Ford is well-known for making trucks that can go anywhere and do anything, and they can do that largely thanks to their engines. However, like with most things in life, some Ford engines were better than others, and that’s especially true in terms of diesel engines. Here’s a look at the Ford diesel engine that folks should avoid at all costs.

The 6.4-liter Power Stroke diesel represents lessons learned

This diesel engine produces 350 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, significantly improving from previous iterations. More importantly, however, this diesel engine was the first in many respects. As Automotozine says, it was the first Power Stroke engine to use a diesel particulate filter, which helps keep emissions low. On top of that, the 6.4-liter has proven itself to be a reliable workhorse. 

As Automotozine wrote, Ford understood that the 6.0-liter Power Stroke was not a good engine. People wanted something better from Ford, so Ford made a new engine. In the 2008 model year of the Ford heavy-duty trucks, Ford debuted the 6.4-liter Power Stroke diesel engine. This 6.4-liter was better in many ways than its predecessor. 

Avoid the terrible Ford 6.0-liter Power Stroke engine

So, what about that 6.0-liter Power Stroke engine? As HotCars wrote, the 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel engine was not a diesel engine that anyone would want to use. It was only available on the heavy-duty versions of Ford trucks from the mid-2000s, but it’s made a name for itself. In fact, they’re such bad engines that owners have sued Ford over them. This was because the 6.0-liter Power Stroke engine had a long list of issues. 

To be fair, it wasn’t a weak engine by any means. It got 325 horsepower and 570 lb-ft of torque, but that’s about the only good thing anyone can say about it. As HotCars wrote, owners had to spend about $40 a month on diesel exhaust fluid alone. Additionally, despite being a diesel engine, it was still very fuel inefficient, which meant more money out the pocket.

On top of that, compared to its competitors, the 6.0-liter Power Stroke engine was simply unreliable. As such, it also adds to an owner’s maintenance fees. It’s not surprising that, according to HotCars, having this infamous engine in a truck lowered its resale value, too. As such, any truck shoppers should try to avoid buying a heavy-duty Ford truck that’s equipped with this menace of an engine at all costs. For alternatives, seek out the 6.4-liter Power Stroke or our next entry.

The 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel is the best Ford’s come up with

The best diesel engine option, from Ford at least, is the 6.7-liter Power Stroke, and it’s the latest one available on heavy-duty Ford trucks right now. This shouldn’t be too surprising since Ford’s learned a lot from its mistakes. Additionally, since the 6.7-liter option is the most modern diesel engine on Ford’s lineup right now, it has a lot of upgrades overall. 

Notably, according to Automotozine, this is the first Power Stroke engine that Ford designed and built in-house. The other Power Stroke engines were built with Ford’s partner, Navistar. One of the new design choices has to do with the pistons. They’re now steel instead of aluminum, and other parts of the design have been changed to accommodate that. 

More importantly, though, it’s a powerful and reliable engine. It produces 475 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque while being a workhorse that won’t break down quickly. As such, it’s easily the best diesel engine that Ford’s made to date.