If the intake had something to do with it, changing it back at a point in time where issues had already started just might have been too late.

I think we all have that one at one time or another. Let me ask it in a different way: Where you under the belief of being able to just turn the key and go?

What I'm trying to get at is though the years it has been determined that the 6.0 is a pretty good engine, I say pretty good because it does take more effort then it seems people are wanting to do, which keeps it being elevated to damn good which is what I would call it. Now should it be that way, once again that's a different debate. If I remember correctly you said 60k on an 04, that's a lot of sitting if I recall those stats correctly. That isn't good for the truck, not really good for any vehicle, but even moreso with 6.0.

There is, that you have unfortunately found out, a "cascading" effect with issues. There are a lot of interconnected componants. A bad wiring harness could cause incorrect signals to be sent to the modules, that in turn could cause, for instance, injectors to fire incorrectly. That goes on long enough you've got damaged injectors. It is a mess, I'll give you that.

I also don't see it going back as simple as it was before either.

 

I had no idea of the issues with these motors when I bought mine. Probably my fault for not doing much research. I asked a friend that has a 7.3 if Ford's were good diesels and he said yes, so i bought one.
Since then I've had some problems and learned a lot. I've done some reliability mods and now I agree with tex that my 6.0 is damn good. I wish everyone had the time and energy to learn about their truck. I have spent a ton of time on these forums, but it is a form of entertainment for me.

I can honestly say there is no other diesel engine I would rather have than my 6.0. (This opinion may change in favor of the 6.7 one day )though.

 

You guys know I love my 6.0, but I can't blame anyone if they feel like ranting once in a while. I think we tend to apologize way too much for the 6.0 and 6.4, and maybe for the modern diesels in general. If there was a gasser that would do what the diesel will do, I would jump ship. But there isn't, no matter how much the V-10 guys may argue.

I had long ago decided that I no longer wanted to do my own oil changes, tuneups, or repairs. My time was better spent doing something else, and I don't have to pinch every penny. It had been many years since I had drained a crankcase, until this damned 6.0 came along. I even had the dealer do the first couple of oil changes at their inflated rates. Then my education started here at FTE. Now I'm back to doing all that crap myself. And this is progress?

I should be able to just follow the maintenance routine in the manual, at the dealer, then get in the truck and turn the key and go. I shouldn't need to know about EGT's or EOT versus ECT. I shouldn't have to hang around this forum to have a reliable truck. I shouldn't have to spend all my spare time doing my own oil changes and coolant flushes. I shouldn't have to spend a lot of money on gauges, AND then learn how to interpret them. I could go on and on about the problem areas, but you guys know them all better than me already.

We shouldn't have to be engineers and mechanics to own these trucks.

I should be able to trust any dealer to do my maintenance and repairs properly, and according to Ford procedures. Show me ONE dealer that will do a coolant flush properly. I just had my coolers replaced and the dealer charged me for VC-9, Premium Gold, and 2 gallons of distilled water. How exactly did they accomplish that? Next weekend I get to do it all over again on my dime.

Don't blame the EPA. That's just a copout.

Well, it is what it is, but I don't have to like it.

 

Most of the other stuff, I do agree with you either in whole or in part so I chose to only bring out a couple of points that I didn't agree with or had my own littel quirks about.

Some techs actually did follow Ford's procedures to the letter, however, they weren't complete or maybe in some instances not correct in the first place. That isn't something that I would actually blame on the engine though. Now that is just my take on it.

Here is the sticky one. I do believe that we shouldn't have to spend all this money on gauges if they would just put in ones that gave better information to us from the cluster, but they don't and that has been a common practice since I've atleast been driving vehicles. However, I do believe rather the stock gauges are accurate or not, rather you use a/m gauges or not, that people should know the parameters of the engines componants. Otherwise how would they know if something is going on, or something might need to be looked at before it becomes a major problem and cost even more. How many stories have we heard of people that had gauges, thought the truck or a part of the truck was getting hotter then it should be, only to find out that it was par for the course? If we don't know how to interprete the gauges(rather stock or a/m) then what's the point of having them period?

Driver's can't be ignorant about their vehicles either to a degree. Now how much should they have to know in order to operate their vehicle, that's up for a debate, but they need to be a little more informed then just to turn the key and go. Otherwise how would a person know if what they are doing is pushing the vehicle too much or the vehicle has a problem? So either the companies have to put in gauges that relay information better to us or we should get a/m gauges to do it ourself. I believe that rather it's gas or diesel(I have gauges in my 150 and have had them in there since it was 3 wks old).

 

Bill, were your coolers done under warranty?
Mine were and all I paid was the C note deductible. The oil change and flushing is part of the coolers replacement procedure.

 

I understand your point, and agree that the more you know the better. But it's not reality in the automotive marketplace. I can even agree that Ford can reasonably expect a little more knowledge from the owner of a Superduty that the owner of an Expedition. As the PCM's get more sophisticated, the need for gauges should decline in favor of codes when something is out of range. For example, EOT versus ECT. The PCM should have been monitoring that all along, but it took them until last year to add that, and most trucks don't have it and may never have it. There really isn't any excuse for needing more than the most basic dash gauges. Requiring anything more to avoid huge repair bills is not progress.

Would you buy a Lexus that required a bunch of add-on gauges to be safe and reliable? Why would we expect anything less from a $60k truck?

 

Yes, all under warranty. In fact, they did a bunch of other stuff:

Degas bottle and cap
Thermostat
All CAC boots and new aluminum riser pipe
(they used the old clamps which was disappointing)
Cleaned the turbo
New turbo supply and drain tubes
New fan clutch

And yes, they flushed with VC-9. But my point is, they only charged Ford for 2 gallons of distilled water on the invoice. So I'm left wondering, did they only use 2 gallons of water to clear the VC-9, which would leave a lot of chemical in the system, or did they use a lot of tap water and just use the 2 gallons to dilute the coolant, which would leave a lot of mineral bearing water in the system. Bottom line to me is, if they only used 2 gallons of distilled then it wasnt' done properly. I'm convinced that no dealer anywhere will do it properly.

I'm very happy with the work other than that, and my total cost was $100.

 

Bill, Sorry but you stated that the dealer charged you for the VC-9 and Premium Gold coolant.

 

Sorry, and you're right I did. I just meant that they charged it to the invoice. I wasn't paying it.

They did some other stuff that wasn't on the invoice. The CAC plumbing parts weren't on the invoice at all, so I don't know how or if they got paid for that. They took very good care of me.

Which brings up a question I haven't seen covered. The '06 has a plastic pipe that runs from the intercooler output up to the intake elbow. They replaced that with an aluminum pipe. What was the reason for the change? Was the plastic easily split? I never had any leaks.

 

I gave the dealership 15 gallons of distilled water. When I picked up the truck, there were 13 gallons still in the bed.

 

Sounds like the norm. You just won't get it done right unless you do it yourself. The sad fact is that even seasoned techs just don't believe it matters.

I'm going to be installing the coolant filter at the same time, so I don't really mind flushing and filling again. At least I won't have to do the VC-9 again.

 

hey a little off topic but those of yall who have cleaned your egr where did yall get the o rings for it and the gasket material...is there a specific type of gasket material? thanks yall

 

I think that will be a dealer only item. Either local or from partsguyEd. The gasket is cork. I just reused mine.

 

I totally get the rants as well. You shouldn't have to be a diesel expert to get a decent length of service out of your vehicle.

Mike

 

Lets be honest - the list is a long one .....

I wish my son's F150 (5.4L) didn't cost so much for spark plug changing (due to breaking them off in the engine - well known problem)

I wish my son's F150 didn't have the expensive cam phasor issue ....

Same things w/ many (or even most) of the vehicles out there. Plenty of Dodge and Chevy examples too (let alone the Toyota issues, etc).

Many people have great reliability with the 6.0L - just look at Beachbumcook (and I can give you links to MANY others). So - the 6.0L can and is reliable for many (probably most) folks. When it isn't, then it is expensive. That is why you need to be a diesel expert - it is required due to the expense and complexity - only if you can not afford a big repair.

Due to computer controls, more enhancements required due to emissions requirements, econonmic pressures, lack of proper training of techs, etc - ALL vehicles are getting more expensive to work on.

So - change has come. Are we going to protect ourselves against it as best as possible, or just settle to play the odds on being a "victim statistic"?

Nothing will properly protect the victim of the occasional lemon, but the bulk of the issues can be a whole lot more cost effective to manage with knowledge OR if you get to know a competent Tech!