So I'm starting this thread because I had numerous questions that I had trouble answering and because I believe the 6.0 gets a bit of a bad wrap.

First, let me introduce you to to the Pepsi MAX Powerstroke. I picked her up for 3k cash. She's equipped only with ac as an option and has an aftermarket radio with a back camera with sound. The lift gate our back works well and the boxes all close and open with a little effort. And she's low mileage.... Said no one ever. It has 478k. That's not a typo.

The grand plan is to had a flat bed and haul a log loading trailer with it. According to Ford, this truck can have a max gcwr of 26k and has a wet wight of 8k according to a scale at the local log yard. The trailer will have wet weight of 4k and GVW of 16k. That leaves a total payload of 14k! All while staying under CDL. That's pretty handy given all of the added headaches associated with big truck.

The truck came to me pretty much stock. The only MOD was a visteon air intake. I'd say it was done to make filter changes easy.

Since enjoying the easy life as a Pepsi truck, it doesn't have a hitch so I doubt it ever puller any serious weight, it has been tested a bit. I added a 4" Flo-Pro turbo back exhaust with a muffler and an sct x4 set to performance tune. The exhaust alone doesn't as much but the exhaust with the tune is like a whole different truck.

The x4 is surprisingly easy to use and monitors a ton of stuff. Yes, it can be used as a monitor!! There is no touch screen like its livewire big brother but it seems to be a sturdier and more compact unit.

I also had an Egt probe installed at the same time. The x4 has one analog input so it can monitor that as well. It the x4 does have a draw back, it is that it doesn't have more analog inputs. Also, having had pillar mounted gauges before, I will say that it is a bit more difficult to monitor and drive. With a gauge, you can kind of use your peripheral vision to guesstimate where you running.

The exhaust is pretty mild considering it exits right in front of the rear axle. The diesel shop that sold the parts and did the work didn't realise that the truck is a cab and chassis so they modified it a bit to work. They did this at there own cost.

I will post pictures of the truck and the receipts to give people a rough idea on some of the cost as I found it difficult to narrow down all of this info.

Initial review is simple; this truck is an animal. I'd say the cost just for the mods with install were about 1500 ish. I'll have better totals later. It was by far the most return on investment I have ever had when modifying vehicles.

It doesn't slam you back in the seat like a Shelby would. But it's not far behind. It starts out very slow from a start. I'd say for the first few seconds, you'd be thinking "this seriously sucks!". Once the truck hits 1500-2000 rpms, it shoots off like rocket and continues very steady onwards. It's by far a smoother power curve then say you buddy's 5.0.

The only smoke I notice is from a dead or slow speed when the has a slight turbo lag. Probably 500 miles on everything and it's pretty sweet. I do have a reoccurring code for low fuel pressure on hard runs. I suspect that the hpop is having issues keeping up.

At first it would peak at over 4k now it's somewhere in the 3.4k range. What do you expect from truck with 478k!

With everything considered, I am extremely happy with the investment. I know the motor probably won't take it for a long time. I have plans on replacing after it quits. Total cost for a complete long block installed with studs will be 9k. So my grand total to date is about 5k. 3k for the truck, 1.5k for the mods and 500 for some needed repairs.

Again, I will post pictures and I hope that some of the info helps others who can't find it elsewhere. If you have a Diesel, and you can afford potential break downs, you shouldn't do this... You NEED to do this.

 

On my drive home, I noticed the eot was running fairly high at 217 and the ect was running around 200-205. According to what I read, the difference between the two, or the delta I guess it is called, should be now more then 15. It's an indication of a clogged oil cooler. I was thinking of upgrading the oil cooler, deleting the Egr and replacing the hpop at the same time. Does anyone have any recommendations on which aftermarket oil cooler they prefer? I do plan on replacing the motor with a studded one when this one gives up the ghost. At which point I will invest in some custom tunes so I just want to make sure the parts I use will keep up.

 

 

It's an 04 with red coolant. I did read that the system involved in splitting the oil into its two sequences often fails and allows the oil to fall back into the crank case rather then continuing to the hpop or something to that effect. Is there a way to test that?

 

 

I have searched. It doesn't show any signs other then those visible on the tuner and the engine code. P2290 is the code and it's injection pressure is too low. When I first installed the tuner, it idled around 650psi and peaked at 4k. Idle is now 570psi with peak coming it around 3.4k consistent. There are spikes higher then that but they disappear as fast as the appear. I know there are a host of other things that could cause it but, to me, is sounds suspiciously like the load the tuner is asking of hpop is too much. Again, I have searched. I do not yet have a fuel gauge to measure standard pressure so all I have is injection pressure.

 

What is Pepsi Max?

 

Pepsi Max is diet Pepsi. The truck was a Pepsi service truck.

 

 

Aaahhhh..... okay sorry I keep re-reading looking for the pepsi part.

Anyway good luck with your truck. Are you going to keep the utility bed?

 

I'd like a flatbed with stake pockets. I don't think aluminum would be strong enough but I'm leaning that way for aesthetics. Here is the recipet for the work done

 

The hpop is the culprit. I can't replace it just this second as I just bought a house but, even with a bad hpop, my dad still took first in the 1/8th mile brackets with a best time of 9.35. I thought that was a good time for an 8k truck. I will post pictures as soon as he sends them. I did also replace the intercooler with a CSF 6028. It was a pretty easy upgrade and I feel like it helped the egts to drop quicker after some hard acceleration. I don't feel like it lowered the egts though. It's a shame you can't see it. It's a pretty upgrade.

 

 

From your pictures you have the wrong oil filter cap. That can cause problems if a OEM spec filter is used with it. Get a new OEM cap AND filter and use only OEM, International or Racor filters on your truck.

 

You are most likely wrong my friend. You have the wrong oil cap on the truck which makes a difference. You haven't said if the truck was bone stock or has been bulletproofed. You are running a tuner on performance mode without ARP headstuds, which on this engine is asking for trouble with headgaskets. 2005+ HPOPs RARELY go bad, and specifically without addressing all of the other "known" problems is hard to pinpoint it to that. Has it ever had an oil cooler? If so, what brand was it, how long ago was it, did they flush the whole system out? Also did they do all of the oil system seals? Dummy Plugs, STC Fitting, IPR & O Rings, ICP Sensor, ICP Pigtail. All things you should check or if you know let us know, so we can better assist you.