Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum banner

Bulletproof vs Factory

6K views 38 replies 9 participants last post by  darkpassenger 
#1 · (Edited)
As I'm looking to Bulletproof my ride I'm thinking which should I get from this site, standard duty Bulletproof or standard duty factory oem. What is better? Also I have a good mechanic he has experience in diesel but it's not his specialty he should be able to install as even regular handy people are supposed to be able to install right?
FYI I use my truck for urban use, road trips and now towing at the moment.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#2 ·
Assuming you are speaking EGR cooler stuff here, I would go with the Bulletproof EGR cooler (don't do a delete), and the oil cooler service kit. 2004.25 and up, I would also do the branch tube adapter upgrade (eliminate STC fitting). Oil cooler restriction is basically the start of almost all that ails a 6.0L. Typically, the oil cooler becomes restricted, causing the EGR cooler to be denied proper coolant flow. The EGR cooler becomes super hot, causing it to rupture. Additionally, the restriction can cause localized boiling of coolant, and high pressure areas within the cooling system, which can cause head gasket issues.
 
#4 · (Edited)
#3 · (Edited)
If you can do any kind of wrench turning then I would say you could do this job. I did mine and I will be the first guy to tell you Im far from a mechanic. Im getting better...but I have brought a box of parts to a mechanic and said the words "can you put this back together?"
The instructions are awesome. Heck you will get a step by step book. With PICTURES!!!!!The instructions were so good I kept mine just in case I gotta go back in.
I would say the big thing was just getting up the nerve once you open the hood and see all them hoses. The wires are no big deal cause the plugs wont go in the wrong plug and they have been in the same position so long the will tell you were they go. Getting them apart can be fun. buy my suggestion on that would be get a small straight blade screw driver and a leather glove so you don't ram the thing in your hand.
As far as to what oil cooler. When I actually had the OEM oil cooler in my hand I could not believe how small it was. Cooling the oil is a very needed job if that motor is gonna have any chance of surviving. A lot is being asked of this little box. Then you sit it next to the BPD oil cooler. Now the BPD set up is a actual radiator type set up. You have to use 2 hands to pick it up. Not to mention the filters. These are friggin MAN SIZE filters. There just bad azz. And you throw the bypass oil filter on and heck now you got 2 MAN SIZE OIL FILTERS! This is a diesel for pete sake. Not some little smart car thing. The oem filters on my wifes Mazda are almost the same size! And I could fit here car in the back of my f350!!!
The biggest thing about the bpd set up is I have never heard of a BPD set up failing. I live in a very small town and personally know of 5 oem set ups that have failed. Not to mention how many on here that I have read about. If you plan on having this truck for any time then Id say go with the BPD set up. If you live were it gets any kind of cold Id also suggest you look at the cold weather set up. If your towing a lot or running a low geared dually Id say tell them what you have and go for the bigger set up. (with the low gears running down the highway your rpms are higher and your flowing more oil through the cooler. They have a larger cooler for these set up's) I believe at 2400 rpm that your pumping 18 gallons of oil a minute through the cooler. I may be off on that number....
In case you haven't figured it out Im a major fan of BPD. These guys are awesome to have on your team. In the 6.0 world you will not find better aftermarket equipment. These guys own the top spot. Spendy? Ya Worth it? You bet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#8 ·
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#9 ·
Right now my deltas at fine but I'm leaking a bit of oil (not sure from where) guys at outlaw diesel said its just the gaskets to keep an eye on it. and so whenever I get around to that I mind as well get everything done .I also want a sinister diesel oil filter. Not sure what else I would need. Outlaw Diesel says they will do it all for 4200.00 2 year warranty including head studs.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#10 ·
I have replaced several oil cooler with OEM and EGR coolers with BPD in the last couple years. BPD makes great coolers. I need to do an oil cooler on my Excursion and would love to put the heavy duty BPD oil cooler on but money is too tight right now. As for an EGR cooler. If your not going to delete it, us a BPD unit.
 
#11 ·
Forget the BPD cooler and keep your stock one if it is good. Get a delete block off plate( disc) and use your stock cooler to support your exhaust. Once your EGR is blocked your not going to hurt your EGR cooler if you have adequate coolant flow through you oil cooler. Bottom line is if you don‘t put exhaust gas and soot into your intake your motor will run better and last longer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: john galt
#30 ·
Get a delete block off plate( disc) and use your stock cooler to support your exhaust. Once your EGR is blocked your not going to hurt your EGR cooler if you have adequate coolant flow through you oil cooler. Bottom line is if you don‘t put exhaust gas and soot into your intake your motor will run better and last longer.
But does that block off plate prevent coolant from flowing into the intake should it fail? Nope
You need to block BOTH ends of the egr cooler. If it fails internally for whatever reason, the coolant can still leak into the intake and pop the head gaskets. Also, if you insist on using just a block off plate, you should tack-weld it in place so that it doesn't find its way to your turbo.
Yes, it does happen.
You can just weld a freezeplug into the exhaust inlet side of the egr cooler (or spend alot more for that block off plate), and also weld the exhaust outlet side of the egr cooler if you are going to keep the appearance of having an egr cooler.
 
#12 ·
Ok so my deltas are good just got home from driving and difference in temps ar less than 10 degrees eot and wt So I guess that means it's good right?
How and where do I get that plate? Is it hard to install?

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#13 ·
I have never installed one but I am sure you can find a youtube video or info here on the site. Mine was installed when I had head studs/gaskets done as preventative maintenance. Thinking back I should have done this much sooner. If yours was built after 10 of 2003 you will need to get rid of the "scoop" ford put in the up pipe or get one of the sneaky up pipes from Elite as well.

www.elitedieselengineering.com - EGRBlockOffPlatePriceIncludesExpressShipping
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#14 ·
What about the guy from powerstrokehelp.com? I don't know anything about the guy but I've seen his videos and seen his website. Seems like he is trying to help the average guy make sure his PSD stays healthy. Just curious if anyone uses his videos to help with some of the maintenance discussed in this thread.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#16 ·
Personally I think the guy is hilarious. I know enough about our 6.0's to know that I don't know enough which is why I trust the experienced guys on this forum WAY more than that PSH guy or even the diesel mechanic at the local dealer (which turns out is a borderline moron) I sometimes go to. I've done work on my truck that a number of years ago I wouldn't even have considered doing and the only thing that stops me from doing some jobs is the specialized tool that is needed. As already stated, take LOTS of pictures as your working, get yourself a big box of freezer ziplock bags for parts as they come off your truck and write on each bag where it came from. You can easily do it yourself its just time consuming.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#15 ·
Excursions don't have the STC fitting. Ford used the Excursion to use up left over parts and the '05 Ex does not have the same engine as the '05+ pickup nor does it have the same front axle.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#17 ·
Ive watched most of the POWERSTROKEHELP.com videos and IMO I bet he's pretty darn good 6.0 mechanic. I think he's a bit overboard on some of his stuff. After the video is all said and done we still have to keep in mind that he is selling goods and services.
I watched the one the other day about "gorilla proofing the 6.0". Man their was some pretty cool stuff in there. A lot of stuff Id like to get to know more about. But on the other side when he talked about $800 to install the 3 gauges. And showed how difficult it was to install the "pyrometer probe into the exhaust port". He showed removing the whole thing so he could tap it (Im sure at $100 a hour labor). This made me laugh. Heck I did the same thing in my drive way in 15 minutes with a greasey drill bit,and a magnet . And the truck is still running like a champ. And I installed a Edge monitor (cts) for $400 in 5 minutes that gives me 6 gauges at the same time. And with his set up (3 old skool type, egt, tranny and coolant temp) you still couldn't monitor the vitals.
So long story short, I bet we could all learn form the guy. But I bet guys like Term3 and Lilpooh and a bunch others could teach him a thing or 2 as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#18 ·
No doubt If I lived in a house I would be more daring but I live in Miami the center to be exact I live in a condo with a gated garage that does not allow maintenence or work on vehicles . If it's something small I can do it but anything that takes more than a couple of hours I can't risk.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#19 ·
No doubt If I lived in a house I would be more daring but I live in Miami the center to be exact I live in a condo with a gated garage that does not allow maintenence or work on vehicles . If it's something small I can do it but anything that takes more than a couple of hours I can't risk. By the way I like the videos from Powerstrokehelp.com but I've gotten the best help here in this forum, being a complete idiot in reference to diesel engines when I last visited a mechanic they tried to advise me on things I was already monitoring like my eot and wt temps and my coolant which already had been flushed etc.. All thanks to you guys.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#20 ·
The more you learn about your 6.0,the better off you will be. I love talking to a mechanic and hearing him tell me what I should do on the truck. There opening line is always something bad about the 6.0 injectors. So I act stupid (after 43 years Im very good at it!!!) and I ask him what I can do. Well basically Im gonna need to leave it with him and also a blank check... This is the point I tell him Ill get back with him and walk away with check book firmly planted in pocket.
This site has saved me thousands Im sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#21 ·
That REALLY sucks. When I have the time I truly like working on my truck, heck I took my front cover off twice in one week just because I dreamed up a different way to block off the EGR coolant return. :)


Sent from AutoGuide.com App
 
#23 ·
For sure last week I had my starter replaced and like you said they connected some reader to my truck to check injectors all along I was breathing down his neck. Turns out they were fine. The previous owner took very good care of this truck . There are some things though that I would not know where to start like a small oil leak, that's another issue though will add a thread for that. OK bottom line is I don't need a new Egr cooler or delete just that plate and I will be fine. Thanks everyone.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#25 ·
Studs yes, gaskets no. If you do a gasket job correctly you will need to send the heads off to get worked over. So ya I guess the average Joe could do the job but will need help at this point.
The 6.0 is very diy friendly.
 
#26 ·
If your heads pass the Ford straightness test I would not resurface them. Others may not agree but results show that the test works. If your head gaskets show no signs of leaking by over pressurizing your coolant system and they pass the surface straightness test I think you will be good for a tuner and higher HP with properly installed studs\gaskets.

Term 3 I believe all Excursions built after 10/03 do have STC fittings though not specifically listed here. I will check.

6.0L Power Stroke Model Year Changes
 
  • Like
Reactions: darkpassenger
#28 · (Edited)
Term 3 I believe all Excursions built after 10/03 do have STC fittings though not specifically listed here. I will check.

6.0L Power Stroke Model Year Changes
No they don't. Not the STC fitting we are talking about, they don't. We are discussing the STC fitting that connects the 2005-up HPOP to the branch tubes.

Check the following link. It shows the 3 different versions of the HPO system.
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/at...start-when-warm-3-versions-hpo-system-6.0.pdf
 
#27 ·
If your head gaskets aren't showing signs of leaking or failing I wouldn't break the seal at all. Pull one,put one.
 
#32 ·
Ok so back to square 1 what's the best solution?
For what?
Your original post does not define exactly what "bulletproof" parts you are asking about....

As I'm looking to Bulletproof my ride I'm thinking which should I get from this site, standard duty Bulletproof or standard duty factory oem. What is better? Also I have a good mechanic he has experience in diesel but it's not his specialty he should be able to install as even regular handy people are supposed to be able to install right?
FYI I use my truck for urban use, road trips and now towing at the moment.
 
#33 ·
Well I was just planning on getting a kit and having someone install, but now I'm having second thoughts and maybe I can do some of the work. Here's where I'm at
Had the truck 2 months and I love it!
I have flushed radiator and continued with ford Gold for now.
I bought a scan gauge my eot and wt temps are close so no immediate threat.
I changed oil added Rotella T6
Also have a valve for future changes. Changed oil filter and fuel filters. Had water drained.
I added a leveling kit and also have a tune (looney to be exact)
35 inch tires with 4.10 gear Ratio and Rev 590.
Now I want to know what steps should I take next to preserve the engine and keep this truck happy and operating at its best.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#35 ·
My recommendation is don't touch a damn thing until you need to. Stop being paranoid about a failure and fix what breaks.
If you do the "one at a time" you should be prepared to do your head gaskets if that method fails (which is why I say leave it alone).
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top