6.0 for 6.7 question

[ben06psd]

I have taken my 6.0 to a certain dealer for 3 years and now they are giving it to me from behind. I had rough shifting from 1st to 2nd to 3rd and little white smoke when shifts. This only happens after truck sits awhile. Took it to dealer and they said I need new fuel pump (also stating that all fluids including coolant were checked and fine). I paid $1000 to get it replaced. Next day, same problems with truck occurred. I decided to check coolant, had to use a channel lock wrench to get the resivoir cap off and noticed diesel in coolant. Took it back to dealership and in 2 hrs they called and said I need new heads. How can they tell the heads are bad without digging into the motor? Since I cant believe the dealership and thier coolant checking experts, Im gonna take it to an independant diesel mech. If I decided to go to a different ford dealership to trade the 6.0 for a 2012 6.7, can they find out about the first dealerships cracked head suggestions without any work being done on my truck?

[snafu!]

I see this is your first post, welcome to the org.

As a 6.0 owner maintenance is number 1, I suggest reading all the stickies and getting familiar with the 6.0. It is not a 460 that will run for years without meticulous maintenance.

As for the dealership saying your heads are bad, they cannot really tell without pulling them, are your head gaskets bad? Possibly. Have you seen any sign of the degas bottle spuing coolant or loss of coolant? These are direct signs of head gasket failure. It is usually caused from a clogged oil cooler then a ruptured egr cooler and followed by head gasket failure. It could also be as simple as a bad injector, that would cause the smoke. As for the shifting issue we need more info to diagnose. The 5r110 is a very stout transmission with very few problems.

Post back with more info and me and the other members will be glad to help out.

[kirbybc12]

Welcome to the org! I had the same problems with my truck and I knew it was coming by reading a lot of threads here, as soon as it was diagnosed I dumped it at an auction and bought a 6.7. Diesel in the coolant is the most obvious sign of cracked heads without ripping the motor apart. My dealership quoted me either $8k to fix everything, or $14k + labor for a new engine which was recommended, fat chance. Even if you do the labor yourself you are looking at roughly $2k in parts (new heads, studded bolts, and gaskets). This is the point where you decide if the truck is worth enough to you to fix it. The dealership will give you their price minus the repair costs.
The best way I can think of for the dealer you try dump the truck on would be to run an oasis report. Ask your dealer for one, if it's not listed, it's not documented. The dealer will have their tech go over that truck, and they will most likely notice that your coolant is black. Either way there is not much of a way to get out of losing on repair costs.

[kcoyner]

Fuel in the coolant only comes from a cracked head or bad injector cups. The latter is a very rare occurrence. A dealer can get your truck going but they are going to use OEM parts from their parts departments that have a proven record of failure. I'm not sure why anyone would travel down that path, but it's not my money.

My advice is to find yourself a good shop that is very familiar with the 6.0L quirks and has a proven track record of working on them. You can do a lot of reading hear and decide what mods are best for your situation.

Welcome aboard and good luck with your truck!!

k

[mrenn]

^ Exactly. If it were me,I would fix the 6.0.Especially if its paid off.Once the right things are done to the 6.0 the motor is phenomenal.But to each their own.

[f350powerstroke]

If u have bad heads then use oem gaskets and have the heads machined / checked for flatness, even if u get new heads. Also replace ur oil cooler with a remote one and replace the egr cooler or get deleted. Get an sct tuner and get a custom tune. Also use arp head studs.

[g2shuck]

call odessa cylinder head for heads

[ben06psd]

Thanks for the info and advice. I got a call from the local diesel shop where I took my truck after the dealer. He showed me all the injectors and orings are in great shape. He ran air pressure in the fuel port to see if bubbles would form in the coolant resivoir. Nothing showed. Im not a mechanic but it seems that this would tell if diesel is getting into coolant. Like I said, Im in no way a diesel mechanic. He did other tests and found no leak or faulty parts. He said he didnt want to go further without my permission. Basically, did I want to drop $7000 into the truck and get new heads without any signs that prove there is a crack. I think I'd rather put $7000 towards a new 6.7 that wont make me worry when Im hauling a 20ft enclosed trailer 1500 miles. I picked up the truck today and it ran great. He flushed the coolant system, filled with new bright green coolant, and replaced degassing cap. Im gonna keep an eye on the coolant for any darkening and update after the weekend.

[michaelbyoung]

I don't believe you want the green coolant in there. At least that's my understanding.


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[kirbybc12]

Originally Posted by ben06psd

Thanks for the info and advice. I got a call from the local diesel shop where I took my truck after the dealer. He showed me all the injectors and orings are in great shape. He ran air pressure in the fuel port to see if bubbles would form in the coolant resivoir. Nothing showed. Im not a mechanic but it seems that this would tell if diesel is getting into coolant. Like I said, Im in no way a diesel mechanic. He did other tests and found no leak or faulty parts. He said he didnt want to go further without my permission. Basically, did I want to drop $7000 into the truck and get new heads without any signs that prove there is a crack. I think I'd rather put $7000 towards a new 6.7 that wont make me worry when Im hauling a 20ft enclosed trailer 1500 miles. I picked up the truck today and it ran great. He flushed the coolant system, filled with new bright green coolant, and replaced degassing cap. Im gonna keep an eye on the coolant for any darkening and update after the weekend.

Depending on the size of the crack you may not notice a difference in coloring for a while, if it is a minor crack it could take quite a while. I don't see any other way fuel could have leaked in there. The bubbling test may not have shown because the crack is minuscule and could have taken months to leak enough for you to notice. I am definitely with you on taking the $7k and replacing the truck with a warranteed 6.7 like I did, don't regret my decision whatsoever!