If was me I'd pull the head and go from there.....you just might luck out

 

Thanks, Per4mance. That is my intention. I will post pics. However, I have a feeling that it is going to be on the flatbed heading to the shop for some machine work...

 

I really don't agree with pulling the cab to remove the engine. It's kinda double redundant. Mike is gonna disagree with me,, lol. I can talk you through everything that needs removed to get the engine out. If its just heads,,, then yes,, but not on an x. Oh,, Ford offers a .010 over rebuild kit too. I think the smaller amount you cut,, the more times you can do it before the block is trash. I would also suggest you retrace your steps to try and remember if you ever had any contaminated fuel in the system. Because,,, just on the chance this isn't a single injector quality issue,, and unleaded or water was ran through the system,, I'd be thinking about replacing all the injectors. It's a very risky gamble if ANY of the other injectors have any (not surfaced yet) issues. It'd be a bad day to finish the rebuild and have one of the other injectors do this same thing.

 

Intending to replace all injectors. The vehicle was never in my possession while running, so I can't speak to the fuel issue. I do know this is the second engine. I have no intentions on a third or another rebuild. Why can't these motors just last? Something doesn't seem right when you have to drop $10k every few years. Might as well finance new and trade...sorry, it got away from me there...

This was the vehicle that suited the need and I hope it works out. My other 6.0 has been trouble free for 130,000 and I am hoping for another 130,000. I want to get this one up and going for another 130,000 as well.

I really appreciate all you guys. Quite the education...

 

Good deal on the injectors,,, That a whole chunk of $$$$ right there. I think us current owners are now paying for the learning curve that was going on in years past. Oh,, I got 582k out of mine before I tore it down. 785k now

 

You recommend a source for injectors?

 

I would not advise removing the cab. It's really not that big a deal to undo the tranny, wiring, and grill to lift the engine out. Plus, you can set it anywhere it's comfortable to work. But hey, it's personal preference!

 

It's Gonna sound like the same old song,,, it's like the head gaskets,,, if you want them to last,, change the oil n filters,,, n only put Ford injectors in.

 

Great advice again - thanks Anthony!

We learned in the early days that OEM (Racor) filters worked the best. Just like OEM head gaskets (and I agree - injectors too). Then people tried to go cheaper. Soon you started seeing posts of problems. Couldn't prove it was the non-OEM parts, but over time, it was clear that in the cases I am referring to, that it was the non-OEM part.

Occasionally, some people that thought they knew better started calling these people "Ford fanatics" for recommending the OEM parts. The first amusing thing is that the filters are not even Ford - they are Racor. Additionally, the same "Ford fanatics" were saying to go non-OEM on alternators, FICM repairs, 03 HPOPs, water pumps, head studs, starters, EGR coolers, radiators, CACs, coolant, etc. (even went against Ford's oil recommendations - and Ford finally changed those to match what we have known for years).

I can't tell you how many threads across the 12+ 6.0L forums have been posted bad mouthing Ford talking about repeat head gasket failures, FICM failures, (now oil cooler failures), etc. ............. only to later find out that they were going cheap on parts (like Black Diamond head gaskets, cheap FICM repairs, and now Dorman oil coolers). Then people started dissecting the equipment and offered solid proof of what had been reasonably concluded (folks like the forum Techs, Ed at FICMrepair.com, yourself, etc).

These forum Techs and folks like yourself (and Tim and many others) put in a lot of sweat and brainpower that provided the learnings required to make these trucks reliable (and they can be reliable). It is easy to give these folks credibility (as Stewart has stated so well) if you spend a little time researching.

With the proper knowledge, a few upgrades, and changing out a few key parts (some of which can be expensive), these trucks are great (unless they suffer from previous owner abuse or experience some low percentage failure that is common to all manufacturers). Some people want to learn all over again - and that is fine. Sometimes that does provide new understanding, but there can be quite a risk also. What I do not understand is when someone calls the 6.0L a POS, but continues to own one .......... and even continues to take risks with it. Sometimes they encourage others to take these risks. Then the "emotional" threads happen - lol. If continuing to own one is a money thing, then taking risks is hard to understand. I do agree that having a trusted mechanic/shop (or doing the work yourself) is a huge key to success and can allow you to take more risks. Not all people have that luxury.

Many here have powerful / reliable trucks with 150k, 200k, 250k + miles. Paying attention to those folks and the techs will be quite helpful - even if some of the success formula is "conservative" and comes across as being a Ford fanatical!

JMHO (and sorry for a second hijack)

 

582k Awesome! You guys and gals on here are why I didn't balk at buying a 6.0. All the work I've done I exppected to have to do when I bought it. Each step I take acomplishes two goals ...makes the engine stronger and prepares it to last longer.

 

I didn't realize it was an Ex or I wouldn't have said pull the "cab" either--LOL. But on a truck--pull the cab.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

IMHO pulling the cab is totaly dependant on the resources you have available. I have no way to do it so its not an option for me, but taking the grill and radiator and etc off isnt that big a deal either. The more often you do it the easier it gets! Lol

 

Pulling the cab with a two-post takes < 1 hour, but I, like you, have no way to do it in the driveway so I'm dependent on the "old fashioned" way too. Hand tools (no air) and cherry picker for me.

 

Believe it or not, pulling the cab on an Excursion really doesn't entail that much more work than an F-Series cab. There's only a few more additional cab to frame fasteners and the fuel filler neck to body fasteners. Those of you choosing to leave the cab bolted to frame likely will be doing a major repair like this only once, so a little bending and heavy lifting in tight spaces this one time might not be a big deal. But for us techs slinging engines on a regular basis, it gets hard on the back after a while. I can think of a few guys who used to call me a pu$$y for choosing to lift cabs, but a select few of them are now either on workman's comp or disability now. Just by virtue of that, is enough incentive for me to continue lifting cabs on trucks to do engines.