Liberator EGR delete , head gasket , ARP studs , factory oil cooler , new exhaust / manifold gaskets , all new injectors , milling the heads as needed, an SCT livewire w/3 customs / egt sensor / window mount, all installed out the door for right at $5600 without me opening the tool box ?

1st question is this a good price?

2nd will this give me a SOLID , dependable 04 6.0 that'll be a Honda's worst nightmare while being a solid reliable daily driver ?

Thanks fellas !

 

It is hard to tell. The price definitely looks fair if the mechanic really knows what he/she is doing, you are getting new quality parts, and plan on keeping the truck for a while.

When I had my 6.0 I removed the EGR cooler. In retrospect, I wouldn't do it again, I would update it with a better cooler such as Bulletproof's.

I spent a lot of money on my 6.0 and really enjoyed the truck. Earlier this year I planned on spending about another $7,000 in upgrades and add-ons. I did a comparison with continuing to upgrade my 6.0 versus trading it in on a 6.7. The math worked for me and I traded. I love the 6.7 and I have had to do absolutely nothing but drive it and routine maintenance. No need for coolant filters, EGR deletes (though some do, doesn't make sense anymore for a daily driver), oil bypass filters, etc. If you are in a position where you can afford a new or used 6.7, I would recommend that you do a comparison of the two before investing more in the 6.0.

 

All new parts , mechanic (while he is a buddy) is a Nashville diesel college grad and is a mechanic at our work shop (tractor trailers) and has his own shop , has done several of these jobs. The thing I really can't decide on is the injectors ? Should I get them all replaced while he's got everything apart at a cost of $1900 ish or risk not , and having to do them later? With the programer mainly running the econo tune for mileage driving my kids around, should Injectors be a concern ?

112k and a double dose of power service ever other tank?

 

My opinion is leave 'em alone. They aren't hard to change out yourself should something go awry later. The difficulty lies in diagnosing the various issues bad injectors will cause and then finding out which one(s) are marginal/bad. There's no garauntee a reman'd injector will last for any amount of time. They can and do go bad.

The pricing for all of that seems in line to me... That's a lot of parts AND time...

 

That's my thinking too... A little more background also that may impact ....

I've been running with the EGR unplugged for a year and a half, I started getting the idle and low speed stumble , surge issue (no codes , no CEL , none if that) I finally took it to a local shop and they diagnosed/ replaced my EBS, and plugged my EgR back in. On my way home from the shop it ran GREAT until a mile out and boom stumble / surge is not only back but worse , and a I have a strong coolant smell in cab and my Degas is boiling out the top? I pulled the EgR out for the self test and there's sludge in the intake, but no noticeable steam out the tailpipe and such?

Long story short is the stumble / surging issue a symptom of my EGR / Head gasket / etc. Issue or if I do the delete,gasket,studs, and all that stuff will my surge issue still be their , I don't think my fragile mental status about this truck could take it if I spent ($3K (without injectors) only to have the surge/stumble on my drive home) I'd prolly drive it off a cliff :-(

 

Ah yes.... The surge/stumble effect. I can see your reasoning for new injectors. I would lean towards injectors too then. The other part I would consider is ICP sensor for that stumble, cheap and some some trucks eat them routinely. That would cover about everything...

Those stumbles can be hard on marriages and I don't recommend that at all...

 

Generally would the ICP throw a code? Also with my stumble , if I ROLL COAL it goes away.... It's only at idle / slow speeds ? Like idling through WalMart parking lot it'll scare the heck out of people in the crosswalk (and make me look like a jerk) .

I'm not wealthy and can't afford to just keep throwing parts at this thing so any input would help... (ie not doing the injectors would be a great option for me if not needed)

Thanks for the input!

 

I had surges similar until I replaced my ICP sensor. Those went away and left one surge that was violent. Wife was scared to drive the truck. And it only happened within the first 60 seconds on the first crank of the day. So, the sensor helped but didn't fix the whole issue. I then took the truck and asked my fine dealership to run diags for me. They said the drivers' side bank was bad. My HPOP failed soon thereafter and I replaced it and the injectors. Truck runs like new (I'm assuming since I've only had it a year) now.

That surge could have been related to a failing HPOP, but not sure. My stumble issue was right at 50 - 55 after going into O/D and it was very slight. The tranny would kick out of O/D and when water temp came up it went away. My injectors would also chatter at very light throttle.

All of this disappeared when I replaced those 4 injectors. That's why I would lean towards new injectors for your truck, but others would say to diagnose before throwing a ton of money into new injectors.

You would have nothing to loose to get your dealer to do a diag for you. They can usually pinpoint which injectors are not performing well and the fee is right at $100. May save you some $$$ if you know which ones are bad. May only be 1 or 2.

 

So I've never been confused as being smart but did my light just go off?

Is it that hard to just diagnose an issue and fix it ? It seems like ALOT of part throwin, or let's try this stuff going on ? Is that the inherent nature of these ?

 

The job you have lined up takes care of all of the major issues. It seems that stumbles and bucking can be hard to track down, but usually is tied to fuel delivery and that could be the HPO system or injectors or FICM wiring or FICM. So yes, that can be problematic. Dealer techs have great diag tools plus a lot of experience to rely on, so it takes them far less time to troubleshoot than it would you or I. I've replaced parts that weren't necessary, but I don't have spare parts lying around that the Ford techs would use to help troubleshoot.

Maintenance is the key as I'm sure you already know and have read.

 

I hear ya NTD.... Seems like I may have the wrong truck to go with an empty wallet.

Guess the nature of the beast (diesel) to have ALOT of different questions to the same
answer so to speak. You would think that with the computerized nature of these trucks you'd be able to plug em in -get and answer-apply parts here , but that doesn't appear to be the case (frustrated)

 

Definitely a lot to think about. These trucks are not cheap to fix. I need mine to make money and I got it for a great price - that helps. I love this truck and I've never been a Ford owner. Grew up in Chevy's. I have spent hours on this site reading and studying to save money on labor. As I said, I've replaced a part or two in haste when things go wrong, but doing it myself has more than made up for the lost $ and I know that the new part will contribute in the long run anyway.

They do last longer than most gassers, Honda's included - but it usually costs a lot of money when something goes wrong. As I said earlier - the work you have lined up takes care of all major issues, but there are no guarantees.

God speed...

 

By the way, you make a point that most consumers believe. Mechanic's biggest frustration is that exact point. Customers come in and say "It won't start" and they expect the mechanic to say - "It's a bad oxygen sensor, have a nice day." These trucks are more complicated than that. I've only been on this site a year and I'm amazed at how many people post a comment like "Truck won't start" and expect a quick answer and the answer should be "Replace fuse #14" I'm not dumping on anybody, but it's the Burger King mentality American's suffer from.

This is definitely not your father's Oldsmobile.