They are only 14mm bolts and only 10 per head. With the 6.4L they increased them to 16mm and that pretty much solved the problem. The new 6.7L has 18 bolts per head...

 

Oh yea I forgot to add the not enough bolt thing.Eighteen bolts in the 6.7!Wow a set of ARP's must cost an arm and leg.

 

ATS diesel actually has a procedure for this published on their website.
http://www.atsdiesel.com/additionali...tud%20v2.0.pdf

 

So DSMMH, it's been almost 2 years - what is happening? Do you still have the truck, did it ever blow a gasket, do you have tunes etc?

 

John......still have the X and no problems. Best SUV I have ever owned and I had 5 Chevys prior. I have a lot invested in the X but I have it the way I want it. Now I just have to stop some idiot from hitting it.

Anyway, have almost 25,000 miles on the X since 4/09 when I installed the studs and did not change the HGs. I also installed the bullet proof EGR cooler at the same time. Still had a slight puking problem but no exhaust gas detected in the coolant as was present prior to the stud install. The puking was due to the oil cooler HX being restricted. I changed the oil cooler HX in 12/09 with no subsequent puking problems.

Got rid of the Edge Juice with Attitude tuner and got the SCT X3 with the Street, Tow/Haul and Economy tunes. Love the tunes. A huge improvement over the Edge.

I significantly upgraded the fuel system. Installed an Airdog 2 fuel pump with an internal fuel pressure regulator. That allowed me to convert to a dead end fuel system meaning I have eliminated the OEM fuel pressure regulator and the OEM engine fuel filter. Also removed the banjo bolts that attach the fuel lines to the heads and removed the check valves and drilled out the 3 holes to .200". Doing all of those mods removes fuel system restrictions, therefore, significantly improving fuel flow. Tunes are a lot more responsive and the power is awesome. The only negative to the fuel system upgrade is my fuel mileage went from 16.5 to 14.2 but I love the power. Gladly trade the mileage for the improved throttle reponse and power.

DSMMH

 

Great! I see you took a little flak for not just pulling the heads and changing gaskets while you're at it, but you're just like me...hmmmm, I wonder what would happen if... I've been working on my own stuff for 40 years now, did lots of things wrong, and learned all the time. I had a 1976 F150 many years back, and the forward clutch was welded together after a bad night of ripping around, doing reverse hooks and brake stands. The logical thing to do would be to pull it out and fix it, but I didn't have the money right then, and needed the truck, so I backed over a 100 foot hill and when it was just before the bottom, I floored it, the 460 had enough juice to bust the clutches loose from the steels, and I drove it for another month or so until I got around to fixing it.
I was thinking of doing what you did with the studs, but the truck has 160,000 hard miles on it, and was drove for 6 months with a blown egr cooler (I didn't know back then) so I will just carry on and change the gaskets out and check the heads while I'm in there. Great info, I love it when guys try different stuff like this, and then post the results.

 

Not sure if you still check this thread but I was wondering how the truck is doing after you stud replacement. All too often, guys post what they did but don't give a followup on how things turned out. I know there was some controversy over the way you did your studs. I was just wondering if everything is still OK or did you encounter any issues after the fact. I'm sure a number of us would like to know.

Thanks,

 

DSMMH,

I was just wondering, did you clean the threads in the block before installing the studs? If so, how? Also, do any of the holes go into coolant passages that you would need to seal up?

Thanks for any info!

Adam

 

DSMMH,
This thread relly gives food for thought. Head gaskets still holding up after 25K great news. Shows it can be done. I'm doing mine as soon as my shoulder heals but gotta change the head gasket because I have a leak to atmosphere at the back passenger side. Otherwise I'd do your way along with the Bulletproof remote oil cooler and EGR work, Cudo's to you for trying it and succeeding.
Cheers!

 

Please clarify "leak to atmosphere". Are you losing coolant between the head and block or just compression and how is your truck running otherwise?

 

I wouldn't clean the block threads out without removing the heads since you won't get all the crap removed that you dig out. I cleaned my threads when I did headgaskets, but I didn't get a lot out and IMO it's not necessary since the studs don't really thread any deeper than the stock bolts. Also, you aren't using that thread surface to reach the torque spec, so they don't have to be clean and smooth. As far as I know, the 6.0L bolts don't go into the coolant passages.

 

The reason for cleaning out the treads is to make sure the stud seat all the way down and should be done with a bottoming out tap. I have heard of people not cleaning out the holes and when they go tho torque down the heads they can not reach proper torque due to the fact the stud will turn down deeper if not seated all the way. I hope I explained it right. Although I to would not clean the holes without removing the heads. But I would not go to the work of getting that far and not pulling them and replacing head gaskets also IMHO.

 

Not sure about that, the stud turning deeper into the block would also tighten and help reach the torque spec. What happens is the nut turns smoothly because of the assembly lube, but the threads into the block will jump when them move and it's not a smooth pull. Even after cleaning my threads and tightening the studs in, I still felt the studs turn in the block a little bit on a few of them.

 

Well, guys, 103,000 on the clock and all is good. No puking issues and I run the SCT Street tune except in the Summer I run the SCT Tow/Haul tune. I also have an old flash in my truck. X has never been to a dealer since I got it in April of '05. Never took it in to get the updates. I still have the flash that made the TS aggressively downshift to act like a speed brake when towing. Truck still starts and runs great.

Knock on wood, I still have the original turbo and injectors in the motor. Never had an issue with either. I still run Royal Purple synthetic 20W-50 year around and change it every 10,000 to 12,000 miles. Been doing that since I've had the X. I put two cans of Seafoam and 1 bottle of Hot Shot Secrets (1/2 gallon) in the motor when I change the oil. I put a can in the fuel when I fill up and that is the only fuel addative I use.

Also, have 43,000 miles on Royal Purple synthetic ATF. TS still shifts like the day I got it. Fluid looks like I just changed it. The only TS mod is a PML aluminum pan that holds an additional 4.5 quarts of ATF. I normally pull a 6,000 lbs. go fast boat and a 10,000 lbs. utility dump trailer during the Summer. No difference in shifting at all. Still the only difference I notice between the RP ATF and the Ford SP is the cold shifts are firmer with the RP ATF.

I have put a lot of time and $$$ into my X. However, I have it riding, towing and performing the way I want it. That makes me a happy 6.0 camper and that's all that matters!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

DSMMH

 

Can't argue with results