Looking for a bit of guidance, buying high mileage stock 6.0 as SECOND vehicle.

[Kevo1288]

So I need to pull the motor in my 94 f350 idi-t to regasket it mainly due to the front and rear main seals and its the only thing that wasn't "restored" when the truck was done so Id like to give the engine a once over.

With that said I need a vehicle to drive while I do this and I found this 04 excursion 4x4 with 246k miles on it. Never deleted, studded, tuned etc. It does however have a binder with EVERY service from ford. Along with a coolant flush and new oil cooler at 20k miles....

It is immaculate especially for up here I new England. I had an 06 zf6 6.0 and it never ran right but, I feel the truck was a lemon. It did leave a sour taste in my mouth though. Regardless I still have a soft spot for them.

Its priced just under $5000 , due to the mileage and was a trade in. Being that it is going to be a second/back up vehicle and i'll always have my idi, am I really taking that much of a gamble? They did just put new goodyear wranglers on it as well as brakes.

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[lotzagoodstuff]

Nice rigs (both of them).

I'm sure you're going to get some feedback from some 6.0 Powerstroke experts, and a bunch of naysayers who've never owned or worked on one.

Get a tuner/monitor and measure the coolant temps versus oil temps. I would go as far as paying somebody to do it if you are serious about buying the truck. If the delta is reasonable, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. If the number is in the range of "going to need a cooler", you should weigh your options as changing it is an investment. I'm sure the guys down in Texas will chime in, and I'd listen to them as they have lots of knowledge on the 6.0 based on lots of history/experience.

I'm a big fan of an unmolested 6.0 as I think they can be very dependable stock engines if you do all the stuff Navistar should have done to them from the factory. I will also tell you that if you have to do major work on a 6.0, there's lots of folks who prefer to pull the cab off. Think about pulling the "cab" off of an Excursion

Last word of advice: be careful when you test drive it as the boost might make you fall in love . I remember when they were new and the difference between an intercooled 7.3 and the 6.0 stock was very impressive.

Good luck

 

[Kevo1288]

Nice rigs (both of them).

I'm sure you're going to get some feedback from some 6.0 Powerstroke experts, and a bunch of naysayers who've never owned or worked on one.

Get a tuner/monitor and measure the coolant temps versus oil temps. I would go as far as paying somebody to do it if you are serious about buying the truck. If the delta is reasonable, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. If the number is in the range of "going to need a cooler", you should weigh your options as changing it is an investment. I'm sure the guys down in Texas will chime in, and I'd listen to them as they have lots of knowledge on the 6.0 based on lots of history/experience.

I'm a big fan of an unmolested 6.0 as I think they can be very dependable stock engines if you do all the stuff Navistar should have done to them from the factory. I will also tell you that if you have to do major work on a 6.0, there's lots of folks who prefer to pull the cab off. Think about pulling the "cab" off of an Excursion

Last word of advice: be careful when you test drive it as the boost might make you fall in love . I remember when they were new and the difference between an intercooled 7.3 and the 6.0 stock was very impressive.

Good luck

I have owned a 6.0 and trust me, the boost definitely is what keeps these trucks in a special place in my heart lol My truck didn't have any headgasket issues just minor things always going wrong, icp etc etc, over and over again. That and the factory clutch couldn't handle anything. The ONLY thing I did to my 6.0 when I had it was the sct livewire monitor so I could monitor the oil and coolant temps side by side (over and under haha) at all times.

Thanks for the thought out post!

Oh as far as cab off the excursion.... a shop here told me when I owned my 6.0 that it wasn't that much worse in retrospect.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

Oh as far as cab off the excursion.... a shop here told me when I owned my 6.0 that it wasn't that much worse in retrospect.

That's a lot of body to lift, and a lot of space needed. My vote is to keep the long block together at all costs

Good luck and stay warm back there.

 

[Kevo1288]

That's a lot of body to lift, and a lot of space needed. My vote is to keep the long block together at all costs

Good luck and stay warm back there.

I don't plan on doing anything but driving this thing and doing routine maintenance so Im with you!

 

[Crawler]

https://www.oilburners.net/threads/possible-05-6-0-purchase-need-advice.84419/

This thread has most of the info that you’re looking for.

I’m mobile at the moment, so I’m not in a position to summarize it. My apologies.

If the truck is sound then I’d buy it. That’s a lot of truck for 5k.