new to the 6.0 community. however i have done my research for the past few months. i know fully and understand what is required to "bulletproof" a 6.0 and make it reliable. or something like that.... ive been looking at 6.0's for a long time but never pulled the trigger. hence why ive been reading for a very long time and still do not own one. so heres the skinny
a friend and i may trade trucks.
my truck: 2005 ford f-150. 190k miles, level kit, 35" tires, 4.6L motor
his truck: 2004 f-250 ext cab 150k miles all stock 6.0 motor
picked up a scangauge and did some studying of the engine shape. water temp stays good, FICM voltage looked great, but WHOA! i look at the ECT vs EOT and i see a variance of 28 degrees farenheight. the truck runs fine, idles great, but its obvious to me that the cooler is chalk full of bull****. im really looking forward to trading. should have the new EGR cooler, oil cooler, and coolant filter within 2 days of owning the truck. will do a fluids swap with all the parts and call it a day. however at a 28 degree variance, is it too far gone and is there a blown head gasket with cracked heads in the near future? im hoping you all can give me some advice on if i should run away or just change the cooler and have fun with the truck. thanks for any info!
I don't think 28 degs shouldn't blow the gaskets or cause any major damage. I saw 42 degs on mine with EOT at 240 for a couple of days before getting new oil cooler and EGR delete, and everything was fine.
Yeah, guessing that F-150 is a typo. Why would your friend want to trade for an F-150, especially with a 4.6? Had two F-150's with the 4.6 and they couldn't get out of their own way. Wife had an F-150 with the 5.4 and that thing would haul. Put in the new oil cooler (as long as it is a Ford OEM) and drive.
I wouldn't worry too much about 28° either. Mine was at 50° when I got it. I backflushed and got it down to around 15° degrees, but eventually put a new cooler in it anyway.
oh gosh. typo corrected!!! that was embarrassing. anyways, i figure my truck is at 190k, i JUST replaced the transmission ($2,100 cost unfortunately) so im sure at this point, the motor isnt gonna last much more than 20-30k more miles without needing some attention. i figure the 6.0 has never been touched by a retard (that i know of) and has less miles, so its a score on my end. it seems the thing has never had any parts updated. was just making sure those EOT vs ECT numbers were healthy enough to at least get the truck and replace the cooler. seems like ill pick this thing up and bulletproof it. coolant temp was at 184 the whole time. pretty similar to my f150 and other cars/trucks ive owned. i really want to put in some ARP's but definitely am not gonna pull the heads to put in studs if the existing gaskets are not damaged. im considering doing the method where you pull the TTY bolt and drop in the ARP. but it seems nobody can give a clear cut answer if its okay or not. it seems so 50/50 that i'd rather do it right if i were to do it. oh decisions decisions. anyways thanks for all the input guys. this really makes me feel better about getting into the powerstroke game.
i've built many 300-600whp cars but they were all 4 banger subaru's. a different type of gas motor for sure, but i have very limited experience with diesel. hoping this truck will help me gain experience and knowledge as well. obviously both types are internal combustion engines and work on the same principals, but there are still major differences between the two of which im mainly aware of. but really looking to learn the more fine things! so far the stickies in the main forum are helping a ton!
my last question is, a buddy who is more knowledgable on 6.0's than i am, is telling me to do the napa DIY coolant filter. he claims it filters around 75% of the coolant versus other kits who filter maybe only 15% at a given time. i see many kits use smaller hoses and smaller T fittings but i assume getting any kit with the larger inside diameter openings will do the job just as well?
Just checked a picture I took of the scangauge. Water temp was 186 at idle. Outside temp was in the mid 50's. Seems just a smidge low? Although a thermostat is the least of my worries with this truck
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