If the turbo looks sandblasted, I expect the cylinder walls to be sandblasted too.

Mark (Cheezit) said it best. A dusted turbo is bad juju.

 

Thanks for all the replies and things to think about guys. You've given me some frame work to think this thing through with.

At this point I think the plan of action is to retrieve the truck from the mechanic. Compensate him for the time he's got into it. And start digging into it to see what the damage really is so I can make a real plan from there. So a few questions:

To measure blow by I would hook a manometer up to the oil fill tube and measure how many inches it pushes up the water column up. Does this sound correct? Also my understanding is that some blow by will always occur what is the upper limit on these engines? And also if I were to hit that limit does that mean that the rings are shot? Or is there some other mechanism that can increase blow by?

If I pull the CAC tubes off will I just be inspecting them for pieces of the turbo, metal shavings etc? Or is that part of testing for blow by?

In regards to the CAC tubes it seems like there is a lot of oil around a few of them. And if I recall a sticky in the tech folder about oil leaks said that they are a common leak point. Is there really that much oil running through the intake system from the crank case vent?

Does the cab need to be removed to do the heads if that's the direction this goes. I know a friend of mine studded his without removing the cab. But he didn't change his head gasket, he just did one bolt at a time (probably not in any kind of service literature).

If I were to pull the engine and do a complete engine or long block, can I just remove everything in front of it and haul it out with a cherry picker?

I've been thinking about the coolant situation on my truck. When I've looked at it before bringing it in it has always looked really clean. I didn't remember a fuel smell. And I never saw any sign of oil in the degass bottle when looking through the cap. But the mechanic said he opened the radiator drain and nothing came out. Said he had to wiggle a screw driver through the crud on the bottom to get anything to come out. He then said oil came out. Followed by fuel before he got coolant. This part didn't make much sense to me, because I thought oil was less dense than water. So assuming the story is true how could that work?

Next question. Can any one recommend a good diesel machine shop in the Minneapolis, St Paul area? I'd rather go somewhere with a good reputation than to just surf the yellow pages. Unless this is an item that is usually shipped out, just assumed that they're heavy and shipping might add up.

If I can figure the picture thing out on my phone I'll throw up some pictures of the turbo later. Otherwise I'll have to wait for the misses to get back with the laptop.

Sorry for the long winded posts. Just trying to get all the info I can before making a decision. No more rash decisions for me. I spent this morning putting my 89 idi back together. Now that she's running again, maybe time won't be working against me quite so much.

Thanks for all the help!
Joe

 

Lets see if someone had the link to Anthony's build. That would give a
lot of info to you on what can be done and how to go about it.

EDIT : Found the link.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...oval-pics.html

Some more good stuff from Anthony.
Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Search Results


Yes you can pull the engine out the front.

The best tool for checking the engine would be a leak down tester.
BPD has a fix for head fuel cracks.



Sean

6.0L Tech Folder

 

I swapped my motor without lifting the cab. Pull the batteries, all the coolers, Grille and bumper, then the top rail of the core support unbolts.


Pulling the cab is easier, but if I had to do it again, I could do it this way.


If this is the route you choose, feel free to PM me. I'll answer all the questions I can.


waiting for you to answer the PM I sent you.

 

Subscribed...really hoping this goes well for you Joe!

 

I just noticed my sig. Time to update it, I guess.

 

I don't know how you get water to float on oil and diesel without violating the laws of physics.

 

I also don't know how to get water to float on diesel or oil. So I guess I was wondering if there is some type of anti freeze that has a lower specific gravity than fuel. So if there is in fact oil in my cooling system I should see it in the degass bottle correct? And also be able to smell fuel if there is any also

I'm taking it back tonight. Seems like today would be a good time to learn the picture posting process and toss some of those in here.

The wife and I put a big spread sheet together over the weekend, she's an accountant so it's the only way she can make decisions. But from the preliminary numbers it seems likely that I'll be better off selling it as is. Unless by some Christmas miracle the thing only needs an oil cooler and gaskets. That was with "paying" myself $20 an hour to do the work(cheapest mechanic ever!). Although I'm just guessing at the hours at this point. I figure if I can find standard repair times for this stuff I should probably just multiply by 2.5 and thats probably what it will take me.

Either way FTE (aka you guys) have been super helpful as always.

Joe

 

A good friend of mine had diesel in his coolant and it was obvious when looking at the degas bottle, it becomes stratified where the diesel floats on top of the coolant and required the use of channel locks to remove the degas cap and the smell of diesel once the bottle was open.

 

The biggest number to put on your spreadsheet is the cost of replacing your 6.0 truck with a similarly equipped 6.4 or 6.7 truck. 6.4's have their own issues, so that's not a guaranteed safe option either.


You can spend a lot less than 10k, and have this truck last you for many trouble-free years. The trick is to not go crazy like I did. (See my sig)


Oil cooler and EGR block off should be a Saturday project. Sunday morning you do a real good radiator/coolant flush. Procedures are in the tech folder.


A new set of Cific heads ran me 1,300 with machine work, if it turns out your heads are cracked.


Don't be too quick to write off a 6.0.

 

You need hard info. All we have now is the word of someone who thinks water floats on oil. The most misdiagnosed engine in the world is the 6.0. Partly because of ignorance, partly because of crooked mechanics, and partly because it's easier to hit it with a sledge hammer and v replace a lot of things than do the proper diagnosis....if its not your money.

Diesel in the bottle will be obvious and is usually because of a cracked head. Oil in the coolant usually makes a chocolate milkshake out of your coolant so that should be obvious and is usually caused by a failed oil cooler.

I think your most serious issue is a dusted turbo because all that ran through the cylinder. A compression check is the best bet to assess the potential damage. I think you can run that through the glow plug hole, but I don't know what good compression numbers are. Others one this forum will know.

If the compression numbers are good, I'd keep it. If not, drop a used engine in or sell.

 

A leak down test will give you far more info.
You have to get at the same place as a compression test.




Sean

6.0L Tech Folder

 

At this point I think the poor thing is going to sit in my driveway for at least the next week. The misses wants the master bath tiled so we can put carpet in the upstairs of our house and move out of our unfinished basement. But in the meantime I'll be studying up on this thing. Who knows, maybe if we decide to repair it there will be enough money flying around that I'll finally be able to sneak a tig welder past the misses and into my garage😀.

But in the meantime. I'll try to post some photos. Finally watched the video, looks easy.

Turbo through last section of plastic pipe. At the 7 O'Clock position there is a knick in the impeller that's visible in this photo. There are a few that are smaller that aren't visible with the flash. Also is this much oil normal or of the ccv?


Oily area around oil cooler.


I'll try to take some pics of the truck, degass bottle, coolant in the bottle, and whatever else I can think of these l that is fast and easy. Tomorrow before work, then try to post over lunch.

Joe

 

IMO very wise decision, Look at it this way on these trucks if you can trouble shoot and diagnose it (which I trust myself to do over an yone due to FTE) repairs physically are easy (maybe not financially). It is very hard to find trust worthy knowledgeable mechanics for 6.0s and as far as I'm concerned the advise from these guys is all you need. I myself up until a few years ago had ZERO knowledge of diesels and thanks to FTE my first one is a 6.0 and am 100% confident in my skills on this puppy only due to FTE. For you it doesn't matter what was done but what can and will be done moving forward FWIW. Sorry for the long post can't sleep--couch medicine keeping me up. Oh and at least you can blame the mrs on this one (jk)

 

The oil is somewhat normal. It's the amount that would
be what you want to question and from the photo I can't
say for sure.

On the turbo a better photo with the plastic out of the way
and a direct on photo with good lighting and not over exposed.
Hot spots in the photo make it hard to read the compressor wheel
in a photo. BTW a hotspot in a photo is too much lighting of something
that has shine to it.



Sean

6.0L Tech Folder