Any problems with Ford F-350 Diesel

[spotnnotfarm]

Anyone have a F-350 and is having problems with it? We have a 2004 F-350 and in the last 6 months have put 3000.00 in it. Tonight I was hauling the horses and my check engine light came on. I am unsure of the problem right now and am taking it to Ford tomorrow. My husband wants to trade it in but I am not sure. Does anyone have good/bad experiences about them or a truck reccomendation?

[cloudyandcallie]

I love my old Ford F-350 it was built to last.
I had to replace the crank sensor and the starter, but it's been running well for years and has withstood 2 accidents where cars going over 55mph crashed into me.:eek: (of course I've replaced the batteries once also)
Saved my life 2x.

Take truck to Ford dealer and find out why your engine light came on. Might be something not so expensive.

[hb]

I've heard that some years of the newer diesels have problems. Search the threads here, there have been lots with details. I've got an '96 with the 7.3L diesel and it is great. It costs me about $1,000/year to maintain, little things here and there, but it's paid off and that is MUCH cheaper than a new truck! I've been told that I should get 250k miles out of it easily.

[mroades]

Lots of the 04's had problems.
go to www.thedieselstop.com (http://www.thedieselstop.com) and read up

[Guilherme]

The 7.3L Ford Diesel was a "cast iron" machine with few issues.

The 6.0L Ford/IH Diesel, in the Ford installation, is best suited to be a boat anchor. It has demonstrated numerous problems. Ford had to buy back more than 500 under various "lemon laws." There's $500 Million in litigation ongoing between Ford and IH over these engines.

The 6.4L Ford/IH seems to be more reliable, but rumors of high maintenance costs abound. I looked at one. It had, by far, the most crowded engine compartment I've ever seen. It's a real "profit center" for a dealer, in that to do even minor maintenance you've got to move a lot of stuff around (at shop time running about $75/hr.).

G.

[birdsong]

Yes...there were a few years where the Ford's created nightmares for owners. My friend had a new one (this was the 2nd) It went out on a long trip while I was at the wheel.

For a time you could get 04's really cheaply.

[mroades]

The 7.3L Ford Diesel was a "cast iron" machine with few issues.

The 6.0L Ford/IH Diesel, in the Ford installation, is best suited to be a boat anchor. It has demonstrated numerous problems. Ford had to buy back more than 500 under various "lemon laws." There's $500 Million in litigation ongoing between Ford and IH over these engines.

The 6.4L Ford/IH seems to be more reliable, but rumors of high maintenance costs abound. I looked at one. It had, by far, the most crowded engine compartment I've ever seen. It's a real "profit center" for a dealer, in that to do even minor maintenance you've got to move a lot of stuff around (at shop time running about $75/hr.).

G.

I have the 7.3....LOVE it. It has 335k on it, and I am hoping for a million!

[spotnnotfarm]

We have never had a problem with ours until 2 months ago. We spent 3k to fix it and have had two problems since then. Now the engine light is on and it needs to go to the shop again! I am frustrated because I was hauling my horse an hour away and had to turn around since I would be coming home in the dark. Now, my truck needs repair and I am out part of the cost of the clinic I was going to. I will post tomorrow if Ford can look at it that quick.

[Acertainsmile]

Oh Yes!!!

We had an 04 Dually, this truck was bought new and had only 12,000 miles on it when it decided to die on me... trailer was attached and I was doing about 60 mph.

Thank God I had already dropped off my nightmare of a shipper broodmare...not a good scene, 2 hours sitting on the side of the road waiting for a flatbed tow and another truck to get my trailer.

We tried to have it fixed, died on the road right outside of the dealership. That was it, with a lot of fighting, we had them take the truck back and ended up with an 05 F250 which I love!

[mjrtango93]

I have an '03 so the same engine as yours and haven't had many issues with mine. I had a bent rim that screwed up my front suspension, but Ford paid to get that all replaced as they thought it came out of the factory that way. For the check engine light mine did that just last year, it turns out it was an emmissions warning (your talking about the yellow check engine light right?) and when I took it in my turbo was gunked up. It was under warranty so for $50 they just replaced the whole thing. A month later the light came on again so I took it back and the mech that put in the turbo didn't clean the existing valves so it happened again. They cleaned it all out (that mech had already been fired for not being on the ball) and its been good since (knocks on wood). If it is your Turbo those aren't bad to clean/replace.

[camohn]

Anyone have a F-350 and is having problems with it? We have a 2004 F-350 and in the last 6 months have put 3000.00 in it. Tonight I was hauling the horses and my check engine light came on. I am unsure of the problem right now and am taking it to Ford tomorrow. My husband wants to trade it in but I am not sure. Does anyone have good/bad experiences about them or a truck reccomendation?

Ford is notorious for problems with bad sensors....I replaced a whole passel of em in my F350 and Explorer. But...ya have to have it checked. For one, the truck will not pass inspection without it, plus you need to know if it IS just the oxygen sensor (which a 200.00 fix.....plus may covered by the oxygen sensor recall) or the much bigger problem of a catalytic converter. At the age of your truck though.....I think the sensor is much more likely. (PS.......keep an eye on the ball joints too...the other chronic problem with the Fords....both my Explorer and 350 had both front and back ball joints replaced "prematurely" and my brother in law who has had 2 Explorers has also had the ball joint and sensor issues). The worst sensor problem was the one with the steering column sensor. You would be tooling along and the thing would just not start. Like I would drive to the store no problem, come out and nothing. It got towed to the garage, the guy would start it right up and I looked really stupid. Like 3 times. For some odd reason it did not come up on the engine scans........maybe because it was in the steering column. We only figured out what was wrong with it because the third time it happened I was really mad at the stupid thing and cussing/uselessly banging on the steering wheel/column in ire when the thing started up!! Apparently THAT sensor is one that senses if it is in Park or not...if it does not think the truck is in Park it won't let it start.

Beyond THOSE issues the truck has plugged along well with the engine....mine is a 99 and still going at 10 years old.

[GoneAwayFarmCT]

We had an '02 F350 diesel ... *had* being the operative word.

My '94 gas F150 farm truck just keeps on going, though! We, too, heard there were some *bad* years on those F350 diesels...

Sending good thoughts your way that this is the end of the problems with yours-- or that while it's in the shop, someone sees it, loves it, and offers to buy it <G>.

[CatOnLap]

Well, my 2005 F350 dually crew cab long box, with the 6 L turbo diesel hasn't given me any problems so far. We love it. It pulls the 3H GN trailer like it wasn't there and gets very good fuel efficiency- much better than my old gas F150. Its not much fun to park in a busy shopping mall though, but what the heck, I just get more exercise walking from the back lot and taking up 2 or 3 spaces...

[deltawave]

I got the cam sensor (??) replaced on mine (a 2003 model) via recall. It actually did stall on me once, inexplicably, but started right up again and that was apparently what this problem could lead to. Never had another problem with it. I think we had one mild oil leak and right now the airbag light blinks now and then. Otherwise no problems after 6 years and 75,000 miles--we use it ONLY for towing and hauling so it's still practically new, in diesel years. :)

[DinkDunk]

I am currently looking for a used Ford Powerstroke - I refuse to bother with a 2003-2004 6.0L due to the huge issues with the new engine. By 2005, Ford had most of the issues ironed out...so I'll consider one.

Just do a quick search on Google and you'll get a long list of the problems those years had.

[smay]

one, now. Saw one of those 'cast iron" models - an '02 F-350 diesel 7.3 liter for sale nearby and went for a test drive....NICE. Pristine inside and out, long bed, crew cab, Lariat edition-so decked out with every option... but has 190K miles! Yikes! It's CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP however, and I just need it for hauling. Hmmmmm...can't pull the trigger.....those high miles MUST mean big maintenance cost in the future, right? People TELL me that the diesel 7.3 turbo engine goes forever though...

[deltawave]

Half a million miles is what you ought to expect from a solid diesel engine, easily. Even more if it's looked after halfway decently. If a truck with 190K miles was in good shape (rust, suspension, etc.) and I could see that the maintenance records indicate it's a solid citizen, I wouldn't hesitate to look and maybe make an offer. :)

[Melissa.Hare.Jones]

I had a 2000 F350 diesel extended cab - never one problem in four years. Traded it for a 2004 to get a club cab (same engine) and have had constant problems. Replaced the turbo a week after I got it... have had the EGR valve cleaned or replaced four times... and spent a total of $6k on it in the past six months after the pump failed and dumped cooler through my exhaust system, which resulted in a blown head gasket. It's back in the shop right now with what I'm guessing is another EGR problem. Getting ready to discuss the "lemon law" with Ford. :no:

[txladybug]

I have the '03 7.3 L and we have had to replace the turbo 3x. First 2x were under warranty. This was on a truck with less than 100K on it.

I have an '03 so the same engine as yours and haven't had many issues with mine. I had a bent rim that screwed up my front suspension, but Ford paid to get that all replaced as they thought it came out of the factory that way. For the check engine light mine did that just last year, it turns out it was an emmissions warning (your talking about the yellow check engine light right?) and when I took it in my turbo was gunked up. It was under warranty so for $50 they just replaced the whole thing. A month later the light came on again so I took it back and the mech that put in the turbo didn't clean the existing valves so it happened again. They cleaned it all out (that mech had already been fired for not being on the ball) and its been good since (knocks on wood). If it is your Turbo those aren't bad to clean/replace.

[CDE Driver]

I have one of the "cast iron" beauties. A '99 dually crew cab with over 200,000 miles on it. Never done anything more than routine maintenance on it, and that I did religiously. Every Spring before show season I take it in for a soup to nuts go over to make sure everything is A-OK. I love that truck. And it still gets about 16 mpg towing my 36' GN trailer with living quarters.

I did ask my truck guy about getting a 450 or 550 he asked me why. And told me that my truck was one of the ones that would run forever!

[SpecialEffects]

Interesting to read all the comments on the Ford trucks. After years of hell and tons of dollars spent on a Dodge Ram dually ($1.5-$2K a MONTH to keep it going) we've got a '08 F450 6.4L Diesel.

Excellent truck overall but it has one reoccurring annoying problem. There is nothing wrong with the turbo, but the computer thinks there is and keeps putting the truck into 'limp mode'. Been in 3 or 4 times. Ford bills while looking for the problem but it keeps happening. They have been told that we're not paying anymore while their mechanics try to figure it out... it'll be on them from this point on. In other words FIX IT. :rolleyes: Anybody else have this happen and had a mechanic actually figure it out?

Overall I'd never touch a Dodge again, mainly because of how very bad the company was at dealing with a problem-child lemon of a truck. I've been happy with my old Chev 2500 - it's at 430K (km) and still hanging in. Heck it's been stolen and half stripped :eek: but it still runs.

[spotnnotfarm]

Well we think that the problem was a loose hose. My husband fixed it and we have not had any problems since (cross fingers!) Hopefully we won't have anymore. Thank you to everyone who responded. I have some things to look out for and direction to go in if anything else messes up.

[SpecialEffects]

Oh that would be great if that's all it was!

[eventrider]

I had to twist Ford's arm to replace the ENGINE in my 06 350 dually with 20,000 miles on it! From the day I bought it I was in the shop everytime I hauled with it and ended up 5 times in 4 weeks. They replaced cam sensor, and all sorts of other parts...oil rail went out, and finally the cam shaft was cracked! They did replace the engine, and luckily I bought the 200,000 mile extended warranty when I got it, so I haven't had to pay for anything yet, but I am terrified that it will die while I am far away with the 6 horse trailer loaded! So far it hasn't had any trouble since the new engine was put in, but I have only put about 5,000 miles on it since then! And the 2 weeks it was in the shop for the engine was a PITA! I use it for my business!

[Guilherme]

I gave real serious consideration to an F550 cab and chassis with a 6.4L engine. I was put off by the extreme crowding in the engine compartment and by reports that while the 6.4L engine is much more reliable than the 6.0L it is also much more complex and needs to be maintained by a shop that knows what it's doing.

G.

[RAyers]

Anyone have a F-350 and is having problems with it? We have a 2004 F-350 and in the last 6 months have put 3000.00 in it. Tonight I was hauling the horses and my check engine light came on. I am unsure of the problem right now and am taking it to Ford tomorrow. My husband wants to trade it in but I am not sure. Does anyone have good/bad experiences about them or a truck reccomendation?

The year and model don't tell us much. What is the engine? As Guilherme said, there are several engines out there. The last year for the 7.3L was 2002. The 6.0 came on in 2002 and went a few years. I think the 6.4 came in 05 or 06.

Every diesel engine will last. The key is to treat it like a diesel and NOT like a gasser. My 02 7.3L has almost 200,000 miles on it. LOVE IT!!! I make sure there is clean oil, radiator fluid, tranny, etc. and that the air is clean. I don't idle the truck for extended periods (that TRASHES the engine due to oil residue build up on the valves that will cause them to punch into the pistons).

I recommend dieselmann's web page and the Dieselstop.com to really learn how to treat a diesel truck. dieselmann's also gives all recent service bulletins for all Ford trucks so if there is something that is factory fixable, you may find it.

As for "check engine" you need the OBOII codes from the sensors. It only comes on when one of the sensors is reading out of range (high or low). It will tell you what sensor. OBOII readers are a pain and you still need a programmer so the dealer is the best bet.

[CatOnLap]

Just a caution about those turbos on the diesels. We've been advised that after a long run or hard haul, allow the engine to idel for a few minutes to circulate the oil through the turbo and allow that little precision part to cool down. Our Ford mechanic told us that those babies are like tiny jet engines and get almost red hot when operating continuously at speed for more than an hour. If turned off while still hot, the oil turns to ash inside the hot turbo, solidifies as it cools and after a while, the turbo may jam from the residue. NOT a cheap fix and thankfully I ahven't had this happen. Spoke to my vet's wife yesterday, who's put 250,000 m on her 2000 F350 dually turbo diesel and she's been very happy with her truck- no major repairs. I think she said her motor was slightly smaller than 6 L- 5.8 or something?

[Watermark Farm]

I am currently shopping for a diesel F250 and EVERYONE tells me to stick with the 7.3 L engine available in the 2003 or older 250s. I've been told the 6 liter has many issues.

[oldbutnotdead]

Sort of related to this thread - should I use my 7.3L diesel 2000 F-350 with 156,000 as my daily commuter vehicle (some streets, some freeway), or buck up and get another daily driver? It is unlikely that I will have the money to buy a new hauling truck in the near, or middle, future.

[Jaegermonster]

Spoke to my vet's wife yesterday, who's put 250,000 m on her 2000 F350 dually turbo diesel and she's been very happy with her truck- no major repairs. I think she said her motor was slightly smaller than 6 L- 5.8 or something?

If she has an 00 F350 diesel then she has the old 7.3 powerstroke diesel,which is a good engine.
If she has a 5.8 engine she has a gas engine. The 6.0 didn't come out until 2002 mid year,and those suck.

[CatOnLap]

that must be it then and mine is smaller, not the other way around. When we bought, we were told to avoid the earlier 6 L engines but that from late 2005 on, they were better. Ours was built Nov /05 according to the search on the VIN. So far, so good at about 100000 m.

[cssutton]

I drove my 1999 F350 7.3 357.000 miles. A great truck.

I hesitated a long time to buy a new one, but finally in February 2008 bought a 6.4.

The 1999 was great, but getting out of it and into the 2008 was like off the JD tractor and into a Lincoln.

I have never driven anything that I enjoyed as much, and I have owned some pretty nice cars.

Quiet, quick, fun fun fun.

I have 44,000 on it already, lots of pulling over one mountain with a 9% grade.

Most of this thread is about used. So my advice is stick with a 7.3 for a used, don't go near a 6.0, but if you want new you can not beat the 6.4.

By the way, my maintenance has been oil changes and tire rotation.

Filters are expensive.

But if you can't pay for filters you had better not buy a $55,000 truck.

By the way, mine has 20" rims which give me great tire life and better fuel economy, but you had better check the price of a set of 20" Michlens if you are cost conscious. You will be shocked.

The best truck I have ever owned.

If you decide on a 6.4, be sure that it is a 2008 job #3 or later, as the very early 6.4's did got get good fuel mileage.

CSSJR

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[PhoenixFarm]

Haven't read all the replies but a friend of mine has a 2007 for F-450 diesel she purchased in early 2008 new from a dealer.

It's a piece of crap. Has given her nothing but trouble, stranded her multiple times with horses on board, and some of the "fixes" offered by Ford are just ludicrous. One of the issues is that for some reason when ever the gas tank falls to some unknown point between half and a quarter of a tank the truck will decide it's empty and shut off. No warning, no light, just one second you are going down the highway with a trailer behind you, and the next you're coasting in a dead, dark truck.

Their brilliant solution? Just keep filling it up all the time so the tank never tips below half full. What?

This is just one example of the MANY things that have gone wrong with the truck.

She's trying to get them to take it back and refund her money under the lemon law right now, but at this point they are only offering to replace the truck. Her feeling is, how do I know another one will be any better than this piece of junk?

Love my Dodge. Love, love, love my Dodge. (And yes, I used to have a Ford too. Hated that piece of crap.)

[tuppysmom]

We bought a brand new Ford 7.3 in 2001. The tranny conked out at 47k. We happened to be 4000 miles from home. Ford, and talked to the top banana of service, would do nothing to help. No help with a rental car or anything else either. We pd big bucks to a dealership in a far away state to replace the tranny. It lasted all of one month. In that month we also replaced the brake rotors as they had cracked. We barely made it back home and traded the thing off asap.

We pull our big trailer with a Freightliner/Cummins powered, and DD pulls her smaller one with an old Dodge dually,She loves that truck. I am looking for another Dodge dually to use as a third truck/stand in/daily driver.

I can live with a dodge as a daily driver as I rarely get far from the farm without a trailer anyway.

A good friend is a mucky muck at Ford, but I still can't go there for a truck.

[msfarab]

Hi,
We have always had Ford trucks and loved each one. We looked at Dodge several times as there were significant price differences.

My husband is "religious" about keeping logs on maintenance though and our '91 F30 7.3 NON turbo, but had a Banks power pak added lived here until a few years ago having over 380,000 miles on it and still kicking in MD, now as they have stricter laws for GAS trucks emissions, so they bought our diesel.

We DID put a transmission in it at 169,000 miles .... and went with a FORD tranny with the whole warranty and glad we did.
I did a horse transportation trip from New England to NM to get horses for the Olympics to go to Atlanta in '96 and all the way out to NM I called home and told my hubby that "something" just didn't feel right" and the dealer said, "Honey, there are FORD dealers all across the USA...." well I could not just PULL IN-- somewhere -- in the middle of the desert, so kept going, not really have a problem, but when I got back north to PA, we took it to the same dealer 5900 miles only on that torque converter... and the mechanic said the torque converter was bad, and we even had an extra external transmission cooler on there. They bickered a little but- no charge -gave us a new one.

For ROTORS, we did find, that pulling big heavy trailers.... the brake systems on the F 350 is not built for stopping big stuff. We have a 6h GN & tack, with double axles with magnetic oil bath brakes, & changed to grease and with tightening up the brakes on the trailer really helps save the brakes on the truck.

AGREE on CHANGE ALL filters... also had an oil AIR filter in the truck, which he liked on the 7.3.

We now have an '05 6.0 turbo, still pulling the 6H GN. What we don't like is no improvement in mileage for fuel.... still getting about 10/mpg hauling. There are hay haulers, with the same truck, and no warranty left with a NEW after market "chip" in it for better mileage, but won't do that on ours, at least not yet.

So far, knock on wood, no problems, but we "waited" till they worked out the kinks in the new 6.0 motor (F350) before looking.

We were so lucky to find our current '05 6.0 truck which was "wintering" in NJ in a Ford dealership for its owner, who only hauled a RV trailer to MT and back.... broke in and in pristine condition, less than 13,000 miles. Thanks for the link on Ford problems...will check that out.


msfarab:)

[suzyu98]

I have a '96 diesel Ford, and have 250,000 already. Supposed to get a million miles out of it-I will let you know, cause I'm not selling it.