03 F550 6.0 woes

[simonsrplant]

Alas the inevitable has finally happened
My trusty steed (03 F550 6.0) has finally breathed his last breath.
Headgaskets, so add cooler and hpop plus the unknown...
I'm torn in repairing or replacing
I'd really like something slightly larger, maybe with a crane or picker, but am struggling to find something for reasonable money.
Throwing a bunch of cash at an old truck makes no sense to the business man in me.
But, the old saying goes; better the devil you know.
Repair
Replace with the unknown
Change our 6.0 for cummins?
So many thoughts?
Any wisdom from the hallowed collective?

 

[Dickjr.]

How many miles did you get before it let loose? I've been told the 6.0 can be reliable with a few mods like the head studs egr delete etc. I would think doing this would be cheaper than a Cummins swap. Is the engine completely ruined or do you know yet?

 

[simonsrplant]

I suspect I'm over thinking all the variablesil cooler etc.
I'm at 250k and the thing runs almost perfectly.
My problem is I begrudge throwing money at an old horse, but in the same breath that old horse has been faithful to date

 

[Junkyard]

What kind of shape is the rest of the truck in? Once they've been bulletproofed they're, dare I say it, as good as a 7.3. Only small drawback I see is being an 03 it's an earlier 6.0. I worked on a bunch for a utility company and got pretty good at diagnosing and making them live. If other major stuff is bound to follow the motor that makes it a little harder to decide. At least you'd know what you have. The work isn't hard to do, worst part is pulling the cab but even that isn't terrible. As expensive at new trucks are it seems to be worth keeping a good one going.

Junkyard

 

[simonsrplant]

The rest of the truck is clean and in good shape. I need to replace the rear springs and generally go through it... it's had a hard year bouncing around a mine site. It's a six speed standard which is nice.
One of my problems is I don't have a hoist to lift the cab so I'd have to do the job with the cab on, which is just more of a pain I believe.
I wouldn't mind but I looked at a couple newer larger trucks at Edmonton Richie Bros earlier this week. The stuff there went way over what I'd pay... generally beaten service bodies or just too new. New means pricey!

 

[JNB]

That's surprising. I'd heard that if a 6.0 made it to 100k that it was past the big problems.

That's a hard decision on whether to repair or replace. I have a 7.3 with 323k and a 5.9 24v Cummins with 225k. If the 7.3 launched a turbo or something of that sort I'd fix it in a flash. It's been crazy reliable. If something like that happened to the Cummins, it's headed to CL.

 

[Junkyard]

It can be done with cab on, you'll cuss a lot and may have to massage a couple places with a BFH to make room but it's doable.

JNB-I've got 323k on a 7.3 in my old service truck. Had many a dodge cummins go 300-400k. Worst thing on the 24 valve are the lift pumps and injector pumps, which I'm sure you learned. They've all got their quirks! Don't put it on CL send it my way. I have a soft spot for dodge cummins.

Junkyard

 

[simonsrplant]

Or there is the option of a cummins conversion...
Just saying!

 

[Junkyard]

That works too. There are several kits that appear to make it pretty easy. Never have done it or used one. I kinda want to swap my 05 from the common rail to a 12 valve.

Junkyard

 

[JNB]

It can be done with cab on, you'll cuss a lot and may have to massage a couple places with a BFH to make room but it's doable.

JNB-I've got 323k on a 7.3 in my old service truck. Had many a dodge cummins go 300-400k. Worst thing on the 24 valve are the lift pumps and injector pumps, which I'm sure you learned. They've all got their quirks! Don't put it on CL send it my way. I have a soft spot for dodge cummins.

Junkyard

Not so much a dislike for the engine as the Gen 3 Dodge. Cummins in a Coors can comes to mind.

 

[Junkyard]

I agree completely. There's nothing to the sheet metal on them! Sometimes I think I can stare a hole in the bed.

Junkyard

 

[Jakebreak]

I had a buddy that blew his 7.3 up and did the cummins swap on it. he put in a 5.9 and I believe he got his adapter plates and wiring harnesses from a company out of Oregon he got a donor truck for 2k. I think when it was all done he had 6k in for the whole swap and that was also converting the truck back over to a manual transmission

 

[Brodiesel]

I have performed 2 big jobs on 03 and 04 6.0's, they are nice looking trucks and fun to drive when they work but I would not buy one or rely on it. The 03 came into shop FULLY "Bulletproofed" and still had problems, they're a good company that makes great aftermarket parts but its just not for me, I love my 93 Dodge Cummins! Now, Im half into a rebuild on a 2010 Powerstroke 6.4, still prone to failure. Big improvements on the head bolts and egr upgrades but this one had a failed lifter/flat cam, and cavitation behind the water pump is STILL a big problem, I don't know why Ford didn't fix that. Any ways Im no PRO but these are my experiences.

 

[PJ The Kid]

Bottom end is solid on that power plant, throw coolers at it, along with an air to oil cooler instead of the oil cooler in the valley. Head studs aren't that bad in cab, I have personally never pulled the cab off one. I would also personally use a bullet proof oil cooler instead of a delete just so you don't have to worry about DOT later on. The bullet proof EGR coolers come with a lifetime parts warranty and I have never had to use it. The only time you get one clogged is when you lose a headgasket. Also if you run the truck in colder weather, look into a 58v FICM BD Diesel sells them with stock programs all the way up to 80 or 100 horse pre-programmed and plug and play and you don't need another programmer. Unfortunately its quite intensive to swap your early 2 stage hpop for a 04.5+ pump and STC fitting. All together, Navistar made a decent power plant, but the EPA junk FOMOCO threw on it was worthless.

 

[simonsrplant]

Thanks all.
It's getting parked up for a bit, at some point I'll repair the original 6.0. I've already got the high voltage FICM -night and day improvement on cold starts!
Anyway, check out the dream ride thread to see my latest:
Scooped a real good deal on it so couldn't say no!
Lost a small amount of space but on the whole I'll make it work and do well for it.

 

[Seabass]

I would suggest you go to powerstrokehelp on YouTube. Knowledgeable fellow. Watch his videos on the ford diesels and his take on them as that is what he only works on. 7.3 to 6.7, he lists a video on all their pro vs cons. 6.4, 6.7 are powerful but very expensive to work on, repair.

I bought my first service truck with 150,000 km on a 7.3. but it got written off. I searched for another 7.3 and found a low km 180,000. 2 years ago. I, sure ill double my mileage before a rebuild.

If it were me, a rebuild 7.3 or 6.0 (bulletproof) will run $8000. Much less than a year of payments on something new and guaranteed to give you 10-,15 years of reliable service. No brainer.

 

[Seabass]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH2NmxXEUJQ

6.0 vs 7.3

 

[Seabass]

Best powerstroke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o2LGuzl0go

 

[Jim D]

In my opinion, the very best Power Stroke information is DieselTechRon, http://dieseltechron.com/ , on You Tube. Very tragically he was killed in a traffic accident this last year. He was a Ford dealer Power Stroke 'line' mechanic. He posted the best honest info about Power Strokes, and saved more money for Power Stroke owners than everyone else combined.

PS: simonsplant, I have a 7.3 Ford and a 5.9 P-700 inline pump Cummins Dodge, and if I were you, I'd dump the Ford. Ford can't make a column mounted gear shift lever that works easily, or a power brake booster that doesn't pulse the brake peddle and feel funny, or a cab interior and cab controls that don't fall apart. Also the Ford makes way more noise, but no more power. And working on a V-engine in a pick-up truck is ridiculous compared to working on a inline engine... for the Ford dealers, removing the cab to service the engine is a *feature*, not a *bug*.