2005 F250 CC 4x4 KR FX4- 81K miles.

The last reply I had from the other thread or forum?? was from Super Duty Daddy who mentioned he unplugged his EGR. So I was asking what unplugging his EGR does? I don't know if that helps anyone.

To all that has been helping me with this over the last week here is now what direction I'm leaning thanks to your advice.

Maintenance items,
1. Skip the cold air intake now. Thanks again for everybody's advice. I put a new Motorcraft air filter on it about 18K miles ago but the gauge is barely showing any restriction so I'll just leave it for now. When I do change it I'll just stay with Motorcraft. It seems to be the safest route.

2. I'll change the fuel filters. They too I changed when I changed the air filter. I used Motorcraft filters then and will again. I drained the water out of the separator 18K miles ago as well but never again since. I didn't get much water out of it then and I have never had a problem or check engine light. I'm sure I have been lucky and I will start doing it more often after reading some of the problems people have had on this forum. I am cautious on where I buy fuel though.

3. I'll change the oil and filters. I have always used Rotella T6 Full Synthetic oil. Hopefully nobody has had any problem with it b/c I've haven't. I've always preferred Valvoline but couldn't find enough info on the Valv. Blue as far as longevity and wear to make a decision before I needed to change it. So T6 was my pick.

4. I'm going to flush and drain the coolant, put fresh in and install the Sinister Coolant filter. Nuf said.

5. Change the front transmission filter(I don't think it has ever been changed) and top it off. I still have a couple quarts of Mercon SP left. The trans. shifts strong so I think I'll just leave it alone. I can't seem to find the part # from Ford on the front filter. I can only find aftermarket filters and that makes me a little nervous.

6. If needed I'll top off the transfer case and axles once I figure out what my axles take. I know I have 3.73LS but my manual says nothing about what to use on 3.73LS. It only mentions 10.5", Dana 80, and Dana S110 rear axles. So I'll have to figure out if one of these three are the 3.73. My diff. cover is stamped DANA 47707-1, under that 061-5. Also the front axle shows it uses a different lube (80w90) which is different than any of the rear diff. oils? I read somewhere on here that the front axle can use different gear oil than the rear. More for me to learn on why that is. I know I'll stick with Motorcraft brand unless someone knows of a better brand?

7. To finish up the maintenance portion of this broadcast I'll put two new Optima yellow top batteries in it, new shocks and brakes and that'll be about it.

History- I had a new FICM, Oil cooler, 3 injectors, and two glow plugs replaced this last summer which were covered then by warranty. They also said they cleaned the screen when changing the oil cooler. So I guess I should be good on that for a while.

Problems- Just to be picky there are only 2 problems I really don't like with the truck. 1. A little play in the steering wheel, almost 11 O'clock to almost 1 O'clock worth of play. Obviously not a big deal but it seems a little excessive. Probably a tie rod, drag link, etc.(fixable). Two is ever since I bought the truck when I start truck, after the glow plug light goes out, it takes 3-5 revolutions before it will start. Even after it's warmed up it still takes 2-3 revs before starting. I had Ford look at this twice with no fix. I've intently listened to other '05-'07 6.0L in parking lots and most of them when starting sound like they fire right off in the 1st rev. 2nd at the most. Mine will take @2-3 secs. of turning over before firing. Once it starts it runs great. It's not that big of a deal except in my head I can see the mileage racking up on my starter and it makes me think that there might be something not so pretty good going on. I've never been able to deal with not so pretty good...very well. Maybe the better Optima batteries will help. I don't know.

As far as other improvements.
A. The Scangauge II is at the top of my list right now but I haven't 100% decided yet if that's what I'm getting. I still would like something that would also calibrate tire size changes. I saw a Bully Dog monitor that looked like it would do everything I need including tire size but it seems like most on here have Bully Dog close to the bottom of the list for tuners. I don't want a tuner now just a monitor. I just know that I will have a some way to better read my engines performance before I'm done.

B. For appearance I want a level kit for the front end once I figure out what to get. I'm thinking only the 1.5-2" front level lift. I found a Pro-Comp lift that looked good with a set of shocks for a pretty good price. I want to go higher but I can't park my truck in my garage if I go much higher and I don't want to use my shop for my garage. If anyone has a preference on a level kit or advice or experience with this I'm all ears.

C. I will put a light bar for the front bumper if I find one I like. I have built the last 3 bumper guard/ light bars for my trucks so I don't know if I'm buying a bar or fabricating pipe.

D. As far as the exhaust I'm still in the air what I'm going to do if I do anything at all. As I said before I don't need loud although it won't bother me. I just want anything that might help my engines performance and more importantly...longevity.

 

That's a whole bunch of goodies going on there. unplugging the EGR will only not make your fan come on when the truck starts to over heat plug that bad boy in if your having running Issues then pull and clean her up, but leave it plugged in , shell Rottella is a good brand 5w 40 synthetic some like the Delo ,I think the weight is the main point for the Injects, when you change out your Batteries do it in Pairs and you may need to look at the cable corrosion, the scan Gauge has been my friend I look at Alt, Batts, FICM main, FICM vp, FICM lp, also eot,ect and a bunch of other readings. do you add a fuel additive ? like diesel kleen, Howes ,Stanadyne. The guys here in the 6.0 are great and the Advise is very knowledgeable, Good luck and welcome to the Land of 6.0

 

Sounds like you're on top of it. Here's a bit more info. Ford fluids will work fine. I use the Rotella T-6 myself. Seems to work well.

I change my fuel filters every other oil change. So 10k mi.

Trans filter: NTZ brand that makes the Motorcraft [NTZ09-C09B] - Ford Torqshift transmission external Transmission Filter (replaces FT145).

Trans fluid:I've used Motorcraft SP only myself (always thought it was better but not sure now, it is more expensive ) but the LV is comparable and approved by Ford. I understand the Valvoline Maxlife is suitable also (SP rated).

Front diff:synthetic 80W-90 in the front axle.

Rear diff: Limited Slip...75-140 synthetic with Friction Modifier. If it doesn't have friction modifier add 4oz as a supplement. Some have posted the diff can chatter a little with the pre-mix and adding another 1.5-2 oz cleared it up.

Transfer case: you should replace as needed (30-60k if you use 4wd a lot) or at 100,000 miles. Mercon/DextronII or synthetic.

Power Steering: Mercon/Dextron III, Magnafine makes a good little inline filter also.

 

Thanks 04badford and Rusty Axlerod. That certainly gives me a lot info part numbers and info I was looking for.

04badford- Other than the two minor problems I mentioned the truck runs flawless. I mean there isn't really any else I can be picky about. I thought I was having transmission issues that turned out being the cooling fan being really loud. It was back when it was 100 degrees out and as it turned out it is working properly. I do use Diesel Kleen (silver bottle). I read to use the white bottle when it gets cold but I've only used the silver bottle and have never had problems. I add it to every other tank full. Also when I change the batteries it will be both. I had a new Motorcraft battery put in it last year at Ford but I can always find a use for a good battery.

Rusty Axlerod- On your scangauge, will it recalibrate for changing tire size? That was one thing I was interested in possibly but I didn't see it on their specs. Also thanks for all the detailed information on the differentials and lubes. That helps a whole bunch.

 

Scan Gauge only reads sensers maybe MPH, no recalibration. you enter the PIDs from Ford X gauges

 

your rear axle is a 10.5, i believe the axle fluid is lifetime fluid as long as not submerged or any contamination. but i wouldnt go that long personally.

i personally like the edge insight cts monitor, its is pricey though. it can displlay a corrected speedometer based on input tire size but wont calibrate the truck. my sct tuner does that for me. it can also bee added on for other gauges, read dtc trouble codes. scangauge II is a very common tool and has lots of available diagnosis ability.

i cant see a good 4" exhaust being a bad choice if you got the money and it does help the engine breathe, especially if you remove the catylitic converter. it gets louder if you do and straight piped sounds outright mean
i got afe for half the price of mbrp and it sounds awesome.

i personally hate the thought of putting exhaust back into my engine so i outright deleted the egr system. it reaks havoc on things like intake air temp sensors, egr valve o-rings and valve, and coats the entire intake in soot my sct deletes the egr valve from functioning while keeping the fan working and removes the cel.

 

Short answer is no, it doesn't. As purchased, it is a "passive" device, that is to say it can only monitor your truck's thoughts and show you the ones you ask to see.

I did a bunch a searching on the SGII a couple of months ago and found a thread in a Prius forum (what? Don't laugh...those guys are pretty smart ) where they were sending commands to their vehicle using a SGII. Apparently it's possible but figuring out the codes is the trick. Also a "translator" chip has to be added iirc. They were changing engine parameters and turning seatbelt buzzers off and stuff like that. Pretty cool, I don't think any of us here has the background or patience to make it work on our trucks, and for whatever reason (I would guess legal) the manufacturer doesn't promote using it like that.

I believe the dealer can adjust for tire size with their (IDS) system. Prices vary for a "diagnostic scan" but I think $80 to $120 is common. I didn't know if a full flash would be required to change tire size calibration but if so you could loose any aftermarket FICM or other tuning you might have.

 

That's true Rusty. I guess once I change tire size a one time fee to change it wouldn't break the bank. Well maybe my bank but not yours. I'm 80% sure want the SCII but I came across a site with a reasonable price on the Edge CTS monitor. I liked the display and it looked like it would read/clear codes, and monitor just as much as the ScangaugeII plus adjust for tire size. I know I don't want to waste my money on a new shiny object.

 

kornfanjoe- thanks for the advice on the Edge. Someone else in here suggested to the Edge insight but I must have not entered something in right b/c I didn't see that model before. Also thanks for yer exhaust info. I know the integrity of the engine will be better if I can keep it cooler. I have been looking at 4" exhaust kits. It looks like Magnaflow makes a nice one.

 

I thought I'd seen in one of your other threads that you were thinking of a tuner also if so look at this all in one SCT Livewire TS Performance Programmer 5015 It is pretty good none of them are perfect I really like my edge cts but if I was going to do it again I would get this live wire (above) or the Dash Boss for Iphone. I don't think there is a bad option for Exhaust any is better than stock I ended up with the Diamond eye because I got the best price on it. the magnaflow is a good system also it is my favorite add-on I have,,,

 

To finish up this thread I will have to say that since my last post I have gotten a lot accomplished. Especially from my very first post on here almost a month ago. Boy how time flies. My transmission slipping problem did end up being the fan kicking on. It's still believable how loud that thing is but if it keep my engine from burning up than so be it. Thanks guys for all of your advice and suggestions about that issue. It was a big help.

I finally made a decision on a tuner that ended up not being a tuner. Again thanks for your all's input. I ended up getting the ScanGauge II on-line for $134. At the end of the day it just made since and it did about 95% of the things I needed. Not wanted. If I change tire size I'll just take it to the dealership or see if my friends scan tool will change it. It was a hard decision between it, the Edge Insight, and the SCT Livewire. I liked the displays better on the last two but in all honestly for the money the ScanGauge II ended up working best for me right now. Especially since I've just dropped a little over $1500 in the last few weeks primarily just in vehicle maintenance. So I definitely recommend the ScanGauge II and this way I'm safe and not tempted to do something stupid that overstresses my motor. The good news is once I plugged it in and got it set up, which was easier than Sunday morning, there were no codes! Yea! I'm glad it didn't give me any codes cause the day I had that day I might have thrown it out the window. Not really. I would have just stuck it permanently in my wife's vehicle.

I've changed the oil, Rotella T6 Synth., both fuel filter, air filter, and external transmission filter(all stock Motorcraft) and man it's not cheap to do all that at once.
I also bought what I needed to top off the front and rear diff's and transfer case. None of them needed much so I have plenty fluids sitting on the shelf now. I feel a little bit like I maybe wasted my money on extra fluids but at least I have a piece of mind that they are good to go now. That has to count for something.

I bought and installed a Sinister Coolant Filter. I got 2 extra filters and will probably change one in about a month and another 3 months after that. I'm hoping I can go 6 months to a year after that between changes. I also flushed out the coolant(the best I could) and refilled with new coolant and distilled water while installing the filter. The coolant didn't look too bad or dirty just maybe weak. So hopefully I got to it early enough I can prolong any EGR Cooler issues. All of my fingers are crossed.

I was definitely dead set on getting an Red Top Optima battery so I went right out and bought a new Die Hard Platinum. Sometimes I find it challenging trying to stay one step ahead myself. The Die Hard would have ended up costing a little more but after redeeming points and using a coupon I ended up getting it well under $200. Plus it has a better warranty and higher cold cranking amps.(930 vs. 800) I have nothing against Optima. They may be a great battery. I have friends that like them in their rock crawling buggy's but I personally have never owned one. So we'll see what happens. All I do know is my truck fires up so much quicker after changing it out. The whole 2-3 sometimes 4 rev's before it starts is gone. This morning it was 48F outside. The truck fired off in the first rev. It hasn't done that since I bought the truck.

I've also added the new Pro Comp ES9000 shocks on back and will be putting the same on the front this weekend. I got 2" longer front shocks and a 2" leveling lift for the front so when I do get bigger tires it will be ready. I've been told I don't need to have an alignment done with just a 2" lift but I think I will just because I don't remember ever having this truck aligned before so yeah...why not? It certainly couldn't hurt anything. Today I installed a new Pro Comp steering stabilizer. Amazing how much difference that makes. I was thinking about attaching a before and after picture of the lift when I'm done but I'm sure you all have seen your share of what a '05 white/tan King Ranch FX4 looks like with and without a level kit. Maybe I'll just add an after pic as my avatar or whatever you want to call it.

Besides finishing the front suspension I will also change out the front brakes(once I figure out what I want) and install 4 new Infinity Reference 6x8 speakers that should be here any day. I just couldn't spend that much on all maintenance items and not do something with the stereo system. Several years ago I installed an Alpine stereo and a PAC so I could still control it from the steering wheel controls but many a moon have gone by since then and I have all but blown the factory speakers. The worst kind of buzzing imaginable but they some how still work good for dub-step. Can't even tell they're worn out. If I was on a quest to find a quick way to go deaf these Infinity's should do the trick.

Thanks again for everyone's advice and suggestions. It has been very helpful, insightful, and much appreciated. Soon I hope to join in and give back by being a part of helping others like you all have helped me. Other than that...Over and Out...and The End!