I towed my trailer home this weekend from the desert, started runin poorly when I was almost home. I made it, but checked under the hood, coolant blowin out of the coolant tank. I kinda figured it was a head gasket.
Took it to the dealer, they confirmed it. So I asked about going to ARP head studs, and the tech said "don't waste your money" unless your gonna race it, or add a tuner. I don't have any plans to, because I don't want to screw up my extended warranty.
He said Ford had re-designed their head bolts for the 6liter and the they are
40% stronger than original and the head gasket have been re-designed as well.
So my question is, can anyone confirm this. If not , I will probably go ahead and spend the bucks for the ARP studs.

Thanks for any info, Howard

 

Get the stud..they are a proven whereas the new improved ford ones are not proven.

 

Studs are a gamble too. My 05 had studs put in by a Ford tech the first time. Now it's had 2 more sets since the new owner had it.

 

the diesel guys at the dealership i work at use arp bolts every time

 

[quote=big yeller;11466643]Ford had re-designed their head bolts for the 6liter and the they are
40% stronger than original and the head gasket have been re-designed as well.

did they tell ya when ford did that? i mean, they re-designed their head bolts and installed them in '07 super duties or they just sell them bolts individually as "improved" bolts for people to replace?

 

I installed ARP's in my 06, the tech did not deck the head and they leaked again. Sold for my current 08 V10 and never looked back. So have the tech deck the heads!!

 

Moved to the 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel forum.

 

ARP studs are worth it.
The heads need to be flat.
You need to use OEM gaskets and not the Black Onyx or Victor Reinz.
Ford never redesigned the bolts. Get part numbers from anyone that says they did redesign the bolts!

 

This is nothing but a bad install. Either the heads or block weren't checked properly for flatness or there is some other serious problem.

 

GET THE STUDS!

 

ARP's are like 9000.1% stronger. Numbers are just numbers. BUT FACT is with arp's you won't have head problems again. Don't put the ford one in.

While you're in there, do the EGR delete. Then you won't have EGR problems again. Push for them swapping the oil cooler too and then you're bullet proof.

 

My 05 6L PSD is getting repaired for a head gasket failure right now.

2 things I have learned from my ford dealer diesel tech regarding this work.
1. He always suggests ARP studs
2. Ford does not recommend machining heads on the 6L ever! If they are warped or cracked (which they will be) buy new, its what Ford recommends.

Along with the new heads and studs I am also going with an EGR delete, upgraded snap to connect fitting, new oil cooler, coolant filter kit, and sending my radiator to be cleaned and flow tested at a radiator repair shop to get the crap out of it.

I suggest you take a look at the coolant passages of the heads and block when the heads are pulled as mine were caked full of crap at 89,000 miles and all recommended Ford service completed.

Good luck, the total bill my warranty is paying is around $6500. (also including new ford locking hubs, and 7 days of rental car)

 

u might wanna check and see if the oil cooler is blown and egr cooler if it is also blown or not. coolant spewing out the degas bottle could also indicate blown oil cooler or egr cooler.

 

And the kicker... your $5 degas bottle cap probably doesn't hold pressure and could be one of the culprits.

And if it doesn't hold pressure, your coolant will boil before the set point that the fan is supposed to turn on. Pukes coolant out, the low coolant, then no cooling, then failed coolers. It's not good running any sort of cooler with no coolant in it. Your high point is the degas bottle, but the second high point is.... your oil / egr coolers...

Search it on those power stroke help videos- he explains it a bit better.

 

You and Bill have no real proof of that "low pressure always = boiling" statement.

The normal "fully warmed up engine" degas bottle pressure is only a few pounds above the 5 psig he was saying was so terrible (they will normally run at 7-9 psig). Also, the normal EGR system will begin flowing at a degas pressure of 4 psig - EVERYTIME you run your engine - regardless of what pressure the cap will hold. The boiling point difference between a 5 psg pressure and a 9 psig pressure is only 10 degrees. Thse videos are worthless. I do agree weak caps will allow coolant to leak out and be a false sign of major problems - but that is it!