Basic upgrades?

[kdogg85]

I just bought a 07 6.0, Just from reading around, is the egr delete, intake system, turbo back exhaust, and a programmer of some sorts the best way to go right off the bat? I am not looking for a fire breathing monster of a truck(yet anyway) but would like better power and from what I have read, a more reliable engine. The biggest 2 questions I have are, what is the best programmer for the money(I don't mind spending a little more up front), and the best brand of egr delete kit? Thanks in advance for any help.

[Lilpooh]

How's the delta of your ECT and EOT??? What is your fuel psi at WOT?

Things to consider about owning a 6.0L

[kdogg85]

what is delta of ect and eot? I guess I can put a guage on and see that way, unless there is a way to check the way the truck comes stock? This is my first diesel truck and it will take time for me to learn the lingo.

Did you ask those questions for an overall health assesment of the truck? I'm guessing that anyway. Oh and thanks for the read-up, very helpful.

[Lilpooh]

Yes health issues. If the Engine Coolant Temp (ECT) and Engine Oil Temp (EOT) are more than 15* apart then it's a good chance that the oil cooler is/getting blocked. This oil cooler has very small coolant passages running thru it to cool the oil. When the coolant passages get blocked up it prevents/slows coolant from reaching the EGR cooler. When hot exhaust gases (up to 1200*) pass thru the now dried out EGR cooler it causes a flash boil or failed EGR cooler that will make the coolant system over pressurize.

When fuel psi drops below 45 psi from idle to WOT, it can/will cause damage/failure of injectors.

You should start with aftermarket gauges or a monitor to keep tabs on your motor before and during your mods. When you start to add power you need to watch the vitals of the motor. The factory gauge cluster for temps are dummy gauges, NOT accurate for monitoing.

Read this link and if you have any questions, please ask.
Things to consider about owning a 6.0L

[kdogg85]

Well if the factory guages are useless, then I guess in the middle of the sweep of the guage doesn't help any. That is where both guages go and stay. As far a fuel pressure goes, will the engine spit and sputter at wot if pressure goes down, or is it pressure drops but volume doesn't and you never really know? Right now, I looked underneath and someone from what I can tell has removed the cat, unless it's hidden behind the motor and I can't see it, and "engineered" a 4'' muffler to fit.

The truck runs fine and doesn't stumble or miss at all Would the factory cluster be very hard to modify, to incorporate these guages, I do not care for the pillar pods, if I can get away with it. Or I could bend up some sheet aluminium and make my own.

[Lilpooh]

Originally Posted by kdogg85

Well if the factory guages are useless, then I guess in the middle of the sweep of the guage doesn't help any. That is where both guages go and stay. As far a fuel pressure goes, will the engine spit and sputter at wot if pressure goes down, or is it pressure drops but volume doesn't and you never really know? Right now, I looked underneath and someone from what I can tell has removed the cat, unless it's hidden behind the motor and I can't see it, and "engineered" a 4'' muffler to fit.

The truck runs fine and doesn't stumble or miss at all Would the factory cluster be very hard to modify, to incorporate these guages, I do not care for the pillar pods, if I can get away with it. Or I could bend up some sheet aluminium and make my own.

Unless the fuel pressure drops WAY low, you won't notice a performance issue until you start going thru injectors. A electric fuel gauge can run $50-$200, one injector can run $300 on up.

I believe the factory trans and coolant temp gauges don't go into the red untill around 230* and that's too late, damage has begun. The factory oil pressure gauge is just a pressure switch, as long as it's seeing 7psi, the gauge needle will be in the middle.

There are other options instead of analog pillar gauges. The best bang for the buck is a scangauge II. But if you like fancy, you could go with a EDGE CS or CTS monitor. There is no sensor input for fuel pressure, so your gonna need a separate gauge for that. I believe EDGE is coming out for a sensor and update for there product to monitor fuel psi.

Mounting will be your choice, but the aftermarket guru's have many options for gauge mounts/pods.

[kdogg85]

So get a fuel pressure guage, trans and oil temp guage. I have been looking at the cts as a matter of fact and it seems to be a great outfit, plus the all in one aspect is nice to keep the cab clean. I'll get a pressure guage first since that seems to be the main concern, with the kind of money having to be spent these days, 50-200 bucks is not even worth worrying over. And thanks for the help. Any other general concerns I should be looking after, I did change the fuel filters out and they looked pretty dingy, don't know if this is normal, but a new set never hurt.

[Lilpooh]

Originally Posted by kdogg85

So get a fuel pressure guage, trans and oil temp guage. I have been looking at the cts as a matter of fact and it seems to be a great outfit, plus the all in one aspect is nice to keep the cab clean. I'll get a pressure guage first since that seems to be the main concern, with the kind of money having to be spent these days, 50-200 bucks is not even worth worrying over. And thanks for the help. Any other general concerns I should be looking after, I did change the fuel filters out and they looked pretty dingy, don't know if this is normal, but a new set never hurt.

Don't forget about coolant temp, coolant temp and oil temp go hand in hand with the 6.0. The EDGE CS or CTS will monitor all the vitals except the fuel pressure.

The best thing you can do is read and read some more on this site. Lots of info, and if your not sure, just ask. Plenty of members willing to help out. Here is a link that has some useful info.
http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/articles/

[pjsf250]

i have a question i recently installed a 4"tb exhaust sounds ands runs great but my question is it normal when driving then comming to a stop like at a light and smoke come out tail pipe then when excelerating little bit then goes away it does smell like diesel exhaust but also a little bit like burning oil could ther be some sort of blow by with oil or am i imagining things
2006 6.0 fx4 62.000 miles all stock except exhaust

[kdogg85]

Ok, got some numbers now, the engine temp is 204, oil temp is 198, fp at wot is 49, 56 at idle.. Borrowed a sct xtreme and thats what it showed. The fp guage was rigged up if you know what I mean. Do these numbers seem ok?

If so, I was looking to ditch the egr first, should I diy it or get the sinister kit?