Tune or not

KenR said:

Just picked up an 04 6.0 with 188k on it and need some advice. Engine is untouched other than an intake and supposedly BD ported headers.

This is a weekend truck for us and I don't need to burn the tires off. I do plan on pulling a light/medium size 5th wheel which should be about 10# max.

My question is should I just drive it or invest in a tune and bullet proofing, or just a light tune. I had a light tune on my GMC gasser and it ran much better than stock without dumping a bunch of money into parts. It was much more drivable. Same situation for the 6.0 or would I need to start with the bullet proof upgrades to keep it safe.

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The very first thing you need to do is get a monitor and learn the numbers. As far as bulletproofing goes, I now think (after the fact for me...lol) it's probably better to wait until a problem(s) materialize before spending those bucks, but if you have the money available and plan to keep the truck, it's your call. Your monitor will also help you in making this decision. As far as tuning goes, a properly tuned 6.0 is a wonder to behold and well worth the investment.

That was actually my next question. I'm a little confused on if I should just go with a monitor or a tuner/monitor. Is there a preferred monitor that has all the important readings? I'm new to diesels other than my tractor which is a whopping 20hp and top speed of 8mph so..........

I have all stock gauges right now so I want to get something just not sure which direction to go. For every thread I read about what is best there is another thread that says the "best" is crap and to use xyz instead.

I don't see working this truck very hard other than a few climbs over the mountains each year but I am fine putting along and staying reliable.

[email protected] said:

1000% agree^^^^^

SCT X4 Power Flash Programmer - 7015

Driven off the lot, a vehicle's computer is factory-calibrated for economy performance. Engineered with the average driver in mind, rather than a performance enthusiast, this generic tune leaves valuable horsepower & torque 'hidden within' your vehicle and makes for a mediocre driving...

cncfab.us

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

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So with the SCT I can first monitor then add a tune if I want to? Seems like all roads lead back to this tuner or the Edge. Does the SCT have enough features to use as a monitor vs the Edge?

KenR said:

So with the SCT I can first monitor then add a tune if I want to? Seems like all roads lead back to this tuner or the Edge. Does the SCT have enough features to use as a monitor vs the Edge?

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The SCT X4 does monitor, but it's not near as nice as the EDGE monitor.

You could definitely go with just the X4 for now and use it to monitor to see if it fits your needs.

Things you need to watch on a 6.0 are battery voltage and FICM voltage. Oil temp vs coolant temp. Those are the 4 most common.

KenR said:

So with the SCT I can first monitor then add a tune if I want to? Seems like all roads lead back to this tuner or the Edge. Does the SCT have enough features to use as a monitor vs the Edge?

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Two purchases -- an Edge for MONITORING is a good, solid instrument. The SCTx4 is a good tuner. Just because each is good at their specific job doesn't mean either will clean your carpets well...if you get my drift, using that poor analogy.

Ok, makes sense.

Another useful idea is to browse around the old 6.0 forums to check-out common problems with the engine and the cures. Things as simple as the proper coolant level and so forth. It’s a good engine imo, just needs some understanding. Throwing your wallet at the 6.0 won’t phase it!

2 cents… if you really want to dig in, download Forscan and order the obd2 adapter. It’ll read everything and allow you to perform tests that the dealer charges big money for. Total investment is less than $60. @Hydro

Picked up the Edge and played around with it last night. Freaking cold here this morning at 20 degrees but I watched numbers on my 20 minute commute. Everything seemed to be inline with what I was expecting except that it looks like I must have a 160 degree thermostat. Shouldn't that be 190ish? I definitely could see when it opened and then my coolant stayed right around 160 the whole drive.

Oil and coolant stayed within 8 degrees of each other once warmed up. Ficm stayed between 47-48 volts.

KenR said:

Picked up the Edge and played around with it last night. Freaking cold here this morning at 20 degrees but I watched numbers on my 20 minute commute. Everything seemed to be inline with what I was expecting except that it looks like I must have a 160 degree thermostat. Shouldn't that be 190ish? I definitely could see when it opened and then my coolant stayed right around 160 the whole drive.

Oil and coolant stayed within 8 degrees of each other once warmed up. Ficm stayed between 47-48 volts.

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I don’t think there is such a thing… thinking your t-stat is just stuck. Replace and take it for a drive at 65 mph, flat road and unloaded. Observe temps and delta and report back.

Any idea how much coolant I'll lose swapping thermostats? I may save it until I can do a full flush.

KenR said:

Any idea how much coolant I'll lose swapping thermostats? I may save it until I can do a full flush.

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You only need to drain enough coolant to get below the thermostat. In my experience, I think I only drained a gallon or so.

I would recommend going with the Mishimoto high temp thermostat. I had two Motorcraft units fail on me before the switch.

I bought a thermostat at Napa (made in Israel) when I did a coolant flush. The temp would hover around 200- 205 on the highway unloaded. Wasn't sure if that was high, so next coolant change I bought Motorcraft and got the same. Napa one lasted at 1/2 the cost.

When I bought my truck a year and a half ago, it ran cool. I replaced the thermostat, and it now runs 194 - 195 cruising the highway unloaded.

I had already bought a Motorcraft stock temp thermostat so I went ahead and swapped it in.

It held right around 190 once warmed up. Oil stayed within 8 of coolant so I am happy with that.

I can't figure out what thermostat was in it but the number seems to be for IH which I'm assuming is International Harvester. 1839304C91 and Wahler W651 was marked on it.

I drained two gallons and had no leakage during the swap.

International built the 7.3, 6.0, and 6.4 for Ford.

IIRC, my engine has an International ID label on the passenger side valve cover.

KenR said:

I had already bought a Motorcraft stock temp thermostat so I went ahead and swapped it in.

It held right around 190 once warmed up. Oil stayed within 8 of coolant so I am happy with that.

I can't figure out what thermostat was in it but the number seems to be for IH which I'm assuming is International Harvester. 1839304C91 and Wahler W651 was marked on it.

I drained two gallons and had no leakage during the swap.

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With your old thermostat at room temp, is it closed or partially open?

It looked closed to me. I was trying to find the specs on the old thermostat but couldn't. It held right at 160 so I thought it was working correctly but was the wrong one.