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I have an 2007 6.0 turbo diesel with approximately 120,000 miles. I have not done any work on the truck other than change the oil and fuel filters the last 9 years. Lately the check engine light came on and every now and then I can smell antifreeze in the air vents coming out. What may be causing this? I am looking to upgrade for more power and do a few things to the engine to make it bulletproof. I have heard something about and EGR bypass or something that I need to do. Not sure I fully understand it and what does it fix or what it will cost me. I have also heard something about head gaskets and head bolts. I may do the work myself if its not too complicated. Just looking for advice on what all needs to be done on this engine to make sure it stays strong for years to come. What upgrades would you guys do? What is the best engine tuner/chip for more power?
Have you had to add any coolant to it? The level should be just below the low line
if it's the old degas tank. What does the top of the tank look like or do you see
any white crust? If you do one thing to try first is a new Motorcraft coolant cap.
Some of the older caps would vent early and if your is pushing 9 years it may be tired.
Have you been flushing the coolant system every 36,000 miles? Tired coolant will
cause problems that can be a pain.
Also do you have anything to read live data? What needs to be seen right now
is EOT (Engine Oil Temp) and ECT (Engine Coolant Temp).
And have you seen any coolant leaks on the ground?
The 6.0L does not use a "chip" for tuning. The system used EEPROM that holds the
programming and is flashed to update or change it. Lets say you want to use a tune
then you just plug the device in and tell your tune writer some info that the device
will read from the PCM. The tune writer will then create a tune for your truck that can
be customized for you needs and then Email it to you. You then load the tune files into
the device and go have a chat with your truck. Really fast to tell the truth and you can
go play. The only place so far that is a headache is if your in California. It's hard to get
a device to tune unless you have an out of state address.
But lets get you fixed first then we can get into the play toys.
Sad to say because I am mechanically inclined but have never worked on a diesel but I have never changed the coolant since new!! What is the best replacement coolant to use and I will do it ASAP! I did just a few days ago add and replace the stock coolant cap with an cheap auto zone one. I have no gauges other than the stock ones that come with the truck. I have not seen any coolant leaks. Also for the past year this truck has been rough running when it first starts especially when its cold outside. It will hardly pull itself off until it warms up. It goes to shaking and vibrating like it hitting on 2 of the 8 cylinders. What could this be? Just want to get this truck back to where it needs to be and make it better.
Have you had to add any coolant to it? The level should be just below the low line
if it's the old degas tank. What does the top of the tank look like or do you see
any white crust? If you do one thing to try first is a new Motorcraft coolant cap.
Some of the older caps would vent early and if your is pushing 9 years it may be tired.
Have you been flushing the coolant system every 36,000 miles? Tired coolant will
cause problems that can be a pain.
Also do you have anything to read live data? What needs to be seen right now
is EOT (Engine Oil Temp) and ECT (Engine Coolant Temp).
And have you seen any coolant leaks on the ground?
The 6.0L does not use a "chip" for tuning. The system used EEPROM that holds the
programming and is flashed to update or change it. Lets say you want to use a tune
then you just plug the device in and tell your tune writer some info that the device
will read from the PCM. The tune writer will then create a tune for your truck that can
be customized for you needs and then Email it to you. You then load the tune files into
the device and go have a chat with your truck. Really fast to tell the truth and you can
go play. The only place so far that is a headache is if your in California. It's hard to get
a device to tune unless you have an out of state address.
But lets get you fixed first then we can get into the play toys.
Welcome Steve,
Please put your seat belt on now, bumpy ride ahead...
You also need to read the stored codes along with what Sean posted above. The live data reading device is the 1st thing you need, something that will read the codes or a trip to Advance Auto or Auto Zone to read them will do for now.
Your rough running on cold start sounds like injector stiction or a FICM problem.
You should verify battery and charging system voltage as well as getting a way to read FICM voltages.
Also for the past year this truck has been rough running when it first starts especially when its cold outside. It will hardly pull itself off until it warms up. It goes to shaking and vibrating like it hitting on 2 of the 8 cylinders. What could this be? Just want to get this truck back to where it needs to be and make it better.
As far as the rough running and low power before warming up, I recently had this problem and it was a failing injector. Put in a ford reman injector and HPO stand pipe on that side and it runs great now right out of the gate. I'd have someone with a scan tool check the contribution. Just my two cents. Good luck!
Watch all of the 6.0 videos on youtube. There are a lot of good tips. ARP head studs require 210 lbs of torque. You will need a heavy duty torque wrench and an offset head bolt tool to get to the back head bolts. It helps to remove the left motor mount and drop the engine to the frame to gain better access to the head bolts.
Your rough running on cold start sounds like injector stiction or a FICM problem.
You should verify battery and charging system voltage as well as getting a way to read FICM voltages.
+1 Yep. Cold weather, hard starting, black smoke, rough running. FICM and/or stiction. Easiest way to read FICM voltage is with an obd2 scanner. If no scanner, you can test it with a simple volt meter behind the inspection plate.
Sad to say because I am mechanically inclined but have never worked on a diesel but I have never changed the coolant since new!! What is the best replacement coolant to use and I will do it ASAP! I did just a few days ago add and replace the stock coolant cap with an cheap auto zone one. I have no gauges other than the stock ones that come with the truck. I have not seen any coolant leaks. Also for the past year this truck has been rough running when it first starts especially when its cold outside. It will hardly pull itself off until it warms up. It goes to shaking and vibrating like it hitting on 2 of the 8 cylinders. What could this be? Just want to get this truck back to where it needs to be and make it better.
If your FICM is game over, we'd obviously be honored to take care of you. If it IS shot, though, PLEASE have your batteries and alternator(s) load tested to ensure that the root of the issue is taken care of. See 2. Get a better alternator. for more information on that front.
Ok thanks for advice guys. Is the Actron scan,live data! Code reader at Advance good enough for what I need? I have went camping where I pulled the camper this weekend 2 hrs from home and want to see what the check engine light is before I get on the road back home this afternoon. Also I checked the coolant plastic container where the cap is and I do not see any antifreeze in there. I am still smelling a strong odor of hot antifreeze when I drive it. I also cannot find the ford gold antifreeze anywhere and it is Sunday. Suggestions?....
Zerex GO5 is the same thing you should be able to find that at most any parts store. Also most parts stores can scan for basic trouble codes, but not advanced or transmission codes, although it is a place to start. Auto Zone also has the ScanGauge 2 which will be able to read the important live data.
The quickest way to address the stiction for now is swapping out the oil to a 5W40 synthetic of your favorite flavor and adding a bottle of Archoil 9100. You will likely be quite pleased with the results.
Most folks will run Shell Rotella T6, others like Delo, or Valvoline Blue.........up to you, just be double dog sure it's diesel rated.
Ok, so I went to Advance Auto and got the a Bluetooth Actron code reader/scanner/live data plug in that works with my I-phone. I turned it on and read the code that had initiated my check engine light. It was code P0299 Turbocharger/Supercharger A Underboost Condition. It says it happened at 718 RPM, 29.8HG, 69.4% CALC LOAD, 5.10LB MAF. I cleared it and it has not reappeared. I also added approximately 1/2 gallon of Distilled Water to get the coolant level back up to where it should have been in the reservoir, because I could not find the FORD gold coolant on a Sunday anywhere. I read the live data all the way home on my 2 hr trip pulling my camper and the coolant temp stayed around 207-212 the whole way going up to as much as 217 a few times before it dropped back down. I noticed that the gauge had voltage but I did not see a "FICM voltage". I will work on getting the additive to help with the injectors. I plan to do a complete radiator flush this week. If you all will please continue to help as I want to get this truck back to where it needs to be, complete the EGR delete stuff, and then do a few mods to get more power and better fuel economy.....
