I hope I didnt screw up. Give me some good words!

NJKen

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I just used every last dime I have to purchase a 550 4x4 with the 6.0 in it. It has about 140k on the clock and an Altec AT37G aerial lift. I have always had ford diesels but have avoided the 6.0 because of all the bad crap I read. I couldnt swin and 08 so I decided to take a chance. So, whats the good word? What are the normal things of concern here?
Thanks
Ken
 

towcat

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ken-
from what I know, by the time '08 came around, ford got most of the big bugs ironed out. I know in the fleet world, '06 was the darkest of dark years due to the problems AMR had. if you have the service history and it shows routine maintence, you should be in good shape. also, ford backed off on the tunes for the F450's and F550's. but if you have good news, be sure to post how happy you are that it's not giving you trouble.;Sweet
 

tom37

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Up until a few weeks ago I drove the same rig but in an 04.

Loaded with tools mine weighs in at 17100 lbs. It runs me around town better then average in my opinion. It had 90ish k on it when we got it, now it has around 140.

Its has its share of troubles.

The front end had to be rebuilt thru and thru along with alignment.

Lost the water pump, and when it left Ford the mechanic forgot to hook the wires to the EGR. It forced the fan to run ba!!s to the wall any time it kicked on, and caused the famous turbo fart noise any time I backed out of the throttle.

Next thing we know, the water pump was out of it. Not sure if it was related or not. But the water pump failed right after we noticed the harness off the EGR.

Just after the water pump the EGR went south and of course the company didnt replace the oil cooler.

Somewhere in that time frame we gobbled up a fan harness or two along the way.

Every single time something has happened to this truck its been either after our shop used napa filters, or shortly after we pass the oil change mark.

Also the fuel tank lining came apart.

It sounds like a ton of stuff but I honestly believe that much of it could have been avoided had some of these issues been looked into.

I drove the he!! out of this truck for almost 2 years. There has been weeks where this truck has ran non stop for 3 or 4 days, while we traded off shifts during storm work. Tons of high idle time.

Altec used two different pumps on this style boom.
If you have the one that runs off the trans, DON'T work the boom at low idle. Altec and ford told us the rpm's must be higher then idle to keep from tearing up the trans.

On occasion, my high idle would fail after the transfer case has been in low range. After a trip from Altec service we found out that simply shutting the engine and restarting would fix this issue.

BTW.......That boom is one of the most awesome booms ever made. Not sure if they are all as fast as the one I had, but OMG mine was sweet.

I hope I didn't bum ya out by listing the troubles we had, maybe hearing others troubles will help ya avoid a few of your own.

Good luck.
 

snicklas

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Ken,

I would say no, you did not make a mistake. Most on here know that I have a 6.0 and like it very much!!!!! Mine is not in a work truck, but it my "family car". If it has been maintained well, you should not have a problem. Keeping the service up on a 6.0 it the MORE IMPORTANT than on alot of other engines. Change the Oil and Filter at 5,000 miles, no more, change the fuel filters at 10,000 miles, no more PERIOD!!! Use only Motorcraft Filters. Some did not have the water block membrane on the filter that is in the FICM on the frame rail. Use good oil..... I have been using the Motorcraft brand oil, and it seems to like it better than Rotella. Use ONLY diesel in a 6.0..... NO COCKTAILS.... you WILL kill injectors. Also, do not run a 6.0 out of fuel, if you think you are going to run out..... SHUT OFF THE TRUCK AND WALK.... the fuel in the injectors acts as a pad for the intensifier piston and the "pintle". No fuel, it will damage injectors. On the later 6.0 when the fuel gets very low, the FICM/PCM will cause the truck to idle rough.... to make you look at the gauges and see what it going on.... if it starts to do this.... feed it ASAP!.

I've had my truck for a little over 4 years, and the only things I've had to do to it is:
Routine Maintenance (Oil and Filter Changes)
Fuel
Brakes
Tires
Water Pump Weeps when the ambitent temp is cool - on the to-do list
Shocks
Front track bar link bushings are shot - on the to-do list

It is 100% stock and 100% factory. I have the factory EGR Valve and Cooler, Factory Oil Cooler, Factory Turbo and head bolts. Even still have the cat on it....

In my opinion also. NO TUNERS!!!!!! A 6.0 will do everything I ask of it, in stock trim. It has plenty of power and I still get decent economy. Mine is in and Excursion, and I have 3.73's. I get ~16 in combo commute, and ~20 on the highway. I keep it at 2200 or less (cruising) and that is the best economy. I am sure in a 550, you have 4.53 or taller... so 2200 would be crawling..... Keep it maintained, it should stay happy, and keep you happy.

Also..... one other thing to keep in mind..... DO NOT BABY IT.... that will make it very mad..... they like to work.... don't beat it to death.... but don't be afraid to wind it out every once in a while..... I have driven mine like that since it bought it.
Another thing, it is not an IDI.... a 6.0 will wind out father.... a 6.0 has a 4000+ rev limiter, and it is not uncommon on a brisk accel... not on the floor, but hot footing it, for it to shift at 3500+..... I have made the comment before that most IDI'ers would have a heart attack at the revs a 6.0 runs......
 
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tractorman86

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I did the first time I drive one LOL the problem with the 6.0s is that you have a 50/50 chance of landing a good one.
 

NJKen

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Up until a few weeks ago I drove the same rig but in an 04.

Loaded with tools mine weighs in at 17100 lbs. It runs me around town better then average in my opinion. It had 90ish k on it when we got it, now it has around 140.

Its has its share of troubles.

The front end had to be rebuilt thru and thru along with alignment.

Lost the water pump, and when it left Ford the mechanic forgot to hook the wires to the EGR. It forced the fan to run ba!!s to the wall any time it kicked on, and caused the famous turbo fart noise any time I backed out of the throttle.

Next thing we know, the water pump was out of it. Not sure if it was related or not. But the water pump failed right after we noticed the harness off the EGR.

Just after the water pump the EGR went south and of course the company didnt replace the oil cooler.

Somewhere in that time frame we gobbled up a fan harness or two along the way.

Every single time something has happened to this truck its been either after our shop used napa filters, or shortly after we pass the oil change mark.

Also the fuel tank lining came apart.

It sounds like a ton of stuff but I honestly believe that much of it could have been avoided had some of these issues been looked into.

I drove the he!! out of this truck for almost 2 years. There has been weeks where this truck has ran non stop for 3 or 4 days, while we traded off shifts during storm work. Tons of high idle time.

Altec used two different pumps on this style boom.
If you have the one that runs off the trans, DON'T work the boom at low idle. Altec and ford told us the rpm's must be higher then idle to keep from tearing up the trans.

On occasion, my high idle would fail after the transfer case has been in low range. After a trip from Altec service we found out that simply shutting the engine and restarting would fix this issue.

BTW.......That boom is one of the most awesome booms ever made. Not sure if they are all as fast as the one I had, but OMG mine was sweet.

I hope I didn't bum ya out by listing the troubles we had, maybe hearing others troubles will help ya avoid a few of your own.

Good luck.
It has the trans driven PTO and it is stupid fast. I was wondering about getting that slowed down but you confirmed my suspicion. I ran an older AT37 lift on a f700 for years and can attest to the usefulness of it! The truck it was on sucked though. This one wanted to chuck me out of the bucket!
As far as failures listed goes I was kind of expecting that sort of reply. I know that everything mechanical will screw up at some point. I just am hoping to keep it to a minimum. I have no intentions at all of modifying this truck so im not too worried about head bolts or gasket failure. This truck is my last ditch at keeping my head above water. I honestly would have taken an older one with the 7.3 (thats my comfort zone motor) in it but cannot find one anywhere.
In a way typical to only me I went out and spent 40k on this rite as my unemployment ran out. Im either gonna make it on my own or go down in flames but either way I tried!
Thanks for the replies
Ken
 

bismic1

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Buy a scangauge or edge insight to monitor oil and coolant temps. Also. install a fuel pressure gauge.

You can avoid spending big bucks in repairs by watching these parameters.

Fuel pressure needs to ALWAYS be above 45 psig.

Oil temp should never be more than 15 degrees higher than the coolant temp.
 
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marblecrusher

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Best of luck to you on the 6.0 part lol but the AT37 is a great unit. Im a auto tech for the local rural electric company I work for and all we use is Altec and they are great.

-Jordan-
 

CDX825

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Change out the Ford Gold coolant for some EC-1 rated coolant and install a coolant filter and you will lesson the chance of an EGR failure.

These engines also do better with 10w30 diesel oil compared to 15w40 or 5w40. They will shear a 40 weight oil down to 30 where as a 30 weight will stay in grade the whole OCI. A lot of Ford dealers have switched over to using 10w30 when they get one in for an oil change as well. This also helps cure the injector stiction problem.
 

bismic1

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That really doesn't "add-up" to me. A 5W40 sheering to a 30 weight is bad after 3000 - 5000 miles, but starting w/ a 10W30 (30 weight) weight is OK ??? BTW, I have seen UOA of 10W30's that have sheared to a 20W after 5k miles.

I agree that a 10W30 can be a good oil, but bottom line Ford does not recommend it at temps above 50 degrees F. I know people that use it in temps above 50, but I am just quoting Ford. I also don't think that 10W30's necessarily produce better UOA results than the others. They may do so in some engines, but I believe that that is more related to engine variability than oil performance.
 
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bismic1

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Here ya go, Read up.

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/ge...otella-t-5-10w-30-you-will-probably-like.html

Lots of people are running the 10w30 with good results.

I am very familiar w/ that thread.

You still have not answered why a 5W40 shearing to 30 weight is bad and STARTING w/ a 30 weight is good.

Frankly I don't believe there is a good response to that. A 5W40 oil is still OK when sheared to a 30 wt. The only bad thing about it applies to a 10W30 straight out of the bottle - Ford doesn't recommend it in hot weather or in extremely hard working engine conditions, otherwise you can use the sheared 5W40 in the 30 weight viscosity condition with NO PROBLEMS.

As your link shows, there are a number (one thread isn't a lot when you think about all the 6.0L owners out there) using it with good results (I said that earlier also). Most of these folks aren't actively advocating it when towing heavy loads in hot weather. I wouldn't use it for that either. BTW there are more failure modes than can be picked up by UOA, so LONG TERM reliability is the objective with oil selection. I don't want to be switching oils in winter and summer, and a 5W40 is a great year round oil.

Saying these engines do better w/ 10W30 than 15W40 or 5W40 simply is not true. I know just as many 5W40 users over 200k miles (and doing very well) as have posted in the thread link you put up. 15W40 does fine too - just not so good when the temperature drops too low (injector stiction as you mention).
 
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CDX825

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If 10W30 stays in grade, that is it goes in 10W30 and comes back out 10W30 thats good.

You pay more for full synthetic 5W40 witch ends up a 5W30. Why pay more for an oil the engine does not like?

Ive seen several UOAs that also show better wear numbers from switching to 10W30 from 5W40.

My point is

10W30 stays in grade during the OCI
10W30 shows better wear numbers than 15W40 and sometimes 5W40
10W30 is cheaper than 5W40
10w30 gives better fuel economy than 15W40
The engines fuel system will perform better on 10W30, 5W30 or 0W30 than 15W40 or 5W40.
Ford has listed 10W30 as acceptable for year around use and some dealers are using it in the 6.0s.

There are UOAs that also show that it holds up to high heat and towing. Your owners manual shows it as being acceptable to be used from -10 to 90 degrees BTW. The link I posted is just one of hundreds of sites that show what I'm trying to say. Use google do a search. Check out Bob is the oil guy forums. This information is everywhere!
 

bismic1

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If 10W30 stays in grade, that is it goes in 10W30 and comes back out 10W30 thats good.

You pay more for full synthetic 5W40 witch ends up a 5W30. Why pay more for an oil the engine does not like?

Ive seen several UOAs that also show better wear numbers from switching to 10W30 from 5W40.

My point is

10W30 stays in grade during the OCI
10W30 shows better wear numbers than 15W40 and sometimes 5W40
10W30 is cheaper than 5W40
10w30 gives better fuel economy than 15W40
The engines fuel system will perform better on 10W30, 5W30 or 0W30 than 15W40 or 5W40.
Ford has listed 10W30 as acceptable for year around use and some dealers are using it in the 6.0s.
There are UOAs that also show that it holds up to high heat and towing. Your owners manual shows it as being acceptable to be used from -10 to 90 degrees BTW. The link I posted is just one of hundreds of sites that show what I'm trying to say. Use google do a search. Check out Bob is the oil guy forums. This information is everywhere!

The owners manual states that 10W30 is "acceptable" to 90 degrees (not past) but 5W40 is preferred at temps above 30F. There are no statements made as to the acceptability of 10W30 when working the engine hard (ie towing) and it implies that in temps over 90 degrees, it should not be used. In fact, the owners manual states to use 15W40 when towing. More recent Ford literature has been issued that is more specific regarding the temperature range (see links below). 5W40 is now touted for the extreme ranges and for trailer towing.

I will give you the references for what I am saying. Please post up the "backup" for your statements that are in bold above.

Please also post up a link to a UOA that states the service history for that oil change that specifically discusses towing in 100 degree heat. Not saying that it doesn't exist, but I haven't seen it provided yet.

It is ludicrous to say 10W30 gives better fuel economy than the other oils - especially 5W40. Also ludicrous to say the fuel system for 10W30 holds up better than w/ 5W40 and that engines perform better. My information is from Ford and Ford Techs, so I am not just blowing smoke.

I have seen 10W30 that absolutely does NOT stay on grade at 7500 miles.

I will certainly acknowledge that there are some VERY good UOA w/ the 10W30 and that it is cheaper than 5W40. I frequent BITOG btw. Most of the posts touting 10W30 for the 6.0L are made by the same folks on the Org post.

Here are my references:

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdirs/servicetips/dieselcare/index.html

Click on "6.0L Diesel Care"
Go to the end of the video
Click on "Diesel oil and filter"
The reference is about 1/3 of the way through

If you don't care to watch the video, here is a snapshot of the chart of interest:
http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/members/bismic-albums-miscellaneous-picture81715-oil-chart.html

Also:
http://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubrican...uper Duty Diesel Motor Oil&category=Motor Oil

The reference above states:
"Motorcraft® SAE 10W-30 Super Duty Motor Oil is recommended for use in 7.3L, 6.4L and 6.0L Powerstroke® diesel engines from 0 °F (-18 °C) to 50 °F (10 °C) "

Pretty sure that it is also in a Ford TSB ..........

I agree that 10W30 is a very good oil for the 6.0L, but it is not a miracle fluid and limited data should not be used to try to say it is better than say a 5W40 - especially in mpg and injector performance!
 
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