blown head gasket also??

[digitalscribe]

Thank you all for all this awesome info!! I just purchased my first powerstroke at auction this past weekend. It’s a 2005 F350 6.0 SRW crew cab 6speed manual. The truck blew white smoke all the way to the trailer we hauled it home on (steam we’re pretty sure) and the guy that owned it said he thought it needed a head gasket. After doing some research legwork (this forum has been SUPER helpful!!) we pulled the EGR valve and found when you turned it over it puked coolant, so we’re pretty certain that needs corrected, however, we’re still unsure as to whether the head gasket may also be a problem. The coolant reservoir seems to builds pressure very quickly (it smells like exhaust…) but we’re unsure why, since to the best of our knowledge, if it’s the exhaust from the EGR cooler leaking into the coolant it shouldn’t build pressure like that unless the exhaust is plugged off somewhere down the line (like your hand over the tail pipe), is this correct? I kinda wonder if the Turbo itself would cause enough back pressure to cause this.
So I guess my question is, is there a way to tell or a procedure you can do to tell if you have compression leakage causing the pressure in the coolant reservior as verses exhaust pressure from a busted EGR cooler? I hate to have it torn down that far for the EGR cooler and not go the extra bit for the head gaskets and end up having to tear it down a second time. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me on this!!

[dhanna6powerstroke]

Originally Posted by digitalscribe

Thank you all for all this awesome info!! I just purchased my first powerstroke at auction this past weekend. It’s a 2005 F350 6.0 SRW crew cab 6speed manual. The truck blew white smoke all the way to the trailer we hauled it home on (steam we’re pretty sure) and the guy that owned it said he thought it needed a head gasket. After doing some research legwork (this forum has been SUPER helpful!!) we pulled the EGR valve and found when you turned it over it puked coolant, so we’re pretty certain that needs corrected, however, we’re still unsure as to whether the head gasket may also be a problem. The coolant reservoir seems to builds pressure very quickly (it smells like exhaust…) but we’re unsure why, since to the best of our knowledge, if it’s the exhaust from the EGR cooler leaking into the coolant it shouldn’t build pressure like that unless the exhaust is plugged off somewhere down the line (like your hand over the tail pipe), is this correct? I kinda wonder if the Turbo itself would cause enough back pressure to cause this.
So I guess my question is, is there a way to tell or a procedure you can do to tell if you have compression leakage causing the pressure in the coolant reservior as verses exhaust pressure from a busted EGR cooler? I hate to have it torn down that far for the EGR cooler and not go the extra bit for the head gaskets and end up having to tear it down a second time. Thanks in advance for any help you can give me on this!!

More than likely it's the EGR cooler itself that is blown/cracked causing the problem. How many miles? Is it stock?

[digitalscribe]

Yes, from what I can see and to the best of my knowledge, this is a factory XL, no chips or programs. It has 104,000 miles give or take a few hundred.

[dhanna6powerstroke]

Originally Posted by digitalscribe

Yes, from what I can see and to the best of my knowledge, this is a factory XL, no chips or programs. It has 104,000 miles give or take a few hundred.

I would completely delete the EGR system first. It would have to be replaced anyway if the headgaskets were gone. I'm sure someone will chime in about how to do a pressure check but the cooler is the most common. If it ends up being the headgaskets, install the EGR delete or at minimum an EGR block off and install head studs instead of the crappy factory head bolts.

[digitalscribe]

I'd definitely been looking at the headstuds as a manditory option if we go clear down to the heads coming off, that just makes the best sense, rule it out totally. As far as the EGR delete, I'd been wondering about that "EGR upgrade" with the stainless tubing in it they're selling off ebay that I keep reading about, that way I wouldn't have to not only pay for the delete kit, but also programmer. I know I've seriously been looking at this the past week since I got it trying to decide the best route from a engine standpoint as well as a financial standpoint. Anyone have any thoughts on that as well?

[haymaker1]

just picked up on this thread, exact same problem in my '04 but I'm on my second engine at 140,000 miles, replaced two egrs in the first engine and it completely crapped out at 118,000 (also did the oil cooler, and numerous injectors, and a head gasket, all under warranty). I have it torn apart right now but am going to do the egr block off this time...

[EssentialJuice]

tore apart, do you mean engine or just intake for the delete?

[haymaker1]

Just the intake for the delete, any thoughts on whether or not to do the oil cooler while I'm in it?

[digitalscribe]

I've just been reading that if you have EGR cooler problems that you should replace oil cooler as well. Just checked ebay, appears to be anywhere from $450 to $550, talk about adding up
So far just adding up stuff online, I'm already closing in on $2500-3000 in potential parts and labor to fix this truck. Thats $1700 for a RiverCityDiesel full EGR delete kit, their ARP headstud kit and onxy black head and exhaust manifold gaskets, SCT X3 programmer to stop any potential CEL, and then a rough estimate of $500 for a oilcooler and its gasket, and then whatever labor ends up being on top of that.

[fordfan30]

but you will be oh so happy you did it right the first time digitalscribe and if your heads are flat it will be the last time.