background info:
So last fall I decided to get into camping and ATV riding with my family. I sold my track car (2004 Honda S2000) and bought a 1/2 ton towable toy hauler and a 1/2 ton truck.

My toy hauler is a 2011 XLR 27HFS Hyperlite. 5600lbs empty and 11 ft tall, 30 ft long hitch to rear.

My first truck purchase was a 2008 Toyota Tundra double cab 4.7L V8 with 14,000 miles with the towing package (8100lb tow rating). *I purchased this truck as it was the only true 6 passenger used truck I could find. I considering a new ecoboost F150, but it was 3x the price.

After less than 500 miles with the Toyota-Toy Hauler combo I learned that manufacturers tow ratings are complete bulls*#t! The Toyota couldn't haul the empty Toy Hauler over 63mph without dropping down to 3rd gear and traveling at 3900+ RPM.

I put the Toy Hauler in storage and began searching for a replacement tow rig and daily driver. I began looking at Excursion's with the PSD. I live in Central Illinois and most all Excursions I found were rusting pretty good, had alot of miles (150K plus), electrical issues, or were obviously wrecked before. We really didnt look for a crew cab as we wanted more room for my family of 6.

The Purchase:
I found a 05 Excursion PSD with 90,000 for sale. Carfax showed alot of dealer maintenance, 3 owners all from Florida, and no accident history. When I drove 60 miles to test drive the vehicle I found it behind the dealers service bay with overheating issues and no front and rear heat.

Within a week the truck was "repaired" and I purchased the truck with a verbal guarantee that if any issues reoccur with the overheating issue or front and rear heat the dealer would address them for me within the first month or 1,000 miles. I also purchased a 3yr/36m powertrain warranty.I was told the truck has a recently new radiator, and the dealer replaces the water pump, thermostat, and EGR cooler.

The truck ran great for 400 miles!, and within 3 weeks it was back at the dealership. The truck was overheating with no front or rear heat. The exact same issues it had before I purchased it.

The truck has now sat at the dealership for 17 days and had not been touched. The dealer wants to use my warranty, says it has blown head gaskets and consumed 1.5 gallons of coolant, and is denying that they promised to warranty their work for 30 days or 1,000 miles.

I have talked to several lawyers who have said that it sounds like I have a decent case for a "deceptive business practices suit" but how long is that going to take?

The service manager has stated that he is willing to install head studs (if I provide them) rather than reinstalling the stock TTY headbolts. Which I am good with. But who is going to pay for the rest is yet to be determined.

I have called the sales manager and dealership head manager multiple times over the past week, asking what they intend to do. Neither of them will call me back.

I am currently on week 3 of driving a rental car paid for by the dealership.

This sucks, WWYD?

 

1. You screwed up with the "verbal agreement". Ain't no such thing at an automobile dealership. If they will use the warranty and not charge you the deductible.... do it.

2. You paid for the warranty, use it.

 

Yep. It's a $100 deductible for work that the dealership is saying will be over $5K

What really pisses me off is the dealership had the truck for 1500 miles according to the carfax. They told me one of the sales managers was using it. So they know they sold me a truck with blown head gaskets. I hate shady people

 

What kind of warranty is it? Is it a Ford extended warranty or something from a third party.

First thing is I would take it to a different dealer. They say they fixed it but either they didn't, or they didn't do it right. More likely the latter. They also said they replaced the EGR cooler, but not the oil cooler. If this is true, they don't know how to properly fix a 6.0L.

Find a dealer that has experienced 6.0L diesel techs that will take your warranty. It is possible that you don't have blown head gaskets. A ruptured EGR cooler will cause it to go through coolant and one you're down far enough on coolant the heat will quit working.

You may also need head gaskets, but only a qualified tech can assess this. I wouldn't trust this dealership at this point.

 

Its a 3rd party warranty. $100 ded. Purchased through a large Ford dealership.

I will need to check if they have pulled the heads off yet. They were supposed to do that Saturday.

Is there possibly any issues with the bottom end?

I think the dealership is going to offer me a deal on a new superduty so they can put a couple gallons of coolant in the X and then auction it off. At least that is what my cousin and I are betting they will try.

My only issue with that is I want a large diesel SUV

 

who knows what is wrong with the 6.0 they have, i agree they are shady and would not get any of my business or family's business again, if it were me, i would take it to a very reputable dealer with qualified diesel mechanics, depending on what they find if it is indeed headgaskets i would get arp studs, use oem headgaskets. then do yourself a favor and look at Bullet proof diesels website . I needed a new oil cooler, they have found and engineered stock "weak points" in the 6.0 to make it "bulletproofed" they don't make excursions anymore so you are looking at a 7.3 or a 6.0 one. if you want advice on the 6.7 you might wanna jump over there and see what answers you get. i would rather rebuild a 7.3 or 6.0 and make it bullet proof than get any new diesel. but thats just me

 

it is a known issue that the oil cooler is what plugs on these trucks, starves the egr cooler of coolant which may have caused an overheat condition that finally blew the headgaskets. so if they never rectified the culprit the "oil cooler", then you will be replacing egr coolers till you turn blue in the face and never ever get to the problem. all i am hoping is that while it blew the headgaskets it didn't do worse damge to the block.

here is some free education courtesy of bullet proof diesel
http://www.bulletproofdiesel.com/v/v...iterDiesel.pdf

 

Thanks for the link. That explains things better to me than some of the videos I have watched online.

Rivercitydiesel.com is located close to me and I will likely be buying whatever I can get from them and seeing if I can get the dealer to install it. (they dont sell bulletproof EGR coolers, just deletes and I'm guessing that its going to be hard to get a Ford dealer to install that while its apart)

In intend to inspect the EGR cooler and make sure its serviceable while the truck is apart. Is the oil cooler easy to inspect? Is a clogged one easy to identify? literally clogged full of grit and cooked coolant, and baked on oil?

They sell a kit that includes a new oil cooler, snap to connect fitting, HP oil pump screen, EGR delete, and gaskets for $699. I'll be buying that if the dealer will install, if not they can put it together will all new OEM.

ARP studs for $468 will def be installed

I assume OEM gaskets are fine? Our I could pay $189 for Black Onyx. But if the dealer is paying I plan on OEM.

While the truck is apart, can I easily tell if the truck has already had the Ford recommended blue fuel spring installed?

From what I have learned on the forum, I plan to install a Sinister Coolant filter as soon as I get it home.

 

OEM head gaskets are preferred...... The blue spring can be checked by testing fuel pressure.... it can be replaced easily. Lots cheaper if you do it yourself..... easy repair.

Have you checked out the READ FIRST threads up at the top of this forum.... lots of very good info in there.

 

Cool, OEM gaskets it is!

I dont really want a 6.7, because a crew cab isn't ideal for a family of 6 and we will likely be hating that. Plus I dont really want to give this dealer additional business. If I get it repaired from them this time it will never be back.

 

thanks, I'll buy a fuel pressure guage and check that when i get the truck back. And upgrade the spring myself if needed.

Honestly I have looked at quite a few links in the read first thread and some have helped and some have just confused me when I compare what I read to what the dealer is telling me. (such as we have checked the oil cooler and its fine) Can you do that with the hood down? lol

This is my first diesel and I honestly never planned on ever owning a diesel so I am very ignorant about them.
I wouldn't have told you a couple years ago I would be adopting a couple kids to add to my family of 4 and buying a big *** camper either...life is fun that way!
I enjoy learning and I work on my own vehicles for the most part, but I admit I am over my head with this one and unfortunately the truck is 60 miles away from me sitting a a Ford dealership.
When I get to the dealership I'm trying to learn what I'm looking at and make sure its fixed right. I dont mind forking out money on upgrades or preventative maintenance if it helps me have a solid vehicle for the 5K miles of towing and camping we have planned starting in April.

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Looks like your headed in the right direction. An Edge Insight is highly beneficial to the operator once you get up & running. You can monitor engine data & keep that 6.0 in check. BulletProof EGR coolers are highly recommended if you have it apart. Will help you sleep better at night.

 

Thanks for all the help.

Does this sound like a solid plan?

I pay for ARP headstuds, and bulletproof egr tube, and supply them to the ford dealer.

I request while the dealer has it apart for head gaskets, they also replace the oil cooler and make sure they use the upgraded "snap to connect fittings". And also request the hp oil pump screen is cleaned and checked. if they balk at this, I offer to pay for the parts for this.

I'll check for the blue spring upgrade and buy/install a sinister coolant filter when i get it back home. And i might know where a new in the box/ and never used livewire is located as well.

My only remaining question is... How do I ensure the shortblock is ok? Can the bearings be checked easily with a scope? Should I offer to pay for an oil pan gasket if they pull the pan and inspect the rod and main bearings?

 

Yes upgraded stand pipes & dummy plugs. The screen comes with the new oil cooler so it should be replaced as well. Your supplying ARP studs & a BulletProof EGR "cooler". Make sure the heads get decked because just gaskets will have you in the same exact boat. Oil cooler is around $230 your cost for the kit. About the bottom end wait for a pro to chime in.

 

Wow, you've had a long hard grind trying to take your family on an enjoyable campout. Sorry to hear all this.

The good news may be that you have one hell of a puller now, that will easily seat your family of 6. You just have to get her healthy.

I have more bad news for you. Your biggest problem now is going to be that warranty. They are not going to want to pay for what the truck needs. At least I would bet on that. But if you want to do this right the first time, you must not let them cut corners. You need to have the EGR/Oil cooler work done. Warranty is not likely to pay. You need to have the heads checked for cracks. Warranty won't pay. Studs, you already know they won't pay. The list of what they won't pay is longer than the list they will pay. If they pay at all. I would urge you to tell your diesel tech that you want it done right, and that you will pay for whatever the warranty denies. It will not be cheap, but you will love that 6.0 when she is tiptop.

Oh, I would not sweat worrying about the bottom end. They are tough!