First Diesel - Powerstroke 6.0

[T-Shafe]

I've been searching this site and learning a lot of information over the past few weeks as I began the search for a used SuperDuty. I want to thank everyone for compiling such great information, some of you have gone to a lot of work to pass along your knowledge and it has been a great help.
Last week my friend picked me up a 2006 Crew Cab/Short Box 4x4 Lariat -Powerstroke/Auto with 133k. I've already encountered some of the issues that have been posted about on the site, such as Power Sliding rear window stuck, rear parking sensors not working and ESOF Hub vacuum leak; and I'm working through most of those little annoyances.

My biggest concern is that I have no idea how well the previous two owners took care of the mechanical issues of the truck. I've just ordered an Edge Insight CTS and EGT probe with starter kit, and I'll order a stand alone fuel pressure gauge soon to begin keeping an eye on the trucks vitals.

I'm planning to do an oil change this weekend and I would like to know what other service items most of you would recommend if you had purchased a pickup with 133k miles. The pickup seems to run just fine, no white smoke or major engine leaks and it starts up just fine. Should I do a back-flush and switch to ELC, or wait to see if my temp differences are greater that 15 degrees? Is ELC a different color or something - I mean how do I know if the previous owner was running Ford Gold or ELC? Should I replace the fuel filters right away?

I drive an old beat up Ford Focus the 40 mile round trip to work every day and the pickup usually just sits most of the time until I need to tow, haul, or get through some snow or mud. But from what I've been reading here it might be a good idea to take it out at least once a week. I don't tow much, but will be planning on towing about an 8000 lb fifth wheel maybe a total of a couple thousand miles per year, plus the occasional car hauler or flatbed full of wood, rocks, or dirt.

Sorry for the long introduction - I'll keep researching on this site to find how to best maintain the pickup, but any recommendations you could make for a diesel/powerstroke newbie is greatly appreciated.

[colo_dually]

Welcome to the ORG.

Be advised, you can pick up a pressure sender for your Insight to monitor pressure, and that may be a cleaner and cheaper install than a stand along gauge.

Take you 6.0L out at least once a week, mines my DD for years now. Mileage ain't the best, but I like the big girl.

Check out the treades sticked in the General 6.0L and Performance 6.0L sections, and if you have questions let me know. Sounds like you did your homework on this, with that Insight you can come up with a sound plan to move forward with the truck.

[T-Shafe]

Thanks, I'll be sure to get it out once a week. I'm sure I'll enjoy driving much more than being crammed in that little car, although switching from that monster to a compact car and back again can really make the size differences feel extreme.

I did look at adding the Fuel Pressure sensor to the Edge, but it appears that I would need the 98607 EAS Pressure Sensor (about $102) and the 98605 EAS Universal Sensor Input (about $118) for a total of $220 just to monitor Fuel Pressure - although that does set me up to monitor other stuff, but it seems that most everything else that I would want to monitor is already built into the CTS.

[Hank]

Welcome to the org.!

["Stroker 8"]

Welcome to the Most informative Diesel site around, enjoy!