I have an early 6.0, got it used with about 58,000 on it. Took it in for service at 60000, had it bullet proofed: o ring support rings, oil cooler replaced (inlet screen failure), injectors removed pop tested (leaky welsh plug), turbo cleaned, water filter… other than it is expensive to service, has been reliable with plenty of power, once brake drag was fixed, decent mileage (23), and steering doesn’t wander as bad. Have fun
As someone who works on diesel pickups every day this is a pretty good video, I should mention a few things though, first off the turbo vanes are prone to sticking but in the vast majority of cases the turbo can be taken apart and cleaned and then it works properly, it’s very rare to find a bad 6.0 turbo. Sometimes the unison ring needs to be replaced if it’s been run stuck for a long time. 2003 6.0s used a different egr that is generally much more reliable, I’ve seen multiple stock 03 6.0s with over 300k miles and the original egr still on, obviously none of that is an issue if it’s not on the truck. If you run good coolant and oil the oil cooler will last a long time, generally 200k miles ish. The 03-04 6.0s had a different high pressure oil pump than the 05-07 trucks, the earlier ones generally last about 200-250k the later ones last pretty much forever, I like never see a bad Hpop on a 05-07 truck, all 6.0s will have the occasional high pressure oil leak somewhere, it’s generally the stand pipes although it can be the injectors as well.
Bullet proof it the right way and it’ll last. I had quite a few problems with one and bulletproofed it, took a while to trust but put 400k miles on it before I sold it. Damn good farm truck.
Love my 6.0, its a low milage, I keep up on the Maintenance like clock work, only mods I have are a blue spring upgrade and a 4" turbo back Flow Pro Exhaust.
In fact it did exist until late 2010 in the E-Serie Ford. It also has a little brother the VT265 if i recall a V6 4.5L in the Ford LCF and international citystar.
I owned a 2004 f250 with that engine. It never let me down, had adequate performance, and very good fuel economy. The check engine light would come on sporadically and stay on for 500-1000 miles usually when I was on an extended trip somewhere, then go out again for 3-6 months. I started hearing all the stories like those you relayed in your video. I got tired of worrying about it and finally sold it after 13 years and 150k miles. Maybe I should have just disconnected the check engine light.
The 6.0 originally was designed for the MD trucks for International chassis with a detuned HP. Funny thing is the engines in the MD trucks didn't have much issues because they weren't pushed with that extra HP so hence the reason the ford trucks had issues, it can be a great engine with the upgrades and modifications (Bulletproof) the 6.0 made me alot of money its my favorite engine ❤
I have a 2003. A Ford mechanic told me it was different than the 04 to 2010 six litre. He told me to keep up the maintenance and work it. 180k on it...zero issues... 6:56
I’m 21 years late watching this. I bought a 03 6.0 F350 new in 2003. Still have it. Only 61,000 miles. Don’t use it much though. 6 speed manual, manual transfer case, manual hubs, round egr cooler. Can’t buy any of that anymore. My cousin who’s a mechanic says the newer ones are so much worse with DEF, DPF, dual turbos, CP4 HPOP. I do my own maintenance. Just had to replace the front cover due to a rusted & leaky heater pipe which was seized. Now has the larger h2o pump. They are a PIA to work on though. Stay warm up there in Canada. I’m just south of BC in Montana.
This was my first fleet vehicle. It was in the shop as much as it was on the road. The dealer didn’t know what the heck to do with them. The techs had all kinds of theories, and I think they were all just shocked about the oil “frothing” it was so hot during troubleshooting. I didn’t know what that meant, just that all of the drivers in my pool were scrambling back to Isuzu COEs.
Actually the 6.0L lasted until 2010 in the E-series vans. Everyone talks about the F-series trucks but forgets about the E-series vans. Navistar designed the engine with less horsepower, ford wanted more outnof the engine. There were far less problems with the 6.0L in the Navistar trucks since it was de-tuned.
@, indeed they were. I worked at a school bus company that had a ton of them, no head gasket failures. We still had EGR and oil cooler failures and injectors go bad but that was it. And once you put in the updated injectors then we stopped having injector issues. It was a reliable engine that ford made unreliable because they wanted to stay competitive in the horsepower wars.
Here in Australia, Ford imported (from Brazil) the F250 and F350 from 2001 to 2006. They were available with a 4.2 TD inline six, 5.4 Triton V8 and the 7.3 Power stroke, not the 6.0. Maybe we dodge a bullet (5.4 excepted)
Superduty trucks with 6.0s are decent cheap diesel work trucks for mechanics who can do their own labor, wouldn't really recommend one to anyone else. Having to pay someone else to work on one would get ridiculously expensive. CAT and International jointly designed HEUI, and actually International did most of the legwork, but CAT got the rights. One of the reasons I love the 6.0 is because it reminds me of the CAT 3208s I grew up with.
Studded, EGR delete, external or aftermarket oil cooler, coolant filter, do oil and filter changes religiously and don't run a crazy tuner. Do that and they're awesome plus nothing else sounds like them.
Absurdly expensive engine to service. Dad had one in his F250 just because he just had to have a diesel. I'm a diesel tech guy from the 80s and 90s. When I saw these things and the expense involved, I swore off diesel for any reason whatsoever. 6.0 marks the demarcation zone of forget diesel and just do gas. Buy a replacement gas engine just for the cost of doing a turbocharger replacement on a 6.0. The economics do not in anyway add up to making a diesel engine a sane choice. It's more testosterone than practicality. Diesel is not the way to go anymore in today's world. Just ask your wallet.
100% agree. The parts are insanely expensive. Cylinder heads, turbos, Ficms, oil coolers, IPR’s, EGR coolers, fuel injectors, gaskets, even fuel filters. You must use factory parts too. (Only exception Is head studs) It takes 5x more labor too due to removing everything just to reach anything. Cylinder heads aren’t ment to be machined just replaced. I do like the 20 mpg at 70 mph in my 03 f350. Not bad for a 8000 lb vehicle. I will Never buy another diesel unless it’s a classic 300SD Mercedes made in the early 80’s. My mom had one for almost 30 years and 400k never any major engine repair.
I have a 2006 F250 6.0 new turbo took CAC OUT AND FLUSHED not very dirty but the problem I have is when I push RPMS between 2500 or higher it doesn’t go up to 4000rpms without a struggle when I back off it makes a ca ca ca sound by intake area so I removed hot and cold side hoses from turbo pushed RPMS to @ 3000 backed of and no ca ca ca sound could CAC still be bad? I pressure tested it and it held 10 lbs no problem sprayed around with soapy water and no bubbles that I could see The reason I replaced turbo was because it was sticking but the problem I explained was there in beginning also my low oil pressure on ICP goes on after it’s driven @ 2 miles all sensors are new HPOP is strong oil pressure right away HELP
One thing missed here is that Navistar teamed up with a European engineering/design team. That was part of the problem, they didn't understand the U.S. market. You can tell by things such as the oil filter housing & location. Study European engines and you will see A LOT of their influence.
Should have done the "Top 25 Problems" I have 3 of these, all '03 ZF-6 manual, crew cab 4wd. One is a dually. I gave up on that 6.0L, it's getting Cummins swapped NO tuning was done to any of them. HOWEVER, when they're running good they are GREAT!
The 7.3 was doomed regardless of emissions laws. Real reason for the 6.0 is that the 7.3 wasn’t designed to make the power that the competitors were bringing. Nearly every “problem” listed in this vid can be prevented with good maintenance and leaving the engine STOCK power. Stop idling your engines so much too.
Yeah they were a terrible engines. I had to put about 15k in the motor to keep it on the road in one year. I got rid of it for a duramax. Don't get me wrong it was a beast of a engine, it just cost to much to keep on the road
The design of this engine has NOTHING to do with Ford. NAVISTAR designed it with a consortium from Europe. This was just the product that was in place of the 7.3/T444E. The only part Ford had was the push for the 325hp/570lbft. The turbo is different from some of the VT365s but its not far off
I didn't realize the European influence on this engine, which is very interesting. I mean it does make some sense though. if only ford learned their lesson and didn't go with the 6.4 after lol
I have an early 6.0, got it used with about 58,000 on it. Took it in for service at 60000, had it bullet proofed: o ring support rings, oil cooler replaced (inlet screen failure), injectors removed pop tested (leaky welsh plug), turbo cleaned, water filter… other than it is expensive to service, has been reliable with plenty of power, once brake drag was fixed, decent mileage (23), and steering doesn’t wander as bad. Have fun
As someone who works on diesel pickups every day this is a pretty good video, I should mention a few things though, first off the turbo vanes are prone to sticking but in the vast majority of cases the turbo can be taken apart and cleaned and then it works properly, it’s very rare to find a bad 6.0 turbo. Sometimes the unison ring needs to be replaced if it’s been run stuck for a long time. 2003 6.0s used a different egr that is generally much more reliable, I’ve seen multiple stock 03 6.0s with over 300k miles and the original egr still on, obviously none of that is an issue if it’s not on the truck. If you run good coolant and oil the oil cooler will last a long time, generally 200k miles ish. The 03-04 6.0s had a different high pressure oil pump than the 05-07 trucks, the earlier ones generally last about 200-250k the later ones last pretty much forever, I like never see a bad Hpop on a 05-07 truck, all 6.0s will have the occasional high pressure oil leak somewhere, it’s generally the stand pipes although it can be the injectors as well.
Bullet proof it the right way and it’ll last. I had quite a few problems with one and bulletproofed it, took a while to trust but put 400k miles on it before I sold it. Damn good farm truck.
Old 6.0 isn't looking so bad lately with all the exhaust after treatment systems.
IKR
We've fallen so far.
at last... Getty's opinion on the 6.0. lets get one on the 6.4 now eh?
I love 6.0’s…I’ve put over 500,000 miles on one…but you have to be a PHD is 6.0’s to own one
What’s PHD lol
Love my 6.0, its a low milage, I keep up on the Maintenance like clock work, only mods I have are a blue spring upgrade and a 4" turbo back Flow Pro Exhaust.
In fact it did exist until late 2010 in the E-Serie Ford. It also has a little brother the VT265 if i recall a V6 4.5L in the Ford LCF and international citystar.
I owned a 2004 f250 with that engine. It never let me down, had adequate performance, and very good fuel economy. The check engine light would come on sporadically and stay on for 500-1000 miles usually when I was on an extended trip somewhere, then go out again for 3-6 months. I started hearing all the stories like those you relayed in your video. I got tired of worrying about it and finally sold it after 13 years and 150k miles. Maybe I should have just disconnected the check engine light.
The 6.0 originally was designed for the MD trucks for International chassis with a detuned HP. Funny thing is the engines in the MD trucks didn't have much issues because they weren't pushed with that extra HP so hence the reason the ford trucks had issues, it can be a great engine with the upgrades and modifications (Bulletproof) the 6.0 made me alot of money its my favorite engine ❤
I have a 2003. A Ford mechanic told me it was different than the 04 to 2010 six litre. He told me to keep up the maintenance and work it. 180k on it...zero issues... 6:56
I’m 21 years late watching this. I bought a 03 6.0 F350 new in 2003. Still have it. Only 61,000 miles. Don’t use it much though. 6 speed manual, manual transfer case, manual hubs, round egr cooler. Can’t buy any of that anymore. My cousin who’s a mechanic says the newer ones are so much worse with DEF, DPF, dual turbos, CP4 HPOP. I do my own maintenance. Just had to replace the front cover due to a rusted & leaky heater pipe which was seized. Now has the larger h2o pump. They are a PIA to work on though. Stay warm up there in Canada. I’m just south of BC in Montana.
Yes, despite these engines having their fair share of problems. At least they don't come with a full emissions systems attached like the newer stuff.
This was my first fleet vehicle. It was in the shop as much as it was on the road. The dealer didn’t know what the heck to do with them. The techs had all kinds of theories, and I think they were all just shocked about the oil “frothing” it was so hot during troubleshooting. I didn’t know what that meant, just that all of the drivers in my pool were scrambling back to Isuzu COEs.
Bottom line they were just not reliable units, unfortunately the 6.4's were even worse
Love the cold start 😅
Great info here thanks!!!
Love the 6.0 and 6.4 so much and I’m not even sure why..
Not sure why you love the 6.4 at all lmao..
Actually the 6.0L lasted until 2010 in the E-series vans. Everyone talks about the F-series trucks but forgets about the E-series vans. Navistar designed the engine with less horsepower, ford wanted more outnof the engine. There were far less problems with the 6.0L in the Navistar trucks since it was de-tuned.
I read alot of guys saying that. the original lower power spec'd "commercial" tuned engines had much better reliability.
@, indeed they were. I worked at a school bus company that had a ton of them, no head gasket failures. We still had EGR and oil cooler failures and injectors go bad but that was it. And once you put in the updated injectors then we stopped having injector issues. It was a reliable engine that ford made unreliable because they wanted to stay competitive in the horsepower wars.
Sounds really good,almost like gt350r
They have such a unique sound to them and I think they sounds awesome.
Thanks for the review. Great content as always.
Incredible film sir Alex this is a brilliant engine
Here in Australia, Ford imported (from Brazil) the F250 and F350 from 2001 to 2006.
They were available with a 4.2 TD inline six, 5.4 Triton V8 and the 7.3 Power stroke, not the 6.0.
Maybe we dodge a bullet (5.4 excepted)
Mr Getty Garage TH-cam'r guy 😊.
When is the Ram 1500 5.7 mileage loop video coming?
Gotta complete the full run...
The HUEI injection system was designed by a partnership between International and Caterpillar.
Superduty trucks with 6.0s are decent cheap diesel work trucks for mechanics who can do their own labor, wouldn't really recommend one to anyone else. Having to pay someone else to work on one would get ridiculously expensive.
CAT and International jointly designed HEUI, and actually International did most of the legwork, but CAT got the rights. One of the reasons I love the 6.0 is because it reminds me of the CAT 3208s I grew up with.
Studded, EGR delete, external or aftermarket oil cooler, coolant filter, do oil and filter changes religiously and don't run a crazy tuner. Do that and they're awesome plus nothing else sounds like them.
Looking at a 350 fturbo sweet diesel truck 05 for 32k seems high, low miles mint conition
Absurdly expensive engine to service. Dad had one in his F250 just because he just had to have a diesel. I'm a diesel tech guy from the 80s and 90s. When I saw these things and the expense involved, I swore off diesel for any reason whatsoever. 6.0 marks the demarcation zone of forget diesel and just do gas. Buy a replacement gas engine just for the cost of doing a turbocharger replacement on a 6.0. The economics do not in anyway add up to making a diesel engine a sane choice. It's more testosterone than practicality. Diesel is not the way to go anymore in today's world. Just ask your wallet.
100% agree. The parts are insanely expensive. Cylinder heads, turbos, Ficms, oil coolers, IPR’s, EGR coolers, fuel injectors, gaskets, even fuel filters. You must use factory parts too. (Only exception Is head studs) It takes 5x more labor too due to removing everything just to reach anything. Cylinder heads aren’t ment to be machined just replaced. I do like the 20 mpg at 70 mph in my 03 f350. Not bad for a 8000 lb vehicle. I will Never buy another diesel unless it’s a classic 300SD Mercedes made in the early 80’s. My mom had one for almost 30 years and 400k never any major engine repair.
6.0s expensive?! * laughs in LB7
I remember the Fuel injectors and high pressure pump are insanely expensive
6.4 *
Great video!
well thank you sir !
Mine is stock and pushing 300k Miles and very few issues.
I have a 2006 F250 6.0 new turbo took CAC OUT AND FLUSHED not very dirty but the problem I have is when I push RPMS between 2500 or higher it doesn’t go up to 4000rpms without a struggle when I back off it makes a ca ca ca sound by intake area so I removed hot and cold side hoses from turbo pushed RPMS to @ 3000 backed of and no ca ca ca sound could CAC still be bad? I pressure tested it and it held 10 lbs no problem sprayed around with soapy water and no bubbles that I could see The reason I replaced turbo was because it was sticking but the problem I explained was there in beginning also my low oil pressure on ICP goes on after it’s driven @ 2 miles all sensors are new HPOP is strong oil pressure right away HELP
The fact it replaced the 7.3 is enough reason to hate it
One thing missed here is that Navistar teamed up with a European engineering/design team. That was part of the problem, they didn't understand the U.S. market.
You can tell by things such as the oil filter housing & location.
Study European engines and you will see A LOT of their influence.
Very interesting, does make some sense thinking about it. But I will sa Detroit Diesel engines are European based diesels and are fantastic units.
You can hear the stinction
That’s even with arch oil 🙃🙃
Should have done the "Top 25 Problems"
I have 3 of these, all '03 ZF-6 manual, crew cab 4wd. One is a dually. I gave up on that 6.0L, it's getting Cummins swapped
NO tuning was done to any of them.
HOWEVER, when they're running good they are GREAT!
Lol there is a list no doubt!
The Cummins swap is a good idea.
The 7.3 was doomed regardless of emissions laws. Real reason for the 6.0 is that the 7.3 wasn’t designed to make the power that the competitors were bringing. Nearly every “problem” listed in this vid can be prevented with good maintenance and leaving the engine STOCK power. Stop idling your engines so much too.
I wonder ,after watching this video,what’s good with this engine?
bottom end and rotating assembly is very strong. but the failures and issues on this engine are lengthy
go read about any diesel engines if you just look at all common failures they pretty much all sound bad
7.3s have a lot of sensor issues for example
Holy jesus none of my duramaxes (lb7, lly, llm) started that poorly in -20 unplugged. Wow
didn't sound like it had all glowplugs or smth.
also sounded like it had some injectors going
Yeah they were a terrible engines. I had to put about 15k in the motor to keep it on the road in one year. I got rid of it for a duramax. Don't get me wrong it was a beast of a engine, it just cost to much to keep on the road
Did you change the name of your channel?
I did! seems more appropriate
The 6.0L is a toilet. Nuff said.
If you bring up rotella T6 they’ll cook you in the forums 😂
Why?
@ they hate T6 and put the blame when their trucks are having issues. I’ve ran T6 no problem so I don’t understand the hate.
When the 6.0 runs, boy they run. When they don't, oof.
Best day I had with my 6.0L was the day I sold it. Complete Garbage
12v !!
The design of this engine has NOTHING to do with Ford. NAVISTAR designed it with a consortium from Europe. This was just the product that was in place of the 7.3/T444E. The only part Ford had was the push for the 325hp/570lbft. The turbo is different from some of the VT365s but its not far off
My 03 6.0 is marked International before they changed names.
I didn't realize the European influence on this engine, which is very interesting. I mean it does make some sense though. if only ford learned their lesson and didn't go with the 6.4 after lol
@@GettysGarage ford started developing the 6.7 in 06 so they likely just accepted 6.4 as they had no option
Designed to fail
actually designed to last longer than most of the stuff on the market today was designed for 250k