If you've been reading the last few issues of Off-Road, then you've seen that we're revamping our longtime Ford Super Duty project truck. We're turning it into a true support truck for the magazine: it's our chase truck, tow truck, and mild off-roader. In other words, this is our rescue and work truck for when we break everything else. But our Super Turd Diesel (STD) hasn't run right in over four years, and without the engine running correctly, there's really no point to address anything else. Funnily enough, the STD has had probably four different suspensions installed on it in the last couple years. But we've never given this poor truck enough love to take it down to have that pesky 6.0L Powerstroke engine fixed!
When we finally got it to the (unnamed) Ford dealership, the mechanics told us the engine was shot, and that we were looking at quite an expensive repair bill. But the engine didn't feel 'shot'. Instead, it felt more like the engine wasn't getting fuel part of the time (possibly a fuel regulation issue). Not accepting the dead engine theory, we took full advantage of our magazine contacts and started making calls until we found two different recommendations to a shop that could fix any Powerstroke problem we could have. Diesel Tech in San Jacinto, California, specializes in Super Duty trucks (picture ten racks, nine of them loaded with Super Dutys) and the guys there have seen any and every problem that the 6.0-liter Powerstroke can manifest.
We walked along with Loren Taylor, Diesel Tech's owner, as he pointed out not only the problems on our truck, but also other common 6.0L ailments. If you've got a 6.0L that's having some problems, then maybe you should check with Diesel Tech too. Half an hour after we got to the shop, Taylor had already hooked up his impressive engine diagnostics software and found the problems that had plagued this truck for years.
Was our engine 'shot', like we had been told? No, far from it. In fact, our head gaskets weren't even blown (a common problem on 6.0L)! All that was wrong with our 6.0Lwere three wasted fuel injectors and a bad fan clutch. They were definitely enough issue to cause our STD to run hot and like junk, but hardly reasons for trashing an engine. I guess we'll just have to spend that $10,000 we saved for a new engine somewhere else....
 The 6.0L Powerstroke has been...  The 6.0L Powerstroke has been quite the problem child for Ford. The engine has had numerous types of problems plaguing Super Duty owners, and has even become the center of a lawsuit between International (Powerstroke engine supplier) and Ford Motor Co. Fortunately for owners, most of these problems have been researched, and almost all of the potential Powerstroke problems can be fixed or prevented. Unfortunately, the fixes and modifications can cost an absolute arm and a leg. You can almost double the cost of everything for a diesel engine (over a gas engine). |  This 6.0L blew its head gaskets...  This 6.0L blew its head gaskets like so many of its brethren. The best and most common fix for diesel engine head gasket blowouts is putting in head studs instead of regular bolts. Diesel Tech highly recommends any Powerstoke owner adding studs if their gaskets are blown. And if your diesel has a tuner and some other hi-po parts on it, you can bet on having to add some head gaskets and head studs into your maintenance costs. |  The high-pressure oil pump...  The high-pressure oil pump sees its fair share of work, and if you're having fuel pressure issues, this might be the likely culprit. The pump is designed to increase fuel pressure at the injectors via hydraulic oil pressure at the fuel injector. Diesel fuel actually never touches this pump. |
 The high-pressure oil pump...  The high-pressure oil pump feeds a branch tube that sends oil to the high-pressure oil rails under the valve covers. The fuel injectors attach to the underside of this oil rail, and the increase in fuel pressure (by the oil pump) is actually done right at the injector. |  These are our three failed...  These are our three failed fuel injectors. Taylor has some amazing software at Diesel Tech. He was actually able to plug his laptop into our truck, gain access to our engine's ECU, and start shutting down injectors, one by one, until we found the problematic ones. Curiously enough, all of our failed injectors were on the same bank of cylinders (#2, #6, and #8). |  The 6.0L Powerstroke's fuel...  The 6.0L Powerstroke's fuel injectors mount directly onto the high-pressure oil rail and sit down into the heads of the engine. Each fuel injector is a mechanical/ electrical injector that uses an electric signal to trigger fuel release, with the hydraulic oil pressure ramping up fuel pressure in each injector. |
 You might see a star pattern...  You might see a star pattern on one or more of your pistons if your heads are off of your 6.0L Powerstroke engine. This comes from over-fueling the engine and changing the spray pattern. Often, this is an indication that an aftermarket tuner was used, but Diesel Tech tells us that they have definitely seen this happen on completely stock Powerstrokes as well. |  Besides the fueling issue,...  Besides the fueling issue, our truck also had a major cooling issue. The crappy operation of the engine combined with the cooling issues led us to make a definite (and wrong) diagnosis that our head gaskets were blown. And this is one time when we were happy to be wrong. It turns out our problems were a combination of the bad fuel injectors and a faulty fan clutch that would not turn the fan when the ECU gave it a signal to do so.Though our problems were still costly, they were nothing compared to the possibility of replacing an engine. | |