I have searched through this site quite a bit, still have a question.

"My" current diagnosis for my 04 6.0

t-stat stuck open
Oil cooler is shot (progressively going for the past 8 months)
Possible/ slow head gasket (some puking from degas)

What kind of risks am i running DD with this setup (no towing)??

I will be installing a coolant filter as soon as it gets to my house and i want to run it for a while before I replace the oil cooler. This truck has had quite a few coolant problems and i believe has a lot of junk floating around in the coolant. I'm hoping the filter will help out with that.

Ambient temp 15-30 F
Ect-165 EOT 195+ (warmed up)

Ambient temp 50 F
Ect 175 Eot 200+ (warmed up)

I haven't let my Eot get over 220, but as the ambient temparature is warming the truck is going to start pushing 220 EOT regularly. What do I risk hurting/ ruining with this setup?

Thanks in advance

 

As far as i'm concerned your risking a new motor....I would get it fixed or stop driving it...

 

You risk melting down the EGR cooler, because your oil cooler is plugged, preventing coolant circulation. The oil cooler and EGR cooler are plumbed in series, so when the oil cooler plugs, the EGR cooler doesn't get any coolant. Hot exhaust gasses get to the EGR cooler without enough coolant and it fails. Now you have coolant going into your intake. Enough coolant into the intake can hydrolock the engine, bend rods and lift the heads.

Basically you can take out the entire engine.

 

Don't bother installing the coolant filter at this point. Do some checking around and find a good repair facility that knows how to work on the 6.0 PSD and get it fixed. Quit driving it or you risk some serious engine damage.

 

The main risk is damage to the EGR cooler, which is almost certain unless you have a Bulletproof cooler. That said, operating with oil temps up to ~230 F short-term will not hurt the engine itself. Even occasional spikes up to 250 F or so won't hurt anything. Your oil will have a thinner viscosity at higher temps, but modern oils are able to resist thermal breakdown pretty well to 260 F and beyond, and it will take extended time at higher temps to experience significant breakdown.

I get UOAs every oil change and I ran with a clogged oil cooler for months. My oil temps ran 225 to 235 F regularly, and occasionally even hit 250 F. The UOAs never showed any adverse effects.

 

Elvis,

This is like ignoring chest pains or numbness in your
left arm. How long would you wait to go to the DR?


Realize by having inadequate coolant flow through the EGR cooler the hot exhaust gasses are "melting" the internals of the EGR cooler and will allow the coolant to leak into the intake and cause more serious issues.

The ECT and EOT temps are an indicator of your oil coolers effectiveness - sounds like it's a know issue.
They do *NOT* indicate WHEN your EGR cooler
is "too hot".

So, even with engine temps of 150* the hot exhaust is still taking it's toll on the EGR cooler internals.

 

You are risking causing more engine damage which will cause more down time and a smaller bank account.

 

Thanks for the replies, I've read a lot on the symptoms but i did not know exactly what that actual effects where. In no way have I been ignoring this but I have been constantly monitoring and it has been progressively getting worse.

Up until this past week the coolant loss has not been significant. It's now time to get it done.

I've seen the write-up for the oil cooler replacement but nothing for the "getting to the cooler and back" yet. Any GOOD links i should check out? Most say it takes about 8 hours for the first time.

 

I have a write up I can email you if you are interested just let me know an email address.

 

All the info is in the tech folder, you just have to sift through it and find exactly what you need.

I did my head gaskets, studs, oil cooler, and egr delete in Jan for the first time and was able to get all the info I needed from the tech folder. It took a little reading and I printed out everything I thought I would need that way I had it on hand while turning wrenches.

If you have basic mechanical skills and common hand tools you can do the job. If you are intimidated by the mere thought of a project like this then I suggest you find a reputable mechanic in your area and use them.

Take your truck to a car wash and pressure wash the top half of your engine real well, get up under the intake and turbo!

Take your time and go slow. Keep your work areas and storage areas clean. Clean all the parts you take off and keep any openings to your engine covered up while parts are off to cut down on contamination.

If you are not good at remembering how things went together then take some pictures during the disassembly so you have a reference to look at later. The wiring harness was an area that gave me a hassle for a minute or two.

I would suggest flushing your cooling system prior to tearing it apart that way any contaminates or debris only clogs up your old oil cooler and not the new one.

 

You should also replace the t-stat, it's easy to do,
and might be worth replacing it now. You'll get
a better idea of what your ECT and EOT really are
BEFORE you tear it all apart to replace the oil cooler.
I would also strongly suggest you replace the EGR cooler!
You should also do a coolant flush, an '04
is 7 years old regardless of the # of miles.

Since you already have the symptoms of a bad EGR cooler it would be wise to do it now also.

My independant 6.0 mechanic toke 2 days to do the
complete removal/installation. Plus the BPD
oil cooler was more involved in the factory oil cooler
because of the external oil cooler & filter.

 

The risk of damage goes beyond the EGR cooler...and I think the 6.0 starts to defuel around 250 F...I think you were lucky...I would not run the risk...just my opinion. What oil temps do you think the oil at the turbo were seeing...or at the bottom of pistons off the cooling jets? Not wanting to be argumentative here, but I'm not convinced that operation under these conditions for the OP is safe...especially if there is another vehicle to drive.

 

Thanks for the email bismic.

I have been reading a ton of stuff on forums all weekend. I do remember seeing a kit i believe by Sinister that had all the stuff needed for the oil cooler and egr delete sold as a package deal, can't seem to find the link.

From what i can see I would like to do it myself but i dont know if its worth it. If labor is around 500 i would just pay to do it. I can't wait any longer i know that.

 

Complete 6.0 Ford Powerstroke Solution with Sinister EGR Delete Kit, Oil Cooler and ARP Headstuds

I keep finding this one but i dont want the head gaskets or the head studs. Also what is the 18mm or 20mm option?

What price should all the parts cost (egr delete, oil cooler, intake gaskets)

 

I agree, if he has another vehicle then definitely better safe than sorry. Sounded to me like he wanted to know if driving his truck for a while longer with EOTs around 220°F would hurt it. Other than the risk to the EGR cooler, I don't think there's any serious risk in running with max EOTs around 220°F short term. My EOTs get hotter than that working it hard and I have a brand new oil cooler in it.