is bulletproofing a 6.0 diesel motor a good idea and at what mileage is best to have this done

Asked by migration_markas1968... May 02, 2016 at 12:38 AM about the 2005 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT Crew Cab SB 4WD

Question type: Car Customization

i am new to the diesel truck trend and need one at this point in my life for
work. I am not a ford fan but I know they are good for towing and hauling.
I'd prefer a chevy but not sure about the hauling capacities on them. So I'm
wanting to know if I buy a ford f350 with 135000 miles can I or Should I
have it bulletproofed? or does it matter at this point? will it cost more
because it wasn't done when it was new? will the cost be the same
regardless of the miles? I plan on using it to haul and pull things up to 5 or
6 thousand miles a week. any suggestion on this or recommended trucks I
should consider in it's place would be appreciated. Thanks M.S.

17 Answers

61,265

If you have the money it's well worth it. Egr delete, oil cooler and head studs will make that truck solid. The sooner you do it the better. That is still low miles for a 6.0

18 people found this helpful.
45,255

Why do you "need" one? I don't get it- just get a truck with a gas engine- they roll down the road just fine- what Andrew said is right- "if you have the money" with a diesel you will need it-

10 people found this helpful.
159,355

Some Ford 6.0 diesel engines are trouble free to 250,000 miles up and some are trouble. The biggest thing not to do is use a tuner to up the torque and horse power on a stock engine. Tuners can cause lots of engine damage. I would consider doing an EGR delete at the very least. Bullet-proofing will help with reliability and allow the use of a tuner if the tuner is used responsibly. It's yellow, I like it because it is different.

22 people found this helpful.
130

i am wanting to expedite fright and need a dependable vehicle! What should I use? this is probably going to be my retirement job or at least extra income. I already know the hours and driving time required to do this job but will not turn my nose at horror stories. I have worked at a lot of jobs that a lot of people would turn their nose up for work. one was in a minus 20 freezer I worked at for 13.5 years and I saw so many people walk in one door and right back out the other! at 9$ an hour my first pay check was almost $600 i was hooked on overtime so spare me the details on hours of driving. not trying to be a dick just used to long hours.like the other job I had for 1.5 years where it took me an hour and a half to go 11 miles. If you have ever been to Miami you know what I' saying. so anyways if you could go back in time and say hay I wish I would have had this to do my job what should I get ?

13 people found this helpful.
175

If you hadn't bought it yet don't. I have both a 2005 ford and a 99 dodge. However, if you have bought it bulletproof it now. I recommend doing the arp studs, the dummy plugs, the standpipes, the oil cooler, the egr delete, and the OEM Ford injectors. Mine has 300k and runs great. I just hate to dump 4-5 grand in a truck to make it run right. The 05 Dodge is a way better machine.

15 people found this helpful.
190

So as I understand it, the 6.0 is a very good strong motor after its been bulletproofed. As I understand it, the reason the 6.0 break down is the poor design of the motor in that the oil pump resides below the intake manifold and the the oil coolant return passages get clogged. I have heard its not a matter of if you will have issues but instead when. That being said, I have heard the upgrade is somewhere in the neighbor hood of 1000 to 3000 dollars. In my mind, given all other aspects of the situation, and the amount of miles one can get out of this motor this is a no brainer. Other things you should probably consider are that it is my understanding that around every 100,000 miles the the injectors will need to be replaced. so that will be around another 3000.00 every hundred miles and that oil changes on these trucks are VERY expensive. That said, from what I understand fuel milage on this machine is very good and it does provide better then average power and longevity.

19 people found this helpful.
180

I just hit 215000 on my 2005 6.0 Super Duty and have yet to touch an injector. At 200,000 my mechanic talked me into installing an EGR delete and glad I did. It’s not bullet proof but this truck is so solid investing in having it done I believe would be a wise decision. My mechanic agrees with minor maintenance I’ll hit 300,000 with this truck easily.

18 people found this helpful.
100

Don't delete the EGR. I have talked to several mechanics that say these idiots who deleted their EGR are pulling in left and right with burned up injectors.

10 people found this helpful.
620

GuruX87PB, you should probably find a new mechanic if they’re are telling your injectors burned up due to deleting the EGR. The injectors and EGR aren’t even related to one another.

62 people found this helpful.
10

Perhaps deleted EGR but didn’t do the full bullet proof??

1 people found this helpful.
110

Full egr delete and bulletproof on 06 6.0 f350 458 head studs, you name it it's been done. With an act programmer, and dct scanner. The truck is a monster. There isn't a Dodge or Chevy that's wanted action. That had the same amount of $$ into it. The truck is absolutely stout.

11 people found this helpful.
20

EGR delete done. 575,000 miles on 2003 6.0 F250 4x4. Was bullet proofed under warranty.Have changed all injectors due to NOT changing fuel filter on time. Don't ignore that. Some professional diesel people say best diesel on the market. Get you one ! Love it !

2 people found this helpful.
10

I contracted POWER STROKE OF BUFORD,GA ON BULLETPROOF, my 2007, F250, 6.0 ,I am satisfied I shout from the mountain top I am VERY HAPPY WITH THEIR WORK. I have reached 230,000 miles. Bought NEW IN 2007, I developed HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS @ 113, 336 miles (dealer fix ,went BAD @ about 2 years) POWER STROKE.com is a TRUCK SAVER , with bulletproof work, I LOVE MY BULLETPROOF., /s/ CUJO3

1 people found this helpful.
80

I purchased my first truck and it happened to be a 2004 Ford F-350, 6.0L diesel Super-duty XLT. I purchased it in 2015 with 159,000 miles on it. A little more then a year later during Winter my truck began to run ragged and I wound-up paying, like $1,500 to get three injectors replaced. Seemed each Winter after I would have problems with my truck running rough. In the Summer of 2018 I was towing a 30’ Jayco Jayflight to California and pulled off in Boomtown to top-off my Fuel tank and set off for California and my truck started idling rough. I knew from past experience what this could be and when we arrived in California we stayed one night and the next day I couldn’t start my truck. The following evening I had my rig towed to a Mechanic and wound-up having my Alternator and two injectors replaced. In California, while at a show I met a guy With the same year truck as mine and also a Ford F- 350, who told me about a product line Hot Shot’s Secret; both the Stiction Eliminator and the Diesel Extreme. He told me all he did was have his FICM reprogrammed and use those products and he had no more issues with his rig. On the way back to our home State We broke-down in the middle of the Nevada desert (Hwy 80), and it wound-up costing me over $7k (lucky the Mechanic allowed me to make them payments because I was almost out of money) replacing the parts (oil standpipes, HPOP, batteries, Starter, fan clutch, reprogrammed my FICM, new Blue Seal Kit and more) A/C went out around the same time. After my truck was repaired by Fast Auto Repair in Lovelock, Nevada we headed back home and in Winnemucca, Nevada while filling up my fuel I had to get my Starter replaced again because the new one happened to be a dud. Summit Racing sent out a new Heavy-duty Starter that arrived the next day at the Ford dealership where my truck sat. The Starter was installed and my rig started up. Arrived home and a few months later I had my truck bullet-proofed for $3,500 (ARP Headbolts, Coolent recirculated and extra coolent filter, extra oil cooler, new improved head gasket, and more), since then I have had no major issues and am at almost 204,000 miles. Bullet-proofing my truck was a smart move, and way more responsive acceleration and better fuel mileage than before. When I have my oil changed I have both the Fuel Filters changed-out as well. Runs me around $218 each 5,500 miles, but doing this step and running Hot Shot’s Secret for both the oil system and fuel system has kept my rig peppy and issue-free so far. I know I need to get my EGR Valve replaced pretty soon, but my truck is doing well.

8 people found this helpful.
50

Sell it while it's running. Unless you can afford to (and don't mind) rebuilding it like a top fuel dragster, you would do better to go with a 7.3 or a Dmax or Cummins counter part. Don't be swayed by the fanboys. The 6.0 is a mechanics dream and an owners nightmare.

5 people found this helpful.

Looking to get my 2004-F350 Bullet Proofed, in Chester Virginia ,cheap...?text me if you know a good Mechanic..(804)704-0326...Not paying top dollar for time spent...Must love to work on 6.0's...thanks...

20

Get the 99-2002 ford 7.3. Way better engine. The only reason why ford changed to the 6.0 was for the green machine and as you can see alot of 6.0 trucks suffered and the engine was dicontinued. The worst of all was the 6.4 twin turbo.

2 people found this helpful.

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