79formula

Things to consider about owning a 6.0L
Here is the deal with the 6.0. Any good tuner (person writing your tunes) is not going to give you a tune that is going to tear up your truck. There are trucks all over the place running 400-420 rwhp with 750-800 rwtq all day long without problems.

Yes the 6.0 is known to blow head gaskets. This is why it happens. The Ford Gold coolant contains silicates. The silicates are not able to handle high EGT's generated by a good load or relatively high boost when they run through the EGR cooler. They break down into a gell like sludge and fall out of suspension. This crud gets caught up in the tiny coolant passageways of the oil cooler. As the cooler clogs up it restricts coolant flow to the egr cooler. Now the egr cooler doesn't have enough coolant to carry off the heat generated by high EGT's. The limited amount of coolant in the egr cooler flash boils causing high pressure in the cooling system and the truck pukes coolant from the degass bottle due to the pressure. (it has to go somewhere)
Your uninformed Powerstroke owner is not monitoring his coolant temps and oil temps so he doesn't know whats going on and he keeps driving it this way. The problem gets worse, the pressure causes the egr cooler to rupture. Now the egr cooler is leaking coolant into the intake manifold which then runs into the cylinders. Again the high combustion temps cause the coolant to vaporize. This causes unacceptably high cylinder pressure, the TTY head bolts stretch due to the add'l pressure and there go your head gaskets.

Ok now you know the problem. Here's the cure. Get a good engine monitoring solution like the Edge Insight so that you can monitor your ECT and EOT. If those temps get more than 15* apart with normal cruising when at normal operating temperature your oil cooler is clogging up. Rebuild it now to prevent all that down stream damage from occurring. Flush that Ford Gold coolant crap out of your engine with a couple bottles of Restore. This is made specifically to clean out that silicate residue. Now refill it with a silicate free Cat EC-1 rated ELC coolant. This removes the silicates that clog the oil cooler from the equation. If you live in an area where you don't have smog inspections delete the egr system. If you can't delete it replace the egr cooler with the cooler manufactured by Bulletproof Diesel. This is vastly superior to the Ford oem egr cooler and it will not fail on you. If you find that you need to replace head gaskets replace the TTY head bolts with ARP studs and use OEM Ford head gaskets, the black onyx (Victor Reinz) head gaskets have proven to have a high failure rate. If you have to replace the egr cooler always replace the oil cooler. That is the source of the problem.

Now that you have addressed the common problems that scare the he11 out of people, get an SCT tuner (i like the X3) and install some custom tunes and drive the heck out of it. DO NOT baby it. The Powerstroke hates this and will rebel with turbo issues.

Turbo issues are also common repair points with the 6.0. People like to complain that it's because the VGT turbos are pieces of junk. This is not so. The VGT vanes in the turbo need to be exercised regularly. This means making them go through their full range of motion. So put your foot in it regularly and let it see some full boost runs. That will keep your VGT vanes from getting all sooted up and freezing up because of the soot. Again, that is what happens when you baby it. Put your foot in it and you will have less problems. Lay out of it and try to milk it for mileage like you would a gasser and you're going to have turbo issues. Don't let it sit either. That is also the kiss of death to the turbo. The unison ring rusts up and again you have turbo problems. So now that you know you need to give your turbo a regular work out to keep it happy, give it a proper cool down as well. Just whipping into your parking place and shutting it down will lead to coking the bearings and again major turbo issues. Running a good synthetic oil will help here immensely because it handles heat so much better and resists coking. But always let your turbo have time to cool down. This is one of the reasons you need a Pyrometer (EGT gauge). Let the EGT come down to 350* before shutting your truck off. This only takes a couple of minutes, especially if you take it easy on it for the last couple minutes of your trip. If this is too much hassle for you get a turbo timer that will automatically delay shutdown when you turn off the key to allow the turbo to cool down.

Injectors. Ford's HEUI injection system fires the injectors with High Pressure Oil, to the tune of 4,000psi at Wide Open Throttle. Maintenance is critical here so you can not let your oil maintenance slide like you can on a gasser. It will kill your injectors. The injectors also are known to suffer from something that we call stiction. That is when the oil side plunger of the injector hangs up or sticks when cold until the truck warms up. I believe this is caused by varnish buildup that is common to dino oils, especially those containing paraffin. Using a good synthetic oil will take care of that because it actually cleans the engine as it lubricates. If you do find yourself with some injector stiction add a couple of bottles of Rev-X to your oil. It has cleared up 99.9% of the trucks it has been used on. 2 bottles run around $70. A new injector is about $250-$290. Be anal about keeping your oil clean and fresh and changing your fuel filters regularly. The other thing that kills injectors is low fuel pressure. The fuel pressure needs to stay above 45psi at all times and is typically set around 52 psi from the factory. Well the factory fuel pressure regulator spring is weak and looses it's tension over time and can't maintain adequate fuel pressure. There is an updated rebuild kit that uses a better, stronger spring. Installing this spring will bring your fuel pressure up to about 62 psi and solve that. Get a fuel pressure gauge. It's important.

So that covers the frequent complaints with the 6.0. They are all well known at this point as are the solutions. Does it suck we have to fix Ford's blunders? Heck yes it does. But again we know how and once done you will have a very reliable robust truck that is well worth the effort. So address the issues as you can and enjoy your truck. It is a dynamite vehicle. I love mine.

JAIME

Dam what a pain in the azz, I'll have to print this out and go through it. What synthetic oil are you using, and how often should fuel filters be changed. By the way are you a Ford mechanic?

commandersander

iTrader: (8)

Everything about 79's post is accurate, even the VR Black Onyx.

The kit from Sinister uses a different VR gasket. Ours look like oem (Blue and silver) on the block side, amd blk silver on the head side.

We have done dozens of these and never a fail.....

The kit comes with a new oil cooler. FYI...if you EVER run hot, I can almost guarantee the original is baked...

SCT all the way.....forget Bully and Stuper chumps....

And yes....put a dent in the floor.....

Here is another thing to try....just for giggles..

Powerbrake it.....not enough to break the wheels, but build boost and "whistle"....

Let off the throttle.....if it coughs like a crack feind then your vanes are already stuck....there is no "blow-off" like a normal turbo setup....so if you hear something that sounds like one, you have an issue in the VGT.....

Still asking for where you are located....can put somone close to you on it (possibly)

commandersander

iTrader: (8)

....and we do egr delete on every one of them that comes in.....

79formula

No not a mechanic. I bought a 6.0 with 118k on it and did the homework after my purchase. My truck had a new set of heads, headgaskets, studs, egr and oil coolers, all done at 111k before I bought it. I soldered my FICM, swapped coolant, added a coolant filter, Rotella T6 changed every 5k. I also have an assortment of SCT tunes. I run a 420rwhp tune daily and beat the tar out of it. It loves it. I now have almost 180k miles.

txtraveller2002

I agree with 79's write up...I just got rid of an 06 250 that I had for a several years. The 6.0 CAN be a good motor, if you are somewhat mechanically inclined. Tearing into a diesel motor can be a littl daunting, but it is doable. Youtube is your friend here. Trust me. Every issue the 6.0 has had, you can find a very detailed video of how to fix. There is a guy on there, i think his user name is fordmastertech (or something similar) and he does great how to vids. I used the HELL out of them.
The 6.0, with it's maligned, and somewhat deserved, reputation, can be bought dirt cheap nowdays. Just budget an extra 3-5k for upgrades, and you will have a bulletproof truck. I had 230k on mine when I got rid of it. Not saying there were issues along the way....These are in no particular order, outside of the fact that it's the order that I did it all.

1. Oil cooler- 79 is absolutely spot on about watching your EGTs prior to a failure. I didn't have that luxury, as my oil cooler chit the bed the first month I had it. You'll know if it did when you have oil shooting out your degass bottle. Luckily mine happened in the driveway, not far from the ol toolbox.

2. EGR delete- Do this while you're replacing your oil cooler. You have to take the top of the motor apart when doing either, so might as well do both. River City Diesel sells an EGR delete for around $100, but that seems to be the going rate for the delete kit. Here in Tx, anything bigger than a half ton truck is exempt from smog testing, but if you live in a state that requires it, bulletproof diesel makes a good replacement kit, as previously mentioned.

3. Injector stiction- CHANGE YOUR OIL RELIGIOUSLY. I used Rotella T6 full synthetic. I also used Rev-x, as previously mentioned. That cleared up the rough idle when starting cold, which is an indicator of stiction. Also, I used half a bottle of Hot Shot's Secret every other oil change. It's similar to rev-x, just cheaper at $50 for a half gallon. It's good insurance, and you can but it at most truck stops. If your injectors are too far gone, there are alternatives to new. You can buy rebuilt ones, or you can buy the rebuild kits and rebuild yourself. The only caveat to rebuilding them yourself, is that they require almost electronics clean room sterility to reassemble. Probably not something you want to do in your garage.

4. High Pressure oil pump- The factory ones are prone to pump housing wear. There is an updated STC filling from ford that runs about $70. You can do this while yo do the EGR/oil cooler. You'll have to pull the turbo, but it's easier than it looks.

5. Updated "blue spring kit" for fuel pressure. A $40 update from Ford. It's at the top front center of the motor. It's a 15 minute job. This helped throttel response and cold start quite a bit.

6. Oil stand pipes and dummy plugs. $75 kit from ford, the original pipes had a wear issue on the o rings. They slowly deteriorate, and you start seeing longer crank times on start, especially when hot, because the thinner oil drains past the o rings, depressurizing the injector/oil system. Eventually, it will strand you somewhere, and you'll have to wait for the motor to cool down before starting. Not much fun on a 100* day, since it can take several hours tp cool. You have to pull both valve covers and the oil rail. This took me about 3 hours in the driveway. This completely got rid of a slow start issue I was having.

7. Fuel Injection Control Module (FICM). Another weak link. not sure where you are at, but here in Dallas, there are tons of Craigslist ads of guys that will come to your place and rebuild it for around $100. Mine never failed, but if it ever started getting weak, I would seriously consider getting it rebuilt vs new.

8. Degas bottle cap- replace it. Now. The springs wear out, and you end up having serious overheat issues. They are cheap.

9. This goes for any diesel, but a good practice. Use a fuel lubricator such as motorkote, or power service products. The process of refining low sulfur diesel pulls a lot of the natural lubricants out of modern diesel fuel. If you are feeling cheap, you can run a quart of 2 stroke oil per tank. It works just as well. Also, change your fuel filters, the upper every oil change, and the lower (inside the driver's side frame rail, just under the front door hinge) every other oil change.

10. If you took any time reading this, go change your oil again. lol. I can't stress this one enough. The 6.0 is soo dependent on good, consistent oil pressure to run the injection events. Don't skimp here. Also, ALWAYS run either Motorcraft, or Navistar/International oil filters. Same for the fuel filters. They are the same, International actually made that motor (and the 6.4) for Ford, and if you have an International dealership there, you can find filters and most replacement parts substatially cheaper than at Ford. Don't forget the tranny filter, it's in a little screw off housing under the front passenger side, right before the trans cooler going into the bottom of the radiator.

11. Get a good tuner, I used the suggested one by 79, the SCT. I ran a pretty mild tune (+90HP), so I never did get to the head stud replacement. If you are easy on it, the opinion is that you should be able to get by without doing so. If you want to run a monster tune on it, then definitely do the head studs.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me, if the 6.0 had a problem, odds are I dealt with it. I know this list is seems pretty daunting, but keep in mind I did this over the course of a year, so it wasn't cost prohibitive. A decent set of tools and the right mindset will get you far. Also, this was my daily driver, so I didn't have the luxury of an extra vehicle. The only break/fix I had was the oil cooler, everything else was either proactive, or because of imminent failure (stand pipes are a good example, slow start, then a no start happens pretty quickly).

All this being said, the 6.0 can be a good motor. I recently went to an LLY motor Duramax, and although the truck rides better, my 6.0 would walk all over it in performance. But at least I don't have to dork with the motor...lol. Anyway, hope there is some good info in here for anyone on the fence about a 6.0. I wouldn't hesitate to get another one if i had the cash to do all the above right off the bat.

scippy

iTrader: (3)

Very comprehensive list on the breakdown, but for those of us still in search of their first used diesel (currently '02 dodge 2500 gasser) would you jump over any 6.0 in favor of any equal milage 7.3?....... "Dammm that gold coolant!!

JD Dearden

That's funny.

txtraveller2002

I hate to say it, but yes, I would get a 6.0 vs a 7.3. And living in a big 3/4 ton driving state, here's why. Yes, the 7.3 was a legendary, and almost to it's detriment, a mythical motor. Bulletproof, for the most part. They did have some minor issues, but not major, "leave you on the side of the road" ones like the 6.0, and unfortunately, the 6.4 paid the price for the 6.0. The 6.4 was a pretty good motor in it's own right, but I digress. the 7.3 was such a legendary motor, wrapped up in a pretty decent truck. for that reason, a low mileage 7.3, IF you can find it, can actually go for damn near the same as a modestly higher mileage 6.4, at least here in TX. If you have ever driven a 7.3 back to back with a 6.0, you would see a world of difference. the 7.3 was an older direct injection motor, and didn't have either the computer power to time injection events, nor the variable vane turbo, and most importantly, at least to the EPA, the emission requirements. Drive a 7.3 now, without a tuner, and you'll realize how far diesel tech has come. That's the whole reason ford pushed Navistar/International to come up with a new motor, right NOW. Yes, the 7.3 was bulletproff in the same way a Cummins 5.9 is. Less reciprocating parts, much simpler, yet way less refined. Park my old 6.0 next to a 7.3, and you can tell the difference even idling, just like you can between the 6.0 and the 6.4. The 7.3 sounded like someone chucked a handfull of washers in the crankcase. It's not that the truck is beat up, that's just how they sound and run...like an old school Mack big rig. I have had all 3 ford powerplants in my extended family, and you can definitley tell the difference in power, noise, and refinement.
I'm definitely NOT trying to sell anyone on any brand of truck, just telling my experience with one little slice of owning a couple of diesels. I've owned several boats over the last many years, and would never talk chit about anyone's choice in a 3/4 tom truck to pull it. If you own a boat more than 25', I would strongly suggest a 250 or 2500 on the fender, gas OR diesel. I spent several years pulling a Baja 252 behind a 4.8L gas Tahoe, and after the last several years of pulling with a diesel, I realize how stupid my previous situation was.
Full disclosure, I recently went to a duramax. Just sayin. If I had my druthers (wow, just saying that makes me feel all the sudden old. AFTER talking about diesel trucks) I would take a later model Dodge 5.9 Cummins, slap an Chevy/Allison tranny behind it, and wrap it all up in a Ford. And as long as we're dreaming, throw a 39 Cig UL with 1350's and an umlimited supply of strippers in it. And a pole on the sunpad.

scippy

iTrader: (3)

txt 2002,
That was both funny and very enlightening!