Thinking About (ok bought) F-350 with PowerStroke 6.0L - Questions

[Ted]

As @denverpilot gave away, the semi has been replaced with a more practical truck, a 2003 F-350 quad cab long bed with a PowerStroke 6.0L.



We decided to tow our trailer with the Excursion and tow the Excursion home with it. Good inaugural towing run and so we could chat on the drive home.

It missed a few of the wants - I wanted a Cummins and a manual transmission (and would've preferred a PowerStroke 7.3 to the 6.0), but for the price, miles, and condition, it was a really good deal and does what we need. I've never owned a PowerStroke 6.0L and will check out the diesel forums as well, but I'm sure some people here have experience with them.

The truck has been well taken care of overall. It has the coolant filter and EGR delete done. Never been chipped, and the guy has done a good amount of work to it recently. Hasn't been bulletproofed, so that's a risk area maintenance wise. I threw some PowerService in the tank when I topped it off and have some HotShots stiction eliminator that I'll put in the oil. The engine runs remarkably quiet and he had done some work to the fuel system, including the high pressure fuel pump, so those are good things. Doesn't smoke, no blow-by observed. Never been chipped, but does have a scanner that tells you what the computer is seeing.

It does seem to me like at low RPMs (below 2,200) the turbo takes a while to kick in, if it does at all. It tends to downshift before letting the turbo kick in. I haven't driven 6.0Ls before so I don't know if this is normal or not. I am seeing the boost on the scan tool sometimes go from 15-20 psi (higher power and higher throttle) then to -15 psi. No change in power observed when this happens, but it is odd.

I'm also wondering if the exhaust has something to do with it. It looks like it's a stock exhaust which they then cut off in front of the axle. It drones really loudly above 2,200 RPM and is annoying. I'd like to put a new exhaust on and ideally one that will help to improve flow and reduce turbo lag, but I don't want something too loud. I want it to sound good and this engine doesn't seem to have the best exhaust note. Any thoughts appreciated.

Any other advice on the 6.0Ls (other than sell it ) appreciated.

 

[Zeldman]

On my Duramax, I have a 4 inch turbo back exhaust. I put a 24 inch glass pack on it, running pretty much in the stock location, and eliminating the catalytic converter, and putting a motor home turn down on the end. I can hear the turbo, especially when I let off the throttle, but I really don't get any drone while towing. I have the extended cab and short box, so with your longer system it may be quieter.

 

[GRG55]

I have an '06 F350 Super Duty 4WD with the 6.0 l Harvester engine and think all the negative publicity about it is grossly overdone. The main weak point is the original head gasket. Most of them were replaced early because they failed while the vehicle was still under warranty. Mine went about 18 months after the vehicle was delivered. The new part number head gasket has given me absolutely zero problems and the vehicle now has 10 years and 215,000 miles on it. I have had two other component failures - one injector had to be replaced and the fuel injection control module packed it in at about year 5 and 150,000 miles. Other than that nothing but consumables, oil/filters/tires/brakes/shocks. I also change out the coolant, transmission and axle fluids at 3 year intervals.

Modifications are a K&N intake filter system and a 4 inch exhaust system from the turbo outlet. Other than that the truck is stock. There's no abnormally objectionable noise or resonance from the exhaust, but there's no difficulty hearing the turbo whine both inside and outside the vehicle.

It is used primarily as a tow vehicle (our daily runabouts are 1/2 ton gasoline pick-ups) in the hill country in the eastern slope and through the Rocky Mtns. My wife's horse trailer loaded tow weight is typically 7,700 lbs to 11,000 lbs; more if she is going to a show. I also use the truck to haul a 32 ft 5th wheel holiday trailer with slide out. Between my brothers and my nephews we have a virtual fleet of diesel pickups from every manufacturer. They all have their quirks, just different ones. I expect to run my F350 for another 8 to 10 years and the body will undoubtedly rust out before the drivetrain is worn out.

 

[Mtns2Skies]

Is it 4x4?

And congrats. I prefer ford's F series to all of the other competitors.

 

[Tarheelpilot]

How can it run with egr delete and no aftermarket tuning?

 

[Mike Smith]

Ted, I work in the parts deptartment at a Ford dealership. The issue with the turbocharger and the downshifting issue could be of a concern if I am understanding you. I can get some better understanding and advice Monday when I am back at work, we have a very good 6.0 guy. Deleting the egr COOLER is fine, that was a point of failure for many that would cause an oil/coolant intermix. Many people installed studs for the heads, but as someone already mentioned, the issue was the gasket, so that was really applying a remedy not needed. If you would like for me to look deeper on Monday shoot me a pm.

 

[Ted]

@GRG55 which exhaust did you go with, and is it truly 4" from the turbo or is the first part of the turbo downpipe 3.5"? Did you get one with a muffler or just straight pipe?

@Mtns2Skies yes, 4x4. That was a requirement.

 

[RangeRider]

Been running 2003 6 liter F250 since new. 376k on it now, original heads and turbo. I pull a horse trailer often, and a flatbed for my helicopter. Did the EGR delete some time ago, no issue with codes. Had the regular expected maintenance done over the years, injectors, high pressure oil pump and such. Has been a really good vehicle, so good, that I've put off purchasing a new one for a couple years now. You may notice the boost acting quite different when using the cruise control, mine does.
Dave

 

[GRG55]

@GRG55 which exhaust did you go with, and is it truly 4" from the turbo or is the first part of the turbo downpipe 3.5"? Did you get one with a muffler or just straight pipe?

@Mtns2Skies yes, 4x4. That was a requirement.

I did the exhaust in 2008 and it is straight pipe, but the details on dia are fading. I'm visiting family out of town over part of weekend, but will check and post details when I get back home.

 

[Craig]

Plan on putting in the new style standpipes, dummy plugs and stc fittings when you get ready to do some work on it. Probably worth getting replacement IPR and ICP connectors and some good heat resistant harness covers. Also, if you are going to do your own work, get Autoenginuity's Ford bundle so you have all the diagnostic stuff. I've got a 2007 F350 4x4 crew cab long bed that I bought a few months ago. The AE software has been a huge help in finding my no start problem. Now I just need a bit of time to fix it.

 

[Zeldman]

The stock exhaust will be stainless steel. 2003 should not have a catalytic converter on it.

When they cut the exhaust, was that to remove the muffler?

 

[Grum.Man]

I would suggest replacing the clamps on all the intake tubing from the turbo to the intake. I have known several to fail which pretty much leaves you dead on the side of the road. EGR delete will save you a lot of troubles. Only other thing to worry about would be the injectors on this model truck.

 

[Zeldman]

One more thing on the exhaust, if you want a 4 inch down pipe from the turbo, you will need to take a sledge hammer to the fire wall to get it to fit. Flattening the down pipe just defeats the purpose for the larger diameter pipe. There was also a very good chance the factory muffler was a flow through design very similar to a Magnaflow.

The 6.0 has a fairly quiet exhaust note, so even a straight pipe should not be that loud in the cab. A diesel performance muffler should stop any drone.

 

[SaltH2OHokie]

I have a 2005, manual trans, 4 door long bed. Had an 02 7.3 identical truck and much prefer the 6.0.

310k +/- miles on 6.0, have had cab off once and replaced heads, gaskets and studs. Actually wasn't that bad.

Most of the common stuff has been mentioned. A few points I'll add:

I drive mine hard, and frequently and seem to have comparatively fewer issues than my friends who have 6.0's that they either baby, or drive infrequently. Anecdotal, but one of the few things I can attribute it to.

I change my oil 5,000 on the nose, fuel filters at 10,000. Motorcraft filters all around.

Turbo is a variable vane design on turbine side, and they occasionally stick. Easy enough to clean, and not necessarily exactly the problem you describe, but possible. I clean mine if I have it out for something, but have never actually had it sticking. Again, I attribute it to its daily flogging.

Only really head scratching maintenance issue I had turned out to be intermittently failing low pressure fuel pump. Added fuel pressure sensor to my onboard computer (Edge CTS) and ran that one down. Was doing all sorts of funny things... Bogging, dying randomly, etc... Was that frame rail mounted pump.

I also have an 06 f550 with the 6.0 that sees so little use that I trust it less with it's 130k miles than I do my daily driver f350 with twice as many miles.

I'm hoping to see 500k, but will likely get antsy and buy a newer model before then. Sadly will likely be automatic if I go newer.

I'm no expert, but have maintained mine at home since I got it, to include heads and studs as mentioned, so if you run up on any maintenance issues that you want a shade tree mechanics perspective on, just holler.

 

[Warlock]

I replaced a 7.3 with one of the first 6.0 wanting to upgrade to 4wd...blew heads twice in a little over 10 k miles...traded it back on for a little less than I paid for and replaced it with an F150 and a got a 6K check as well...my dealer sold it again...the problems associated with the engine had not been defined and fixed yet...that truck sure would pull hard though.

 

[denverpilot]

310k +/- miles on 6.0, have had cab off once and replaced heads, gaskets and studs. Actually wasn't that bad.

This turns me off a bit on the Fords but I know (and your post confirms) it's not something you have to do regularly. (Remove the cab to get at things, that is...)

Turbo is a variable vane design on turbine side, and they occasionally stick. Easy enough to clean, and not necessarily exactly the problem you describe, but possible. I clean mine if I have it out for something, but have never actually had it sticking. Again, I attribute it to its daily flogging.

I follow Dodge stuff much harder than I follow Ford, but I can confirm this is a recurring theme on their variable vane turbo setup also. Additionally those who have few problems also leave the exhaust brake mode (which is handled by the variable vane geometry) turned on all the time. The city trucks that never pull loads and that drivers turn off the exhaust brake mode and drive them light all the time, seem to be the folks who need expensive turbo work in way too short a timeframe for my tastes. Diesels of this size just want to work.

Only really head scratching maintenance issue I had turned out to be intermittently failing low pressure fuel pump. Added fuel pressure sensor to my onboard computer (Edge CTS) and ran that one down. Was doing all sorts of funny things... Bogging, dying randomly, etc... Was that frame rail mounted pump.

Funny this comes up, too. The other thing that kills Dodges is fuel pressure problems. All fuel system types, all model years. I won't operate mine without a fuel pressure gauge. And I also have an older Edge and would happily use their products on anything. Great customer service, good products, even if you don't use them for tuning. Solid user interfaces and sensors.

On drivetrain I've got nothin' on Fords. I just don't follow it.

But it does seem that there's some recurring patterns overall in the engine, turbo, and fuel delivery systems overall.

Pounding air through them also always helps and I like my 4" from the front to back exhaust on my older Cummins and a big honking air filter from a tractor as an air intake for it, but it does drone. Part of that is because it's a six cylinder, part is just that the original owner liked the sound. If discretionary funds allow at some point, I'll probably try to quiet down the thing a bit. It's just too loud with with low rear end ratio on the highway.

 

[SaltH2OHokie]

With a manual tranny and a 4.10 rear end, I'm screaming (!) down the highway in mine. I have an 03 turbo (louder) and 4" exhaust from stem to stern with no muffler or cat... It's an acquired taste. Terminal velocity is likely in the double digits...

From my reading, and a few friends of friends dyno runs, 6.0 factory air filter is good (not a power limiting factor) until you're introducing enough fuel for +/-500hp to the wheels. Not a ton of folks doing that. I replace my filter at 100k mile intervals, whether it needs it or not.

The maintenance minder on the CTS is nearly worth the price of admission to me.

Only Edge complaint is you can't set an alert for a value that goes out of range low. So I added that fuel pressure sensor, but can only set an alert on the high side. I don't care if I make 50 or 60... I do care if I go below 45. I just keep an eye on it. Per a buddy that works on nothing but Ford diesels, that particular failure (LP fuel pump) is not common. Guess I got lucky.

 

[denverpilot]

Only Edge complaint is you can't set an alert for a value that goes out of range low. So I added that fuel pressure sensor, but can only set an alert on the high side. I don't care if I make 50 or 60... I do care if I go below 45. I just keep an eye on it. Per a buddy that works on nothing but Ford diesels, that particular failure (LP fuel pump) is not common. Guess I got lucky.

That's weird. My ancient Edge w/Attitude controller definitely can alert on low fuel pressure (and has when the wiring to the sensor failed one day). Wonder if that's something they botched in the user interface on the fancier CTS control head?

 

[Ted]

I probably put another 50 miles or so on the truck today, this time completely unloaded. That helped things a lot. I think a lot of what I was noticing yesterday was really a result of the truck pulling another 8,000 lbs or so. The drone still exists above ~2,200 RPM, but only at higher loads. Doing 70 down the highway (2,000 RPM) there was plenty of torque and it came on quickly. Never downshifted to accelerate. I don't have a feel for how much turbo lag this truck should have which makes it harder. It did smoke a little on startup, but it seemed like a weak injector on one cylinder that went away.

Looking it up, the 6.0L doesn't do the variable geometry turbo exhaust brake from the factory. But there are chips you can buy that will do it. The tow/haul mode just downshifts for engine braking, which helps. Realistically for the towing I do here in the flatlands, I don't need an engine brake. Brakes on this truck are good. But I might go for it at some point anyway, especially if that helps to exercise the turbo and keep it from sticking. This turbo is pretty new so it shouldn't be sticking. But there is no black smoke that comes from it at any time, which is a good sign.

This truck has a fuel pressure gauge on it, runs around 57 psi most of the time. Seen it as low as 52 and as high as 60, but hovers right around 57.

The exhaust on it has the cat deleted (it looks like there was one), and no muffler. They had a flatbed on it at some point and they did the exhaust cut-out because the factory exhaust stuck too far out with the flatbed. I think just having the exhaust actually exit where it's supposed to (with or without muffler) will quiet things down in the cab quite a bit, which is really the goal. At 2,000 RPM going down the highway it's practically silent. I'm kinda leaning towards putting in something to just bolt up to what exists to get the exhaust going out the back.

The oil change is supposedly fresh on it, but I'll order a new coolant filter and fuel filter. I'm also going to drain some oil out just to see how it looks but also to put in the "Stiction Eliminator" that I got a while ago. Looks like good stuff and supposed to be popular on the 6.0Ls.

 

[Matthew K]

I've always liked the ford powerstrokes, not particularly the 6.0, but still. Yet, I drive a Cummins ...Having a semi would have been cooler

 

[Craig]

On the variable vane turbos....VW has had them for years. The people that baby them seem to always have problems with them sticking, even enough to burn them up. Best solution, to reduce the need for manual cleaning, is to simply do some hard accelerations every so often...aka an "Italian Tune Up".

 

[Ted]

I've always liked the ford powerstrokes, not particularly the 6.0, but still. Yet, I drive a Cummins ...Having a semi would have been cooler

I wanted a Cummins, although they have their issues, too.

The semi was cooler, but didn't do what we needed as well. Of course I could have built a reeeeeally long bed...

 

[Criitter7]

I had an 06 crew cab long bed, I did arp head studs as well as replace all filters and deleted all the egr crap. Run rotella t6 in it, my engine quieted down quiet a bit with t6. And is the best oil for it. I also had the sct live wire with the looney wild tune in it. Fast fun truck. It hardly smoked when on the skinny pedal. I'll never buy a short bed truck again. 8ft bed for lyfe yo!

 

[Zeldman]

I have used Rotella T6 since my Duramax had 10,000 miles on it. I quit sending in oil samples because they came back the same. Oil nearing end of life. I know, that is why I changed it.

 

[SoonerAviator]

Most of the guys having trouble blowing the head gaskets on the 6.0L after the new style gasket is installed are the ones raising the boost pressure. Studding/Bulletproofing is fine, but really not necessary if you are running stock power levels. The 6.0L definitely had its teething issues, but it's been around long enough that every problem area has been hashed out by now. I'm waiting another 3-4 yrs and I'll probably pick up one of the newer 6.7Ls to keep as a "forever" truck.


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[Ted]

Most of the guys having trouble blowing the head gaskets on the 6.0L after the new style gasket is installed are the ones raising the boost pressure. Studding/Bulletproofing is fine, but really not necessary if you are running stock power levels. The 6.0L definitely had its teething issues, but it's been around long enough that every problem area has been hashed out by now. I'm waiting another 3-4 yrs and I'll probably pick up one of the newer 6.7Ls to keep as a "forever" truck.


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That's more or less what I figured. Most newer engines are engineered to last a long time stock, but start adding power and reliability goes downhill. I have no intentions of turning up the boost, just want to keep it running a long time.

I figure I'll drain a bit of oil sometime this week so I can add the stiction eliminator and let that run in the truck during this oil change interval. Also have new filters coming for fuel, air, and coolant since this has the coolant filter on it. Also going to order an exhaust, probably a 4" and bolt it up to the stock downpipe at a convenient location.

We drove it more today and I like driving it more the more I drive it. I do wish it wasn't an automatic, but oh well.

 

[Zeldman]

Most of the guys having trouble blowing the head gaskets on the 6.0L after the new style gasket is installed are the ones raising the boost pressure. Studding/Bulletproofing is fine, but really not necessary if you are running stock power levels. The 6.0L definitely had its teething issues, but it's been around long enough that every problem area has been hashed out by now. I'm waiting another 3-4 yrs and I'll probably pick up one of the newer 6.7Ls to keep as a "forever" truck.
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A friend of mine bought the first year model 6.0 and had all kinds of problems. Problems were not the engine, but everything attached to it. For example the water pump, alternator, A/C compressor, transmission and electrical connectors just to name a few. After a couple years he had a nearly new truck again. Then he traded it for a Dodge and repeated the same path as before. Then he got a GMC and was happy with it, until it was totaled in a wreck that was not his fault.

If it weren't for bad luck.....

 

[Ted]

A friend of mine bought the first year model 6.0 and had all kinds of problems. Problems were not the engine, but everything attached to it. For example the water pump, alternator, A/C compressor, transmission and electrical connectors just to name a few. After a couple years he had a nearly new truck again. Then he traded it for a Dodge and repeated the same path as before. Then he got a GMC and was happy with it, until it was totaled in a wreck that was not his fault.

If it weren't for bad luck.....

Back in 2004 when I bought my Dodge, the 6.0L was still a new engine (about 1 year since it was released) it was having its teething problems. I had a friend who was a retired Ford exec who offered me his "X-plan" discount if I wanted a new F-250, but the 6.0L's issues were significant enough that I urned down his offer and bought the new Dodge, given the reputation of the Cummins. I put 108k miles on the Cummins with no issues, then sold it. It does seem like those Cummins engines haven't aged very well, unlike from what I can tell on the 6.0Ls.

 

[Bill]

On the variable vane turbos....VW has had them for years. The people that baby them seem to always have problems with them sticking, even enough to burn them up. Best solution, to reduce the need for manual cleaning, is to simply do some hard accelerations every so often...aka an "Italian Tune Up".

We had an '06 Mercedes 3.2 turbodiesel six with variable vane turbo. My wife drives like the little old church lady, very easy on the loud pedal. I'd take it out once in a while and do full throttle pulls. The first couple would result in black clouds as I blew all the soot out of the turbo and exhaust. After a few pulls, it would pull clean.

New car is a Ford Fusion 2.0 Ecoboost gasser, and I'm hearing the same thing, run it hard once a week or so to keep everything cleaned out.

 

[Ted]

One other question to the 6.0L drivers - what do you get for mileage going down the highway empty?

 

[Old Fart]

If I stay at freeway speeds, 18 +

 

[Criitter7]

One other question to the 6.0L drivers - what do you get for mileage going down the highway empty?

I was getting 25-28mpg highway but I had a hot tune in it. Only drove truck witout tuner once and that was to trade it in

 

[SaltH2OHokie]

16ish. 4wd dually, and I romp on it like a rented mule.

Lie-o-meter in dash was never in line with hand calculated fuel mileage. With a tuner, it gets unreasonably off track (reports rosier than reality because the truck thinks it's using factory commanded fuel, when the tune is actually commanding more).

In general if I were to baby it, stay at or near posted limit, etc...17-17.5 seems doable.

Conversely, gooseneck tandem dually behind with a decent load, and I steady work my way down toward single digits. Dual axle single wheel bumper pull with a car/truck/something in that weight range on it, sees 13ish usually.

 

[Ted]

Thanks, it looks like we probably are doing about the same as well on mileage. My Cummins did a bit better from what I remember, but it's been a while. Also the Cummins saw basically 100% highway miles, speeds anywhere from 70-85 depending on what I was doing and solo vs. towing, etc.

I put some of the "Hot Shots Stiction Eliminator" in the truck last night. It does have one weak cylinder that doesn't like to fire at first when you do a cold start on the truck. It kicks in and works fine as soon as you hit 1,000 RPM, but makes me think it might be a weak injector. Any other 6.0 owners used the stuff before? Looking on forums it seems like a lot of 6.0 guys swear by it. I figured it was worth a shot as I doubt the previous owners were as religious about oil changes as one would like.

 

[Grum.Man]

It seems ironic to read through all of these post and realize just how unreliable diesels have become and everyone seems to be fine with it. They are like ticking time bombs that have to get special treatment to survive and even then you are looking about multi thousand dollar repairs within 200k miles. This would have been unacceptable in a diesel from 20 years ago. Then again diesels from 15 years ago made less tq than some of the gas powered trucks now.

 

[SoonerAviator]

It seems ironic to read through all of these post and realize just how unreliable diesels have become and everyone seems to be fine with it. They are like ticking time bombs that have to get special treatment to survive and even then you are looking about multi thousand dollar repairs within 200k miles. This would have been unacceptable in a diesel from 20 years ago. Then again diesels from 15 years ago made less tq than some of the gas powered trucks now.

I don't think anyone was implying that newer diesels are unreliable, they are more maintenance intensive than the older versions for sure. Especially once you get into the emissions-equipped versions and DEF/Regen cycles. As you mentioned, 400HP/800TQ on the newer monsters is a lot different and 50% of that power in the 90's. A lot of the diesels (GM 6.5/Ford 7.3L) were not turbo-diesels, either, which was less complex.

 

[GRG55]

It seems ironic to read through all of these post and realize just how unreliable diesels have become and everyone seems to be fine with it. They are like ticking time bombs that have to get special treatment to survive and even then you are looking about multi thousand dollar repairs within 200k miles. This would have been unacceptable in a diesel from 20 years ago. Then again diesels from 15 years ago made less tq than some of the gas powered trucks now.

In the past 15 or so years diesel truck engines have been going through the same emissions reduction driven complexity increase that gasoline engines were subjected to starting in 1973. What many don't realize is some of the USA emissions standards that apply to light duty diesel engines are significantly more stringent than in Europe, despite the latter's "green" credentials. The latest generation diesels with added catalytic converters, DEF injection and so forth are more complex.

The discussion around the 6.0 litre Harvester engine used by Ford that is the headline topic of this thread is because it had a couple of design deficiencies that showed up early, particularly the original OEM head gasket. Because of that it developed a reputation for being a "lemon". The replacement part number for the head gaskets has proven trouble free, my '06 Ford has not proven unreliable since and it's annual routine maintenance costs have not been much different from my two 1/2-ton runabouts. My wife uses it to haul her rather large goose-neck horse trailer, and the last thing she needs is a breakdown on the highway with a bunch of horses in behind. If I thought my 6.0 litre was an unreliable lemon I wouldn't hesitate to get rid of it. But based on how it has actually performed most likely I will run it until the body rusts away or the wheels fall off, whichever comes first.

 

[Grum.Man]

I was implying that they aren't reliable. Injectors going bad, turbos sticking, fuel pumps failing, EGR system crashes, head gasket leaks, and most of this is reported before 200k miles. Seems crazy to me that we accept these repair cost just so we can pull a load faster. The fact that they are adding all these additives, filters, treatments, DEF, sheesh I will stick to a gas burner.

 

[Ted]

Seems crazy to me that we accept these repair cost just so we can pull a load faster.

It's not accepting those costs to pull a load faster, it's part of the game with the newer emissions standards. About 12-14 years ago I had Cummins engineers telling me that the emissions standards trucks now have to meet (it was looking forward at that point) were so clean that they didn't even make equipment that could measure that low of emissions levels. The old, lower-powered diesels would never meet the emissions standards of today and require the same technology to get there. But that technology also makes it easier to produce higher powered diesels in smaller displacements that work for pickups and have good manners for daily drivers. The main reason for the twin turbo setup on the PowerStroke 6.4 was so they could achieve extremely high boost levels right off idle, again for emissions. A former coworker of mine was one of the engineers on that turbo program. Plus the newer diesels are basically smoke-free when they're running correctly, which was not the case with older ones.

As to the amount of power these engines produce now, you can always keep your foot out of it and use less power. The market wanted more power and so the OEMs delivered. That's more or less an across the board desire and you see it all over in every segment of the market. Even full dresser Harleys keep on getting bigger displacement engines.

 

[Grum.Man]

It's not accepting those costs to pull a load faster, it's part of the game with the newer emissions standards. About 12-14 years ago I had Cummins engineers telling me that the emissions standards trucks now have to meet (it was looking forward at that point) were so clean that they didn't even make equipment that could measure that low of emissions levels. The old, lower-powered diesels would never meet the emissions standards of today and require the same technology to get there. But that technology also makes it easier to produce higher powered diesels in smaller displacements that work for pickups and have good manners for daily drivers. The main reason for the twin turbo setup on the PowerStroke 6.4 was so they could achieve extremely high boost levels right off idle, again for emissions. A former coworker of mine was one of the engineers on that turbo program. Plus the newer diesels are basically smoke-free when they're running correctly, which was not the case with older ones.

As to the amount of power these engines produce now, you can always keep your foot out of it and use less power. The market wanted more power and so the OEMs delivered. That's more or less an across the board desire and you see it all over in every segment of the market. Even full dresser Harleys keep on getting bigger displacement engines.

I don't want to derail the thread even further so I will leave it at this. Not meaning you, but we as in customers are accepting the repair cost by purchasing these uber powerful expensive trucks knowing the issues and maintenance heavy requirements. I suppose though if people can afford 60k trucks a 2k repair bill is nothing to them. To me anyway, when I thought about diesel my first thought was reliability. Reading these post reliable is definitely not the case anymore or the term reliable has changed.