked around and seen too many people with the attitude that we just need to put a band aid on the problem long enough to get the customer out of their warranty. As for the chrome tow hooks, unfortunately Chrome plating has not been anywhere as durable as it once was since they removed the nickel from it years ago. Every vehicle I have owned since the mid 90's that had any chrome on it required constant cleaning with steel wool and wd-40 or other oil (I like Tranny Fluid) to keep the rust at bay.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Since the F350 isn't a daily driver for us, but is used heavily for long travel and boating/camping trips during some vacations in the summer, we average about 5000-10,000 miles a year also.
I wish this truck had the black tow hooks instead of chrome. Honestly, I sometimes wish it had the black bumper and black front grill because even though they don't look as nice when new - they tend to look better than the chrome over time.
@@PurpleCollarLife if your want them to be black, take the tow hooks off and run them to your nearest LINEX dealer. Have them prep them and spray them with LINEX. That LINEX will out last the chrome without question.
I have a 2021 6.7 with 16,000 miles and numerous problems with the biggest one ended up with having to put in a new long block and turbo. With all the years I've had Fords I've never really had any trouble with them until this one. Its a pain not having your vehicle and being in the shop many weeks on end but my biggest gripe is Ford didn't cover the big problem costs. They would cover the little things but the motor and turbo was all mine to pay for and the truck was still under warranty. And Ford customer service is the worst ones to deal with, you call them and tell them your issues and all they say is I'm sorry your having these problems but there is nothing we can do....wrong there is something you can do but you refuse to. If a multi billion dollar company won't stand behind their product and treat their customers better than that its time to spend my money elsewhere.
@@arrowslingr4929 I know that you are absolutely full of 💩 how in the world would they have determined owner at fault? Unless you bought used as is no warranty or you literally can’t even change your own oil correctly it would be covered under factory warranty.
Great video , used is the way to go. Now in 2023 it seems that the price is not a Hugh difference between new and used. I would like to buy the 6.8 liter in a few years.
You're right - not a huge difference anymore between new and slightly used. But the advantage to used for us was availability with the features we wanted, AND the 100,000 mile used warranty from Ford.
I wonder if you buy new… can you buy an extended warranty to 100k?
I guess I’m in the club. Was told my #5 lifter failed today. 60,000 miles.
Oh NO! That's not good to hear. Did you have the extended warranty?
Got my truck back. Got a new engine in 10 days. F550 with a mechanic service body. 15,000 lbs.
@@PurpleCollarLifeyes was under extended warranty
All it takes is a handful of failures for the internet to blow it up. I know a couple of the godzillas with over 100k miles on them already without any trouble.
I agree - the internet can certainly magnify the smallest issue and make it seem huge. Glad to hear you know of some that have passed that 100,000 mile mark!!
I heard most of these engine failures are in the de-tuned version of the 7.3. Those motors are in the fleet line (box trucks and rv's).
I've heard that too. I've always wondered why they "de-tune" the box trucks and RVs that always have more load on them.
2020 f250 7.3l and 60k miles. Drive the heck out of it and regularly change oil on every 5k miles intervals. No problems so far.
Thanks for sharing! When you are at 5K miles - how much oil life does the computer say is left? I'm just curious.
…just looked at my Ford Pass and last oil change was at 57,900 and truck now shows 60,400 with 72% oil life left. I will be changing again around 63k 👍
@@claudeallen175 Thank you.
Ordered new 2021 F250 Tremor in late 2020. Has 39k on it now with no issues, change oil between 5k-7k miles..
Thanks for sharing! I'm curious - when you're at 5-7K miles, what oil life does the computer say you have left? I agree with changing it at that interval - I'm just curious what the computer says.
@@PurpleCollarLife 40% at 5,000 and around 30% at 7,000
I honestly think you should have got all the deleting done to your 6.0 and held on to it for ever. I will not be letting go of ours. However their are plenty of benefits to a gas. I hope the for the best. Take care chad.
I agree. A friend had a 6.0 Excursion and did all the upgrades/deletes, including head studs and got over 1/2 million miles out of it.
@@jamesplotkin4674 my 5.9 cummins did 500k without any mods. Will go another 500k.
We really considered it. But after just soaking nearly $8K into the repairs, we couldn't justify spending thousands more to do all the delete process. Our old truck didn't take long to sell off the dealership lot - even being 17 years old. I hope someone out there is enjoying it and that it lasts them a long time. That truck was certainly part of the family.
@James Plotkin - That's awesome!
@watch died suddenly - that's great to hear!
2020 F-250 Tremor 7.3L, 14K miles (10K towing a trailer), the only issue is a piece of the roof trim has come loose at the rear attachment point. Most likely caused by the auto-matic car wash that I was going to. However, it makes you wonder about being "Built Ford Tough".
Thanks for watching! I'm surprised you even found an automatic car wash that the F250 with Tremor package can fit in!!
This problem sucks for people that don't put a lot of miles on their truck.. trucks are a second vehicle for a lot of people. I do about 8K miles a year on my truck so if the motor blows at 41K id be up the creek because of the time factor of the warranty.. I think 60K miles is fair but they should give you 8 years to hit 60,000 miles, not 5.
Outstanding point! My F350 isn't my daily driver either. Our old 2005 only had about 130,000 miles on it after 17 years. It would certainly be nice if the coverage was for the miles and not the years.
Speaking of rusty tow hooks. My 2022 was delivered in September and I just noticed the rust too. No salt exposure in our are just de-icing chemicals.
Chris - thanks for checking! I think that's unacceptable. In a salted area or a non-salted area - these tow hooks (designed to be attachment points for straps and chains) should not be getting surface rusting like this.
Oil brands can make a big difference, as it takes approximately 8sec to get oil to cam, cam lifters apone start ups
Great point! What oils do you prefer? I've used Mobil 1 and Motorcraft semi-synthetic.
@PurpleCollarLife I use Australian brand, Penrite, not cheap, but the man who started company in 1923, was the head scientist for Castrol, I call it the klingon oil, been using it from 80s when I lived there, now in New Zealand, and still using it in my diesel, harly and have got LOTS of people to use, all really like it
Has Ford made any comment on this problem? Are there any predisposing factors to the failure such as the type of oil used? Is it possible that Ford got a bad batch of camshafts and lifters? This is a truck I would consider if I were to tow a larger trailer. I think I’ll probably never tow a larger trailer because the American big three all have lifter and cam issues now. 2% of engines having catastrophic failure is very unacceptable.
Great question - I haven’t seen anything from Ford corporate at this point.
So far my 2022 F250 7.3 is great, 2600 miles and 16.4 MPG wow ...... Selling at $59,000. I need long bed, mine is 4 door 6' bed XLT premium pkg
Nice! I've been impressed with the fuel economy in these trucks - considering the size and weight of them, plus the power available. th-cam.com/video/TMQ-QNrPDw4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=8rHaW9s6r8AETLef
Once you see glitter on the dipstick, it's too late. I want to love the Ford pickup. I will be following your journey. Maybe it's vehicles with poor maintenance history. Chrome is not what it used to be. Enjoy the Journey - Cheers
Thanks @Bota Bob - that's true about the dipstick. Once you're seeing the glitter the damage is already done. But not driving any further may prevent more catastrophic failure. I'm so disappointed with the chrome. I remember the truck chrome bumpers of old - yes they weighed hundreds of pounds - but they lasted a long time.
My solution would be to replace the camshaft before before failure with a hotter 3rd party unit. (Think comp cams or similar) that way you'll be both cooler and more reliable.
Our truck is still under factory Ford Gold Certified pre-owned warranty - so it would be covered if there is a future issue (up to 100,000 miles). I did research having the camshaft and lifters replaced pre-emptively, but that would cost around $4000 out of pocket for the parts and labor.
I posted a comment 9 months ago, still no lifter issues on my 2 trucks, but I do have a 10 speed issues on the 2020. The 10 speeds will be much more of an issue than the engine lifter failure issue.
I'm thinking you might be right!
I own a 2020 F-350 with 13,000 miles. Not a single issue so far. I am the original owner and have been very happy with it. Still have about 3 years left on my powertrain warranty so I'm not overly concerned yet. No way I will hit the mileage limit before I hit the 5 year mark. Hopefully if it is a widespread problem, Ford will step up and address it.
Thanks for watching. We're over 25,000 miles on ours now and no issue. Just had a fresh oil change and it all looks good. I'm sending it out for analysis though.
Don't count on Ford ever "stepping up". They still won't even acknowledge death wobble and that goes back decades. Not to mention the disaster that was their 6.4-diesel. Denial is the name of the game!
The thing I hate about warranties is having to get vehicles serviced by expensive dealerships. I change the oil on my truck religiously every 3000 miles. I have almost 200k on my 20 year old chevy motor with no issues; engine still runs strong. You may have a point about vans idling but that shouldn't be an issue. I wonder if it's more of a service issue? At any rate, I am very impressed with the truck, even though I'm not crazy about the purchase price of Fords. For me, it's time for a newer truck.
I always prefer to take vehicles to a local garage with an independent mechanic. I found they always do the best work (usually places with a first name in the title - like Larry's Garage, or Bob's shop, Steve's garage). But with this new truck - I wanted to have the dealership have all the records of the maintenance and fixes.
I have a 2020 F250 7.3 Godzilla with 17,000 miles on it had no issues.
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing.
So year later follow up question.
Is variable oil pump and long idle times a factor in the spalling of the lobes?
Great question! I haven't heard a definitive answer. Our most recent oil change analysis results were better.
@PurpleCollarLife nice....keep us posted.
My 6.2l tows my shredding equipment so well (11.2k lbs) but am at the top end of my towing ratings.
2018 f250 fx4 xlt.
But if a 6.8l, mini-zilla were reasonable sure would consider a trade!
I have a 2020 7.3 Godzilla . I just replaced my engine at 94000 miles due to lifter and cam failure. I have always used Mobil 1 and motorcraft filter. My engine idles a lot daily.
Thanks for letting us know! Sad that you had to replace your engine under 100,000 miles.
extended idle times require a high idle function to prevent this. It'll get fixed in the 2nd gen of this engine.
I wonder if there is a fix for the existing engine builds?
Toyota builds the most reliable engines in the world and even they have had crank shaft and head gasket problems in the past so..... Good video BTW
Thanks!
2021 - F350 XL - 7.3 - 89k miles. Lifter 6 just went out. Been having transmission issues since 10k miles. Absolutely zero help from Ford. Very disappointing having a truck under 100k with a junk motor.
Oh no!!! That's not what I wanted to hear. Did you have the extended warranty??
You can send your oil for analysis every 10 or 20 thousand miles. They will spot unusual metals in your oil.
Thanks!
Always get the 100k mile warranty. And it's all good. I've had GREAT luck with the Ford warranty in the past. (On a expedition with the 5.4) Didn't use it but only 2 times, once for a water pump, and other for a transmission issue (it worked fine but shift werid) super easy and didn't cost me a dime. Things break, it happens. It's always better when it's under warranty.
We were lucky to find this truck used, with the Blue Oval Certified Gold warranty - so we will have the 100,000 mile power train coverage. I’m really happy about that! It certainly provides peace of mind.
Rockin' my 2020 F-250 7.3 Godzilla daily - zero negative issues. 15,000 miles, very little towing, and have loved driving every mile. The truck is physically unable to drive past a gas station, but hell - I'M A RED BLOODED AMERICAN and I deal with it! If spalling becomes an issue, I'll just trade it in and pick up a 'Ford - Lightning' pickup. Bwaaahahahahhaahahaha!!! Yeah, right!
Thanks for watching!