..... on a 2005 .. what's the drivers seat look like ... got sciatica yet lol

 

Funny you should mention that.

The seat was totally worn out and replaced with a brand new one!

You got the right idea.

The 6.0, properly cared for, fed, and maintained, is essentially good for 1 million miles.

 

thats the first time i have EVER heard anyone mention a million miles and 6 liter in the same sentence.
gearloose are you saying you have never had turbo, head gasket blah blah blah issues? make me feel encouraged lol

Ok so whats the dealing with reflashing it? what does it do?

also what is the purpose of flushing the coolant? and when are you supposed to do it?

my truck will probably never have more than about 10,000 behind it. It is a dd weekend tow vehicle. as of now it is BONE STOCK ...no tuner or anything.
the only thing i have the intention of doing is removing the cat and egr stuff which will probably happen about the day after the warranty runs out.

 

- Don't get panicked by the whinners that hang out on forums singing the blues.

Real commercial truckers who use the 6.0 for years routinely got over 1 million miles with not much problems --- except for the early (pre-redesign) EGR coolers.


- You didn't run tuners, mod it, and you should keep it that way if you are satisfied with performance!


- Mine is known to have had a new turbo (warranty), EGR cooler, EGR valve, and a few other things that are straight, flat, routine maintenance and wear.


- If it is not giving you trouble, why bother removing the CAT / EGR cooler?

I am running the Factory (upgraded) EGR cooler and it works fine!

- Flash is updating the software in the machine --- very useful. $100 at a dealer.


Coolant flush is very important to do properly and on schedule --- and it is expensive to do it right including using VC-9 to remove scale.

Do it.

So is fuel and oil filters, ON schedule.

Use synthetic 5w-40 oil for best performance --- it is worth it.


Enjoy your ride...

The saving grace of having so many whinners is 6.0s are often available cheap, even when there is nothing wrong with them.

Just avoid the lemons (tuner, mods, abuse), out there.


BTW, based on your description, I would gladly take your truck off your hands for 2X what I paid for mine!

Take this tip --- never use non-Ford or not Ford exact PN specified parts or used parts --- that is where the risk comes in if you don't know what you are doing.

 

The 6.0 has such a bad reputation that I bought mine new in 2005 for $38 k. I think a Dodge 1 ton would have cost me about 10 k more. No problems so far with 70 k miles.

 

The 6.0 had such a bad reputation that I was nearly offered money to take it away from the last owner.

 

ok, I was mainly gonna remove the cat/egr because i have been told that is where a lot of the problems with these trucks start and that it will improve fuel mileage and help get a lot of the heat out of the motor.

what does flashing the computer accomplish/ improve?
and it looks like im gonna have to look into flushing my coolant in the near future. thanks for the info.

 

Cat removal (if it is not plugged or damaged) have little or no impact on mileage, a very minor drop in back pressure.

If there is inspection in your state, watch out if you remove the cat.



EGR - if you remove it (and not leave it plugged in) when you do the EGR cooler delete, chances are the engine goes to a mild "limp" mode --- and your performance PLUNGE.

EGR Delete mean you will fail a visual inspection - if they inspect in your area.

Leave it.

If you MUST get itchy fingers and want to do something to burn money (e.g. you got too much around), install new oil cooler with a "bulletproof" EGR cooler but leave the system as is.


Do remove EGR valve and clean it out --- be sure to have tech vac. out all the carbon), and then a very fast, spirited, full throttle run for 30 min or so to blow out loose carbon.


If your turbo farts - when you let off gas from full throttle, a babbbp like sound, have the turbo cleaned, derusted.


This is normal maintenance, but under warranty, you might get them done free.


Flash is a software update. It means you have the latest bug fixes, and if it is 2005+, the wrench light goes on if there is signs of a bad oil / egr cooler.

Lots of fixes that improve performance.


BTW, properly done (instructions are on here from Ford) it is something like $300 or so (several hours labor, using de scaler, etc.)

Do it now, clean out system, and keep regular schedule from now on.....


And... let me know when you want to give away your ride to me when you get scared of the repair bills others tell you that you are going to (but have not) had!

I will pick up your truck for free!

 

I agree maintain your 6.0L with original Ford parts & dont worry about it

 

and yea everything that is on my truck so far or has been maintained on my truck is by ford spec.

 

you are already on the right track

 

hey thanks for the offer, but i fully intend on driving it until the doors fall off, I was really figuring someone had figured out a good engine swap for these things but i guess not.
Im the kinda guy that maintains my vehicles as needed but as far as doing performance work or upgrades on something i need to rely on and drive daily im not gonna do a thing thats not absolutely needed. I have plenty of toys and projects to throw money at lol.
I mean i know they are expensive to work on, I know that you can drop 3 to 4 grand in the motor without blinking an eye and honestly that doesnt scare me to bad as long as it will run atleast another 100,000 miles after i do that. and again thanks for the info and words of encouragement!

 

Welcome to FTE fordtrucknut77!
This is the best place to help you KEEP your 6.0 going strong.

It's important to monitor the 6.0s vital signs, the
dash mounted "gauges" are really just analog idiot gauges.

The most widely recommended first mods are:
* coolant filter (to help keep the oil cooler from getting clogged)
* GAUGES to monitor vital sensors

Most use an ODBII scan/reader to monitor vital sensors like:
(EDIT: depending upon model year you may or may not get all these)

EOT (Engine Oil Temp)
ECT (Engine Coolant Temp)
TFT (Trans Fluid Temp)
VLT (Volts) - low battery voltage is BAD for the electronics
so this is important, plus you find out when the
glow plugs are on/off, etc.

MAP (Manifold air pressure, typically 14.5 @ sea level.
Subtract 15 from the value to get turbo boost:
MAP of 20 = 5 lbs turbo boost, etc.

About 20-30 more sensors are available some aren't very interesting - except for troubleshooting.

(Fuel pressure and Exhaust gas temp are NOT available via ODBII,
so they are often recommended to be added as well.)

A bad thermostat is easily identified by the ECT never reaching
190 +/- a degree or two. The dash-board coolant gauge can't
tell you whether you are 150, 170 or 190, hence the ODBII gauge.
Lot's of posts about them, just search back a few days or a week.
(insight, edge, dashdaq, etc.)

Re: EGR cooler (what I've learned from the experts on here)

A common issue is a failed EGR cooler, typically caused by
the Oil cooler getting plugged and causing the EGR cooler to
overheat. By monitoring the ECT and EOT temp delta @ hi-way
speeds (shouldn't exceed 15* EOT hotter than ECT)
(my EOT occasionally gets 18* above ECT on warmer days
on the hi-way)

My OIL/EGR coolers are getting replaced in January to the
bulletproof brand so I (all fingers crossed) never have to worry about
this again. Unless your temps are out of line, no need to spend $$$
until you have too.

So for $159 (or cheaper sometimes) from Autozone.com the scangauge2
(or alternate) is a great addition.
You can spend more for other brands which have extra
features (and look much nicer) but I'm happy with my choice, plus it fits
in the neat cubby where the upfitter switches belong in my Excursion.

Good luck and enjoy!