The 6.0 power stroke diesel engine was introduced by Ford in 2003. After that,the company was put to the sword by the customer’s complaints and even lawsuits for the badperformance of the engine. As a result, in the year 2008,Ford replaced the engine with a 6.4 power stroke Navistar Maxx Force 7 engine.
The Ford 6.0 engine is probably the worst performing engine in the history of Ford. There have been a lot of issues regarding the engine and have received a lot of complaints from the customers.
I will share with you my experience with the engine’s problems and shed light on the question-‘when did Ford fix the 6.0 Diesel?’. Let’s learn some surprising facts about Ford 6.0 Diesel!
Period Of Production Of 6.0 Engine:
The 6.0 engine was introduced as the replacement for the 7.3 engine.Over time the6.0Navistar VT diesel enginewas used in three types of Ford vehicles.
The vehicles are:
- Ford Heavy Duty Trucks
- Ford Excursion SUVs
- Ford Econoline Vans
This engine was used in the Ford heavy-duty trucks in the year 2003 which continued till 2007. The engine continued to be used in the Ford Econoline Vans which was launched in the year 2010. It was also used in the Ford Excursion SUVs till 2005.
Configurations And Specifications Of The 6.0 Diesel Engine
The stroke of the engine is 95mm and the bore of the engine is 105mm. It was made to overcome the problems of the 7.3 engine.
The major configurations of the engine are:
- Fuel Injection System (FIS):Electronically controlled unit injectors have been used in the engine, which is hydraulically actuated. This system is abbreviated as HEUI. The HEUI used in the engine is split-shot.
- Configuration Of Turbo: Variable geometry turbo was used in the engine. The turbocharger is used as a single variable.
- Number Of Valves: There are 04 OHV valves used in every cylinder. In total there were 32 valves in use. Intake valves and exhaust valves both were used in the engine. There were 16 intake valves and 16 exhaust valves reciprocating one another.
- Intercooler: The intercooler used in the engine produces 242-kilo watts which are equal to 325 horsepower. The compression ratio is 18:1:0 and the cut of fuel is 4200 revolutions per minute.
- Shaft And Switch: Both Camshaft and Crankshaft were used in the engine alongside the oil pressure switch and oil drain plug.
4 Major Problems Of ford 6.0 Power Stroke engine
After all the details about this engine, I must take the chance to talk a bit about the problems for which it was receiving negative reviews.
So the main reasons are:
1. Head Gasket Problem:
TTY cylinder heads were used in the engine. Precise force of clamping is available in the Torque to Yield (TTY) cylinder but it has some issues too. When the cylinder puts extra pressure, the torque gets stretched thereby causing malfunction. Ford has never fixed or addressed this problem but they introduced 6 cylinders to their next two versions to skip this type of malfunction.
2. High Pressure On The Oil System:
Ford used average quality components to build their high-pressure oil system. The quality of the branch tube, high-pressure oil manifolds, high-pressure oil pump, and stand pipes was poor. This caused damage when the system experienced heat and debris. Ford had noticed the problem and changed its high-pressure oil pump alongside the oil pumps and stand pipes in 2004.
3. Oil Cooler And EGR Cooler Malfunction:
Some portion of the oil cooler was submerged into the oil to cool the flow and the fuel of the engine. By the time the cooler faced dregs in its way causing malfunction to the cooling system. This also hampered the EGR cooling system.
4. Low Voltage In The Electrical System:
The electrical system of the vehicle was not enough to charge the batteries up causing massive failure of batteries. This problem hampered the fuel injection control module of the engine causing repeated engine failure.
Hints: I can help you with this site where you will get more information about the matter.
Replacement Of The 6.0 Engine
After the massive failure of the 6.0 engine, the customers were drawn back from the company. As a result, the company came up with their dual turbocharger 6.4 power stroke diesel engine in 2008 to overcome the issues they were having with the 6.0 engine.
This was the first engine launched for the light truck vehicles of Ford. Getting a lesson from that, Ford launched some powerful engines in the following years for their latest vehicles.
I would be glad to answer the queries I had received regarding this.
Engines Used By Ford Over The Years
Ford has used 6 power stroke engines for their vehicles over the year.
Here’s the list of the engines they have used:
| S.L | Engines | Production Year |
|---|---|---|
| 01. | 7.3 Power Stroke Navistar T44E | 1994-2003 |
| 02. | 6.0 Power Stroke Navistar VT | 2003-2010 |
| 03. | 6.4 Power Stroke Navistar MaxxForce7 | 2008-2010 |
| 04. | 6.7 Power Stroke Ford Scorpion | 2011-Present |
| 05. | 3.2 Power Stroke Ford Duratorq | 2015-Present |
| 06. | 3.0 Power Stroke Ford Stroke | 2018-Present |
You can check and get the detailed information regarding the engines used by Ford here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Ford 6.0 Diesel Engine Worth Buying?
The 6.0 engine of Ford has some issues with its head gasket and oil system. The engine heats up excessively while running through the surface. The reason behind that is the company’s poor manufacturing. Other than that it is a good engine to run through a cooler surface.
2. What Is The Running Life Expectancy Of A Ford 6.0Engine?
Apart from the discredit of the 6.0 engine, the life expectancy of the engine is somewhat similar to its other competitors. You can expect 350000km to 500000km running life from the engine.
3. How Can You Identify Whether Your 6.0Engine Is Bulletproof Or Not?
First thing first, bullet proof engine does not mean it is actually “bulletproof”. It is a marketing term used by the engine manufacturer company Bulletproof Diesel. When you use bulletproof diesel parts manufactured by the Bulletproof Diesel Company in your engine, then it is called a bulletproof engine.
You can simply look at studs and bolts and can tell whether your engine is bulletproof or not. So, if there are head studs and OEM head gaskets- then your engine is bulletproof.
You can get a video tutorial about this below:
Take Away
The 6.0 diesel engine had created the worst impression in the company’s history.The oil system failure was the most catastrophic.To build a high-pressure oil system high-quality branch tubes, high-pressure oil manifolds, high-pressure oil pumps, and stand pipes are needed.
But the quality of these parts in the engine was not up to the mark. However, the company tried to fix the problem by introducing the 6.4 dual turbocharger power stroke engine. The quality of 6.4 is way better than the 6.0. Thanks to the Ford for that.
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