I think it finally went. Was towing my 38 ft fifth today on the hwy, all of a sudden a chime went off, dash said "check engine temp" which of course was pegged in the red. Pulled over and let it cool a bit then drove slowly to the next town. popped the reservoir cap and coolant flew out. Then filled it with cool water, noticed steam coming out exhaust when shut off. After I restarted it, it was billowing steam but temp was ok. Drove another 10 km to drop off fifth at RV dealer. Steam billowing out at speed but not when WOT. Temp was pegged again by the time I arrived. Refilled it and got it to the Ford dealer. At this point coolant is dripping out the exhaust system. They are closed for the weekend and I rented a vehicle to get back home. As luck would have it, I have an EGR cooler bypass kit somewhere in the mail on it's way. I am hoping it's the cooler and not a head gasket. What are your opinions? Also should I get them to replace 2 injectors once they are halfway there anyway? This truck is no longer on warrantee as it has 230,000 km (140,000 miles). I have the ability and tools to do this myself but of course the truck is now 50 miles away. This site has always been a great source of opinions and advice so any are welcome.

Thanks

 

If your capable of doing the work yourself and have the time, Im sure a 50 mile tow bill to have your truck towed home would be MUCH less expensive then letting them do the repairs.

 

While head gasket and EGR cooler concerns are prevalent let's not overlook the other things that can cause overheating like the thermostat and the electronic fan clutch. - Just thinking out loud here. I am all for guys repairing their trucks themselves but you might consider having the dealer AT LEAST perform the diagnostics for coolant overflow which will determine if the cooler has in fact failed. The complete diagnostic routine should cover the fan, base engine temperature, the EGR cooler, the oil cooler and the head gaskets which I wouldn't rule out since I see you are running a tuner. Testing the turbocharger and EBP sensor are part of the diagnostics as well.

 

Thanks guys, I definately want Ford to do the diagnostics at least and then I'll make a decision from there I suppose. Apparently the dealer's tech is a "diesel god". Once I talk to the tech maybe I'll see if they can do jobs concurrently, like the oil screen? and my 2 bad injectors instead of charging for separate jobs. In a perfect world I'd just get the heads studded too lol. As for the programmer, I run the economy tune from ID and it is pretty mild, but still harder on the engine than stock I'm sure. Do you think the Ford dealer would install the egr bypass since its out of warrantee? Probably illegal though.
thanks again

 

If the oil cooler comes out it is wise to install a new oil screen at the bottom of the reservior. They become brittle and sometimes come apart all on thier own.

I think you would be hard pressed to find any dealer willing to install an emissions defeating device. On a personal note I realize that the emissions devices on these trucks cause headaches but they are there for a reason. I am not a tree hugger but I believe in reducing the amount of crap we put in the air that we breathe for health and environmental reasons. So for an on-highway vehicle registered and used daily I would love to see your EGR system left in-tact.

 

I do agree with you there, it's just too bad Ford hasn't come up with a better design that won't fail as quickly. I actually thought of buying one of those "improved" EGR coolers on Ebay but too late now. I will likely sell the EGR bypass kit on its way in the mail and use the new EGR cooler til it fails.

 

Update, Got the truck towed at a cost of $340.00. After seeing Fords quote of $975.00 parts + 10 hrs labor. Got the EGR cooler out tonight and will install the bypass kit this week. Only problem, I broke off the long plastic tube that sticks out where the oil/fuel filter housing was, I REALLY hope I can buy this part separately. Other than that the job seems pretty straight forward, turbo was a PITA to remove though, probably worse going back in. Anyone know if that plastic screw shaped filter standpipe? is replaceable?

Thanks

 

This is an option that I'm considering:

http://www.ntshoptools.com/Ford_Power_Stroke_EGR.html

Before I buy it though I'd like to hear if this unit provides the same cooling effect as the stock unit. I really do not want to violate Federal emmission laws by removing the EGR cooler.

 

Yes, the standpipe is serviceable.

 

Are you going to replace the oil cooler to?

 

Kep4, I looked at this exact same unit as an option but it seems to me the heat transfer through 6 thick walled pipes would be far less than the stock fin type. It would be 100% legal and effective but the temp of the exhaust gas going back into your engine would likely be much higher. We use a similar cooler on our turboprop engines to heat the fuel and cool the oil, I'm pretty sure they are not just a few straight tubes going through.

Ford_Doctor, Thanks, I picked one up today, A $75.00 mistake to add to my growing cost list lol.

UGA33, I can't see spending another $500 clams to do the oil cooler right now even though they say its usually not far behind the EGR cooler. I may not even do the injectors this far in because they seem real easy to get to after this EGR cooler job.


I got the "frost plug" thingy welded in the exhaust end today, don't know why they don't have one for the other end instead of a cheesy thin blanking plate?

Total time so far, about 4 hrs.

Thanks all, will keep you posted

 

That quote worries me. The truth is, EGR coolers fail BECAUSE the oil coolers become restricted and reduce the volume of coolant flow to the EGR cooler. Coolant flow to the EGR cooler comes directly from the oil cooler/oil filter adapter. This causes the EGR cooler to over heat and crack.

Read This.

 

Keith - you wrote a nice article! Thanks!

 

Was the $500 they quoted you for the entire cooler or just the core? You can buy just the core now and it should not be no where near that price. Just asking.

 

Excellent article!

What product do you recommend for backflushing the 6.0 cooling system?