For the most part....yes. Heads have been known to lift on stock trucks. Stay on top of maintenance, stay on the mild side of tuning, and yes it'll be plenty reliable. That one already has new injectors and FICM, so you'd be ahead of the game a good bit. EGR delete is a must if emissions allows it. Intake isn't really necessary on a 6.0 as the stock filter can handle up to about 500hp. Exhaust will help lower EGT's for towing. I'd add a coolant filter and the blue spring upgrade (stiffer spring in the fuel pressure regulator...raises/maintains good fuel pressure).

Keep the oil changed at regular intervals, new fuel filters every other oil change (Motorcraft filters ONLY), don't flog the piss out of it daily, and she'll gives you years of service.

 

x2 on his suggestions

The Blue Spring mod as it is commonly called is because the injectors failed premature from low fuel pressure so this spring is supposed to make sure the injectors have the proper pressure for optimum health.

I would like to suggest adding a monitor to keep track of the engine coolant temp (ECT) and engine oil temp (EOT) which are used to evaluate the health of the engine oil cooler. When the delta gets 15F or more the engine oil cooler isn't operating efficiently and a clogged engine oil cooler leads to failed EGR cooler which leads to coolant into the induction which raises cylinder pressure beyond what the TTY (torque to yield) bolts can hold hence the head raises slightly and the head gasket fails. The monitor will also keep track of FICM voltage and any other variable you want (trans temp, etc). The factory gauges aren't accurate more like idiot gauges, they don't move linear they move from low to high within a small range.

Also using clean and proper coolant is also essential. Many suggest a thorough coolant flush to remove the gunk that clogs the oil filter. Then they either add Ford Gold coolant or an ELC with distilled water.

I bought mines bone stock with over 200K and didn't have any problems related to the HG, oil cooler or EGR cooler.

 

ok, what exactly is the blue spring upgrade?

 

it's a Google search term

 

Yea really. Google "blue spring 6.0". Probably thousands of threads on it.

Basically it's a stiffer spring that goes in your fuel pressure regulator (on the filter housing under the hood) that raises/maintains your fuel pressure. The stiffer spring is blue, hence the name. Factory updated part. Just cheap insurance for happy injectors. Cost about $65, takes less than an hour to install.

 

Good time to throw in a new thermostat too.


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Def go with blue spring like the guys are saying and don't get a cheap one heard stories of people getting ones that aren't working properly. I would also throw on the 6.4 banjo bolts. I run my excursion with all of this on stock head bolts with Drews Economy tune it's plenty of power and torque for me as a daily driver and towing my boat and safe so far.

 

I just read that the 6.4 banjo bolts don't have the drain back valve like the 6.0 bolts and can cause surges/erratic rpms if they are used on the 6.0 :shrug:

Also theoretically speaking, the banjo bolts will do nothing to increase fuel flow because the fuel lines will determine how much fuel flows thru the bolts and will only allow so much flow regardless of the size opening in the bolts.....jmho

 

Have your FICM voltage checked at startup. Even if it's new your charging system may not be supplying enough power at startup and the stock alternator is IMO not even close to the task. If your voltage drops too much you'll kill that new FICM in short order.


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how do i check the ficm voltage?

 

Another good google question. Lol. If you can't find what you need shoot me a PM. I'll walk you through it.

 

You do it by taking the little cover off the FICM using a multi meter but you'll need a buddy to crack the engine.


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Yes! my 03 6.0 just hit 210k! Its all stock except for a bulletproof ficm, and a straight pipe. I'm gettin ready to do a oil cooler replacement and egr delete with a coolant filter.
I love my powerstroke!

 

Egr delete, blue spring( tork 25 screwdriver, hook pick and 30 minutes), oil cooler, coolant filter, stc fitting, dummy plugs, stand pipes, and hpop. Yes....03-04' need hpops many times. If your mechanically inclined its easy day or weekend project. Easier to do it right, snd doing it once. ARP head studs one at a time would be.SMART insurance.

 

Egr delete, blue spring, oil cooler, coolant filter, stc fitting, dummy plugs, stand pipes, and hpop.

are all the items you listed necessary to make an 03 6.0 reliable at all?

 

03 doesn't have dummy plugs or stand pipe I don't believe. They are not necessary there are people with completely stock trucks that have luck with them but the majority of people do these upgrades as a preventative and I have personally done them for the sake of of comfort and reliability so I sleep better at night.

 

do they blow head gaskets even if you don't tune or program them? or does the headgasket/headbolt problem only happen to trucks with performance mods?

 

Completely stock 6.0's have blown head gaskets. A lot of times its caused by a blown EGR cooler. Delete the EGR, and you'll improve your chances.

 

Some perspective....

My dad bought an 03 model new when they first came out. Has roughly 180k miles on it now, but it is driven daily, and 90% of the time it has a trailer behind it. He isn't the biggest stickler for maintenance, so oil changes never got done on a routine basis. To this day he has changed his trans fluid twice (I kid you not), never changed his air filter, rear diff fluid, etc, fuel filters changed maybe at 30k intervals. Truck had the turbo replaced in 04, has had one oil cooler changed, and a bad ICP sensor. Other than routine stuff (tie rods, brakes, etc), those are the only issues he has ever had with it. Never tuned, stock exhaust. Granted, he has one injector that needs replacing now. that thing has been a workhorse it's entire life and the only time it's ever left him stranded was over a cracked radiator. If a stock truck can hold up to him, it can hold up to anyone!

 

i have to ask about tihs because it seems tempting does this 6.0 look like a good or bad deal, here's the ad: 2005 ford f350 lifted | cars trucks | Winnipeg | Kijiji

 

If it was me I would go take a look at it and bring the tools I needed in order to scan it and run some test to see if I thought what he is saying is all that it needs. If I felt the answer was yes I would most likely buy it if I was in the market and it's what I wanted. Just my .02cents.

 

i found a similar deal on my 06. the prev owner thought that he was gonna be out a lot of cash for injectors & some other stuff & let it go cheap.

knowing what i know now, i'm with Flossy! (also given that i'd have enough cash left over for the bulletproofing lol).

 

thanks for the good info guys, but i'm wondering what you think about another truck i found, its an 06 f350 with new ficm, injectors, egr delete and more for cheap but the mileage scares me abit its got 300,000km (186,000miles), should i be concerned? here's the ad: 2006 Ford F-350 Pickup Truck | cars trucks | Saskatoon | Kijiji

 

i'd look at that one at least lol! i mean it's less than 200k miles... rust maybe???

 

Geez I need to go to Canada and buy a friggen 6.0! Around here lots are listing them with 150,000 miles for $17-20k!

 

yeah its kinda funny, theres some 6.0's around here for 15k and some for for 5k, that's why i'm kinda sceptical about a cheapy lol. with 186,000 miles do you think the tranny would be on its last legs?

 

i know what you mean lol!
my hypothesis on the large price range is that the sellers don't really know the 6.0 problems & solutions that well...all they see is the bill for shop work. so lucky us if we catch a deal like that & fix the issues

 

It all just depends on if it taken care of and how it was driven and used. Could be fine and have 300,000 miles or could have a shot transmission and have 100,000 miles. Only way to find out is go see these trucks scan them and take a test drive.

 

these trucks are great.. egr delete , blue spring, stay on your maintenance & drive.. all vehicles have problems sooner or later.. if it has tits or tires it WILL give you problems.. you need to accept the fact that diesel repairs aren't cheap.. there are no shortcuts.. diesels aren't for everyone.. I have an 05 with low miles & it looks near new.. I wouldn't take 20k for it.. no way no how.. expect to do injectors at some point , expect to do head bolts & gaskets at some point.. if you do an egr delete change the oil cooler too , go to an ipr research external cooler if you can.. ipr research has the best built egr delete I have ever seen also.. I'm using their old style.. I love my 6.0 , its been a great truck.. its been run , but not abused , don't be scared to run em' ..

 

lol! yeah. it gets complicated hahaha! i'm surprised by what i hear people say about them... that includes my previous understanding of them before joining here lol