I have an 05 6.0 that takes forever to warm up in the morning, any ideas what might be wrong?

 

Where are you and is it still COLD there? Other than outside air temp, it IS a huge block and what is your definition of "a long time". Are you using the in dash make believe gauge or a REAL one you installed?

 

I live in Denver and it has been @ 55 deg in the morning. I let it warm up for 20 min this morning and it still sounded like I just started it. After I drove it for 6 blocks it was normal. I do use the "make believe gauge". I'd hate to plug it in during summer!

 

It shouldn't take that long to warm up. Perhaps your t/stat is stuck "open" or your gauge is not accurate due to a faulty sending unit.

You should think about doing the high-idle mod (if applicable) on your vehicle. This will aid in warm-up since it bumps the idle up to 1200 and it will prevent oil contamination from diesel fuel leaking past the piston rings during excessive idle (wet stacking).

 

It's called a clogged EGR valve and a EGR cooler that is leaking into the cylinders/exhaust..takes a few blocks for it to burn the coolant off after sitting over night. Take a look at your coolant bottle and around it. More then like you have white spotting..this is refered to as "puking"..common problem with these motors.

You can try pulling the EGR valve and cleaning that first and see how that works for you..but if you have puking...then the cooler is/has gone bad. It's covered under the 5yr/100K mile thing..$100 deductable.

I know because it happened to me and those are the signs.

 

Letting a 6.0 idle for 20 minutes is not good and will definitely clog the EGR valve. It should not idle for longer than 10 minutes and no more than 5 is preferable, IMO.

 

Thanks for the heads up, after looking at my coolant I noticed that it was bone dry. I just had it serviced at the dealer and they had topped it off 2 days ago. I did not notice any white stuff but there was some dirt in there. So if im succesfull at cleaning the valve that should stop the coolant from leaking in the exaust? I read some earlier posts on this and it seems not to difficult. Thank you very much for everyones help!!

 

You got to find out where that coolant is going. Are you getting any smoke when you start it? Last winter mine wasn't warming up and it turned out to be a bad T-stat. Also a pesky small coolant leak from the housing that wouldn't show up until the engine was warm. I wouldn't count out the EGR and cooler either, but usually you'll get some white smoke on a cold engine when you start it. You've got an 05, warrant, let the dealer fix it.

 

Turns out that I had 2 bad injectors, as for the coolant I guess the dealer forgot to top it of and I have not lost any since. My mechanic also did an EGR service and cleaned it out (pretty nasty) and it purrs like a kitten at first start up.
Thanks for all your help!

 

Glad to hear it. This sight has got a lot of resources. You should do a little exploring in the 6.0 forum.

 

Glad you got your truck running better now. Just an FYI - a dirty EGR valve will not cause coolant loss. You still have another issue. It might not be a significant loss, but something is still leaking. Keep an eye on it.

Please take Russ's (Kep4) advice and do not idle so much. Idling will NOT warm up your truck unless you have the high idle mod. Personally, I would not idle more than a minute unless it is below zero. Just drive very conservatively until the engine is fully heated up. Absolutely do NOT romp on it until then.

 

What will extended periods of idling do to the 6.0? Is there an extra service step that can be added to your schedule that will allow you to idle?

 

Don't want to tell other people how to drive their trucks but, once I see oil pressure I drive easy until temp starts to climb. When it reaches normal, which the block is still not saturated, I will start driving normal. I have had no EGR troubles driving this way. Knock on wood.