I'm new to this so bare with me, Please. I have a 05 f-250 that i suspect needs head gaskets, egr delete and the new ford oem replacement oil cooler. my question is this, Can i tackle the job myself or should i take it to the mechanic. I am mechaniclly inclined and i think i can do this, if it is straight to the point and nothing requires re-tuning and just bolts back together.

 

I don't recommend this for a novice wrench. If there's ANY doubt in your mind, don't do it. The Ford Modular engines (4.6, 5.4) have a problem with the heads. Where the spark plugs go in, the material is VERY thing and the spark plug holes strip out very easily. Torque specs and tighten sequence are critical on these heads as well. I also don't recommend EGR delete. They run just fine with them and you won't gain enough performance to warrant the effort. (You'll also have an engine light on constantly.) I think the oil cooler would be easy enough, however. For what it's worth, I've been turning wrenches for 30 years and I won't change spark plugs on any customer's modular engine. (And I just did an engine swap on a 5.4L)

 

I have the 6.0 engine. i would buy a manual and stick to factory torque specs if i took on the job. i just don't have the money to put it in the shop. What to do?

 

Look into the ARP stud kit for the heads as well. I would not recommend this as a good repair to try yourself but I have no idea of your mechanical knowledge.

 

The best way to do head gaskets on a 6.0 psd is to lift the body off. And I would also recommend arp head studs. It's a big job.

 

I've rebuilt a couple of small block Chevy engines, they weren't to difficult but they were not a 6.0 diesel. I once took three automatic trasmissions apart and made one good one out of the bunch. I've looked my truck over several times and I believe I can do it as long as it's strictly a job of taking it apart and putting it back together without some hidden things that have to be done. For instance, We bled the brakes on my wife's Infinity I30 and found out later that the ABS was supposed to been unplugged before being bled, now it's in the shop. I looked on the internet to be sure how to bleed them and never once read about that. There's so much BS out there on the web that makes it difficult to know the difference between the right and wrong ways to do things. Anyways, why should I pull the cab? I seen it done with the cab on. Is it because the heads have a hard time coming off the studs with the cab in the way or dose it just make the job easy? I have no way of removing the cab in my small shop.

 

There's no voodoo in taking apart the engine. Inside, they're still all the same. ....pistons, rods, crankshaft and so forth. I think you should be fine. Understand it's time consuming and complicated. Put the stud kit back in as you reassemble the engine and you'll be fine. The factory head bolts stretch under the cylinder pressure which is why the gaskets failed to begin with. The ARP studs help prevent that. If you're not sure about how things are going, take lots of pictures as you take it apart so you have a road map to put it back together.

 

Not to be discouraging, but if you haven't been in this thing before, I'd take it to the mechanic and pay the dollars.

For instance, I CAN replace the timing belt on my little car, and I HAVE done it before...but I won't...I'll drive it to the mechanic and pay HIM the dollars to save ME the frustration.

Just my two cents!

 

The reason I pull the can is because I can. Im a tech at a ford dealer and we lift the cab on the rack and leave the chassis on the ground. If you don't have a rack it's probably can't be done. You will need a engine hoist then to lift those heads off. There not light.

 

Yeah, but you need help from your daughter to change a light bulb!

I'm all for paying someone to avoid the insanity of doing the job, but if the truck's down and the funds aren't there, well then I guess it'll be worth it to have the truck back again. Just take your time and do it once.

As far as the hoist for the heads, they're not more than 150 pounds each. If you're feelin' froggy, I'd say you don't need it. Just climb up in the engine compartment and lift straight up. Don't try to lean over the truck and yank 'em off like that. That's a sure way to rearrange you man-parts.

 

thanks for the info guys! again if i had the money, trust me it would go in the shop.

 

I posted a step by step pictoral of it but its at another site.

 

definately not some for a novice to do, i agree with the boss on this one, take it to the shop, pay the dough and get a warranty in writing that covers any mechanical defects of the work done within so many miles or days... a good shop will cover its work in writing no questions asked

head gaskets are easy to replace. but the possibilities of other damages, cracks, valves, seals etc, require a trained eye to pick up, as for diesels, theres the whole gotta be perfect thing... id reccomend a shop.

sorry buddy, im sure this is last you wanted to hears... PEACE and good luck!

 

them heads cant be heavier than a 300-6 iron head.... get a haynes manual, if your going to do it yourself, take pictures, buy new head bolts, gaskets, gasket scraper, and anything else youll need, have a nice clean table ready to accept the parts in taken off order, this way you can look from left to right to see what you took off in sequence, then to replace, go backwards... simple yet easy to remember follow every line of the manual.

good luck.

 

I just spoke with my boss, and he plans to loan me the money to get it done. Thank God!
thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it