6.0 or 7.3?

[69428SCJ]

I'm looking to buy a hauler for my toys. I'm set on a 99+ F-350 CrewCab Dually (which might be a little overkill, but that's for another thread). I have no clue about the positives and negatives about either, although I have heard people say the 6.0 is junk. Does anyone have any insider info (Beefcake?) that might be able to help aid my quest for a toy transporter? I appreciate it!

[8NO4CYL]

No issues with my 6.0, but the 7.3 is the more desirable motor if you read a bunch of truck forums. The 6.0 had some issues with headgaskets, egr problems, and oil leaks from what I have read. :confused:

['92Stang]

if you go 6.0 make sure you get an '05 or newer. 2003 had a lot of kinks , and a few engines made into the '04's. I loved my 6.0 a lot more power than my 7.3, until the oil pan filled up with diesel fuel.

[Katmandu]

7.3 with a BullyDog box will do the job just fine. :bigthumb

Check out these websites.....

www.Ford-Trucks.com

www.DieselGarage.com

www.DieselStop.com

[SN95N/A]

7.3 for sure...6.0 head gasket???? they sound goood tho..put a dp tuner on a 7.3 and let her rip.

[Byrd Man]

I agree, 2005 or newer 6.0. The earlier 6.0 trucks factory head bolts stretch under pressure when pulling heavy loads usually going through the mountains. Ford dealers usually replace the factory head bolts with ARP bolts. Mt. Orab Ford has done several of these. None of the trucks with ARP head bolts installed have came back to the dealer (Thats what I was told). The '05 and later 6.0 are much quiter diesels. I don't miss my old 7.3 as it was a lot louder than my 6.0.

[1992MustangDW]

7.3 all the way.

[Carl]

Having a 7.3 of my own..I can't help but HIGHLY recommend one. And forget that BullyDog crap..the best way to go is a custom burned chip. I got mine from Tony Wildman at DPP.

[1992MustangDW]

dp or tony is 2 of the best.

[Katmandu]

BTW, all you Dieselheads come join us at the new Ohio Coal Rollers website! :bigthumb

http://www.ohiocoalrollers.com/

[beefcake]

the 6.0 is definately quieter and makes more power

my moms 04 excursion has never had a problem and it's up to almost 70k miles

definately been more trucks in service with the 6.0, but ford now offers a 200,000 mile engine warranty that you can buy for not a ridiculous amount of money, then you have no worries anyway

the new 6.4 makes stupid power, it's ridiculous, but the worst gas mileage of all 3

i have heard of stupid power gains on the 6.4 and mpg gains with chips on those as well

7.3's are definately getting harder to come by, i rarely see one come in trade anymore and they last maybe 3 - 5 days on the lot

[stang5slow]

7.3 all the way, i drive one for work (duke) and its a 4 door an that thing will haul ANYTHING i tow, its got torque an decent power, in 2 wheel drive mode it will pull through anything, i love that truck, i'd still take a dodge cummins, (older) but the 7.3 is the way to go or dont get one at all lol

[89notch]

I say 6.0 mine runs great and I'm pretty rough on it. I have an 04 longbed crew cab with just a tuner went 14.19 @98mph and gets 17mpg city and 23 highway. The 7.3 just seems too loud and doesn't make the same power with just a tuner.

[69428SCJ]

Hhmmm, I figured there would be some split as to which motor is better. One of the bigger factors I'm looking at is the price of the vehicle. I was looking around a 99 because they'd be cheaper, but I heard that the 97 7.3 is the best of that engine. One other option I had considered was buying a used ambluance with a 7.3. I know, I know...you might think I'm weird but I can think of more uses for the ambulance box than I could for the pick up bed...silly I know but it'd be great for tool storage (similar to what's called a contact truck in the Army), a bed to sleep on and some other creature comforts too! I guess what I'll have to do is just find the best truck for the money and not really worry about the engine unless it's a pre-05 6.0

[89notch]

http://www.govdeals.com/eas/

The place to find an ambulance

[NUTTSGT]

It's getting hard to find a 7.3 with less than 150-180K miles on it. If I wouldn't have bought an '08 F150 last year, I'd be going to Fla to get this truck.

http://www.nmraracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83454

It seems like a decent truck to me.

[Hatchback kid]

7.3 for me, my dad has a 99 f350 dually with it and it will pull just about anything u put behind it

[beefcake]

It's getting hard to find a 7.3 with less than 150-180K miles on it. If I wouldn't have bought an '08 F150 last year, I'd be going to Fla to get this truck.

http://www.nmraracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83454

It seems like a decent truck to me.

yep, i got so excited yesterday, i had a customer with an 01 F250 yesterday, i go out to look at it she had said 119 k miles, no big deal, my god

the thing was two tone, white and rust, 4wd didn't work, tires were bald, engine sounded horrible.

had to be the worst taken care of super duty i've seen in a long time

[beefcake]

I say 6.0 mine runs great and I'm pretty rough on it. I have an 04 longbed crew cab with just a tuner went 14.19 @98mph and gets 17mpg city and 23 highway. The 7.3 just seems too loud and doesn't make the same power with just a tuner.

there ya go, much quieter

[tcorns]

7.3 for me. tough engine and easy to maintain. a bit tight under the hood but easy to troubleshoot. 99 and 2000 models have forged crank and pistons everything newer is a powder metal matrix that alot of folks have trouble with when they start to add more extreme mods. you can go one better and get and older 6.9. that thing is almost bombproof!

trev

[cobraman302]

Well I have had both. I had a 95 F350 Powerstroke with a 5 speed, then went to an 03' 6.0l powerstroke, then HAPPILY went back to a 2000 7.3 powerstroke. There are other things to think about other than just the engine on these trucks. The turbos are completely different with the 6.0's having a Variable Vein turbo, a better and stronger yet way more expensive tranny with the 5r100, and with all that comes a very high tech engine that is VERY tempramental. Mine had 103k miles on it and the Oasis report was pages long, and the turbo was fried on the truck. But the truck hauled BALLS compared to a 7.3 with the same mods. But regardless, these are not race trucks, a 7.3 is wayyy more fun, sound more like a diesel should IMO, I like the louder diesel, and much easier to work on. Another thing to think about is the 7.3l and the 6.0l make power at different points. The 6.0l will make much more power at the higher RPM's, where the 7.3l will make great off the line power, the 6.0l has some boost lag. Overall for a workhorse, 100% I would go with the 7.3 with a manual 6 speed tranny. No questions. Tuner, intake, exhaust, injectors, ur at 350 rwhp and rolllin coal.

[pegasus]

the 7.3 is BOSS!

we hooked the city of M(to protect the gilty) to a 7.3 and it pulled it like it was nothing

[69428SCJ]

now what about the V10? I mean, with all the talk and debate about which diesel is better (and we know that diesel trucks cost more to maintain) what about this engine?

[PonymanfiveO]

6.0 or 7.3?



Thats like asking if a 5.0 or a 4.6 is better.
(We all know the 4.6 is much better :rolleyes:) But everyone has their opinion, but both 6.0 and 7.3 have their problems. Do your homework and make sure you know what you want before you buy something. Take good care of it and it will treat you well. ;)

[69428SCJ]

Thank you for your kind words Matt, your reply has made probably more sense to me than anybody else's

[Katmandu]

Any you guys on www.OhioCoalRollers.com yet ?? :confused:

We're growing pretty fast over there. It's open to ALL make Diesel trucks. :bigthumb

Here's their Membership Flyer...


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[93cobra]

05-06 6.0 all the way... stay away from first gen. 03-04s. stay away from v10 too...unless you want 8 mpg

[thecollector]

The V-10's are weak. They are gas hogs with equal or less power than a late model small block chevy. The extra cylinders just smooth out the motor, they dont make it a power monster. Since it is from the modular engine family the earlier models will suffer from exhaust manifold leaks, as well as spark plugs on the pass side head blowing out, oh yeah and the headgaskets are prone to leak oil also on the pass. side.... In light applications if you like gambling feel free to give them a try. I have no opinion of the V-10 with a 3 valve head as I have no experience.

I have a problem backing a motor that resulted in several lawsuits between FoMoCo and International, and stalled delivery of the 6.4 so I guess I am not really a fan of the 6.0's. Avoid 03' and 04 6.0's like the plague. Supposedly the 05+ models are good but horror stories still exist here and their.

The 7.3 powerstrokes are the more reliable models and the 98.5's (99 model year) have the intercooler and are even better. Any truck that hasn't been taken care of will not take care of you but if the potential for reliablity doesn't exist from date of manufacture your in trouble.

The 6.9's are rock solid and can be purchased very cheaply however they are rocks. The driving difference's between the old IDI's, DI's and turbo trucks are night and day. Racingjunk.com almost always has a few low mileage 7.3's for a decent price. Paradise auto sales on 125 also gets a few in from time and time with good miles and good prices. Good luck.

[RACEME]

If you are not in a hurry, you can get a smoken deal on what ever you want. I kind of hated to be a vulture, but I got my 2001 crew cab 7.3 4x4 four years ago for $13k. I searched autotrader almost every day for the keywords "divorce" and "reposses". It took 2-3 months but it happened.