This isn't a 'true-false' test. More like a blue-book exam because there is a lot of 'grey area' that woul have to be filled in to come up with an informed recommendation.
It would all seem to depend on the state of the rest of the vehicle and how much money you want to devote to own something 'new'. If it's an 06 I could imagine it still could feel pretty new.
For me, if the thing was in really good shape, the repair would be a no-brainer. Others more knowledgeable could comment on the other failure points of the truck.
B

 

Replace the engine. Should only be about 2500.

 

replace the engine. Should only be about 2500.

yeah, i replaced one about 6 months ago for 19000.

 

$2500 for a replacement 6.0 diesel? Please tell me where you find a turbo diesel for that much brother! It cost me $3200 just to replace the EGR in my POS 6.0 that I dumped

 

$6500 sounds way high to replace gaskets and install studs and possibly a new oil cooler. Any idea what the reason is for blowing the head gaskets? Clogged EGR coolers (especially prevalent if you are using the wrong antifreeze and towing) are probably the number 1 or 2 reason for failing gaskets, with engine tunes before replacing the head bolts with studs being the other.

 

I love the truck. That is head gasket replacement rebuilt the top end new injectors all new seals, arp studs egr delete etc. I'm just having a hard time with 44k for a new F350 to replace what I have. We do tow a 40' fifth wheel and I believe this was the cause of the blown gaskets.

 

Unless you've been having some kind of stiction issues or other problems with your injectors there is no need in changing them, I'm not even sure a top end rebuild is necessary either. I would go over to the 6.0 forum on www.ford-trucks.com and ask for opinions, especially about a good shop to get your work done. Not saying your current one is jerking you around, but stuff is sounding excessive unless there is more wrong than just head gaskets.

Getting it fixed is one thing, but go all the way and stop it from happening again. Invest in an OBD-II reader of your choice so you can monitor the engine, especially your Water/Oil temp split which will warn you of when your oil cooler is about to go and cause head gasket trouble even on a "bulletproofed" engine. Since you're towing, get either a tuner or a separate gauge to watch your exhaust temps. I would recommend a tuner since they all have a tow setting and will begin to defuel if the EGT goes high, saving your engine. Your engine is just getting broken in, no need in spending giant amounts of money on a new truck when you can spend a lot less and have what you need.

 

Depends how much do you owe on it, and could you get a decent or better replacement for the 6500 dollar price of the repair?

 

She is free and clear. Don't owe nobody nuffin.

 

I'd probably bulletproof it.
dmzline is correct. Get a good gauge set. I watch my water temp/oil temp differential like a hawk. Careful monitoring can tell you if you have a egr failure in your near future.
I like to watch egt temps when towing as well.

Edge has a nice monitor. You can set your own alarms at whatever temp you choose. Plugs into the OBD port. I added the EGT sensor.
Easy install. Money well spent.

http://edgeproducts.com/products/insight-cs-83730/

My 6.0 has been towed heavy and has been good to me. My dad was full time RVing with his 6.0 with a 16k fifth wheel for years with no problems.

His problems started when he got the 6.4 diesel. Long story, numerous cab off repairs.

It seems like the 6.0s are good or terrible. I wouldn't chip one that was stock.

If it weren't for the EPA, we could have a diesel without all of the emission related failures. If you could remove the emissions equipment the 6.0 is a decent motor.

I miss my 7.3 diesel.....

 

to pull the head, you gotta pull the body.at least on the ones ive done. heads are studded on . you going that far, change the upper and lower oil pumps and check for wrist pin failure. best thing to do, if the rest of the truck is in good nick, find a totaled 7.3 and swap harness and drive train.

 

That is why I refuse to touch light duty truck diesels. Thought I would work on dirty-max's when i came back to the dealer----forget that. Fords don't seem to be tech friendly either. Give me a Cummins ISC or ISB big motor any day over a pickup diesel, to work on anyway.

 

I now have an 02 7.3 dually for the fifth wheel. The 06 6.0 is my backup hauler Ang work truck. I have a scan gauge and the gauges are in the truck. The will install during the top end rebuild. Truck went into shop for hard/no start when hot. Ie high pressure problem.

I just want someone to verify that I'm not crazy for investing this much into a 9 year old truck with 150,000 miles. I love the truck. Really don't want to get rid of it.

 

Hard/no start when hot can be a lot of things. Has it been verified you have a problem with your high pressure oil system? Just making sure things have been checked, this is a lot of expensive work you don't want to throw money at chasing a problem. It would be bad to replace injectors, HPOP, etc and it be a $400 FICM repair.

 

I have extensive experience with the 6.0 powerstroke and would also recommend getting a second opinion. If the head gasket(s) are bad,you know it.It will push coolant out of the degas bottle(reservoir).
95% of the 100+ 6.0l engines i've repaired with the symptoms you described (hard-no start hot) are internal leaks in the high pressure system. Primary causes are the "stand pipe" o-rings. Especially with 100,000+ on the clock. Not saying that's what's wrong with yours, just saying it could be. Ford(International)updated the stand-pipes with back-up "cushions" to help with the o-ring failures. $300-$400 is way better than $6,000+ so it might be worth at least investigating. P.M.me if you'd like and i"ll be glad to help.:thumb:

 

Hard start hot like its hydro locked or it'll crank but won't fire?

Doubtful it needs head gaskets. I've done 3 or so 6.0 head jobs. And probably 300 hot no starts because if hi pressure oil leaks.

They are not difficult engines to fix. Just need to know what's broken before swapping parts.

For some odd reason I like working on them...who knows why.

 

I replaced the head gaskets on my 350 buick lesabre back in the 80's in the parking lot of my apartment. When it blew, there was a cloud of beautiful white steam out the exhaust that was very impressive. Took about 3 full evenings of work, after work, plus a saturday (summertime). Spent about 50 bucks to get the heads planed and a few more bucks for the head gaskets, valve cover gaskets and intake manifold gasket. . Maybe a Diesel is more harder but $6500 to me is outrageous. Look for a cheaper shop.

Different vehicle I had a long block installed. The cost including the long block was around $3500 if I recall in a Ford 5.0 L.
I would check the cooling system from top to bottom. There is usually a reason the gasket blew. Heat/warp-age.

 

I do not like the 6.no!!!!!!! My 7.3 is great. I have 2 6.no trucks in my company and both have been money pits. Just say 6.no!!!!

 

FICM stays within range even when cranking.

It cranks but will not start. I have noticed over the last year or so it cranks longer on cold starts than it used to.

Reason for new injectors is intermittent injector failures during testing. Extremely high pressure in cooling system.

I trust the shop. I can do repairs for much less if I was going to get rid of truck. List of what's going in is as follows.
Head gaskets
ARP studs
Hpop
Oil cooler
Egr delete
Complete hp rebuild
Tuner

 

Make sure they "gut" the converter,update the stand pipes,install a cold air intake,and inspect the turbo while it's off. I ALWAYS replace the I.P.R.(Injection pressure regulator) and the I.C.P.(Injection control pressure) sensor when replacing the H.P.O.P.
Check out River City Diesel for some of the "mods"
https://www.rivercitydiesel.com/
wilsdude:thumb:

 

Another option, 12v Cummins. Its fairly common Ford swap now.

 

Do you know of shops doing these swaps? I've known of a couple of individuals over the years that have done some really nice swaps for themselves but I haven't know of shops doing it.

I've always been a Ford guy but am still driving a 350 with the 7.3 diesel and a 6 speed manual trans. Have often thought I'd like to have a Ford truck with a Cummins diesel in it but don't have a shop of my own.

 

Mine did that 500 miles from home. We cobbled it together and traded for a Dodge. Miss the truck but not the motor. Mine was 108,000 when the oil cooler went and the head gaskets soon after. I lost interest and faith in it before we got to 150,000

 

If you own it and like the truck/meets your current needs,I would spend the money to fix it properly. Install monitor and keep an eye on it,regular service/proper filters should go a long way ! I have 2 six-ohs and just bought a 06 F550 for moving our tractor/building supplies back and forth to the new cabin. I personally like em,yes,the older 7.3 seem to be a bit more" reliable" but sure are turds compared to a good running 6.0. Not too impressed with the 6.4 myself,the 6.7 seems to be well thought out but the new fuel systems are extremely sensitive to fuel contamination with repair bills exceeding $10K that Ford will NOT cover ! Never mind that $700 a month truck payment !

 

The first thing you need to do is pull off the valve covers and check the oil feed tubes and plug pipes.

I'd say 3-4 hours for a newb. Could be saving yourself a lot of money.

 

If you bullet proof a 6.0 it will be ..well....bullet proof. They are a good engine once the work is done and they do pull better than a 7.3 so I would invest the money if it were me. Still a lot cheaper than buying another truck and having a big payment, you said you love it and don't really want to let it go.. so you pretty much answered your own question : )

 

I delivered RV trailers from the manufacturers in northern Indiana for two years, 2008-09 using a 2006 Ford F350 dually with a 6.0 L turbo diesel. I broke down in almost every western State and Alberta and British Columbia. Even with a 200K extended warranty, that truck cost me $11K in repairs in 18 months. I finally dumped it at the 125,000 mile mark.

Ford is still paying off claimants in the lawsuits against them for the 2003-07 6.0L engines:

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2013/10/ford-settles-class-action-suits-over-2003-2007-navistar-diesels.html

Drove Ford trucks all of my life until that truck put me out of business.

 

With 150,000 miles? Most transmissions in newer vehicles (2000 and up) are going to break down around 150,000. I have gone through a lot of vehicles running around the mountains and most were due to transmissions.
Unless its a manual tranny, then you are ok for a while yet.
Plus you will have more things to fix shortly with 150,000 miles on it.

However, $6500 into an 06, I would dump some copper radiator sealant in it till it stops leaking then sell it cheap and let them know it has a leak. Buy another truck for $6500 or $7500.

 

We're looking to dump our 6.0 for a V10 Excursion, the truck has been fine, but we're getting coolant smells like crazy. So it's either a heater core or the headgaskets.

Never again will we buy a Ford 6.0.. and definitely not a 6.4.

 

How many miles does it have and what do you do with it?

An EGR delete solves 99% of the 6.0 issues. You're a little too far down the road now though. Are you smelling it in the cab?(that's the heater coil) or outside the vehicle(headgasket, line leaks, radiator, etc.)

The V10 is great if you like 7MPG. I own a 6.0, and have owned a V10 and a 460.

 

It may be a pin sized hole in a radiator hose or seals on the water pump.

If you check the oil and it smells like radiator fluid or is foamy, that would indicate a blown head gasket.

Maybe its a simple fix or a water pump.

Worth having a friend look at it that is a mechanic or tinkers with engines.