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Recommendations For F350

4811 Views 83 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  bismic
Hello all,

I recently received my Father's 2006 F350 4x4 four door longbed after his passing. He gifted me this truck in his will and I am looking for recommendations as to bullet proofing it (to a degree). The truck is bone stock and is the creampuff guys dream of finding. Bought new by my Dad in 2006 and has had the oil/filter changed religiously every 3000 miles since day one. He has all the receipts for the coolant flushes and PH tests (also done religiously) as well as various transmission, brake line, power steering flushes and refills. The truck has just turned 90k miles and 1996 hours on the engine.

I would like to know what I should be thinking of doing to keep this truck in the immaculate shape it is already in. I am aware of the EGR/Oil cooler coolant PH issues and am on the fence concerning an EGR delete/tuner or an upgraded cooler. Also considering changing out the what seems like tiny exhaust for a larger pipe from the turbo back. I rather doubt I will do a head stud replacement anytime soon as I have no means of lifting the cab to do so, and I am not sure I would want to pay the expense of having it done by a shop.

I was very impressed at the results of my friend who did a an EGR/Cat delete, exhaust upgrade and tuner on his 07 Ram 2500 Cummins. The power and acceleration is rediculous. That being said, I am not looking to increase boost and run the snot out of this truck. My Dad warned about not doing so, as the over torqued head studs from the factory and high boost sounds like a recipe for disaster. Just maybe let it breath a little better, increase the power a bit, most hopefully, get a few more MPG's out of it, and eliminate the EGR/Oil cooler failure.

So anyway, I would like to get the advice of the hive as to what the consensus says I should do to this truck considering my goals. And yes the boat and cabover Lance camper (barely visible under the pole barn) came with it. It is truly a blessing by Dad to me.

Thanks in advance.
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Wow! Lots of back and forth on the turbo cool down! I agree with cooling down the EGT before turning the motor off although these guys tend to be much more informed than I. It's what I do. I am just here to recommend to you to do the blue spring upgrade, this will increase your fuel pressure and help your injectors to live longer. Just google it. Also, when these motors were produced, designed, whatever, the diesel fuel then had much more sulfur in it. Sulfur is a lubricant. Now diesel fuel has like 100 or 1000 times LESS sulfur in it so the lubricity is gone, also hard on the injectors. I suggest adding a fuel additive to every tank of fuel. I use Diesel Kleen (gray bottle) and have had good performance from it. I do believe that bio diesel is also an adequate alternative.
Yes sir, I was researching that very topic yesterday and still have several pages open on the blue spring mod. Just trying to make a selection as to where I am going to get it from. They sell a complete kit on Amazon for like $23 where everywhere else is $60-70 for the kit with new stock housing. Sounds like a cheap Chinese knock off.

I will probably just go with this one as I do not see any real reason to change out the entire housing (is there something I am missing?)
If I am going to do the entire housing I will probably just spend the extra $20 and go with Sinister diesels fancy housing.

I am also a bit leary of aftermarket parts as I have found in the Honda world aftermarket can't come close to holding a candle to OEM Honda parts. They just don't hold up.

I took the Scangauge II out of my other car and am in the process of getting the x-gauge's set up in the truck. Since it only displays 4 at a time, it will definitely have EOT, ECT, and the FICM 48v.....still on the fence as to what the 4th one will be.

Near term goals, coolant flush and change to ELC and add a coolant filter once it is time to change out this fresh load of Ford gold. Dad always stayed on top of the coolant and we flushed and changed it prior to the trip down to TX. It is also time to change the auto trans fluid and filter. Just changed the oil (Rotella T6 15w-40) and filters as well as the upper and lower fuel filters (all factory Ford).

Still on the fence as to whether I am going to replace the EGR cooler or do a delete. Probably a cooler upgrade as I am not sure I like the idea of messing around with tunes to get around a CEL. Need to wait and see where the EOT and ECT delta is first and then go from there as to what next and when.
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Yes sir, I was researching that very topic yesterday and still have several pages open on the blue spring mod. Just trying to make a selection as to where I am going to get it from. They sell a complete kit on Amazon for like $23 where everywhere else is $60-70 for the kit with new stock housing. Sounds like a cheap Chinese knock off.

I will probably just go with this one as I do not see any real reason to change out the entire housing (is there something I am missing?)
If I am going to do the entire housing I will probably just spend the extra $20 and go with Sinister diesels fancy housing.

I am also a bit leary of aftermarket parts as I have found in the Honda world aftermarket can't come close to holding a candle to OEM Honda parts. They just don't hold up.

I took the Scangauge II out of my other car and am in the process of getting the x-gauge's set up in the truck. Since it only displays 4 at a time, it will definitely have EOT, ECT, and the FICM 48v.....still on the fence as to what the 4th one will be.

Near term goals, coolant flush and change to ELC and add a coolant filter once it is time to change out this fresh load of Ford gold. Dad always stayed on top of the coolant and we flushed and changed it prior to the trip down to TX. It is also time to change the auto trans fluid and filter. Just changed the oil (Rotella T6 15w-40) and filters as well as the upper and lower fuel filters (all factory Ford).

Still on the fence as to whether I am going to replace the EGR cooler or do a delete. Probably a cooler upgrade as I am not sure I like the idea of messing around with tunes to get around a CEL. Need to wait and see where the EOT and ECT delta is first and then go from there as to what next and when.
Oh lord, we don't speak about oil 😂 . In terms of the blue spring, I got the sinister one and it does look sweet. I kinda like the blue lol. And with the EGR delete, there are people out there (allegedly) that still delete tune. Just a matter of finding them.
An Alumaweld boat! Nice touch, your Father bought the best
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Aeroscout,

I bought in 2016 (127K miles) almost the exact same truck you now have. I had a 2006 F350 4x4 KR, however it was stolen from my driveway in May of 2020. Anyway, mine was bone stock also and I kept it that way. Used mostly motorcraft parts and did all the stock upgrades you find mentioned on this site such as blue spring, stand pipe & dummy plug kit, changed to ELC coolant, cleaned EGR valve regularly, STC fitting (a must), replaced IPR screen and o-rings. Lost the Turbo replaced with Garrett Power Master also Radiator (Mishimoto). Loved the truck and had no plans for a new one yet someone else did:( I also had a reader to keep an eye on the drivetrain.

Good luck and enjoy your truck.

Mike
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Aeroscout,

I bought in 2016 (127K miles) almost the exact same truck you now have. I had a 2006 F350 4x4 KR, however it was stolen from my driveway in May of 2020. Anyway, mine was bone stock also and I kept it that way. Used mostly motorcraft parts and did all the stock upgrades you find mentioned on this site such as blue spring, stand pipe & dummy plug kit, changed to ELC coolant, cleaned EGR valve regularly, STC fitting (a must), replaced IPR screen and o-rings. Lost the Turbo replaced with Garrett Power Master also Radiator (Mishimoto). Loved the truck and had no plans for a new one yet someone else did:( I also had a reader to keep an eye on the drivetrain.

Good luck and enjoy your truck.

Mike
Was the Mishimoto a good product? And sorry about it getting stolen. I couldn't imagine that.
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Was the Mishimoto a good product? And sorry about it getting stolen. I couldn't imagine that.
I had no problems with it. All aluminum was nice as well. It seems to be favorable for the direct replacement on the 6.0.

Mike
I had no problems with it. All aluminum was nice as well. It seems to be favorable for the direct replacement on the 6.0.

Mike
Did you see any large difference in temps?
Aeroscout,

I bought in 2016 (127K miles) almost the exact same truck you now have. I had a 2006 F350 4x4 KR, however it was stolen from my driveway in May of 2020. Anyway, mine was bone stock also and I kept it that way. Used mostly motorcraft parts and did all the stock upgrades you find mentioned on this site such as blue spring, stand pipe & dummy plug kit, changed to ELC coolant, cleaned EGR valve regularly, STC fitting (a must), replaced IPR screen and o-rings. Lost the Turbo replaced with Garrett Power Master also Radiator (Mishimoto). Loved the truck and had no plans for a new one yet someone else did:( I also had a reader to keep an eye on the drivetrain.

Good luck and enjoy your truck.

Mike
I may get a beat down for it but........stand pipe & dummy plug kit? STC fitting?

IPR screen and o-rings?

I see threads on them but no real explanation as to the acronym.
Ok...stand pipe & dummy plug

STC fittings

Did you see any large difference in temps?
I didn't notice any real changes except it no longer leaked:)

Mike
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I may get a beat down for it but........stand pipe & dummy plug kit? STC fitting?

IPR screen and o-rings?

I see threads on them but no real explanation as to the acronym.
The standpipe and dummy plug kit replaces/upgrades the current OEM version that can have failing o-ring seals which can cause cause high pressure issues within your 6.0 due to the failing o-rings. Get the motorcraft version.

STC=Snap To Connect which is a faulty two piece connector from your high pressure oil branch tube to the back of the high pressure oil pump (HPOP). This is known to break and will leave you stranded or at a minimum cause hard starts due to low oil pressure. You can find videos on how to replace it, a bit of work but piece of mind in the end. Below picture shows the updated 1-piece version on the left, previous was a known to fail 2-piece on the right.

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IPR-Injector Pressure Regulator controls the HPOP output pressure to the injectors. The screen on the end are known to catch debris causing poor readings. You can order a kit with o-rings and new screen for $7 on Amazon. For a little more you can get a rebuild kit with a custom socket included to remove the regulator itself for about $30.

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Mike
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Hello all,

I recently received my Father's 2006 F350 4x4 four door longbed after his passing. He gifted me this truck in his will and I am looking for recommendations as to bullet proofing it (to a degree). The truck is bone stock and is the creampuff guys dream of finding. Bought new by my Dad in 2006 and has had the oil/filter changed religiously every 3000 miles since day one. He has all the receipts for the coolant flushes and PH tests (also done religiously) as well as various transmission, brake line, power steering flushes and refills. The truck has just turned 90k miles and 1996 hours on the engine.

I would like to know what I should be thinking of doing to keep this truck in the immaculate shape it is already in. I am aware of the EGR/Oil cooler coolant PH issues and am on the fence concerning an EGR delete/tuner or an upgraded cooler. Also considering changing out the what seems like tiny exhaust for a larger pipe from the turbo back. I rather doubt I will do a head stud replacement anytime soon as I have no means of lifting the cab to do so, and I am not sure I would want to pay the expense of having it done by a shop.

I was very impressed at the results of my friend who did a an EGR/Cat delete, exhaust upgrade and tuner on his 07 Ram 2500 Cummins. The power and acceleration is rediculous. That being said, I am not looking to increase boost and run the snot out of this truck. My Dad warned about not doing so, as the over torqued head studs from the factory and high boost sounds like a recipe for disaster. Just maybe let it breath a little better, increase the power a bit, most hopefully, get a few more MPG's out of it, and eliminate the EGR/Oil cooler failure.

So anyway, I would like to get the advice of the hive as to what the consensus says I should do to this truck considering my goals. And yes the boat and cabover Lance camper (barely visible under the pole barn) came with it. It is truly a blessing by Dad to me.

Thanks in advance. View attachment 778551
https://www.dieselpowerproducts.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/Hutch-Mod_960x960.jpg but I would not put plastic strainer foot back in the tank . Use a metal tool door lock hole cutter tool instead with fitting coupler union . Leave 1/2 inch to 5/8 of inch off the bottom of the tank . Works great get better gas milage and more performance and engine runs smoother . Hers my tank strainer invention . I show pics here to you .

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Eliminate out the in tank filters . Check on youtube video shows you step by step .taking out the inside sending unit filters and modifying the system. the filter kit mounts to your frame before the fuel pump water separator filter open valve release water out till pure fuel comes out close it then start engine . 1 on engine but not use there most times water will travel up to the injectors . This saves before going to the fuel pump . Much better setup. And no worry fix with this setup.have a nice day!
There should always be a filter before the fuel pump
Also check fuel pump pressure if drops pressure then replace filter and the fuel pump.
There should always be a filter before the fuel pump
Lol

You are living in the 7.3L world.

In the 6.0L world, we have a frame-rail mounted fuel filter and pump combination. It is called an HFCM (Horizontal Fuel Conditioning Module) - unless you have the vertical one as in the E-series.

I sure wish it gave better fuel economy!
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Lol

You are living in the 7.3L world.

In the 6.0L world, we have a frame-rail mounted fuel filter and pump combination. It is called an HFCM (Horizontal Fuel Conditioning Module) - unless you have the vertical one as in the E-series.

I sure wish it gave better fuel economy!
Fuel pump and filter one assemble unit mounted under the truck near frame . And there is a modes fuelpump filter kit can do the same. Also check the ICP Sensor located in the driver side of head on the engine . Those tend to go bad after awhile. Check your fuel bowl on the engine remove the fuel bowl cap off with a I believe it's a 22mm socket or a 24mm . Turn ignition key in run position look to see if fuel is over flowing the fuel bowl . If so then fuelpump and filter is ok, as that is the high oil test . Next is the low oil pressure check . Check your engine oil if up to level . if not then perhaps have a engine oil leak somewheres . Or a relay switch not working properly.
Check next would be FICM. Hope this info helps.
Fuel pump and filter one assemble unit mounted under the truck near frame . And there is a modes fuelpump filter kit can do the same. Also check the ICP Sensor located in the driver side of head on the engine . Those tend to go bad after awhile. Check your fuel bowl on the engine remove the fuel bowl cap off with a I believe it's a 22mm socket or a 24mm . Turn ignition key in run position look to see if fuel is over flowing the fuel bowl . If so then fuelpump and filter is ok,if it not over flowing then the problem is fuelpump and filter issue. as that is the high oil test . Next is the low oil pressure check . Check your engine oil if up to level . if not then perhaps have a engine oil leak somewheres . Or a relay switch not working properly.
Check next would be FICM.
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