easiest way

[bootstrap1002]

been through hell with my truck, 6.0 thought i was finished when i put new head gaskets on and studded it. It has a list of mods on it and pressure was still building somewhere and leaking coolant. My mechanic said the oil cooler was clogged. he flushed it several times and said i may need a new one, or my heads had a crack in it or the block. He raised the cab and checked torque on studs ok there. My question is , is there anyway to check for that stuff without sending the block and heads somewhere to be tested:dunno:

[95ctd]

been through hell with my truck, 6.0 thought i was finished when i put new head gaskets on and studded it. It has a list of mods on it and pressure was still building somewhere and leaking coolant. My mechanic said the oil cooler was clogged. he flushed it several times and said i may need a new one, or my heads had a crack in it or the block. He raised the cab and checked torque on studs ok there. My question is , is there anyway to check for that stuff without sending the block and heads somewhere to be tested:dunno:
My neighbor had the same problem with his 07 6.0. He and his buddy, whos a ford mechanic, went to do headgaskets for the 3rd time along with new studs last weekend, when they pulled the heads off they could SEE the cracks in the block:eek:. So my phones been rigning nonstop with 12V related questions:woohoo: All this at 36K miles:wtf2:

[Warpig]

My question is , is there anyway to check for that stuff without sending the block and heads somewhere to be tested:dunno:

When you did the head gaskets and studs did you have the head checked? If not, I would start there. Have the heads checked for flatness and magnafluxed. If the heads check out ok, you know your problem lies with the block. This of couse is only accurate if the initial instal of the heads and gaskets were done correctly. If a proper retorque was not done after the gaskets and studs were installed, that may be the issue. Simple fix, new head gaskets and proper retorques.

[jdc753]

that sucks to hear. I just went through a bit of the process a few months back and ended up my heads being cracked and they replaced them with new ones from Ford (at the tune of $1,400 a piece) As far as I know the only way of testing is to have the heads magnafluxed and pressure tested to see if the cracks are bad enough that they are leaking. I haven't heard of too many with cracks in the blocks, some with a slighly uneven surface and not quite a smooth enough surface but not many I can think of that were cracked.

Some of the 6.4 guys are having the same troubles with cracked heads but I guess some are putting in new valve seats and guides or something and thats helping it out. Either way they are repairing some of them and still running them, but it depends on how bad the heads are.


For the oil cooler I think people have tried to clean them out but they are pretty much done for once they get a bit clogged. The passages inside are only 1/8" for the oil and 1/16" for the coolant. The rebuild kit for it is I believe just over $200. Also would be good to at the least block off your EGR cooler while your at it. Don't need to fully delete it but blocking the exhaust flow through it will help and limit the chances up the cooler rupturing which is greatly more common with clogged oil coolers. Common enough Ford requires a new oil cooler whenever a EGR cooler is replaced.

[Jays02F250]

Put a cummins in it... :exactly:

[kawi600]

You guys may hate the engine in the ford.. but I hate the chassis on my dodge. I swear its the biggest POS I own.
One of these days Ill find a ford with a dead motor to swap for a 12v.. or better yet a ford - cummins conversion thats already been done.
:warpig:

[Jim]

I hated mine too, until I figured out what aftermarket parts I needed in it so it didnt go down the road like a piece of cooked spaghetti. Now it drives very well, still rides like a truck however. Reg cab long bed is rough over the expansion joints! As far as rot, I always thought the dodges were the worst, but lately ive been seeing alot of the OBS 94-97 Fords with the boxes and doors rotting out just as bad. Still like the superduty platform though.:smokin:

[sho91mtx]

Flush with VC-9 per the directions and then with a gallon of restore found at international and cummins dealers. Replace oil cooler. Your sig doesn't say if you've deleted your EGR. If you haven't, do it! Stop using the gold crap that ford specs and use a cat EC-1 rated coolant that is silicate free. What the powerstroke.org guys are finding is now not only do you have to deal with casting sand, the silicates in the coolant are getting heated up and turning into a gel which clogs up the coolers!

[bootstrap1002]

I Am deleted ,I'm a novise at this but if I flushed it and got a new oil cooler would that
That stop it from puking?

[Smokin]

I just went through all of this with my truck too. New bulletproof egr cooler, oil cooler, and studs finally fixed all my issues. You need to get access to a scanner that will monitor engine oil temps and coolant temps. If these two numbers are more than a 15 degree difference then you most likely have a clogged oil cooler/or egr cooler. They should both be replaced at the same time anyway. If your numbers are within 15 degrees then you are looking at HGs. Tape a latex glove to your coolant bottle opening and let it idle for 5-10 mins. If the glove inflates then that tells you boost pressures are getting into your coolant. It will NOT inflate otherwise. Let me know if you have any other questions

[1JP]

A bulletproof EGR is a deleted EGR.

[Smokin]

A bulletproof EGR is a deleted EGR.

Well technically....but i haven't heard of anyone blowing up one of the Bulletproof EGR coolers yet. It's a good option if you want to keep everything legal

[1JP]

There is always a first.

Sucks to hear that you're still having issues. We have some down here that run like bears and others that seem never to recover.

but I hate the chassis on my dodge. I swear its the biggest POS I own
Ahhhh, love my 3rdGen :HoleShotHolset: And I also own a 1st and 2ndGen. The 1stGen (regular cab dually) has ZERO creature comforts, but it is one fun truck to drive. My 2ndGen is still out for review. I just picked up a 99 regular cab dually that will be my daily and tow rig. So far, no complaints.