6.0 vs. 7.3 Powerstroke

[spencevans]

Well I need another ride, because my truck is too small for my growing family. I am looking at getting a Ford Excursion with the Powerstroke Diesel. I keep hearing that I should stay away from the 6.0 and get the 7.3 motor because it is more reliable and gets better fuel mileage. If you have any experience with the 6.0 or the 7.3 Powerstroke it would be greatly appreciated. And no, I am not interested in getting a 6.5L Diesel Suburban, because they are big POS.

Also I am not looking to convert the Excursion into a RockCrawler, that's what my Mitsubishi Pickup is for, but the Excursion will have to pull medium offroad duty.

Lastly, are there any other features or items I should be aware of besides the switch from the 7.3 to the 6.0 Powerstroke and the upgrade from the 4speed auto to the 5 speed automatic? For instance, were there any upgrades to transfercase, axles, steering etc. that would justify going with the 6.0 Powerstroke over the 7.3 Powerstroke?

 

[BCGPER]

Lemme put it this way, I'd take the GM 6.5 WAY before I'd take a 6.0 Ford and I hate the 6.5.

The 7.3 Powerstroke is a work horse, finding a nice one is big the problem.

 

[grandmaster]

I have the 6.0 and had a lot of things replaced on it before i bought it. Never had a problem since i've owned it

 

[Toad]

The 6.0 is a pile of junk. The 2003-2004 were the worst out of all. My buddy just dropped 7 grand into his in the last 2 months. He now has a cummins parked in his driveway. You can build the 6.0 to be a decent motor. Head studs fire rings egr cooler deletes etc.

The 7.3 remained mostly unchanged from its intro in 1994 till it died in 2003. The only thing that you will want to be aware of is that the latter 7.3 had powdered metal connecting rods. This is not a problem though until you start pushing 450 horse or more.
The trannys are not that great either. They handle stock power fairly well but once you add more power the stock tranny is no longer happy. With half way decent maintance you can see a lot of miles on that motor with only minor repairs.

 

[Kiel]

very happy with my 7.3. No engine repairs since I have had it in 7 years

 

[bryson]

I liked my 7.3 as well. Never owned a 6.0, and I don't plan on owning one.

 

[spencevans]

Yeah, I have no plans of increasing the power or towing with it. I just need something that's big because the family is growing, not to mention I am 6' 8". So I just like space.

 

[BCGPER]

Wait, you're not towing with it? Why in the world would you be looking at a diesel then? Diesels, as daily drivers, bring the suck big time!

Look at the Ford Excursion, Expedition, or Chebby Suburban gasser in that case.

 

[Toad]

Diesels, as daily drivers, bring the suck big time!

Exactly. Go with a gasser then.

 

[ChestonScout]

the 6.0 is a great motor IF you put the money into them like was mentioned earlier.

The EGR delete is a must.

I have almost bought a 6.0 3 different times now but I talked myself out of it and bought 7.3s instead. The 7.3 is a dead reliable motor. It has a few small issues but nothing is perfect.

But in my opinion.....there is not a better sounding motor out there, diesel or gas, than a 6.0 with an exhaust on it.



But you were misinformed. The 6.0 gets better mileage than the 7.3 in my experience.

 

[grandmaster]

My truck (6.0) has 130k on it right now. It's an 06. Bought it from my dad's company for a really good price when they were selling them. My dad never had a problem with it...but before they bought it they put a new tranny cooler/egr cooler/turbo/ fuel injection module in it so they could all be updated (the biggest problems with them). I've had it for almost a year and haven't had any issues. It's now chipped with a stage 6 unlock, turbo back 4" exhaust w/cat delete (performance wise) Wouldn't have been my first choice in truck had I not gotten the steal that I did....but I have no complaints here.

 

[spencevans]

Diesels, as daily drivers, bring the suck big time!

Exactly. Go with a gasser then.

I have had multiple gassers and multiple diesel over the years and both make great daily drivers. Even my 1985 Mitsubishi diesel makes for a great daily driver. I personally prefer the way diesels drive as opposed to their gas counterparts. I like the torque, turbo lag, durability and fuel mileage. My 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen is the best daily driver I have ever driven, it has tons of low end torque and and it handles great. I just wish that 2.0 TDI motor came in a compact pickup.

I have driven several of my buddies Powerstrokes over the years and I see nothing wrong with driving them on a daily basis. I think the world of the Ford Superduty pickups as well as GM and Dodge, but Ford was the manufacturer to offer a diesel in a large sport utility vehicle.

 

[Toad]

As long as you know what you are getting into. It sounds like you are familar with diesels. Most people are not. My neighbor jumps in his 7.3, fires it up, It belches white smoke, and then rods the hell out of it.

7.3 requires coolant additive to prevent cavation.

 

[YOUKNOW]

My family owned a 7.3 excursion, and it ran the best out of any vehicle we have ever had. My dad still regrets selling it.

I owned a F-250 7.3 with no issues. I did not touch the motor with any performance parts. I would pull a 9,000lbs. toy hauler and was always happy with the way it towed. It ran great when I got rid of it, 233,000 miles later.

Just out of caution, if you have not looked into the maintenance side of the 7.3, it is a pretty penny when the oil change is due. 16 qts. of oil is not cheap. Good luck

 

[ChestonScout]

My family owned a 7.3 excursion, and it ran the best out of any vehicle we have ever had. My dad still regrets selling it.

I owned a F-250 7.3 with no issues. I did not touch the motor with any performance parts. I would pull a 9,000lbs. toy hauler and was always happy with the way it towed. It ran great when I got rid of it, 233,000 miles later.

Just out of caution, if you have not looked into the maintenance side of the 7.3, it is a pretty penny when the oil change is due. 16 qts. of oil is not cheap. Good luck

55 bucks at wal mart for Rotella. I dont think the 6.0 is much cheaper.

 

[gijohn40]

I love my 2001 F250 with the 7.3... right now I have a problem I am trying to figure out... that being it only gets 10 mpg around town...it dropped 2 mpg when the winter fuel was put out... but no problems with it so far and I have had it 7 months now...

 

[YOUKNOW]

55 bucks at wal mart for Rotella. I dont think the 6.0 is much cheaper.

Sorry that I did not explane myself the first time. I was talking about getting it changed somewhere else besides home. The 6.0 is a little cheaper, as with the duramax. They both had a little smaller oil pans. Even then, 55 bucks is still more than paying for a gasser to get the oil changed. I was just giving him a heads up about this item. Most people don't think about the maintenance side of the diesels being that expensive.

 

[spencevans]

Oil changes are the least of my concerns at this time. I already plan on upgrading what ever I purchase to an FS2500 bypass filter and Amsoil so I can 15-20K between oil changes.

So were there any changes to the interior from 2000-05?

 

[Jesser04]

Oil changes are the least of my concerns at this time. I already plan on upgrading what ever I purchase to an FS2500 bypass filter and Amsoil so I can 15-20K between oil changes.

So were there any changes to the interior from 2000-05?

The dash changed very slightly and the headlights. In 06 I believe they went to coil front suspension.

 

[YOUKNOW]

Oil changes are the least of my concerns at this time. I already plan on upgrading what ever I purchase to an FS2500 bypass filter and Amsoil so I can 15-20K between oil changes.

So were there any changes to the interior from 2000-05?

Smart on the Amsoil. I just discovered it. Yes the interior changed a little bit when the 6.0 went into the trucks. I don't know the significant changes that happened though.