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Old 11-04-2005, 11:23 PM   #1
Montana_882
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Ford 6.0 diesel Head gaskets Defective

We departed home on a two month trip in Aug. with less than 14,000 miles on the truck and the next thing it was over heating.The cause was both head gaskets and it took the Ford dealer in Wytheville Va (8) eight working days to replace them,they only get paid for sixteen hours.You also need to start carrying a large hose clamp,the clamp that holds the turbo output hose brakes often as well,and you can at least get to a Ford dealer as we had to do also.
 
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Old 11-04-2005, 11:58 PM   #2
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Just had mine replaced under warranty as well. I made it to about 27k before one let go and was pushing coolant out the degas bottle. I took mine to Woodhouse in Blair Nebraska and they had it back to me in two days. Did say they have to pull motor out of truck to replace the head gaskets though. Got about 5,000 miles on the new ones so far and no problems. Will get a better test hear soon while we are pulling the Monty south for a much needed vacation.
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Old 11-05-2005, 04:32 AM   #3
drhowell
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Ford has a bulletin out on the turbo hose clamp. They replace it with a heavy duty one. A friend had a problem with his 2004 F250 just quit on the highway. Ford traced it to an electronic problem but not before they tried about everything else. In the process they did not tighten that clamp and about 200 miles later it came loose. The truck would still run but had about 50% power. Look for the 3" blue hose near the top of the engine and tighten that clamp.

Hadn't heard about the head gasket problem? Will keep an eye on mine. I have found that not all Ford dealerships have qualified diesel mechanics and that is a real problem when you want it fixed right and in a reasonable time.

So far my 04 F250 is running great with no problems and I have over 20,000 miles on it.
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Old 11-07-2005, 04:06 PM   #4
sreigle
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Did they replace with an updated or improved head gasket or with the same thing? In other words, did they fix the problem or just treat the symptom?
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Old 11-07-2005, 07:07 PM   #5
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Supposedly they have a new improved gasket that seals better. They also asked me if I had a chip in it because the 6.0’s are more susceptible to lifting the heads than 7.3 was. They told me that if I had head gasket problems again that Ford would want to tear down the engine them selves to see if they could find any traces of a chip or programmer. If they thought you modified anything they would deny coverage. I have about 6K miles on the truck since they fixed the gaskets, but only about 250 of those miles was under any kind of heavy load. We are going to be pulling the Monty with us to Texas here in a couple of weeks and that should get it warm enough to see if they are going to hold or not.
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Old 11-11-2005, 10:40 AM   #6
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We have 37k on this one and put 51k on the 2003 6.0 and have not had overheating problems with either. I looked and looked and also stopped and asked the local Ford dealer and they know of no bulletin on the head gaskets nor have they had any problems with head gaskets. So apparently it is not a widespread problem.
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Old 11-12-2005, 02:05 AM   #7
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I am a member over at TheDieselStop.com and you here about a number of them with chips and programmers that are having problems. I'm sure it's still a small percentage of the actual number of trucks on the road. But that's where I was getting my information. I think mine was bad since it left International plant. Because I started loosing coolant early on and they thought it just wasn't filled properly from the factory. It didn't really loose a lot until about 25k. Then the coolant disappeared out of the overflow bottle completely within a 2 or 3 week period of driving back and forth to work. That's when I took it back to the dealer and they discovered a bad gasket. They have treated me fairly and fix things in a timely manner. Even gave me a 2005 Crew Cab to drive while it was being fixed. Boy those new trucks sure do turn a lot shorter than the old ones like mine. I was amazed at how much shorter it turned around.

Like I said I will have a better report after we return from vacation. Should make it work a little pulling down to Waco and back.
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Old 11-12-2005, 10:57 AM   #8
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Yes, I really like the turn radius. The ride is also better, solo, than our '03 and '99 were. Rides very nicely. And the frontend feels very solid, as does the whole truck. Considerably bigger brakes, huge frame and control arms. Not to mention way higher ratings.
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Old 11-13-2005, 12:26 PM   #9
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Just curious, does the new 6.0 have aluminum heads like the Dmax??
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Old 11-15-2005, 11:23 AM   #10
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This is from Dieselmann's page about the 6.0. I do not know if this page refers to the 2006 engine or if this changed for 2006.

"The 6.0 has a cast iron cylinder block and heads"

I've heard the aluminum heads on the Duramax has had some warping problems and gasket problems so I hope the 6.0 doesn't have aluminum heads. Not knocking the Duramax, I just am not enamored of using one metal for the block and a different metal for the heads. Seems like a presciption for problems to me. I remember the aluminum pistons in the 50's era Chevy V8's. My Dad had problems with his '55 in that respect. The same would be true for any mfr.
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Old 11-15-2005, 05:42 PM   #11
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Steve,
I noticed you said you have almost 38,000 miles on your new truck. I have been driving the heck out of mine including a trip down to Nashville and back and just rolled 42,000. This truck turns two years old on Nov. 25. Guess it wont be long till you pass me. Oh how I cant wait to full time and enjoy the many great roads this country has to offer.
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Old 11-16-2005, 03:09 AM   #12
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My 2004 6.0 has cast iron heads. Durmax has the aluminum heads and cast iron block. There was some problems early on with head gaskets leaking etc. Usually because the owner didn't follow Chevrolet's recommendations. Diesel engines should never be shut down hot without letting them idle (cool down) for up to 5 minutes depending on the load immediately prior to shut down. They should also be warmed up before putting them under load. I see people parked at the top of a long grade with the engine shut down. Worst thing you can do. If you need to shut down, do it at the bottom of the hill after the engine has cooled.

Many people run their diesel like they did their gas rigs. Wrong! If you treat it like a diesel it will give you many more trouble free miles. My son is service manager at a large Chevrolet dealership and we have had this discussion numerous times. I bought Ford in 2004 because Chevrolet was having a problem with the injectors. (per my son) Since then they have resolved the problem and my next truck may be Chevrolet? But right now I really enjoy my F250.
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Old 11-16-2005, 03:16 AM   #13
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That is one of the things I love most about the remote start/Alarm that was installed when I bought my new truck. It has a turbo monitor built in and will keep the truck running for 3-5 minutes depending on where I have it set. This helps cool things down before shutting down and allows me to turn it off take out the keys lock the doors and walk into a convenient store while on a road trip and not worry about some SOB stealing my truck.
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Old 11-16-2005, 01:01 PM   #14
Chad Brooks
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My truck had the head gasket issue. Ever since new it has lost coolant out of the overflow bottle. It would go down to just below min and then not go any farther. I took it in Friday for head gasket replacement and they should be finished in the morning. Seems like they have a ton of them to do.
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Old 11-17-2005, 06:58 AM   #15
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You're right, Dave. The truck was a year old on October 25th. The previous year we did 40,800 miles so I guess we're slowing it down just a bit. I'm making weekly trips to see my folks (240 miles roundtrip) while we're in the KC area plus numerous trips to Topeka (160 roundtrip) and to see the kids (average 50 roundtrip) so we won't really save many miles while we sit here in the cold weather through the holidays!

Each time I am ready to buy a new truck I evaluate what is out there, my experiences with each brand, others' experiences, and then make my decision. A brand treating me well gets extra points. If it doesn't, it can get negative points or even a flat out veto. My next will likely be a Ford but I also like the Dodge so we'll have to see when and if the time comes. Hopefully that will be a long time.

I usually shut down when the EGT (pre-turbo) gets down to 400 degrees. On many runs I'll be at that temperature before I come to a stop and can shut down immediately. On hot days or immediately after a long uphill run it make take a couple of minutes. Is this not good enough? Should I be letting it cool for longer regardless of EGT? Thanks.
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Old 11-17-2005, 07:01 PM   #16
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I have been shutting down at 300 degrees or cooler. My dealership who installed my EGT recommended this as a safe temp for shut down. When coming out of Bend, OR this summer heading home we had air temps of 104 and that long grade up to Biggs, OR was some pull. Temps got as hot as 1,100 degrees on the EGT and while stopped at the rest area ontop of the grade I left the truck run to help things cool down, parked at 900 degrees and got back temps were 400-450 degrees. That was after sitting there for 5-6 mins. I would rather be safe than sorry, and burn the extra fuel cooling down rather than shutting down and doing engine/turbo damage.
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Old 11-17-2005, 09:10 PM   #17
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I was told 350 when we visited with ford engineers in Louisville a few years ago while attending a ford diesel rally. I know there are turbo saver devices that automatically leave the truck running if the turbo is above a certain degree as well. I have a feature on the remote start where I can leave it running for 1,3, or 5 minutes after removing the keys. I left it set @ 5 minutes and just hope it is cooled down by then.
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Old 11-18-2005, 02:43 AM   #18
Bob Pasternak
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I don't know about the Rice Burners or Binders, but Cummins has a "high idle" feature that can be activated by the dealer. I had mine turned on and now I can turn on the cruise control, hit 'set' and the idle speed goes to 1100 rpm and can be increased to 1300 rpm. It comes in handy at rest stops or for warm-up. If I leave it run and lock it then reach through the window to open the door, the engine dies and the alarm sounds. If the alarm goes off I have to use a key in the door lock to shut it off.
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Old 11-18-2005, 06:17 AM   #19
Montana Sky
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I know the 05 Duramax has the high idle option for cold weather start ups, I just wish that all 3 made a high idle that we could remove the key and leave the motor running like the big rigs do. This would make the rest stops and cool downs alot safer for us and the trucks. Who knows maybe with the new 07 GM's being redesigned one could always hope.
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Old 11-21-2005, 01:13 PM   #20
sreigle
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Mine has high idle for cold starts, too, if I understand what you're saying.

Dave, you said you shut down at 300. Mine doesn't often get that low even idling. The probe for my EGT gauge is in the exhaust manifold, pre-turbo. By chance is yours post-turbo? That would result in the lower readings if you do. Just trying to make sure both are apples.

Bob, I've let mine run after a hard run while we trek into a rest area restroom. I lock the foor but if I lock the door with the electric lock button with the key in the ignition the driver door will auto unlock right away. I have to lock it by pressing down the button on the door sill. This truck came with the combination lock on the outside of the door. I thought I'd never use that but this is one situation where it is handy to unlock the door when we return and the engine is running.
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