# Crew Cab Longbed Diesel



## surftuff (Apr 17, 2011)

Any body had any problems with there 2004 ford f350 diesel crew cab longbed ? The Ford truck owners forum seem to be jamned pack with issues on the diesel and there is a superdeal at the ford dealer I hate to buy into a nightmare.


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## gonewild (Mar 13, 2009)

Unfortunately, I do not have any first hand experience with the 2004 Ford, but i did extensive research before choosing my 2006 GMC Sierra CC/Duramax. For me it was not a GM vs. Ford vs. Dodge thing. I believe they have all made great products as well as some lemons. The 6.0L Powerstroke got a very bad rap from most, but to its credit most of the problems were reported with tuned or boosted vehicles. The major problem, if I remember correctly, was with the head bolts stretching. This motor was also used in busses. I know of two local bus companies that had all their vehicles replaced due to bad 6.0L Powerstrokes.

As many have stated the best truck would be a Ford with a Cummins "Dodge" attached to an Allison "GM". I tend to agree. I have also been more than satisfied with my GMC.


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

They can be very good trucks but they are also prone to some problems. If it was well maintained and not abused it could be a very good truck. Since it's at a Ford dealer ask them to give you a copy of the OASIS report. It's a complete history of the work done on the vehicle by any Ford dealership. That should give you a good idea if it's a problem vehicle and how well serviced it has been. If they won't give you a copy then it's probably a red flag as they could be afraid of what it might show. A friend of mine has an 05 and he loves it, no problems at all. I did a lot of research and almost bought an 06 F250 but the dealer was a jerk when it came time to finalize the deal and I ended up getting a Dodge instead. The two main issues I identified when I was doing research were:

- Potential for head gasket failures due to head bolts with little margin for higher than normal loads due to various causes, typically:
-- Performance Mods that boost power output
-- Over-boost caused by sticking variable turbo vanes (dirty EGR causes movable vanes to get stuck in the wrong position)
-- High performance ARP head studs will solve problem but installed cost can be close to $3,000

- Overheating due to clogged EGR coolers. Apparently the blocks on these motors tend to have fine silt that slowly leaches out into the coolant. The fine passages in the EGR cooler can clog up and cause overheating and possibly head gasket and/or HPOP (High Pressure Oil Pump) problems. The HPOP is affected because the coolant comes out of the engine goes thru the HPOP and then to the EGR cooler. When the EGR cooler clogs the oil pump doesn't get enough cooling and can have issues. Either one of these (head gasket or HPOP) are pretty expensive to fix. Some people use coolant filters on these trucks to get the fine silt out early in the life of the truck but I would guess that's not too common. I was going to put one on if I had gotten the Ford.

There are a variety of other things that can be issues but not for most people. The reality is that any of the big 3 diesel pickups can have problems. Another friend of mine has had issues with his 02 Dodge/Cummins that has cost him over $2k to fix. They are generally considered to be solid motors but they all have some type of issue that tend to affect them. If the F350 you're looking at has a good history and the price is right it could be a great vehicle for you


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

Willingtonpaul? Joonbee? Hellooo, someone's ringin your bell!









Have a seat surftuff someone will be right with ya!


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

gonewild said:


> As many have stated the best truck would be a Ford with a Cummins "Dodge" attached to an Allison "GM". I tend to agree. I have also been more than satisfied with my GMC.


I have actually put serious thought into building one these mythical trucks. It can be done. I have a friend with a Cummins Suburban, and I have seen Cummins swaps done in Ford trucks. You can buy an Allison transmission. Course I thought that I read now that you can get a new Dodge with an Allison in it. This would basically make them bulletproof.


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## GSJ (May 20, 2008)

I bought my 2005 F250(98000km) in July. had it 2 days then went on a 4000 km trip with our 23RS. We did have issues with it defueling on a long grade,but I was pushing it hard. Took it back to the dealer and they replaced the injector pump moduel, the pressure sensor, and a wiring harness(that they should have replace in the first place, there is a service bulliton on the harness). I haven't drivin it quite so hard and we havent had any problems since. The secret i'm told, is maintanence. keep the oil changed(once every 6 months), replace the filters and you shouldn't have problems. I just put a tunner in, but it stays in tow/econo mode.

Towing with a deisel is so nice, you can use the cruse control, the thing doesn't rev out every time you hit a small grade or head wind. Like others have said; it doesn't matter which motor you get, they all have some sort of trouble.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

The 6speed autos found in 2007 and up dodge trucks are just as good as a 1000 allison found behind dmax gm trucks. If you do the proper maintance that tranny will last the life of the truck. There service life is around half a million miles in commercial enviroments. There is no reason a new dodge 6speed wouldnt last 250k miles if you just properly maintain it.

The real tranny to have is a 3000 allison found behind 2 ton trucks. Now thats a great tranny. The 1000 series allisons are at there mechanical/physical max with the hp and tq ratings of the new dmax.

The 4500 and 5500 dodge trucks have the asian trans which is the equal to a 3000 allison. They are excellent transmissions.

Carey


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## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

surftuff said:


> Any body had any problems with there 2004 ford f350 diesel crew cab longbed ? The Ford truck owners forum seem to be jamned pack with issues on the diesel and there is a superdeal at the ford dealer I hate to buy into a nightmare.


I did a little bit of research on em before I purchased my 08 with the 6.4. The best years to purchase them are 05-06 from my understanding. However, pull an Oasis report from the dealer and find out what / if work was done on the truck. In 2006 the majority of the 6.0 engine's had been fixed and have proven to be a very reliable engine. Yes, people do get into some trouble while modding engines just as anyone else would have. The typical mods people do are Air Intake, Exhaust, along with a tuner for additional power / mpg gains.

Keep in mind the majority of people who join up on forums and post about their trucks are people having issues, and ford has a very large market in the super duty / diesel market so you will see plenty of post's. How many miles does this truck have, any modifications done to it? What does the Oasis report say? The Oasis report is directly from ford, and is separate from a carfax, where it will tell you exactly what work was done at the ford dealership, along with what symptom's, and what resolved it. My truck only had two pages on it, it had 22,000 miles and is a Job 3, 2008 F250 Diesel.

I personally jumped in a couple 6.0 trucks, however the majority had 75k-100k miles, and were highly tuned. I am not against modification's myself, I just tend to scratch and sniff a truck more if it's traded in with a lift kit, DPF Delete, Tuner, Air Intake etc.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

MJRey hit it pretty good. There is a reason an '04 would be cheap. There are plenty of happy customers, but the unhappy ones see some pretty big bills once you get out of warranty.


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## surftuff (Apr 17, 2011)

Thanks for the oasis info ,the dealer is really amped into selling this rig BUT all the people who are coming into my marina with them are having some expensive nightmares . Not one positive review it seems the 03 04 are the worst of the worst. I will pass (IF ITS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE THAN IT PROBABLY IS'NT). update ...Ford dealer disclaims of oaisis existing


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## MJRey (Jan 21, 2005)

surftuff said:


> update ...Ford dealer disclaims of oaisis existing


Sounds like a dealer to steer clear of, all Ford vehicles have some type of OASIS report. It may not say much if the owner never had the vehicle worked on by a Ford dealer but there's almost always something. If they deny it exists they're dishonest and I would never buy a vehicle from them.


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## akjason (Jan 2, 2011)

MJRey said:


> update ...Ford dealer disclaims of oaisis existing


Sounds like a dealer to steer clear of, all Ford vehicles have some type of OASIS report. It may not say much if the owner never had the vehicle worked on by a Ford dealer but there's almost always something. If they deny it exists they're dishonest and I would never buy a vehicle from them.
[/quote]

I couldn't agree more! The dealer I worked with showed me the Oasis reports on 6.0 trucks that had 15 pages in warranty and recall repairs, and even told me which ones they wouldn't touch themselves. The bigger dealers will wholesale out troublesome vehicles to smaller lots if they turn out to have issues. You may be looking at one of those.


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

been real busy so i missed the call on the dinner bell...

in a nutshell, the '03 and '04 6.0L's are not as reliable as the late build '05's and up. '06 and '07 are the years to have, and with some preventative maintenance and religious regular service, they can be and are excellent power plants. i have had very little trouble with mine in the 100k she has on her, and i am expecting to get 300k plus.

but they do have their particular weak points. it sounds like you passed on this truck for the right reasons, and i am in agreement that you should pass on this dealer, too. if you ever get serious on an '06 or '07, let us know.


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## surftuff (Apr 17, 2011)

willingtonpaul said:


> been real busy so i missed the call on the dinner bell...
> 
> in a nutshell, the '03 and '04 6.0L's are not as reliable as the late build '05's and up. '06 and '07 are the years to have, and with some preventative maintenance and religious regular service, they can be and are excellent power plants. i have had very little trouble with mine in the 100k she has on her, and i am expecting to get 300k plus.
> 
> but they do have their particular weak points. it sounds like you passed on this truck for the right reasons, and i am in agreement that you should pass on this dealer, too. if you ever get serious on an '06 or '07, let us know.


I think the 06 and 07 are out of my price range ,I am running into alot of 04 , just gotta keep looking


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## TexanThompsons (Apr 21, 2009)

Just for reference, I have an '05 excursion (manufactured in '04) and I've had my share of problems, but I love the engine. I have had to have the front end redone, new FICM, new injectors for #1 and #2, new timing housing, new seals all the way around, HOWEVER, none of the "typical" things that are supposed to go wrong with this engine have for me. Oh, now my turbo is throwing a code for an underboost problem, but I have no choice as there is not another 3/4 ton diesel SUV.

Just wanted to share my own experience. Before you find a diesel, find a mechanic that you can trust that works on these 6.0 engines. Ask around to your friends. I have gotten lucky and found one myself. They will be a world of help and will save you $1,000s as you do run into problems.


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

surftuff said:


> [


I think the 06 and 07 are out of my price range ,I am running into alot of 04 , just gotta keep looking
[/quote]

understood. a budget is a budget. whenever you look at one, get the dealer (or any ford dealer) to run an oasis report from the VIN. this will give you the build date and the in service date, along with any warranty work or recalls that have been done / need to be done on the truck. late build '05's are better than early build ones; the same can generally be said for '04's....

i would strongly encourage you to stay away from '03's, as you may know. it is a broad generalization which i hate to make, but the first model year was either awesome or just a disaster.


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