So I have a 2003 6.0 with 176k I’ve put 26k on it in two years since I bought it. Truck is pretty much stock just minor upgrades like blue spring, cold air intake stuff like that. Last week my 7th cylinder injector went out brought to my mechanic and they fixed it truck runs great. The day after I got it back after being parked at worked I noticed a good size puddle of oil under the passenger side. Brought it back and my mechanic said it was just excess oil from removing the injector rail and it’ll drip for a few days. After about a week of the same size puddle I brought it back and he looked around for a little and basically concluded that the cylinder head on the passenger side was the wrong head? He said at first it was missing bolts and after looking more he realized the bolt holes didn’t line up as they do on the driver side. I know there’s the 18 and 20mm heads but is it possible to interchange them like this on the 03 model? I just know the basic stuff about these trucks so I’m pretty stumped as what to do with this. No signs of blown head gasket either and didn’t think the heads would leak oil because there’s no pressurized oil in them. Planning on getting some other options from different mechanics but figured I’d start here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

There are a few changes over the years to the heads, 5 actually. Both the 20mm stock and the 20mm service head can be used on a 2003. My 2003 used two 20mm service heads. The funky issue is the rocker boxes and the injector clamps.

I had just done a video on the 20mm heads and covers some of the changes.

A pdf with some of the info, and my vid. I have some more somewhere on this computer.

 

If the tech did a professional job you wouldn't be having these problems, but the fact it's starting on cue, running "ok" is encouraging.

Not sure what bolts "not lining up" he's referring to (rockers, hold downs?)

The heads other than the dowels are interchangeable and if the "wrong" head (not really possible) you'd have bigger problems. When you "open up" 176K engines, pull the fuel rail, pull injectors the "tech" should have been in "inspect for old, hardened seals" mode. Lifting that "log style" / round fuel rail for those years 03-4 and with the mileage is all but guaranteed to cause some seals to get damaged. Half the o-rings / seals in 6.0Ls need to be replaced every 50-75K, the other (yogi berra) 95% more frequently

The "tech" should have also replaced the valve cover seals (Ford says they're reusable -- in reality, out here in the real world, they're not)

 

Thanks guys really appreciate the feed back. Not sure how much I trust my mechanic all seemed a little fishy to me. Gonna take it to another shop that does lots of work on 6.0s and hopefully get a better idea of what’s going on.

 

So with a same head, and it didn't leak, change an injector and it leaks? That's not the head, it's something else, unless he cracked your head.

 

I’d suspect the valve cover gasket or the glow plug connectors, they’re kinda made like corks with the contact in the middle.

 

correct, no change in power and truck runs and starts great like it always has (except when the injector went out)

 

was also thinking valve cover gasket. Is it even possible for a head to leak oil? Especially without blowing the head gasket?

 

When replacing a head there are some bolts that are not used.
If you use one rocker box with a different head you will find that
some of the small bolts are not used and left open. It won't hurt
anything other than mess with your mind if you don't know about it.
If I recall there is a bit more info on this in the Tech Folder.