Potentially buying a 2004 F350 6.0 truck.

[condor74]

I am in the market for a new to me truck to replace my 1990 F250 7.3 dsl. I am looking at a few different trucks from Dodge Cummins diesels to Ford Diesels.

One of the trucks that I am interested in is a 2004 F350 Crew Cab Lariat 4x4 with 78000 miles. I jump started the truck after it sat for more than 2 ears and it started and idled smoothly. It has a couple of problems that can be easily repaired. It has had a tire blow out that ripped off the drivers rear dually fender. The windshield is cracked. The batteries are dead from sitting for a long time. I figure the truck will need new tires, new fender, and new windshield. I am more concerned with the reliability of the 6.0. I am Fleet manager for an oil field company and we have lots of Ford 6.0 trucks. The reliability has been very poor. The only thing worse than the 6.0 is the newer 6.4s have been twice as bad. So bad that the newer trucks bought in the last year or so are new Dodge Cummins trucks. Now when your company is paying for repairs these problems are irritating. When you have to pay for them yourself, they are way worse. So I want to know what has to be done to this truck in order for it to be "bullet proof".

I do not have tons of money but it seems if I could have the truck repaired/modified at the time of purchase, then it may work out to be a good deal. I can pick up the truck for around $6000. I figure an additional $1000 for tires. Another $1000 for a fender and windshield. So for around $8000 I would have a running truck. How much to have a shop perform reliability mods. I have read about oil cooler, egr cooler delete, head studs. Anything else that should be addressed? I am happy with stock power. What do you think?

 

[Mike]

If you leave it stock you really don't need to do any "reliability" mods.

 

[92F350CC]

The fact that 78,000 mile truck has been left sitting for 2 years is disconcerting.....what is the reason it's been sitting?

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

The fact that 78,000 mile truck has been left sitting for 2 years is disconcerting.....what is the reason it's been sitting?

along with the $6,000 price tag. the only way to get a 6.0L around here for that price is if there is something wrong with it or if it is wrecked.

 

[Mike]

I don't think I'd be afraid of it. If it's been sitting for two years (many many reasons for that other than sour engine) and fired up and ran ok it's probably ok... It was parked when 6 years old, that's 13,000 miles per year which is average.

I'd run an Oasis on it and if clean results I'd buy it.

 

[condor74]

Ok the story is this.

My Ex boss's son bought the truck in Texas. My Boss Cosigned on the loan. The son never put insurance on the truck so the bank put its own insurance on the truck to protect there investment. That raised the monthly payment on the truck and the son stopped paying on the truck. My boss basically disowned his son and payed off the truck. He then flew down to Texas and repossessed the truck from his son. During the drive home, about an hour from home here in Bakersfield, the left rear tire blew out and took out the outer dually fender. At that point he paid to have it towed to our storage yard at work where it has sat ever since that day.

 

[condor74]

I don't think I'd be afraid of it. If it's been sitting for two years (many many reasons for that other than sour engine) and fired up and ran ok it's probably ok... It was parked when 6 years old, that's 13,000 miles per year which is average.

I'd run an Oasis on it and if clean results I'd buy it.

What is an Oasis? Is this some type of vehicle back ground check?

 

[Dieselcrawler]

i would run just because it is a early 6.0, the later ones seemed a little better. and atleast it is a truck. i am replacing a 6.0 in a mini schoolbus. 113000 on it and a lifter came apart, sending metal everywhere in the motor. fun in an e series chassis...

 

['94IDITurbo7.3]

yep. just go to the ford dealer and give them the vin of the truck and ask them to run an oasis report. it does not cost anything. it will tell you anything that the dealer has done to the truck.

 

[Lee]

i dont own any small diesel truck (i drive a peterbilt 387 with a c15) but i would change the oil and then run an oil analysis after 3-4000 miles to see how much wear metal is present. its what we do on the big rigs.. i wouldn't do the analysis before you ran it for a while because the results would be scarey lol

 

[condor74]

I agree on the oil analysis report. We do those on our Petes at work also. The only problem really with that is I would have to have already made the purchase to drive it and do the report. The other thing is reliability in these engines has not been from mechanical failure of pistons or rods but more along the lines of pushing the head gaskets out, damaged oil coolers and leaking EGR coolers. In my shop and my buisness we dont really get into the aftermarket fixes but stay along the lines more of what the dealership or repair shops do to keep the trucks running.