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2005 ford · 07-02-2012, 04:30 AM

As anyone on the forum upgraded the Ford 6L diesel? I've had a lot of issues with the motor even though maintenance was kept up. Most of the repairs were covered under warranty the last couple were not ($3K for turbo, $2k for new EGR/oil cooler). In the research I've done an EGR delete would solve a lot of the issues with the motor. This motor is manufactured by International and is used in commercial trucks without the EGR stuff. While I'm at it I will have a larger transmission pan installed with cooling tubes that allow air flow to help cool transmission fluid and re-program. I'm not a mechanic so any and all input will be appreciated. I have never modified any of my vehicles from stock so I am apprehensive in doing these mods.

Thanks,

Bill

WineStream · 07-02-2012, 05:06 AM

I don't personally own one, but I work closely with a guy that has an '06. It just ran out of its warranty so he's about to do some upgrades. One you mentioned - the EGR delete. The other is head studs so that he can put a pretty strong calibration on the engine and push more boost. Apparently he found that the original head bolts are the weakest link for upgrading the engine. He tows a fifth-wheel with his.

crispyboy · 07-02-2012, 05:16 AM

I'll second what Winestream said - EGR delete. If you don't put a tuner on the truck you could possibly get by without headstuds.
My brother owns one of these trucks and he did not do the delete. He is on his way to his second turbo. The EGR puts excessive soot into the turbo and destroys it. His truck only has 55k miles.

perryg114 · 07-02-2012, 05:23 AM

Do the EGR delete and don't screw with the factory programming. These engines put out enough power as it is. Unless the engine has been chipped and abused/overheated the head studs are not necessary.

Perry

2005 ford · 07-02-2012, 05:44 AM

Thanks. I'm pretty much sold on the EGR delete. The reprogramming I was told is necessary to delete the EGR so it doesn't throw a code? I'm not trying to increase HP/ torque so the mechanic feels the head bolts are fine. I want to upgrade to eliminate the issues with this motor as much as possible and have a reliable TV. Other upgrades will be to keep fluids cleaner and at operating temperatures. From what I've read that will solve problems with the injectors, etc. I'll be speaking with the mechanic today so I will post what mods will be done and how much

Thanks again,

Bill

wahoonc · 07-02-2012, 06:03 AM

Swap in a 7.3?

I have had a couple of buddies do that after all the problems they had.

However from what I gather the EGR delete and a reflash/reprogram of the computer is a quick and equitable solution.

FWIW they can have my 7.3l when they pry the keys from my cold dead hands.

We have two of them and don't plan on letting go of them anytime soon.

Aaron

Getahobby · 07-02-2012, 06:15 AM

I have an 05 Ford 6.0 that I bought recently with 139K miles on it. The first owner replaced 2 EGR coolers so I'm going to get the delete kit. I did put an edge programmer on it and keep it mainly in economy mode. It's really firmed up the transmission shifts and should help to increase it's life and I'm getting better MPG.
Dave

2005 ford · 07-02-2012, 12:38 PM

Just got back from the mechanic, more bad news, the head gasket is leaking slightly. He did two tests, one a pressure test on the coolant system which didn't show the leak. The second test with a blue dye that turns yellow if there is a problem with the head gasket, and yellow it was. The dye test was from Snap On tools, equal amounts of the blue liquid was drawn into two chambers and then the instrument end was placed into the coolant reservoir and coolant was drawn into the blue liquid by a suction bulb.The bright side is that all the labor I was willing to pay for the upgrades will be covered with the head gasket replacement, some bright side. I keep telling myself it's still cheaper than a truck payment. So bottom line is $3400 will cover EGR delete, larger transmission pan with cooling tubes, new air filter/air intake, turbo inspection/cleaning,tow haul chip (increase of 50 HP), head gasket w/new bolts. I trust the mechanic, he did good by me on the EGR replacement, saved $900 compared to Ford dealer. Wish I deleted it back then but there was pending regulations on emissions standards that I won't have to worry about now, they didn't pass. Now I wait and see if the heads are OK once they are off and tested. If I was a betting man I'd bet that there will be more issues. I hope that because the leak by was small that the heads aren't warped. I've never over heated the truck but from what I've read on these motors expect the worst and you won't be disappointed.

Bill

crispyboy · 07-06-2012, 09:20 AM

Cylinder heads should be magnafluxed and check for warpage. Depending on the mileage I would look at the valve train for wear, valve seals etc...$3400 is a decent price for all that work from what others have paid but you may need to add another $400 for the cylinder head work.

Getahobby · 07-06-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2005 ford

Just got back from the mechanic, more bad news, the head gasket is leaking slightly. He did two tests, one a pressure test on the coolant system which didn't show the leak. The second test with a blue dye that turns yellow if there is a problem with the head gasket, and yellow it was. The dye test was from Snap On tools, equal amounts of the blue liquid was drawn into two chambers and then the instrument end was placed into the coolant reservoir and coolant was drawn into the blue liquid by a suction bulb.The bright side is that all the labor I was willing to pay for the upgrades will be covered with the head gasket replacement, some bright side. I keep telling myself it's still cheaper than a truck payment. So bottom line is $3400 will cover EGR delete, larger transmission pan with cooling tubes, new air filter/air intake, turbo inspection/cleaning,tow haul chip (increase of 50 HP), head gasket w/new bolts. I trust the mechanic, he did good by me on the EGR replacement, saved $900 compared to Ford dealer. Wish I deleted it back then but there was pending regulations on emissions standards that I won't have to worry about now, they didn't pass. Now I wait and see if the heads are OK once they are off and tested. If I was a betting man I'd bet that there will be more issues. I hope that because the leak by was small that the heads aren't warped. I've never over heated the truck but from what I've read on these motors expect the worst and you won't be disappointed.

Bill

Just wondering, What king of warranty do you still have that's going to cover labor for head gasket replacement?
Dave

2005 ford · 07-06-2012, 02:23 PM

Dave, The warranty ran out at 100,000 miles so this is out of pocket expense. I would not recommend the 6L diesel. All the repairs, even though $1,000s covered under warranty, makes the truck unreliable. The upgrades should take care of the engine issues, at least that what the upgrade is supposed to do. In 2005 the truck came with the 100,000 mile warranty, it has 132,000 now and I have spent $5,000 over the last year or so.

Bill

wahoonc · 07-06-2012, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairchance

Just wondering, What king of warranty do you still have that's going to cover labor for head gasket replacement?
Dave

I think what he meant is that the head gasket replacement would be covered in the cost of the current repairs that he is getting ready to do.

Aaron

Diesel1 · 07-06-2012, 05:32 PM

The injecter's on the 6.0 pass through the coolant passages in the head. Very good chance the injecter cups & not the head gasket is the combustion leak.All headgasket leaks on 6.0 that I encountered in my years working in a Ford dealership as a diesel mechanic were caused by a power chip. Also the turbo can be taken apart & cleaned, saves buying a new one most of the time.I would stongly recommend not power chiping any 6.0. They ain't strong enough!

2005 ford · 07-07-2012, 05:40 AM

Thanks for all the input. The truck is still in the shop, but no news is good news as far as the head/head gasket job and finding additional problems once the heads are off. This truck was stock and for an F350 babied. Never overloaded, always let the turbo cool down after a long highway run, oil changed, etc. This wasn't a work truck, We purchased to tow our 32 ft. AS Excella. As a tow vehicle it's great. Plenty of power, the crew cab allows for plenty of room in the cab for two adults and two dogs, tow package works great especially when you need to brake hard. I really like the truck so I hope these repairs fix the engine issues. With 130,000 miles I expect to fix things, but not the same thing over and over ( injectors as an example, replaced 7 of 8 while still under warranty over 4 trips to the dealer). Now from what I've learned the EGR delete will solve a lot of the issues. Funny thing is that this truck was my first new vehicle. I always purchased used in the past. Purchased new this time to have a reliable truck that was paid off by the time I retired in 2011, LOL.

Bill

Diesel1 · 07-07-2012, 06:50 AM

Change fuel filters @ 10K miles & always use Motorcraft filters. Change oil @ 5K miles. These two things will do the most to stop injecter failure. Clean fuel is critical, the after market fuel filters will not filter the fuel reliable!

2005 ford · 07-07-2012, 07:03 AM

Diesel1

Always used Motorcraft filters/oil and changed at recommended intervals. Oil was recommended at 7500 miles if I remember correctly. I always thought that was high mileage interval. I'll definitely take your advise and change both sooner. What about coolant,

overlander63 · 07-07-2012, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2005 ford

Oil was recommended at 7500 miles if I remember correctly. I always thought that was high mileage interval. I'll definitely take your advise and change both sooner. What about coolant,

5,000 miles should be the maximum interval for oil changes. Like the factory oil change interval, don't believe the "long life" coolant, change it every 3 years or less, depending on how much you drive it. As for power chips, if anything I'd try to derate the engine. It is a victim of the horsepower wars between the Big Three, in which Ford got bragging rights for something like 3 months, and the end consumer is the one that suffers.

handn · 07-07-2012, 07:24 AM

I am 210 k miles on a 2000 diesel Excursion. I have never had transmission trouble with but have changed fluid and filter regularly.
Have you had trouble with your transmission? Is that why you are upgrading the cooling of it?
My 7.3 has never cost me except for cam sensors, replaced under warranty. It is huge. Ford went to a smaller engine for styling, as they wanted a smaller front profile. Smaller engine, more horsepower, emission controls and bean counting equals trouble. Ford and unlucky owners have spent lots of money on these engines.
Thank your lucky stars you don't have a 2004 6.0. The first year of manufacture was the most problematic. They wanted a quiet engine like the Duramax and the 2004's are known for putting raw diesel into the oil.
With the repairs and upgrades you are making you should have the trouble free engine you thought you were getting in 2005. Like you say, repairs are a lot less than depreciation and payments on a new truck.

2005 ford · 07-07-2012, 07:29 AM

No power chips for me, I've heard too many stories of issues with head bolts, exhaust gas temperature increases high enough to melt cylinder walls, transmission issues and so forth. I knew a contractor who put the Banks upgrades in and blew the motor when set to the highest HP setting. Of course he was pulling an equipment trailer up a hill in Vermont and decided he wasn't going fast enough. The mechanic stated that the tow/haul tune he will do should only increase the HP by 50 and I'm quite happy to tool along at the speed limit or less.

2005 ford · 07-07-2012, 07:47 AM

Handn, From what I've read Ford contacted with NAVSTAR to build a motor that would pass new emission regulations since the older 7.3 L would not. Ford lost so money on warranty claims that they sued NAVSTAR and are building there own diesel. The 7.3 is a great diesel engine. I wished I still stuck to buying used I probably would be driving the 7.3. ( I've always owned Ford trucks). I am upgrading the tranny pan on recommendation of the mechanic. When I started all this I met with this mechanic to upgrade to a more reliable TV. This will add more fluid capacity with the cooling tubes to keep the fluid within operating temps. I have not had tranny problems to date. We are looking to full time as soon as we sell the house and want to travel out west where ambient temps will be much higher in the summer than they are in the Adirondack mountains were most of our trips have been. Don't know if I'm going to gain that much cooling or if was worth the $, my tranny gauge never really moves much once at operating temp towing or not.

Bill