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I need advice. to trade in or to keep?

jebadiah04

Rooster Snorkler
849
27
So I have an 05 6.0 f350. I LOVE the truck. Its been a great rig since I've owned it. It gets good mileage and has more power than a person would ever need.

However. It's eating coolant. With the egr deleted the only thing I can think of is heads/or gaskets. A quite expensive fix.

I'm thinking of downsizing. The truck is a crew long box and it's huge. The only thing I ever would want the diesel for is towing my boat. My boat isn't huge so a half ton would cover it effortlessly. I also use it to haul loads of firewood for winter heating. I originally bought it to tow my mud truck. Mud truck got sold before the powerstroke ever got hooked up to it....life.

I'm really stuck here since I do not want to get rid of my powerstroke because I don't think a half ton gasser would match it in ANY way. Except maybe ride quality...and parking.

So my question is...what would you do?

I can afford to get it fixed but it seems like 3 - 5 thousand is redamndicoulous. For a repair cost.

I would want to trade into a crew cad short box half tonner. OR I have considered going to the 6.4litre diesel.


Let's hear it
 

1970Custom

They call me Spuds
14,107
447
Middleton, ID
Just fix the Damn thing and keep driving it...
 

jebadiah04

Rooster Snorkler
849
27
To be clear, I won't be able to tackle this one on my own. It will have to go to a shop. And now that alligator isn't fixing trucks anymore. I don't even know where I'll take it.
 

O'Rattlecan

Redneck Prognosticator
26,687
797
Belton, MO
You won't be any less happy in a half ton once you get used to it. You still sit up high, you still have a pickup bed, you can still throw it in 4 wheel drive and get through weather or terrain. I was in the reverse position as you, wanting a super duty. Ultimately I ended up buying an F150. I like the truck, it's ridiculously reliable and cheap to maintain.

I dunno, I'd get a half ton, even though the 5.4 doesn't give you warm fuzzies when you floor it.

Ryan
 

blacksnapon

Moderator
Staff member
Can you pressurize it and see where the coolant is going? It'd be bad to get rid of a good truck just because the cap was leaking.
 

95F350XL

Master Junk Tech
I would have the leak checked out 1st. Dont just assume its something terrible before its confirmed! I have a 6.8L just about 10mpg is all you will get with that.
 

Sparky83

Virginia Chapter member
5,566
219
Norlina NC
agreed i would pressure test it first... i thought mine had be leaking at the head gasket but turned out to be from the T-stat housing... wasnt finding any puddles till i pressure tested it... then it made a big one.. lost a gallon in only 4 months..
 

jebadiah04

Rooster Snorkler
849
27
Anyway I can pressure test myself?
 

Sparky83

Virginia Chapter member
5,566
219
Norlina NC
Harbor freight has a kit too but its hit and miss on if their kit holds pressure... i had to crank the one adapter on with my giant set of pliers and it still leaked slowly around the fittings but held it good enough to get a pressure test from it. think autozone and other car parts places you can rent/borrow them from
 

Sparky83

Virginia Chapter member
5,566
219
Norlina NC
i tried to do that with a fuel pressure tester... none of them had ones for diesels.. :(
 

95F350XL

Master Junk Tech
Most places wont have the diesel fuel pressure tester, too expensive and most people wont be asking for that. I have a snap on tester, its ok, there tools are junk anyway....my co worker has a kit that you hook up to compressed air and it works awesome, he also has every adapter known to man, helps he has been at it for 30 years lol
 

john112deere

caffeine junkie
Staff member
10,807
405
central Vermont
I can afford to get it fixed but it seems like 3 - 5 thousand is redamndicoulous. For a repair cost.

I would want to trade into a crew cad short box half tonner. OR I have considered going to the 6.4litre diesel.

Buying a $40,000 truck (or whatever) is redamndiculous if all you need is a $3-5,000 repair to make your truck good again. Find somebody who can do it up right, you can probably have more power and better MPG out of that diesel without spending a whole lot more than the bare minimum to repair it. (But I don't know how good the rest of your truck is...)



On the other hand, I co-drove an EcoBoost '12 F-150 crew cab with the 5.5' box most of the way across the US and back a couple months ago- that was a seriously nice truck. Good power, good mileage, bladder-busting range (20 mpg and a 36 gallon tank) comfortable seats and nice riding suspension.
 

95F350XL

Master Junk Tech

Sparky83

Virginia Chapter member
5,566
219
Norlina NC
any update on the trucks prognosis??
 

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