Hi there-

I have been on the OBS 7.3 forums for a good while, and I can pretty much hold my own there. I know just enough about the 6.0 to be dangerous though. My company is working in Iraq and we provide heavy equipment to construction sites here. We do alot of maintenance as such, and we have a decent shop for Iraq standards anyway.
A company approached us and they want us to do the regular servicing on their F-350's and Excursions with 6.0 PSD motors.
I am going to run the shop that is doing that. Before I start planning on exactly how I am going to do this, I wanted to get some input from you guys about some of the things I might find as a surprise before I get surprised by them.
Is there anything that you think I should prepare for outside of the fluids and filters? We will be using only OEM parts by the way, and no mods to the factory configuration, and most if not all of these trucks will be up-armored.
Any help or input is appreciated.

 

They are the easiest vehicles in the world to change the oil on!

 

They are the easiest vehicles in the world to change the oil on! Change the oil every 5k miles and the fuel filters every 15k and they will run like champs

 

Just my .10 worth....

As I am sure you know already.. Given the enviroment there is sandy, dusty, hot and cold. I would monitor everything close and maybe adjust the service schedule accordingly (sooner than required?). Filters (air/fuel), oil, proper greasing (Up armored load on suspension), Coolant, all the way down to the tire pressure/wear.

Good luck, and thanks for what you do over there!

Regards, JD
M1A1 Crew member 2/70th Death Angel 1st A.D. (Retired)

 

I would read the tech folder that is supplied here. It has a ton of information for maintenace and some of the weak points that might occur on the 6.0L.

 

once you get to know the things to look for on these engines they are easy to troubleshoot. if they are newer '05-up very reliable.

5k on the oil changes and they love CI-4+/CJ-4 oils or equivelant.


they like good fuel and good oil. feed them less and they can be a nightmare.

 

If these trucks will be lugging a good amount of armored weight and towing heavy equipment around on a continuous basis in a poor traction environment (sand), some of the more common "surprises" you may see include CAC tubes blowing off (easy to fix), EGR cooler leaks, and blown head gaskets due to wimpy OEM head studs. Coked-up EGR valves can be a common problem, too.

 

It's just my thinking, but if lives are going to be on the line you may want to consider having ARP head studs to replace stock(weak) head bolts when you get blown head gaskets in. The configuration would remain unchanged(still need to keep heads attached) but reliability would be improved. If no mods at all will be allowed, I'd upgrade service intervals for extreme duty... Maybe FMC has something on it that you could get?

From what I've read about the Gulf Wars, seals tend to dry out rapidly in that environment.

 

Havent seen much of a problem with them over here. Dust/dirt is a issues, so air filter changes big. Fuel can be inconsistent for quality so fuel filter changes. The armor ones here do a pretty job, good luck over there . Iam going home soon after a one yr tour over here. Cant wait to drive my 350 CC DRW and buy a SCT from Matt.

 

Thanks guys,
I did check out the tech folder (good info) and I noticed that EGR valves are an issue. We will recommend a service schedule but it is up to the customer to decide. I also wondered about ESOF hubs on the newer trucks. Are they any better than they used to be? Most of these will be 06 models and all should be 4wd.
These trucks do a great job over here, but it's a hard life. The main issue for me will be reliability while on convoys. A security company will be using these so dependability will be the number one consideration. Any other suggestions?

Mustanggt5- you are absolutely right. Anyone that has not seen moon dust has no idea what real dust is. The filters can be ruined in a day. Thanks for being over here. Right now I am working with the Coalition Munitions Clearance campaign. I hope I helped to destroy enough materials so that they don't have enough to make an IED for you. Were working on it 14-18 hours a day, I know you guys are working just as hard to succeed in your mission too. Good luck to you man.

By the way you can check out my gallery and I have a few pictues of an F-550 based vehicle that has a 6.0 if you are interested. The front hub broke as it was coming in our gate.

 

What oil are you planning on using? Seems like it will be heavy service conditions.

As others have said, thanks to you all for your service and sacrifice. You have far more support and prayers than the press will ever let you know. I wish we could get accurate information here on the progress, but it is clear that things are improving day-by-day!

 

Well as far as the oil is concerned, it's looking like we can get a CH-4 rated oil, but if we go to a CI or a CJ rating we're going to have to ship it in from the states. Even the CH-4 will have to be shipped in from Dubai.
On our equipment side we will lose a few engines a year due to oil-related issues. Rings mainly, and a few seized valve guides. We are using oil from the Baghdad market and it is pretty scary sometimes. Of course any oil has it's work cut out in a big dozer pushing a full blade for a full day in 130* weather.

 

do NOT go more than 5K on CH oil. 4K would be much better as this oil will shear like crazy and foam too.

 

I agree with Killaford, but since dependability is at a premium I would reduce the OCI to 3000 miles or even less if possible when using CH-4. That oil isn't intended for engines with EGR systems and the higher soot levels they produce. My engine consistently shears even CI-4 MC 15w-40 down to a 30W by 3500 miles or so. IMO, the EGR valves are the Achilles heel on these engines. It probably causes more headaches than any other single thing. Might not hurt to stock up with plenty of spares.

On the ESOF issue, you can lock the hubs manually if the vacuum system craps out. The electronic xfer thing doesn't usually break so you should be able to go in and out of 4x4 using the switch.

 

Thanks for the info. guys. I was contemplating doing some oil analysis anyway, I guess you guys just swayed me over the hump. Depending on what the results look like we may have to import a better API rating.
Thanks for the info on the hubs too. Due to the nature of the service of these trucks, no one is going to get out of the armor to lock a hub unless it is a last resort. Alot of the teams drive with locked hubs anyway. It takes some lifespan and mileage away, but nothing in this line of work is going to last very long anyway. I have seen some trucks over here that have almost 20,000 KM on them and they look worse than my 97 with 270K miles.