New 6.0 Powerstroke Owner! Finally.

[Operator]

Yesterday, I finally did it. I traded in my F150 for my first PSD.

Here's what I got:

2004 (not sure if it early or late yet)
F250 4x4 Crewcab shortbed
230,000 miles. All stock. No mods and totally clean body.

I don't want a drag truck by any means, but I do want great performing truck. From reading this forum, I have gotten an idea of some things that will improve performance and durability.

I'm definitely new to diesels, but I'm trying to catch on. These are some things I THINK would be good for my truck and what I use it for (daily driver, hauling, and occasionally light towing). I'm also going to list them in order of importance. If anyone has a different opinion on something or thinks I'm waaaaay off base, let me know. I'm a sponge. And if anyone has any general advice, feel free to share.

To-do list:
-EGR Delete
-Oil Cooler
-Monitor/Gauges (Edge Insight CTS seems highly recommended)
-Exhaust (I haven't done any research on this yet. Maybe 4 inch?)
-SCT Tuner with custom tunes

That's as far as I've gotten. And if anyone in the .ORG knows a good diesel shop/mechanic in or around Detroit, let me know. I'd like to get it looked over and see what I'm working with. Thanks. I'm lovin' this friggin' truck.

[cory403]

Guages first and foremost! With out that you don't know the Health of your truck!

[dieselmatt]

Oh, and pics so you can show her off to us!

[Galaxie]

Gauges first. You might not need an oil cooler. Egr, coolant and exhaust for sure!


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[Operator]

Ok. Gauges/monitor is number one priority. Makes sense. I read all about the head gasket issue.

[dieselmatt]

Originally Posted by Operator

Ok. Gauges/monitor is number one priority. Makes sense. I read all about the head gasket issue.

Don't let any of the issues scare you. With the gauges you can find the problems BEFORE they happen and the fixes are relatively easy to fix. A lot of people, including myself, fix the problems themselves and save a butt load of cash.

[Galaxie]

So you know that there really isn't a head gasket issue??? It is other things failing first?


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[Operator]

[QUOTE=Galaxie;2758771]So you know that there really isn't a head gasket issue??? It is other things failing first?


Yea Galaxie. I just kinda said the end result. I'm definitely taking this advice.

[PGreenSVT]

1 Monitor - highly recommend the Edge Insight cs or cts. Best monitor going. If you can't swing that get a ScangaugeII with an analog Pyrometer.
2. Flush the cooling system and get the gold crap out of there. Change to a Cat EC-1 rated ELC.
3. Delete the egr and rebuild the oil cooler if needed.
4. Upgrade the FPR to the blue spring. A fuel pressure gauge is a great idea too.
5. Upgrade to a 4 or 5 inch exhaust. Straight pipes on the 6.0 sound awesome.
6. Get an SCT X3 with some custom tunes. You won't be able to wipe the grin off your face whenever you drive it.

Things that are nice to do: ARP or H11 head studs with oem head gaskets. Bulletproof remote oil cooler. Powermax Turbo with a Batmowheel. Bigger injectors. 155cc if you tow heavy, 175cc if you tow under 10k, some like 190's if you don't tow but I personally think it is too much injector for a Powermax. Of course all of these things really start costing you money.

[Operator]

Great breakdown, PGreen. All of you guys are a huge help. Thanks.

Just to clarify: FPR = Fuel Pressure Regulator?