Need opinion on best Ford diesel engine from 2000 - Montana Owners Club

ARJ · 11-26-2009, 03:17 PM

I need your opinions about Ford diesel engines used from 2000 and on. My grandson is looking for a good used truck that he can take back to Annapolis probably after Christmas vacation.

His father and I think a diesel might be a good choice because it would give him more flexability than a gasser and probably better mileage too!

Thanks for any and all advice.

clutch · 11-26-2009, 05:41 PM

The older 7.3 diesels were good. If he is looking at the 6.0 I would think the last two years would be the better ones to buy. The early ones had a lot of problems.

Bill-N-Donna · 11-26-2009, 06:19 PM

I bought my first diesel about a year ago. It’s the one I have now and it’s also the only one I’ve had experience with. When I bought it I was advised not to get it because of the 6.0 which has been known to have some trouble. I looked at it this way; it had just over 300,000 miles on it when I bought it so it must have been a good one. I don’t know what the maintenance history was. Whether or not it gave me good service was simply a chance I took.

I have had to do some work on it. I have replaced a wiring harness, a cam sensor, oil cooler and I think a fuel injector as well. I had the turbo pipe come loose which popped off on one trip. It was an easy fix once I got it to a diesel shop.

Over all I don’t believe it’s been that bad; with the miles I have on it I expected maintenance issues to pop up. I had taken it to the Ford dealer after I first got it and with the proper up-dates for the engine computer it seemed to have helped it a lot at that time. The only complaint I have with it now is the fact that it must warm up good before driving in cold weather. I hear this is the nature of the diesel engines, maybe I’ll hear what others have to comment on this issue. I do know that once it warms up good it seems to be a fine running machine. My belief when I have engine trouble is to let the Ford people work on it. I have been satisfied with their work so far.

Again, this is the only diesel I’ve had any experience with and I plan on getting several more miles out of it if possible. I keep the oil changed at regular intervals and try to keep maintenance issues fixed as they pop up. I hope you & your son find something suitable that works well for your grandson.

Champ_49 · 11-27-2009, 12:09 AM

I have a 2000 ford, 7.3 diesel and it has given me absolutely no problem as of yet. But it only has now 70k on it. I bought it from another guy that had it before me, and all he did with it was pull a 5th wheel himself. He did all the scheduled maintenance on it st the forf shops, as I have done, and can't be happier with it. They tell me that with that many miles as a diesel that it is just now broke in. Hope they all are right.

Dave

mcgiver2 · 11-27-2009, 01:29 AM

i owned 3 7.3 diesels and they were the best i ever owned ,1997,2001,2003. and i have my son that still has a 1996 with over 200,thousand and still runs very good,also my grandson has a 1995 with over 200, thousand and still give good service.. i had a 2006 with a 6.0 and had trouble with it,so i got ride of it.

DonandJudy_12 · 11-27-2009, 04:05 AM

We have a 95 CC DRW with over 266000 miles so far- Had a trans rebuild at 150000- 2 water pumps- an oil cooler leak- These repairs seem to be the nature of the beast- We are very happy with the truck and hope it will last another 5 years at which point I will no longer be able to maintain our fulltimer lifestyle- Good luck in your search- Don

scattershot · 11-27-2009, 05:11 AM

I have a 2000 Ford Super Duty with the 7.3 Power Stroke, and have driven it for 112,000 miles with no problems whatsoever. great truck, and I'm looking forward to the next 112,000. BTW, that was one of the few years that didn't require a catalytic converter.

Dmaxdon · 11-27-2009, 05:06 PM

I had a 95 and 2000 7.3, both solid and reliable. I got an 04 6.0, known as the "sick-oh" on diesel forums.It was junk but I have heard the newer 6.0s are better. Anyway , I am through with navistar diesels in Ford trucks and so is Ford Motor Company as they are coming out with the Ford built Scorpion which I hope is superb. Meanwhile, both me and Wifey are enjoying our 08 Duallie Duramax.

ols1932 · 11-28-2009, 02:06 AM

Bought our '95 PowerStroke 7.3 liter new. Never a problem with the engine. Never has used oil. 176,000 miles so far and is just about broken in. Have had minor problems: water pump, turbo O-rings, cam positioning sensor (twice). Navistar makes a great engine. I'm sorry to see that Ford and Navistar decided to separate relationships.

Orv

richfaa · 11-28-2009, 02:46 AM

You did not mention if he was towing anything?? i would go with a good used 7.3 Diesel.

PSFORD99 · 11-28-2009, 04:14 AM

There is no question the 7.3 is the best overall ford diesel to date, there is enough data on the 6.0 to stay away from it, I am sure there are good ones, but finding a good used 6.0 might be difficult. I suggest you go on the Dieselstop forum and read up on the 6.0 you will be enlightened , then you can make a more informed decision . 6.4 time will tell , I believe in 2011 the 6.4 will be a thing of the past, and the new Scorpion diesel engine made by ford will appear. I believe it will be a 6.7 going from memory, so who knows.

Lawman · 11-28-2009, 07:51 AM

I agree with the 7.3 as being the best Ford diesel. The last two (6.0 and 6.4) have had problems. There will be a new 6.7 coming out soon, my bet is you can add it to the 'have problems' list.

ARJ · 11-28-2009, 10:35 AM

No Rich-he isn't going to tow anything but like all young'uns (and some old guys too) he thinks having a truck would be cool! We are also discussing the possibility of a newer year 1/2 ton gasser.

He graduates in 2011 and can only be assured of 4 years or so stateside so that is a consideration as well.

But anyway, thanks much for all the feedback.

Al Johnston

jimcol · 11-29-2009, 07:06 AM

ARJ, I owned a 2000 7.3 with 74,000 miles on it and loved the truck and motor. Unfortunately some thief liked it even more. It was a great vehicle but I would not own a diesel truck unless I was towing. Just too many additional maintenance items to contend with. Oil changes are expensive, fuel filters require changing at a more frequent rate than gas, an extra battery is required. I think in a truck the gas will deliver better mileage if not towing. Used diesels generally sale for a much higher price than a used gasser. Based on these items I think his purchase and operational cost would be much less with a gas motor.

dreamers2010 · 12-16-2009, 05:57 AM

According to this post, it appears that we made a mistake when we bought our truck. It is the 2004 6.0 Ford F350 Supercharge Diesel Dually. Only had 79,000 miles so we thought we were getting a good deal and it should be able to pull anything we bought. Obviously not!

Judy

8e3k0 · 12-16-2009, 07:19 AM

The 6 liter was and is a good engine; some problems with head gaskets and the EGR system otherwise the engine has done well. The problem in 03 when they first came out was electronics; being Ford and Navistar just had a hard time communicating to each other during design and then when the trucks hit the road and this created all types of gremlins in the two systems. Many owners when used reasonable have had great success with the engine.
To conclude: the 7.3 diesel had and still has a great track record as a diesel engine, especially the last ones up to 03.

Slufoot733 · 12-16-2009, 07:50 AM

I have an '08 with the 6.4 and so far so good. I had a '99 with a 7.3.........less HP and torque than the 6.4 but a superb engine all around. I did have to replace an injector once (under warranty) but otherwise no problems. Even with a bad injector I was able to tow my fiver home from Gettysburg, PA. (300+ miles). I actually liked the 7.3 a little better, it was more fun to drive. The 6.4 is far more 'computer regulated' than the 7.3 was.

tcorbitt · 12-16-2009, 09:39 AM

We have a 2000 with the 7.3 and have had no issues over the past 10 year and now 190K miles on it. Like most of our trucks, it started out as our Tow Vehicle when new and then moved into our construction fleet in 2005. We also have a 2006 with the 6.0 which is our new tow vehicle and at 52K miles, it has never returned to the dealer since new; first set of replacement tires just installed.

I think most people recommend saying away from the early 6.0 engines but give a thumbs up for 2005-2007. 08 and newer, welcome to new emissions

We usually upgrade at 10years so are due to retire the 2000 for a 2010 or 2011 this year. Given we have not had any problems with the 2000, we plan to keep it in the fleet for another few years or until it gives us trouble.

Something to consider, if he is only going to be stateside for 4 years, why not look into a lease? Get a nice new one with a warranty and no worries to enjoy. Most leases have early outs for Military Service should he be called up early. We never lease as we drive our trucks into the ground and have a lot of extra equipment installed, snow plows, ladder racks, 5th wheel hitch, tool boxes, etc. However, when one of our kids was in College and needed a car, we found a lease was perfect. Nice low payments for 4 years and when he graduated, he was on his own to purchase the lease end of buy something on his own... Just a thought...

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