My truck is a 2004 Excursion Limited 4x4 6.0Liter Diesel. I bought it last December with 76K miles and now has 98K miles.

Well, the other day my head started seeping oil out the back cylinder, passenger side. Oil in the coolant and oil in the intercooler. Two mechanics confirmed. Soooooo...

I am going to have a laundry list of work done by local diesel shop who "specialize" in the 6.0 to try and make this thing a bit more reliable including:

Parts:
1.) ARP Head Studs and replacement head gaskets
2.) "O" ring machined heads
3.) BulletProof Diesel Oil Cooler
4.) Bullet Proof Diesel Aftermarket EGR Cooler (Emissions tested)
5.) Aftermarket Turbo Oil Drain
6.) MBRP 4" Turbo Back Exhaust (stock CAT), with 3.5inch down pipe
7.) SCT Livewire w/ EGT Probe and Pillar Mount
8.) New Bilsteins at corners

Labor:
1.) Lift body off frame
2.) Remove heads, "deck" and O ring machining
3.) Flush Radiator and coolant system
4.) Flush Intercooler (as best as can be done)
5.) Install New EGR Cooler
6.) Install New Oil Cooler
7.) Re-locate existing oil bypass filter location
8.) Re-locate existing coolant bypass filter location
9.) Install ARP Head Studs, O ring heads and gaskets
10.) Install new exhaust
11.) Install new shocks
12.) Install new SCT Tuner
13.) Drill and tap exhaust manifold and install new SCT EGT Probe
14.) Install new turbo drain plug
15.) Install new body bushings
16.) Re-install body to frame

I decided to make the repairs vrs sell the truck because I have fixed every little tiny thing on the truck to make it work like new and my wife and I REALLY like the beast.

The shop said they would have the truck 3-6 days.

So, the question is, what am I missing? Anything I'm not thinking of while the body is off the frame?

Thanks!

 

Why don't you just do an EGR delete? Would it save you some money?

 

Well, I would love to just delete the EGR altogether ... Along with the CAT too, but living in Maricopa County, I have to deal with annual emisions testing that includes visual inspection and a WOT test (3 times).

Therefore, I think I'm stuck with EGR cooler, but I went to bulletproofdiesel's shop (w/in 5 miles of home) and looked at their replacement EGR Cooler and I am impressed. I think that it solves the leak and clog issues with the stock EGR.

Same for there oil cooler, which gets its own 'radiator' mounted low in the front bumper.

 

Yeah I hate those emissions tests! I just took mine through and yes they do inspect your engine bay and look for your cat and make you WOT 3 times!! Hey what shop are you going to get this work done at? I live in Goodyear and am looking for a reputable 6.0 diesel mechanic myself!!

I have heard awesome reviews on this shop!! http://www.strictlydiesel.com/

I guess the mechanic there is a Ford 6.0 Tech..........

 

I thought that there was a 100,000. mile warranty on the engine...
Get ford to pay.

 

Ford don't pay for work like this....

If it were stock parts that failed, they would only be replaced with stock parts. The studs may be an exception depending on the dealer though...

 

Thanks for the offers and replies!

The warranty is 100K miles or 5 years, whichever comes first. The 5 years was up last February. Last December, just prior to warranty end, SanTan (Ford Dealer) replaced the HPOP, EGR Cooler and Oil Cooler. The EGR Cooler is shot again already.

The Shop I am going to use is Arizona Mobile Auto Repair in Mesa, on Broadway. They came highly recommended from a friend and felow 6.0 owner. They specialize in 6.0 liter repair and are the owners of Bulletproofdiesel.com and Neal Technologies. They are very professional, their shop is clean, nice environment, and last week, Diesel Power Mag was at their shop doing an interview and time-lapse photography on an install of their equipment / repair of 6.0 for an article coming out soon.

I took the EX to their shop and they showed me the install of their EGR and Oil Cooler on their own trucks (both 6.0's) and it looks factory to me.

Also, I was very happy with their input and advice on what things I should do while the body is off. I felt their labor quote was very reasonable and they are charging me less for some of the parts (like SCT LW) then I could find them. They were willing to let me purchase and provide the parts, which I did not expect, and gave me a turn around time for the job of less than a week (3-4 days, barring any major hurdles and having all parts ready to go prior to commencement of work). So, while I have to admit this is my first experience with them, I am favorably impressed so far and they came highly recommended by a friend who operates a fleet of diesel service trucks that include both Ford and dodge, including Ford 6.0's.

Again, thanks for the input! And if you think of anything else I should be thinking of while the body is off the beast, let me know.

Thanks,

Jonathan

 

One more thing. Make sure your SCT has an adjustable RPM limiter (setting) so the 3 WOT tests don't reduce your engine life.................... Set it at 3000 before you go in for a test.

 

Yes, the SCT Livewire does allow adjustment of the rev limiter, and I may take advantage of that feature for the above said and aforementioned purpose.

However, correct me if I am wrong, but is it REALLY destructive to run this engine to rev limit for short bursts for this test? I guess my thought is that if this test reveals an engine problem, then I would like to know so that it can be fixed, since I rely on my truck for work so heavily. IMO, if the truck can't hit the rev limit and survive, then I would like to know why and have the necessary repairs done. Does a no load rev limit burst cause long term damage or shorten the life of this engine?

Your input would be great! I live in the Phoenix Metro area, but work all over the state. I have to admit that the trip up I-17 to Flagstaff with the cruise set on 82, is probably not the easiest on the truck, even though I'm not towing. I frequently have to make this run though and in short time. Grades on the highway are often 6 to 8 % for several miles and the elevation change from home office to Flag is about 7K feet, though you do go up and down in that trip.

I am really curious what my EGT's actually reach during this trip in stock form. I will know soon what they run with modifications.

 

Hmmmm, Well I would not let anyone do a static WOT till rev limiter. You shouldn't be either. You may be causing pre-mature problems not "finding them early". Remember max HP is at 3300 RPM and max torque is at 2000 rpm. You need to get a hold of an SCT with some custom tunes to make your truck "smarter", I would really look at blocking your up-pipe and removing the internal EGR port scoop as well. This will give you more low end turbo spool up. No need to remove your egr cooler just replace it with a stock one and add a coolant filter. Get a cat remover as well. Or just gut it if all they do is a visual check. You can easily make your truck preform better as well as add efficiency and longevity with just a few mods.

One more thing. If your "cruising at 82mph" you should look at an over drive system like the Gear Vendors or gear up your rear end to a 3.55 of 3.35 or anything else you may think of to get you RPM's down a bit while going down the highway.

 

Don't have emissions testing where I live...... yet.

High RMPs is what causes engine failures.

How can they require 3 WOT with a car sitting there in neutral?

 

VaSherrif - just curious: what are "RMPs"??

Ahhh did you mean RPM'S?? - just wondering

As far as the test goes, I'm not sure where they get the test formula, but that is just how they do it. It used to kill me to take my 1997 7.3Ltr with almost 200K miles to hear it rattle.

In Maricopa county, when you have a gasser tested, you wait in a safety booth while <i>they</i> perform the test. With this diesel test, they leave you in the vehicle and have you mash the go pedal. I have heard of other diesel owners that have gotten out of the vehicle and refused to be involved in the test, telling the tester that they cannot afford a new engine, so if the tester would like to spend the 10-15K$ on a new engine, go ahead and conduct the test. Supposedly, that got them out of doing the test.

I am up for a new test this december. Not sure how I will handle that...

What I don't like is, if the county is the "tester", then does that make me the "teste"? Oh, I forgot one "e" ... that makes me feel better.