Ford 6.0 vs.7.3 Diesel

glenncal1

glenncal1

Active Member
Nov 6, 2009
158
colorado
Boat Info
2000 380AC
Engines
Twin Merc 7.4 Horizons
Looking to buy a late '90s to early 2000's Ford diesel either truck or Excursion. Have heard mixed things about the 6.0. Anybody have experience with both engines. Thanks in advance, Jim
 
Ford 7.3 are bullet proof and can be built up well for more power.
The 6.0s came out on '03 and come from the factory with the same power as a built 7.3, however the early engines had lots of problems with injectors and cylinder heads. I was told that by June of '04, they had sorted these problems out. I did own an '04 with a build date after this and my engine did well with no problems. I was told by a Ford mechanic that it should be reliable but don't add any aftermarket computer chips to it.
This one served me well for a couple of years until I bought my current '08 with the 6.4, which I have chipped up and it is awesome! I pulls my 300SD easily.
 
We had two 7.3's, (constuction/drilling business) one N.A. and one turbo power stroke series. Both were good units. We wore the truck out from under the Natually asperated one. The power stroke was still going strong at 400K, It was just time for a new truck.
Had trouble with two 6.0's But it was mostly tranny problems(those two were automatics) But overall, I would say the 7.3's gave more reliable service, engine wise.
Three of my employees have Dodges, one 5.9 that just keeps on going and two new ones. The new ones are having big time emission system problems. (mostly particulate regen issues) Can't comment on the Dura Max's, never owned one, and only knew 2 guy's that had them and they didn't know how to take care of anything anyway, so I don't think the problems they had were all the trucks fault. I did test drive one here a while back and remember thinking to myself that they had less turbo lag than the ford's but ended up not buying it for other reasons.
So ...just like the old 3208's in my old mediums, and drill rigs, it looks to me like the older pick up diesels are the way to go. At least in my yard. (had the John Deere guy here twice in the last six months with his laptop plugged into my newest tier three's):smt013
Hope that helps a little
 
If buying a 6.0L buy 2005+ and do not use a power chip. We at Ford do not recommend as this puts strain on the trans. and engine and was not signed off (tested) with that much power. Also, do not chip the 7.3L. Both engines are manufactured by Navistar.
 
tbirdvet said:
If buying a 6.0L buy 2005+ and do not use a power chip. We at Ford do not recommend as this puts strain on the trans. and engine and was not signed off (tested) with that much power. Also, do not chip the 7.3L. Both engines are manufactured by Navistar.
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Yep. My thoughts exactly. :thumbsup:
 
just buy a cummins and be done with it.

but if you are stuck on a Ford then go with the 7.3 unless your are looking at a newer 6.0
 
Wouldn't mind a Dodge, but they didn't make a true crew cab in those years, and that is a must for me.
 
2003 6.0L with 175000 miles and runs great. I do not use a tuner when towing. Had it in the shop 1 time for a sensor problem that cost me $400 when the truck had 145000 miles on it. It you get a 6.0L have a Oasis report ran to see the engine history.
 
2001 F250 w 7.3 here. Couldn't find a Dodge/Cummins when I was shopping. Mine's chipped with a few mods. Gauges to monitor important stuff. Not set up for a race truck but for economy and towing. Go to ford-trucks.com. There is a forum for 7.3 and for 6.0. Make an informed decision.
 
I have a '99 250SD Crew w/7.3 that has been chipped it's entire life. Bought it because I pulled a 34' center console. I was MarineMax GM in another life time and pulled many different size boats with the truck. Like half full stated watch your gauges and you can pull the house behind these engines.
All the newer deisel engines are having difficulty with emission control stuff, not the least of which is they burn substantially more fuel now to cook out the exhaust.
 
My work partner has the F350 with the 6.0 and has many problems with it. Its a 2004. My 2003 was the last year of the 7.3 and I love it. It is not chipped but I have a programmer so when I am hauling the boat, I can increase the torque a lot. I can then reprogram back to normal or go as far as "racing mode" which I have not tried since I do not run a turbo temp gauge which would/should be needed to operate the programmer correctly...

The reason for the dropping of the 7.3 which I believe has been around over 13 years is they could not tune it enough to meet newer EPA standards that were coming up. The 6.0 was to me always thought of as an interim fix...

BTW, I have some mods done to the 7.3 that allows normal 20+ mpg highway with no load... You can not do that with newer diesels...
 
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We have a 2006 F-250 King Ranch chipped to the "tow haul" mode which increases HP and torque, also adjusts the tranny to shift a little quicker and firmer also have installed 4" Stainless exhaust system that helps keep the temps cooler. I pull the boat from SLC to Lake Powell in the spring and back to SLC in the fall. Altitudes range from approx 3650' to 7200', no overheating and will top most high altitude passes at 55-60 mph without really pushing it. The combination of the "Edge programmer" and the exhaust have been a good addition. At any time I can change the mode of the chip back to normal operating conditions for around town usage. I would do it again in a heartbeat. BTW freeway driving in the tow haul mode without pulling anything, I get over 18 mpg at speeds of 65 to mph.
 
Go Aweigh2452 said:
BTW, I have some mods done to the 7.3 that allows normal 20+ mpg highway with no load... You can not do that with newer diesels...
Click to expand...

My stock 2006 F250 with 6.0 can get right at 20mpg on a good day unloaded on the interstate, but you're right, it's not consistent. This truck could be modded to get better mileage, but it's definitely easier to do on a 7.3.

There are a lot of good things about the 6.0 (the best thing is the 5 speed tranny, which did not come on the 7.3), but there definitely some bad units out there.

www.powerstrokhelp.com has a TON on information available on the differences between the 7.3, 6.0, and the newer 6.4.

http://www.superdutydiesel.com/forums/ is another forum with a wealth of information on all three engines/trucks.

Find as much info as you can on all models and then make your decision. Go out and drive a couple and see which overall truck you like best. Get an OASIS report from a Ford dealer. That will tell you what work has been done by the dealer. If a motor has had trouble, it will have been in for waranty work. If you're lucky, you'll find someone who took their truck to the dealer for all of it's scheduled service at the correct intervals.
 
I have owned a few different ford trucks from 97-2008. I tow a 35ft fifth wheel toy hauler and I also tow my boat you see in my sig. Hands down the 99.5-2003 7.3l powerstrokes are the best trucks on the road period. They will outlast, out tow, out drive and far more reliable then any of the big three (ford, dodge, chevy). There is a reason ambulances, u hauls, motorhomes, service trucks etc all come on a ford chassis. Reliability. Don't believe me look at the numbers..... As for within the ford line itself, the years stated above are by far the best truck ford has ever put out. Bullet proof! And as for not molding the 7.3? Hahaha. Whatever. I have nodded the heck out of my 2002 F250 and it currently has over 130k on it. Looks, runs and even still smells new. Pulls like a raped ape and it is the only truck I continue to hold on to. 6.0l. Blew it up x3. Bone stock just couldn't pull the 5er. 2008, full hog, pulled and drove awesome, but my 7.3l although modded out pulled it without a hiccup. I owned a 2001 7.3 dually I was using as a work truck. Sold it last august with 521k. Original miles. Only cost me tires, regular maintenance and 1 tranny. It was also modded ( not as much as my 02). But it was a great truck as well. The best place to find info on these trucks as someone else stated is www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forum31. Good luck and happy boating.

Ps I hope I didn't upset any dodge or chevy owners out there, not my intentions. Diesel trucks are my hobby, and I love diesel technology, and working on diesel motors. I have no affiliation with ford motor Corp. Etc. Just a very happy consumer. I see a lot of other trucks due to where I work and where I play.....and I also see what ones last and what guys call me the most with problems with thier trucks etc.
 
I second the ford-trucks.com recommendation - fantastic resource! The 7.3 is certainly the better of the 6.0/7.3 choice but if you find a good deal on a later 04 or 05 it should be fine. The problems were too much for me so I went the V10 route - but the choices were extremely limited in the Excursion vs. the SD trucks. If you found a diesel Ex in my area it was high priced and had way too many miles.

The potential problems with the 6.0 can be extremely expensive to resolve. Most problems center around the EGR cooler and also the head gaskets. The 'fix' appears to be to install ARP studs when replacing the head gaskets and making sure the mechanic installs everything correctly. The EGR cooler can be bypassed which will certainly reduce the potential problems. Recommended mods can be found on the FTE site - but an EGR bypass, coolant filter system and a good set of gauges so you can see what is going on seems to be the norm.
 
Just hauled my boat for the first time with a 2000 F350 dually. What a thrill! EXCEPT . . . I quickly found out that 4x4 is a must on our ramp. If it wasn't for Quint and his 4x4 duramax to lend a little extra help up we wouldn't have got out of the water last night. Ramp was dry but as soon as the boat got out of the water the truck lost traction. Thankfully I found that out before I pulled the trigger on a 4x2.

Once on the road the 7.3 pulled great. It doesn't "idle" up hills with that kind of load like some people want you to believe but it is quite an easy pull. I was amazed how stable and secure it felt. I'm looking forward to comparing it to a SRW 4x4.
 
Picked up a very nice 1999 F250 Super Duty Crew Cab (crew cab was a must for me) 4x4, with 160k on the clock. It will replace the 1988 F350 Crew Cab diesel dually I have.
 
I have a 2004 Excursion Diesel with the 6.0L and had rough running issues when I bought it with about 50k miles on it. I took it to the dealer with a fresh set of glow plugs because I thought they needed replacing - just by the way it started and ran when cold. I was getting about 16.5 mpg highway empty. They didn't do the plugs - said they'd never seen one that needed plugs! They did an update on three different systems (software update) and changed the thermostat because it was running slightly cool. The truck immediately got 19.5 to 20.5 mpg highway empty, ran 100% quieter, and smoother like a new engine. I have just put my first "repairs" into the truck, being front end parts (the usual suspects) but it now has 157,000 miles on it and all I have done so far is change oil, the repairs I just mentioned, and brakes once all-around. This is amazing when you figure that I tow a 6000 pound man-lift on a regular basis (the truck itself is 8300 pounds without fuel or a driver) and I have done a great deal of heavy use. I towed my old boat (now belongs to my father) from Niagara Falls Canada to Medina,ohio (south of Cleveland) at 65 mph and averaged 13.5 to 14mpg - that's an 8000 pound boat with fuel and trailer, which means I had over 16,000 pounds rolling weight!

I have heard horror stories about the 6.0L but I suggest spending a few bucks to get Ford to update the software - the difference was like getting a new truck back!
 
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