I have a 2003 F250 6.0 and experienced my first problem today after about a month of ownership. I live in the desert in Washington State at about 400 ft and am currently in Montana at about 3000+ ft (not sure this is relevant, thought it may be). It has been close to 100 degrees F for the past couple of weeks everywhere I have been (another fact that may not be important). This morning I stopped to fill my truck up prior to going to Glacier National Park, checked fluid levels and noticed that my coolant level was low, so after fuel I was headed to the Ford dealership to pick up some coolant. Well when I pulled out of the gas station my truck hesitated and blew a cloud of black smoke that was large enough to cover 4 lanes of traffic. I had to drive for about 15 miles to get to the dealership, and during that drive the truck didn't hesitate but did blow a bit of smoke when the turbo spun up. Prior to today I have not noticed any smoke, I drive like an old man, and take care of my vehicles. There is no CEL and the dealership here can do nothing for me until nearly a week after I am due to return home. So my questions for you knowledgeable people are 1) is it safe to drive my truck and 2) is there a chance that this is an easy one to diagnose? Any help would be greatly appriciated. Thanks in advance!
-Steve

 

By the way sorry for the long post...i'm currently freaking out.

 

pull your EGR valve out and clean it..they clog/stick and cause that to happen.

This is what mine looked like with only 800 miles on it after being replaced..

 

Load test both batteries....independently.....sounds like you could be having a FICM failure. You should be getting DTC's...even though your CEL isn't on. Get someone to run diagnostic scan....go by Advance Auto or Autozone....they will let you use their ODBII/Can scanner for free and some codes might be revealed.

 

Thank you both for your suggestions! I spent several hours going through the forums and a few hundred Ford Service Bulletins and with all of the possible issues, and my limited knowledge of diesel engines opted to take the truck into the shop. I should get it back today and will post what the issue was as soon as a get a few minutes.

 

Well word from the shop is the turbo is shot. Aftermarket warranty will cover turbo, so all I pay is the deductible on that. Also when I bought the truck it had a Green air intake and filter on it and I am getting that switched back to the factory box at a cost of about $100 for the parts plus the cost of the filter itself. Does anyone have any recommendations on turbo care to extend the life of the turbo? This will be the third turbo this truck has gone through.

-Steve

 

You stated that you tend to drive like and old man. That seems good in theory, but the 6.0L likes to go from time to time. If you always drive like an old man, things then to gunk up for lack of a better explanation. Stick your foot into it every now and again a clean everything out. Just my suggestion. I hope everything works out well for you.

 

In the little bit of time I've owned my 6.0, I've found that to be really true. There's been a couple times where I didn't drive the truck just over a 3 days weekend, and I had to get on it a couple times for the truck to run "right". That and it's just fun.

 

Well if you insist I reckon I can "get on it" every now and again. This would make sense in opening it up...letting more air pass through and cleaning some of the gunk out I guess. Any other recommendations to ensure turbo/engine longevity? Thank you all.

-Steve

 

there is a whole long list of longevity mods you can do one that sticks out in my mind for the turbo whould be use sysntheic oil. If you pull with the truck give the turbo time to cool by idleing for maybe 5 min. before shutdown.

 

One of the best ways to help your turbo out is to do all you can to get efficient combustion (ie prevent coking).

Un-combusted deposits can be linked to delayed combustion events. Delayed combustion events can be a function of hard to ignite elements like poor quality fuel, excessive fuel, engine oil or excessive exhaust gas recirculation in the combustion chamber or a delayed injection event like calibration, wire chafe, injector mechanical issue. Un-combusted fuel is usually evident as fuel scented white exhaust smoke. Un-combusted fuel may create coking which impairs system functionality eventually leading to black exhaust smoke / poorly combusted fuel.

1. Ensure you have good fuel. Many folks use a quality fuel additive.
2. Ensure your fuel filters are changed regularly (10k) and try to prevent low fuel pressure (ie 45 psig minimum at ALL times).
2. Make sure your EGR valve is clean and functional (you have done this already I see).
3. check for wire chafe (I have links I will post later)
4. Possible injector issues - probably need to check for DTC's or get an Auto Enginuity for this.
5. Re-route your CCV vent - it can put enough oil into the intake and then through the engine, that you can cause some coking. Plenty of threads on this topic. A search will give you a bunch to read.
6. A synthetic oil is good for the turbo bearings, may not be much help for the coking, unless it helps your injectors to operate better.
7. Keep your batteries and Alternator healthy AT ALL TIMES. Low voltages can hurt your FICM and cause issues with injectors.

How is this for a start??