Greetings all. I apologize if this subject has been beat to death in the past -- it probably has. But I can't find a recent thread with the info I'm looking for. So, here goes.

I know Bill Hewitt is not generally well regarded on this site. And maybe there's some truth to that, I dunno. But in my reading, I do agree with his statement at 11:05 of video wherein he states that a 05-07 6.0L diesel is the best value on the market for Ford diesel engine trucks. No DPF crap to deal with, a well understood engine with years of knowledge and wisdom from lots of folks who truly are very familiar with them, etc. There is no doubt that the 6.0L has its weak points. But, again, it's been around long enough that those weaknesses are well understood and fixes are readily available.

So, that got me thinking: If a guy wanted to get into a stock 05-07 6.0L, what are the line items needed to fully rectify (a.k.a. bulletproof) the engine with the intention of keeping the truck for the long term (10+ years)? Based on my research, I've come up with the list below.

I also should point out that this list assumes the truck would, in my case, generally be a weekend tow/haul vehicle and not a daily driver. I have a 4000# slide-in truck camper with ~3000# trailer in tow. I live at ~2500' elevation and regularly tow/haul to 8000-9000' elevation in the summer. I would likely want to get the engine up to the 400hp point, but no further. I take very good care of my things. Maintenance schedules are almost a religion. My truck is garaged every night, it's washed regularly, and I give the interior its due attention on a regular basis also.

Gauges! Edge CTS? (exhaust gas temp, engine oil temp, engine coolant temp, boost pressure, fuel pressure, FICM voltage)
Engine coolant filter
Engine oil cooler upgrade
EGR upgrade, or EGR delete
Blue spring mod
Plan on new batteries
Plan on new FICM
Custom tunes
ARP studs with new OEM gaskets
STC, standpipes, dummy plugs
Turbo cleaning

Does this list make sense? What am I missing?

Assume/plan on replacing HPOP?
Does a fuel additive need to be added at every tank AFTER all of these mods are performed?

BTW, I know there are a bunch of other components that would likely need addressing -- shocks, U-joints, ball joints, steering linkages, etc. I'm only interested in ENGINE related items for this thread.

 

That is a fine list but you will get a whole gamut of responses here on do this or do that.
I would ditch the EGR cooler and cats if you can.

Or if you are in the market for one, you might run across a truck that has had some or all of this done already.

 

I think your expectations of 10+yrs, are not attainable.
Not only are you at ten years now, but that engine is, and always will be, problematic. They break a lot, even after "bulletproofing."
You may be that "one in a million" lucky guy.
But I wouldn't count on it.

 

You might want to study up a bit more .

 

Don't even entertain.

 

I just woke up.....Wasn't thinking

 

I love spending money on things that aren't broken!

You want to increase the HP by 186% from the originally rated 215HP as designed by International to 400HP and keep it reliable? It's got 4 bolts per cylinder, there is nothing that can be done about that. Studs and upgraded gaskets are all efforts to minimize the one underlying issue of the engine that can't be fixed.


http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/articl...-vt-365-engine
(Yes, note the 2600rom rating of that peak. Because the B50 life of 375,000 miles came rated as a medium duty engine, not a hod rod light duty pickup)

If you want a 400HP diesel, why not buy a used 6.7 instead of trying to turn up a 6.0 so far?

 

Thank You!!

 

I've found a lot of posts on here of guys who say that achieving 400hp out of a 6.0L is relatively easy and easily attainable without risking grenading the powerplant so long as maintenance is maintained, engine vitals are monitored while driving (gauges), and it's not abused. But you guys are stating this is an ill-advised notion?

Thanks for the School Bus Fleet link. Interesting reading.

By the way, I'm not looking to start a flame war here. I'm just want to get some honest answers to my honest questions.

Regarding the suggestion that I look for a 6.7L -- that engine just doesn't interest me. It's much more complicated than the 6.0L, it has the DPF headache that I don't want to deal with. And repair bills are much, much higher than the 6.0L. Not to mention the price tag. The 6.7L is a good engine, I'm not stating otherwise. It's just not one I'm interested in.

 

You see there are a lot of 6.0 haters here. I am not one. The 6.0 is fine and you will not need 400 horse to pull that small trailer. The failures with the engine when a studding is done, are because it was done wrong. Heads not surfaced, wrong gaskets, bad torque. Do it right the first time. When you do the turbo, put in a wicked wheel or similar upgrade. If you do a good flush and change your coolant yearly, you can forget that coolant filter.

 

Being a slide-in camper guy myself that also takes the time to weigh the set up to make sure it is safe.... Do not even consider an SRW for a 4000 lb slide in. The '05 - '07 had stouter axles and higher ratings, bigger brakes, so there are other reasons to stick with those years besides the motor changes.

If you do keep the EGR and do the BPD Cooler, also cleaning the EGR valve should be on your list -- if you ditch the EGR go with the IPR Gen II delete. I'd do the switch to Cat EC-1 rated coolant too and before doing the oil cooler do a good flush of the cooling system. You want a minimum 140A alternator, but since you will be only looking at duallys, many of them were equipped with either the 140A upgrade or dual alts. There are some easy underhood wiring mods you can put in down the road as well. I'd add to your list transmission fluid change and for just a few bucks you might as well upgrade to the 6.4 trans pan and filter. Turbo oil lines may need updating depending on year (my '07 came with the good ones on it). Yes I would run a fuel additive, before and after mods. Don't do a stupid CAI, the stock air filter is a CAI and is good for 500HP.

The HPOP on these years is stout, so you can put that on the back burner.

I had a Bigfoot 10.6 on my '07 F350 4x4 Long Bed. I filled the fuel tank, the camper's LP tanks + fresh water, but no food. It is supposed to be a 3 - 3500 lb camper (but they all lie). Without any other gear, food, wife, pets, etc. I was at 6760 lbs on the rear tires at a commercial scale (the rear axle's on the SRWs are 7K capacity.). We have a horse trailer with a 750lb tongue weight and I imagine like us, you will run a hitch extension, which multiplies the weight to the rear axle. I run a SuperHitch and had a custom extension made as short as possible (for the current Bigfoot 9.5). Oh yeah we run air bags and it has the factory rear sway bar -- very stable.

That weight is why you will be only looking at duallys... Get gauges (electronic like Torque Pro on your phone and an ODBII adapter that is portable for pre-checkouts) and educated before you start your search, so you know what you are looking at and for with each one you consider.

Good luck to you!

And my 6.0 kicks butt STOCK

 

diesel_dan,

Thanks for your reply.

Question: last line, you state that your stock 6.0 kicks butt. However, as I read your signature, seems your 6.0 is hardly stock (after market EGR, coolant filter, blue spring, oil cooler, stand pipes, etc). So I'm just trying to understand what you meant? Do you mean that it kicked butt stock, before all this work?

 

None of those upgrades relate to power.
They make up for some of the multiple deficiencies in this design.

 

So I won't respond to the haters, because they should have taken the $20,000 hit I took on a stock NEW Duramax that was just a piece of crap that should never have been built. I've put about $3500 in on: don't wait until it breaks, proactive work, that is mostly labor, since I can only do so much myself, on my 6.0...

You couldn't give me a brand new GM product, I hate the company, I hate that they took bankruptcy protection while they clean sheet "invented" the Volt....

But I digress, and you asked a question: My truck kicked butt from day one. I think some folks need to have that need fulfilled of: "I can haul 20 head and pass you", so if you are in that world, get ready when I buzz around you in my car. I didn't buy my truck to race it; I have way, way faster stuff for that ya ya.

You don't need 400 hp in your 6.0, just do what needs doing, and have fun with your other stuff while the 6.0 takes you and it there and back...

Ignore the haters, I eventually stopped posting hate stuff on the Dmax sites, those guys need to get over their issues too...

A stock '07 dually will do you nicely....

 

Nice posts Scott (diesel_dan)!

Over the years I have posted similarly and there was always a certain crowd that threw stones. First it was the crowd that said it would grenade at 70k to 80k miles, then the crowd that said 120k miles, and etc.

At 185k miles - it is still going strong!!!

I certainly didn't leave it stock, so yes .... I spent about $3.5k to feel good about the SRL+ tune (proactively at 100k miles). Not sure of the exact RWhp that I got w/ the SRL+ (if I read it right, the Gearhead website advertises it to be around 400 hp), but it is pretty quick, and tows well (with the right tune). I am very pleased and expect 250k miles before I need the next big investment (injectors and/or turbo), which will be in 3-4 more years.

At 9 years old, I am ahead of where my trusty 7.3L was because I needed a new transmission in it (I kept everything stock in it and the transmission still failed!!). BTW - I still have the 7.3L and I still use it and enjoy driving it. HOWEVER, it is 20 years old and has old-age issues (wiring, plastic hoses, etc)!

Every truck/vehicle out there has its weaknesses, and many of them are just as expensive to correct as those of the 6.0L. What the 6.0L has going for it is a HUGE wealth of knowledge available ..... and that includes some excellent choices for getting the work done reliably, as well as "all-kinds-of-videos" that show you how to do just about everything yourself.

At 9+ yrs old, it is hard to put a ton of money into a truck, unless you get one well-taken-care-of or get a super deal. That being said, those trucks are out there!

truckfella - I wish you well, (as Scott said) I think you can find a 6.0L that would fit your needs and be as reliable as any other possible choice!