Diesels???

Ten years into owning this 7.3 PSD, so far it has been well worth the investment.
Preventative Maintenance, maintenance and more maintenance.

Got a stack of receipts and wonder what's next to BOAT (Bust Out Another Thousand) on. Any vehicle has to have proper PM, though owning a PSD costs more in PM than a gas burner.

I just rolled over 150K yesterday, my friend's 2002 PSD with 175K has cost him more in upkeep due to a couple mechanical breakdowns.

If someone offered me $20K I still wouldn't sell it.

Yes I've tried more than several times to get him on here @ FFS but no dice.

 

The 7.3 is a tried and true workhorse, but the transmission is the weak point. if you buy a 7.3 with over 120k that hasnt had a rebuild dont be shocked if it goes on ya within a year or so. some run till 200k without it, some crap out at 80... it depends on how it was driven or what it was used for.

the early 6.0s had some issues, sticking egr valves, oil coolers, and the turbo sticking. the turbo can stick and cause under or over boost. the other problems are the head studs, the 7.3 has 6 per cylinder, but the 6.0 has 4. the combo of over boost and weak studs results in blown head gaskets.

like everyone one else said, with the proper bullet proofing and a tuner a 6.0 is great, but be careful and make sure you mod properly and dont just throw any kind of tuner on there, do your homework.

the problem with the 6.4 is all the emissions junk, it has the DPF and dual EGR coolers. The DPF was causing flames to shoot out of the tailpipe. something to do with the computer injecting extra fuel to burn soot off the DPF. I dont know if it was doing it too soon, or too frequently to cause flames like that, but i know its just a PCM re calibration to fix it. its a recall deal.. Im also hearing about similar problems as the 6.0 but not as frequent. I think its due to the dual turbos, they dont have an issue with sticking so the head stud issue becomes less frequent.

I hear so far the 6.7 is suppose to be the new "7.3" when it comes to having good reviews and a long production life. I guess we will see ha ha.

 

AWESOME! my dads has almost 180k without any major repairs, just the usual brakes, alternator, starter etc.. its starting to go in more often though, nothing over $1000 per visit yet.

Mine only has 116k but its had the usual passenger side rear caliper seizing that seems to come with these, and a couple little things hear and there but nothing huge yet. im crossing my fingers on the transmission ha ha.

 

My friend drove his father-in-law's new King Ranch 6.7, he said it is a torque monster.

He commented on the slick technology of the high tech gadgets and it's interior design.
All the bells and whistles, think he said he paid north of $57K for it.

His only complaint was the need for DEF, but his father-in-law wouldn't hesitant to pay cash for a King Ranch and drive it to Florida twice, Gatlinburg and Greenville, TN multiple times and use it to haul the fifth wheel loaded with a skid steer or the 997 Deere mower of just to run to the grocery store.

He also owns a 2007 King Ranch F350, and a 97 RAB F150.

 

So what you guys are saying is I should get a 7.3 or a 6.0 that has new studs in it and a Egt delete. Right!?

 

7.3 fo show, unless the 2012 6.7 250 is calling your name.

 

Well seeing how I only want to spend Max of like 16ish I think the 12 will have to wait....

 

Right, you really cant go wrong with those 2 motors. I have a 2003 6.0 and i havent had the egr delete or head studs done yet and well i could burn my motor its awful but im fixing to replace the glow plus ad do the egr delete and that should fix my problem, other than that i cant complain. Everybody says the 7.3 is the best you can get in th 1999-2004. If your wanting to bulid one for speed they say the 6.0 is a beast when done right! What year are you wanting?

 

yes to all three... i also have more than 260k miles.
first injection pump went at 230k, first trans went at 250k, and my 53 block has not cracked. as joe stated, preventative maintenance is key (it is with all vehicles, but especially diesels!). nearly every common issue on 24v trucks has roots to a simple fix.
knowing what maintenance needs to be done and staying on top of such maintenance, and monitoring what is going on with the truck is what keeps them afloat for 1,000,000+ miles. too frequently people don't understand what they have or are getting into, which is where people go wrong in any situation, but i see it often in the diesel world. someone wants a diesel truck and then digs their own grave with repairs and issues they don't understand, or they just get lucky.

 

This guy knows a little about owning an early 6.0 and a buyback truck at that.

Rollin deep at 176k. Tuned and deleted but still running stock head bolts and gaskets.

Key things that have been missed so far. Along with the egr cooler failing a main cause of that is the oil cooler and it's design. You need to watch the engine coolant temp (ect) and Engine oil temp (eot). These are key to knowing the health of your oil cooler. If it get clogged then you'll loose your egr cooler next and then blow a hg.

Secondly you NEED a coolant bypass filter. Keeping your coolant clean is key to the health of your oil cooler even after egr delete.

Check that when your looking. If you buy a stock truck then you can always budget in 3k for a complete stud hg and oil cooler job as studded trucks are harder to come by.

No matter what you do make sure your first two purchases with a 6.0 are a way to monitor the temps (edge insight cts is what i run) and a coolant filter.