Engine issues and questions...

Strokersace

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I'm a 7.3 guy but helping a buddy with his 6.0 that isn't on the forums. He's having some issues that we are trying to figure out and get to the bottom of.

He's got an 04 (not sure if it's an early or late) 6.0 auto w/ 86K on it.

Here's the history since he's had it:

2 1/2 years ago we installed an Elite EGR delete kit on it and flushed the coolant system and installed CAT ELC. That was at 64K ish miles. A very short time later (couple of months) he had to have 2 different injectors replaced because they went bad. NO issues at all in the last 2 years.

Last summer he installed an Edge Insight on it for gauge monitorinig. I believe he only has 2 or 3 programs downloaded onto it and uses the tow program when pulling his horse trailer. Also noticed in the late summer early fall, that he's got a slight oil leak and it appears to be coming from the pass side of the motor, like on the side.


So here's where my questions about issues comes in...

A month ago he calls me when they were on a hard and fast trip pulling the trailer from Montana to Texas to help a family member move. He said that the engine oil temps were getting up to 50+ degrees higher than coolant temps at times when they were pulling hard in the hills or mountains. Normally they're only 15* or so higher. Was consistantly 20 to 25* higher but during these specific times on the trip they got to 250* + with coolant temps staying in the neighborhood of 190-200*. Through research on the forums, it's a consensous that this means the oil cooler is plugged and needs replaced.

Are there any brands or companies that are recommended more than others? Not interested in the relocation/delete kits, just replacements.

Also, could this be what's causing the oil leak on the pass side of his motor? There's no oil at all on the top of the motor or coming down the backside near the bellhousing. It's clearly coming from the pass side.

Next issue he's having that I was able to see 1st hand this weekend:

I guess a week or 2 ago after the truck had been sitting for a couple of days, 30 - 40* weather and not plugged. He started it up and it started very ratty - stumbled on itself and idled really rough. He was very easy on it since it wasn't warmed up but was alarmed in how it was acting. He said that it was way down on power, like had to put the pedal to the floor to get it to even move and he was completely empty. No smoke of any kind from the tailpipe. Said it didn't shift normally either, that it was at a much higher rpm than usual and when it shifted it was very hard/rough. It acted this way for several miles and it was like nothing had happened, picked up and ran/shifted fine.

It did it again last week. Same thing - no power, no smoke, shifting weird.


Then this past weekend I was able to see it 1st hand. We were using the pickup to haul a little dump trailer throught the day so it'd sit for an hour, maybe 2 at a time till the trailer got full. Outside temps were 50's. Each time after sitting for just that hour or 2, it would start ratty and didn't have enough power to pull itself out of the spot where it was parked. Absolutely NO smoke. EOT and ECT were in the ballpark of 100* ish at each startup. By the time I'd get the truck moving, drive it 200 yards to dump the trailer (letting it idle the whole time), and then drive back to where we were working, it would start to act normal. Sometimes sooner than others but I'm talking over a 10 minute period. Seems to be getting more and more consistant too. No abnormal codes that he's pulled either.

Wondering what the hell could be causing this issue? Could it be something to do with the oil cooler?

Again, I unfortunately don't know much about the 6.0 so I'm asking for some input and help. If he was a computer type guy, I'd get him on here, but he really isn't. Just trying to help him out the best I can.

Thanks!:ford:
 
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I'm a 7.3 guy but helping a buddy with his 6.0 that isn't on the forums. He's having some issues that we are trying to figure out and get to the bottom of.

He's got an 04 (not sure if it's an early or late) 6.0 auto w/ 86K on it.

Here's the history since he's had it:

2 1/2 years ago we installed an Elite EGR delete kit on it and flushed the coolant system and installed CAT ELC. That was at 64K ish miles. A very short time later (couple of months) he had to have 2 different injectors replaced because they went bad. NO issues at all in the last 2 years.

Last summer he installed an Edge Insight on it for gauge monitorinig. I believe he only has 2 or 3 programs downloaded onto it and uses the tow program when pulling his horse trailer. Also noticed in the late summer early fall, that he's got a slight oil leak and it appears to be coming from the pass side of the motor, like on the side.


So here's where my questions about issues comes in...

A month ago he calls me when they were on a hard and fast trip pulling the trailer from Montana to Texas to help a family member move. He said that the engine oil temps were getting up to 50+ degrees higher than coolant temps at times when they were pulling hard in the hills or mountains. Normally they're only 15* or so higher. Was consistantly 20 to 25* higher but during these specific times on the trip they got to 250* + with coolant temps staying in the neighborhood of 190-200*. Through research on the forums, it's a consensous that this means the oil cooler is plugged and needs replaced.

Are there any brands or companies that are recommended more than others? Not interested in the relocation/delete kits, just replacements.

Ford OEM Replacement Oil Cooler

Also, could this be what's causing the oil leak on the pass side of his motor? There's no oil at all on the top of the motor or coming down the backside near the bellhousing. It's clearly coming from the pass side.

Probably just the valve cover that is leaking.

Next issue he's having that I was able to see 1st hand this weekend:

I guess a week or 2 ago after the truck had been sitting for a couple of days, 30 - 40* weather and not plugged. He started it up and it started very ratty - stumbled on itself and idled really rough. He was very easy on it since it wasn't warmed up but was alarmed in how it was acting. He said that it was way down on power, like had to put the pedal to the floor to get it to even move and he was completely empty. No smoke of any kind from the tailpipe. Said it didn't shift normally either, that it was at a much higher rpm than usual and when it shifted it was very hard/rough. It acted this way for several miles and it was like nothing had happened, picked up and ran/shifted fine.

It did it again last week. Same thing - no power, no smoke, shifting weird.


Then this past weekend I was able to see it 1st hand. We were using the pickup to haul a little dump trailer throught the day so it'd sit for an hour, maybe 2 at a time till the trailer got full. Outside temps were 50's. Each time after sitting for just that hour or 2, it would start ratty and didn't have enough power to pull itself out of the spot where it was parked. Absolutely NO smoke. EOT and ECT were in the ballpark of 100* ish at each startup. By the time I'd get the truck moving, drive it 200 yards to dump the trailer (letting it idle the whole time), and then drive back to where we were working, it would start to act normal. Sometimes sooner than others but I'm talking over a 10 minute period. Seems to be getting more and more consistant too. No abnormal codes that he's pulled either.

Wondering what the hell could be causing this issue? Could it be something to do with the oil cooler?

I would guess that this issue he is having is FICM Related. Check the FICM Voltage. Should be 48 volts +/- 1.


Again, I unfortunately don't know much about the 6.0 so I'm asking for some input and help. If he was a computer type guy, I'd get him on here, but he really isn't. Just trying to help him out the best I can.

Thanks!:ford:

Answers in Red, hope that helps
 

Strokersace

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Thanks for the reply.

That's what I've been finding that a oem oil cooler is the ticket. Also gonna check the valve covers for leaks.

Also going to check the voltage on the FICM. I've found a procedure to do that.

Another thought that crossed my mind was doing a full coolant flush with Restore or Restore + at time of oil cooler. I've read on other sites that it's a huge deal. We did a full flush a couple of years ago when we did the EGR delete and he's been running CAT ELC since. But probably wouldn't hurt.
 

bluedevilslax

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A flush would be a good idea every 20,000 to 30,000 no matter what coolant you are running. Most guys are doing it now and defineatly check your FICM becaus that is the heart of a lot of problems.
 

Strokersace

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So tackling this starting today.

He bought a new OEM oil cooler so we're going to change that out. New oil of course. Unfortunately he's pretty short on cash so we aren't going to do a true "restore" flush of the coolant system. When we did the flush and put the CAT ELC in at the time of the EGR Delete a few years ago, we did a pretty good flush. Then later that year, he did a very good flush with distilled water, getting it up to operating temps, flushing again, etc. The only thing that he didn't use was the Restore stuff. So we're going to do the distilled water flush again since it's cheap. Down the road he plans on doing a full flush with the Restore products and then adding a coolant filter at that time.

We're also going to check the FICM voltage to make sure it's up to par. And try to check for the oil leak on the pass side. VC, sensors, bedplate, etc.
 

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