6 liter/6 speed seems sluggish?

[DZ02]

2003 4x4, extra cab w/ 6 liter diesel & manual 6 speed seems to be sluggish when starting in 1st gear. Is it me? Is it turbo lag? Is it something in the motor? Truck has 31000 miles on it and this has been doing it since day 1. I have tons of torque (pulled 11,000# of block), but no quick acceleration in 1st gear when empty. Is this normal with a manual diesel? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. This is my first diesel. P.S., stepping on it in 4th gear will knock you back in your seat!

[iamarancher]

"Is this normal with a manual diesel?"
No

Is it normal with "this" diesel?
Pretty much.

The engine doesn't have much zip on the low end, the older 7.3 Power Stroke had more power on the low end, it would start out better with the 6 speed. This engine makes more power higher in the RPMs. You could drive one of the older ones to see the difference, or one of the competitors with a Cummins in it, much more power on the low end. Most people I know that have these skipped the manual transmission for this reason with that engine, even though they always had manuals. People I know with this engine and the automatic have pulled more than 20k pounds with no problem.

[jcl27]

You really should set up a appointment at your local ford dealer.You
have a 100k warranty on your motor.The early 6 liters had many
problems right from the factory.Have you had any of the computer
upgrades from ford downloaded to your pcm?We seem to have a lot
of 6 liters lately also that the turbos are going bad.