Okay so I bought a 2007 6.0, F350 dually FX4 with 80K miles on September 6th. Started reading everything I could on this site, youtube, other sites, etc. and got into work on all the filters, coolant change, tranny fluid, filters, etc. and all was good. Well on Sept 24, only 3 weeks into ownership I cracked a head, had fuel in the coolant, it's been verified. I will say this, it was not the motors fault but mine, I had a new driver deliver 20K lbs up a mountain road that she never should have been on, the result was she torched my motor. After depression and drinking too much the next few days I took it into Ford as I did have a 3rd party warranty that I'm trying to leverage.

Here is the question, I believe the warranty company will cover one new head, and some ancillary items, degas bottle, gaskets, hoses, etc. But my question is what else should I ensure gets done, whether I pay or not, knowing what happened to the motor? Is it good enough to re-condition the other head or should I buy a new one and have both heads new? Should I replace all 8 fuel injectors while she's torn apart? The oil cooler, I know the history with them and all about the aftermarket ones, but wouldn't now be the time to purchase and install a new Ford oil cooler as I have no idea if the original one is clogged?

Thanks for the feedback guys, I need to get this repair done right and stop the bleeding and get my truck back on the road and make some money, I don't mind spending a little to ensure she's running strong for the next 100K or more, thank you.

 

Good luck with the 3rd party warranty. They blow in general.Make sure Ford head gaskets are used. The jury is still out on felpro. OEM on the cooler as well,no dorman products. You have to get some way to monitor you trucks vitals. Scangauge 2 and the torque pro app get that covered economically. Good luck and the pros should chime in soon on the injectors and the heads. Hope your warranty works out.

 

Yep, going through it with them for 2 weeks now, concur 100%.

 

Hate to hear of your troubles. Hopefully the shop doing the repair has some good 6.0 knowledge. IF the other head checks out ok for cracks and warpage, I wouldn't be afraid to reuse it. It would be nice if the valves/seats were freshened up and new seals to match the other side, as well as checking the valve stems for galling in the valve guides. I agree the oil cooler is a no-brainier at this point also. A good close look at the pistons and cylinders are in order of course. If I remember right the '07's didn't get the updated standpipes and dummy plugs (with the Teflon backer ring to keep the o-rings from squirming around as the HPO system pressure changes). The headgaskets set will come with new dummy plugs so I'd get the matching standpipes to go with them. The oil filter standpipe may be another consideration. Depending on how hot the engine got it could be sagging. I believe the one piece high pressure oil pump connector came out after '07 also. If it has the failure prone STC fitting in it this would be a good time to change it out. Given what it's been through it would be a good time to do the transmission service also.

I don't mean to be a drag, but I think I'd stop there and do as jmtbiggin suggested and get a monitoring device and see if the engine is gonna survive. Overheating can reduce piston ring tension and lead to lots of blow-by and we haven't even talked about bearings in the bottom end, bed plate and crankshaft end seals, and all the other small plastic and rubber parts in the engine. If it springs some leaks later or the water pump dies you can address those issues as they come up. It may survive just fine but I'd have to get it back together and get 5-10k miles on it before I'd start relaxing. I'd shy away from spending the big bucks for turbo or a set of fuel injectors until then.

Good luck with it!

 

It's at a large volume Ford commercial dealer so it is in good hands.

I couldn't agree with you more. Putting this motor back together scares the hell out of as I don't know what other components were damaged or push to end of their life with this melt down, Also agree the only way I will find out is to drive her. Thanks for the feedback on the items mentioned Rusty, I'll be sure to inquire about them next week.

 

2 things ya don't loan out, your truck and your wife........unless you want your wife gone cause she's bad mouthing the truck...

 

One type of item that was missed in the list so far.
All rubber parts that came in contact with the coolant/diesel mixture.
Upper and lower coolant lines and the heater line along with the "Y" below
the degas bottle. You should get a lot of the upper engine rubber parts
in the gasket kit for the oil cooler. You will need some smaller O-rings
for the cooling system drains and the temp sensor.

One thing I am not sure of is the coolant pump seal. There is one large O-ring
and the rotating seal and that is the one I am not sure about if exposure to
the diesel/coolant mix will have any negative effect on or not.

There is one Dorman part that should be OK to use if you have to replace
the degas bottle. Just the bottle and not there cap. But you don't want any
of there other things.

If you would please post back on the outcome.



Sean

6.0L Tech Folder

 

Thanks for bringing that up, I was wondering if everything rubber or plastic that came in contact with fuel should be replaced, makes great sense and thanks for the reminder.

 

While apart, I'd change out to an upgraded STC fitting, stand pipes and dummy plugs too.

EGR cooler might be a good idea after heating her up, but I'll defer to the smarty-pants FTE 6.0 techs for solid advice on that one.

 

If you do have to put a cooler in I would spend the extra money and get one form BPD
(Bullet Proof Diesel). They do a better job in holding up and not flooding the system.



Sean

6.0L Tech Folder

 

While the cab is up,, both heater core hoses,, and the front cover. And the coolant pump would definitely get replaced. There's 100 in coolant and if any of these components leak,, you could be out that coolant $$$. We always suggest (strongly) to replace all hoses, rad, degas n cap,, thermostat, and coolant pump and reseal the front cover. Also a GREAT idea to run the first heat cycle after reassembly with the coolant system completely full. There is always residue left in the system. I normally use brake cleaner and compressed air to clean the engine block when the heads and block drains are out. Back to the degas bottle being completely full,,, this will put the "dirty tub ring" above the visible area of the bottle. Of course, the first run could be done with the old bottle and be ok. I've just seen SOOOO many trucks that had this repair,, or a milkshake job done,, and their coolant bottle is freakin disgusting!!!! Just some thoughts.

 

Thanks for all the great feedback, here is what the warranty company has agreed to cover:
FICM
1 Head
8 O rings for fuel injectors
upper and lower rad hoses
Supply tank hose from degas to rad
engine coolant hose
2 heater hose units (assuming this is the Y hose)
Degas bottle and cap
oil, tranny fluid, oil filter, etc.

I'm going to pay for the other head, new egr cooler and an oil cooler. They asked me did I want the bullet proof oil cooler, thought this was interesting as its a Ford dealer and didnt think they messed around with aftermarket parts like this.

I noticed these items were missing from the first list:
Coolant pump and seal
New Radiator

 

You are replacing the other head?? The failure with fuel in the coolant is very rarely found on both heads on a single truck. I understand your concern,,, however the cracked head issue has happened on trucks that I have seen without any overheating or over revving (at least no indication of it). I've done these multiple times by only replacing one head. We also have the BPD tool and had success with it too. 3 trucks of mine are out running with the BPD fix and none have failed,,, yet at least. The first one was fixed maybe a year ago.

 

The BPD cooler is better than one Ford can get you and the mechanics know this.
Also BPD got California CARB cert on the cooler so it is not good in all 50 states.
There cooler is based of the older round cooler that far less of a failure rate than the
nes square one does. If they give you the option and it not a stretch of the budget
it is well worth it if you plan on keeping the rig.



Sean

6.0L Tech Folder

 

I will get the CA BPD egr cooler and the ARP head studs, I want the BPD oil cooler but man that is pushing the budget BUT, I know its the right move, this truck is a work horse as I haul with it so it has to be running to make money...I might as well bite the bullet and get it done at this point. Thanks for all the guidance.