[02StrokerPower]

5yr ford tech here. i dont do much diesel work... well until now.
im now the owner of a 03 6.0L hnoes:

i bought the truck knowing it had low hpop pressure. i hoped it was a ICP/IPR problem, but its not.

Leak tested it earlier and its the pump. i have light air pressure coming through the turbo feed line. 120psi max on cranking to boot.

So heres my question(s).
its got 258k miles. ICP harness looks factory, no oil seepage.
FICM is a reman.
Its suppose to have an EGR delete, but i have not confirmed it.

this truck will stay stock while i own it except for exhaust/intake elbow bolt on stuff. I have a mustang to go fast.

While i have the top end out changing the HPOP, what else should i "upgrade"? longevity is what im after of course.
is the updated cover worth getting if there are no chaffing problems as of yet? (that i know of anyways)

i feel like im forgetting some other parts i have read about. blue fuel spring, for example, what is that for?

Thanks guys!

 

[smoran22]

I would replace the oil cooler and the HPOP screen underneath it, the oil coolers on the 6.0s have a nasty habit of plugging up, overheating, and causing an EGR cooler failure. Even with an EGR delete, it would still be a wise idea to at least full the oil cooler and check it out. If you can, I highly recommend a Coolant Filtration System... they can be found all over on the web and some of the other forum members can help more with where to find them. It adds a measure of oil cooler and engine protection from dirt, sediment and all kinds of nasty particulates in your coolant system. If you want to go overboard, check out bulletproofdiesel.com and look at their air to oil cooler system. Its not stock, but it is extra protection from poor engine manufacturing. It is also worth noting that EGR deletes are illegal in all 50 US states, but that decision is ultimately up to you. Good luck and I hope this helps!

 

[Karls03]

First, what he said.

Second, I use to say that I have a Mustang if I want to go fast, too. Now I have a high 13 second ¾ ton and an 11 second Mustang. LMFAO!

sent from a dumb guy with a smart phone

 

[02StrokerPower]

I would replace the oil cooler and the HPOP screen underneath it, the oil coolers on the 6.0s have a nasty habit of plugging up, overheating, and causing an EGR cooler failure. Even with an EGR delete, it would still be a wise idea to at least full the oil cooler and check it out. If you can, I highly recommend a Coolant Filtration System... they can be found all over on the web and some of the other forum members can help more with where to find them. It adds a measure of oil cooler and engine protection from dirt, sediment and all kinds of nasty particulates in your coolant system. If you want to go overboard, check out bulletproofdiesel.com and look at their air to oil cooler system. Its not stock, but it is extra protection from poor engine manufacturing. It is also worth noting that EGR deletes are illegal in all 50 US states, but that decision is ultimately up to you. Good luck and I hope this helps!

my dad and uncle have 6.0's (05 and 06).
they did the egr delete and sinister cooling filter themselves. seems easy enough.

Karl, hotrodding the stang is $$$$ enough and i have done 99% of the work myself until i need a crank grinder/balancer or valve cutters.
Diesels cost more. i have plenty high $ hobbies already LOL :look:

diesels are out of my "comfort zone" right now, but enough time being in/around them and that could change... im hoping this will be the last time i have to work on mine besides maintenance.

 

[smoran22]

Im 19 years old, and I don't have any fast toys, but I am looking for the same thing out of my truck... Reliability. I just got done doing my EGR and Oil coolers. I use to work at an International dealership, where I learned a few neat little tricks. I do all my own work too! lol The local Ford dealership is worthless... i have to call and give THEM the part number for parts... yeah never mind.

The point is diesel work isn't all that much different, and it certainly isn't all that difficult especially if you have a mechanical background. If you want some late night reading, i'll post the link to the 6.0L "Bible," which explains a lot of the differences and similarities of the engines.

Bottom line: If I can do it, you can do it better!

 

[02StrokerPower]

its just time, money, tools, knowledge, and resources. i have the last 3 and find the first one.

hell im good at getting the ICP out from the top, much easier than i expected. the very first time was a learning experience lol

hopefully i can have all my parts ordered next week.
any particular place you guys buy from?
theres an international dealer about 47 miles away.
i get 20% over cost at my ford dealer.

My $ pit until now; cant afford to change anything else.
http://youtu.be/uVF4IrQWgNg
new track times when it gets cold and hopefully have slicks next time.

 

[02StrokerPower]

while im thinking about it, what do you guys think about green coolant in the 6.0's?
this truck has green. unless early build (01/03) still used green and not gold.

i had a diesel tech from work tell me he said flushing the gold and using green would be his choice if he owned one. he said the gold leaves that powder residue and can block stuff off or something to that effect.

the powder does make the 6.4 hose/rad leaks easier to locate LOL

 

[smoran22]

I run green and so far (knock on wood) I haven't had any issues, nor have I noticed anything significantly different between the two. BTW, thanks for reminding me... Its time to flush my system and change my coolant filter!

 

[bismic]

The green coolant may work for awhile, but the additives will deplete and you will start getting cavitation damage. The Gold works fine if you change it every 50k miles and don't have excessive temps or an existing head gasket leak (even slight ones can start reacting w/ the coolant additives).

The ELC coolants (look for proper ratings such as EC1) are more robust and are a better choice.

 

[xjeeper]

No green, Ford did that on 7.3 idis and got cavitation, 6.0s have much more cyl pressure. Ford gold and a coolant filter, or ELC are fine. Be careful flushing unless you are doing an oil cooler at the same time. Stock headgaskets only, stock bolts are ok if you never lose the egr/oil coolers. Get a pcm/ficm rollback, do not use the latest Ford flashes.

 

[JIM_C]

5yr ford tech here. i dont do much diesel work... well until now.
im now the owner of a 03 6.0L hnoes:
...
While i have the top end out changing the HPOP, what else should i "upgrade"? longevity is what im after of course.
is the updated cover worth getting if there are no chaffing problems as of yet? (that i know of anyways)

i feel like im forgetting some other parts i have read about. blue fuel spring, for example, what is that for?

Thanks guys!

Welcome to the 6.0 world! The blue spring maintains a higher fuel pressure to keep the injectors happy. It's easy to do and highly recommended.
Also consider upgraded turbo feed and drain tubes. Since you have an '03 (the best ones, IMO) check the build date for the correct connection to the oil cooler cover.
What about the tranny? With that many miles does it still shift ok? Check the fluid and filter(s) on the tranny? Use only Mercon SP or LV - somebody else may be making a compatible fluid by now.