7.3 vs. 6.0 vs. gas

stevenmd

Expedition Leader
OK, I know this topic has been discussed many times here on ExPo, but is there really that big of a difference between the 7.3 and 6.0 diesels? In my search for either an Excursion or E350 van, I am having a difficult time finding a 7.3 engine with the rest of the vehicle in decent shape. I can find tons of 6.0's.

I can also find a ton of gas engine Excursions and E350 vans. Then comes the choice of V8 or V10!

Is there really that big of a difference in pulling power, mileage, maintenance, etc., between all the engines? Is diesel really the engine to have?

Thanks for your patience in rehashing all this!
 

chasespeed

Explorer
Well... yes, there is a big difference.

Gas... I wont own another fullsize gasser that works, or weighs anything more than say a Bronco...

I have had a couple 7.3PSDs, and one 7.3 IDI.... GREAT reliable engine. Not the most advanced, or efficient, but, stone reliable.

My company service truck...has 6.0 and auto...

I have heard and read horror stories about the 6leaker...

This thing carries a lot of weight daily... let alone throwing an extra 1000 pounds on it for certain installs.

Just clicked 100k when I pulled into the driveway friday... I dont know what I get for mileage, I dont monitor fuel usage.

BUT, it has a plenty of power, and is reliable, so far. Knowing what I know, I would be leary of a 6.0 if it had a tuner and it was beaten. but, again, its usually head gasket issues I read about....

Either of the Diesels will serve you well. Just seems the 7.3 is MUCH MUCH more forgiving.

Chase
 

Darwin

Explorer
Uhh, you are right, this has been talked about to death. Not just here but all the world wide web there is a mountain of information to the questions you have. I would suggest searching the internet a bit more.

It is no accident that the 7.3 is harder to find than 6.0's which some people can barely give away. This should be your first clue.
 

housedad

Observer
V8 or V10 gas in a Excursion?

Between the two, the V10 hands down. They end up geting about he same MPG towing or not, and the V10 has more power. I still can't figure why Ford even offered the V8 in the Excursion except maybe for the 2WD ones. It really makes no sense. Either engine is really reliable, and has realtively few issues.

The 7.3 diesel had realatively few problems. That is why they are hard to find. Anyone that has a decent one is keeping it. The 6.0 had quite a number of problems during the first 5 years, as shown by the number of recalls and TSB's. If you do go the 6.0 route, get a later model unit, 2004 and up.

For a great deal of information, go to the different engine forums at Ford truck Enthusiasts
You can get all your questions answered, as wll as learn a great deal about each engine.
 

stevenmd

Expedition Leader
Chase & housedad (love the name btw!), thanks for the input. Darwin, sorry to offend and I'll try to keep all my ExPo posts original content. I am not an expert on Ford diesels and just about anyone can post an opinion on the net (in regards to the engines, not directed towards you!). I thought it best to ask advice rather than search and read opinions on a subject that I don't understand. Again, sorry to offend.
 

dieselcruiserhead

16 Years on ExPo. Whoa!!
V10 is pretty awesome. The 7.3s get between 14-16 mpg on average. The 7.3s have lots of interesting parts and can also be pretty high maintenance. I had to put about $1800 in parts alone on the one I bought and I was even given a parts engine. So food for thought... They are nice though and run well when running, mine has about 240K miles and starts and runs like its new... The 6.0s run great also and really pulls well but when they crap out, which is pretty often, they are expensive and time consuming. I think a lot of this can be taken out of it with good head gaskets and studs but they still have issues. The extra 100 hp on them though is borderline awesome...
 

haven

Expedition Leader
The 7.3 is tried and true. The 6.0 had lots of problems when first
released in 2003, but in later years the problems were addressed.
2006, the last year of production, is the best. I'd be OK with purchasing
the 2006 6.0, but I'd make sure the engine was up to date with corrections
recommended by Ford's service bulletins. Neither 7.3 nor 6.0 require
ultra-low sulfur diesel.

I'm a fan of Ford's V10 gas engine. They're common in big RVs. The
V10s I've used have been very reliable. They do give poor fuel mileage
compared to the diesels. The diesels' routine oil change costs a lot
more than the V10, so the running costs even out. Of course, the diesels
have a lot more torque, so if you're towing a big trailer a diesel is the
best choice.

The main unexpected problem with the V10 and other members of Ford's
Triton engine family is that the cylinder heads are relatively thin, and
don't give the spark plug threads much to hold onto. The result can be
a spark plug that blows out, requiring a repair to the cylinder head.
 

UrbanCummin

Diesel Mechanic
In my opinion the engines you should get, in this order.

1. 7.3L PSD prefer the 99-00's years but they are all pretty decent.

2. 6.8L V10, used to drive a lot of these as fleet trucks, fuel mileage was pretty bad in town, 5-8mpg at best.

3. V8, have nothing to say about it.

4. Pedel bike, simple and reliable

5. Walk, keeps you in shape

6. 6.0L PSD, if you love to spend money and wanna keep me swamped with these lemons.
 

housedad

Observer
The main unexpected problem with the V10 and other members of Ford's
Triton engine family is that the cylinder heads are relatively thin, and
don't give the spark plug threads much to hold onto. The result can be
a spark plug that blows out, requiring a repair to the cylinder head.

The spark plug threads stripping on the v8's and v10's due to having only 3 threads instead of 5 is limited to years 1999 1/2 through 2002 1/2. They fixed the problem after that.
 
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Don't know much about diesels other than their awesome ability to pull. But, I do have a V-10 in my RV. Fuel efficiency sucks (hey, it's a 32' Class A), but there is this particularly steep hill out on Hwy. 395 that I have to pull from a dead stop...left hand turn from a stop sign. Towing an enclosed trailer full of motorcycles and gear, full load of water and 3/4 load of fuel in the RV, I'm hitting 55 mph by the time I get to the top in 3/4 of a mile. All that from a gasser with 80,000+ miles on the odo.

My brother-in-law pulls a 30' Toy Hauler loaded down with water, fuel, dune buggy, and bikes with his 3/4-ton Super Duty equipped with the...V-10. No problems whatsoever...just gets up and goes.

If you're not constantly pulling a giant load you just might want to consider the V-10 Triton. :sombrero:
 

truck mechanic

Adventurer
I HAD a 05 f550 with the 6.0 for work, I leased it in 05 with a 11 ft service body for my moble truck repair service. my plan was a 5 year lease. then it had a 10k buy out. so I thought 3 year loan , then 2 years with out payments and start it all over. The 550 was the single most unrelibel truck I have ever had. I just turned it back it to ford and bought a 97 f350 for my shop. I wont ever buy anthing that burns oil again. there is nothing new out there that I like. Id go gas if you cant find a 7.3
just my .02
Paul
 

longjohn

Observer
Chase & housedad (love the name btw!), thanks for the input. Darwin, sorry to offend and I'll try to keep all my ExPo posts original content. I am not an expert on Ford diesels and just about anyone can post an opinion on the net (in regards to the engines, not directed towards you!). I thought it best to ask advice rather than search and read opinions on a subject that I don't understand. Again, sorry to offend.

i do not see anything offensive about your post . i have little experience with the v-10 having driven only once,my son has a 5.4 which pulls our lawn care trailer which weighs more than 99%of what anyone would take on an "expedition" . this truck is used daily ,120k and gets decent mileage for what it does...............http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/ good info here
 

Mike S

Sponsor - AutoHomeUSA
I have put some miles (35K) on my 2001 F350 (CC, SB) 7.3L diesel truck. This truck has consistently delivered 19-20 MPG when not towing my 5,000 lb. trailer. Towing the trailer seems to deliver about 12-13 MPG.

If I compare this to my Ford Expedition (5.4L gasser) the Expedition delivered 16.5 to 17 MPG on the highway, and about 9-10 MPG when towing. The V-10 will not do as well on MPG, but should handily outperform a V8. There is a very significant difference between towing with the diesel and the gas V8 - the V8 is very sluggish.

The diesel pulls better, and delivers better mileage across the board. I expect it to go over 300,000 miles. Way over if my last Ford diesel (6.9L) was typical.
 

BigJimCruising

Adventurer
Just got the word yesterday that my 07 6.0 Leaker has the dreaded bedplate leak, and it's a bad one! They have to pull the engine and only then can they tell if they can fix this one or have to order a new engine. Good grief, I thought that by the time they built my engine all these issues had been worked out and fixed. I was wrong. Add to this mileage swings from 4.5 to a high of 9.8 and this will absolutly be the last diesel I will ever own!! I'm going back to gas!
 

bajajoaquin

Adventurer
I've got a first-year, early-run 6.0 Diesel in my F350. I had one issue with the engine programming, fixed under warranty, and one problem with the turbo, fixed under warranty. Neither issue ever stopped the truck, or even kept me from putting 105,000 miles on it in Baja.

I'd buy another one.
 

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