2005 F 250 Super Duty Question...Long Ramble

The no start problems are frequently caused by the Fuel Injection Control Module, or FICM. I've had two of them on my truck. I got home from a cross country trip once and the next morning the truck wouldn't start. I was glad that it waited until I got home to break.

HANK85713 brought up a good point. My truck would run really rough sporadically and got to where it would stall. It turned out to be a broken fuel pressure modulator spring. Ford had a recall on them because the spring would either get weak or break. They're pretty easy to change and cost around 30 bucks. The "Blue Spring" is the replacement.

The key to keeping these engines running well is regular servicing. They're very sensitive to oil and fuel contamination.

The Fuel Injectors are actuated by high pressure engine oil. It's very important to keep clean oil in the system or you'll have sticking injectors. All diesels require clean fuel. Make sure you change the fuel filters at the proper intervals and get your fuel from a reputable source. I like to get mine from truck stops. They have a high turnover on their fuel, so it's less likely to have moisture and sediment.

I had the hypermax ECON tuner on my truck. Some folks think that this is what caused the issues with the head gasket. I got 24 mpg on the highway during one trip and 14 mpg while towing my 7 ton FW. It had great performance. Unfortunately it improves performance by advancing the fuel injection timing. It creates more cylinder pressure. If you're going to use something like this you should invest in ARP head studs.

Hey guys....keep the post coming. I am learning some important info...We went through all the veh wouldn't start issues, lol. Had it towed across the Rockies to a Diesel shop. They kept it 3 days with no problems found! Dealership in Brighton worked on it for 11 hours two weeks later...introduced to my first EGR replacement! You live and learn...and pay, lol! Thanks!

Cat ELC coolant is what is really recommended. I also have a 6.0, added the filter as noted above (never did have any 'sand') did have the snot that seems to be the trouble. Had the oil cooler replaced, replaced the EGR tube with one from Bullet Proof diesel. Went with the cat elc. I do run a hypertech economiser tuner, not one of the hot ones that is used by some. I also had the guy install the blue spring upgrade which helps maintain fuel pressure and is one of the most highly recommended installs. The tech that did all the work also installed all the latest TSB's on the engine (mine is 04), told him not to touch the computer so has its original tune with the addition of the hypertech. have gotten close to 20 mpg usually around 18 empty at 80mph and 2350rpm. Go to ford truck enthusists site for more info. powerstroke.org is also a good one read through the stickies and they will answer many questions.

I also run a oil bypass filter and it seems to make a big difference. The tech said the internals were the cleanest of any he had to work on. He did the ARP studs and gaskets while working on the truck. I also use synthetic oil and add archoil to keep the injectors lubed and not sticking.

mabynack wrote:
One word of warning. My problems were most likely due to adding an aftermarket tuner that increased cylinder pressures. That seems to be a common cause of many of these problems.

Adding performance enhancing aftermarket parts is very tempting with many of the diesel powered trucks and some gas burners as well. You experienced the downside to stressing the engine and subjecting many parts to extremes they are not designed to handle.

The best strategy is to maintain any vehicle to its original state as designed and built by the manufacturer.

I've got a 2005 F-250 HD Diesel and just went through a similar issue about 18 months ago. Mine blew a head gasket after the stock head bolts stretched. Up to that point the truck had been pretty good. The place I took it to charged me 8000 to install a bunch of aftermarket parts on the top end of the engine. It supposedly addresses many of the issues that Ford had with this engine.

The oil cooler is a big problem and the Ford replacement part supposedly corrects some of the issues.

The coolant filter is a cheap insurance. There's a lot of casting sand that's left in the engine when it's manufactured and it tends to clog the oil cooler and EGR cooler. Another issue is if someone added the wrong antifreeze at some point. The coolant going through the EGR cooler is exposed to extreme temperatures and if it's not the correct type it forms silicates that clog the oil cooler and EGR cooler. Once the EGR cooler gets clogged, there's nothing to cool the exhaust gas and it melts a hole in the cooler that allows coolant into the combustion chambers. This usually results in white smoke under accelerations and will blow the head gasket if it gets too bad.

Make sure you only use coolant that meets the requirements for this engine. Using the wrong coolant will destroy the EGR and Engine Oil Coolers.

I had ARP head studs installed to replace the stock Ford head studs. They're less inclined to stretch and cause a blown head gasket, but they aren't cheap. The studs were about $600.

Ford has changed the design of several components in the fuel system after a lot of failures. The shop changed out several parts and pieces with new and improved Ford parts.

I haven't done a lot of towing since I got the truck fixed. It runs great.

One word of warning. My problems were most likely due to adding an aftermarket tuner that increased cylinder pressures. That seems to be a common cause of many of these problems.

Get that Ford Gold coolant out of there, it is a large cause of many oil cooler/EGR problems on that 6.0. I'm surprised it went that far before clogging up. The coolant contains silicon (sand), and if the engine gets real hot just once, the goo begins.

I had my oil cooler and EGR cooler changed (also an '05 F250 6.0) at just over 60K miles, and it was clogged up considerably. I got lucky on that one, I noticed a coolant leak from the EGR, and got it in 8 days before my warranty expired. Any good ELC-type coolant will work fine.

The advice above about a coolant filter is spot-on. Easy to install.

The Ford dealer would not have installed a coolant filter as it is not a standard item from Ford. And they would have probably put in the same type of antifreeze that causes the problem. A coolant filter would be a good addition at this point.

Thanks for the detailed info...just what I wanted. On an Engine Oil Cooler replacement, would it be SOP to replace or install a coolant filter at that time? They did replace all new oil and coolant, but...

From what I have heard, if the coolant is full of minerals, then the minerals can collect at the inlet to the oil cooler and reduce flow to the exhaust gas cooler, it will overheat then crack, and then you can get coolant into the engine.

Chances are they installed all new coolant, and the block inside is still covered with the slime that caused the first oil cooler to reduce coolant flow.

Fix? It is only about $100 and was done to all the International class 6 and 7 trucks with the same engine in it. Install a coolant filter.

Napa # FIL4070 and a holder called FIL 4019.

I put one on my then new 1997 460" powered Bounder motorhome. At 1 year old, the coolant filter was so blocked that the heater would not work, and I replaced it, cut the old one open and found a sand like substance in it.

For my shuttle bus, I bought some tiny 3/8" ball valves, and installed it in the lines going back to the auxiliary heater box. It is a 2002 V10. This makes changing the filter much easier!

The heater hose is 5/8" ID and you can get the valves and barbed fittings at Home Depot or Lowes.

On my RV, I placed it where I could put a bucket under the filter and drain some fluid while changing the filter, but tried to keep fluid loss minimal with needle nose locking pliers and a rag on each heater hose line.

It has been reported that the first coolant filter on your model year truck will last for about 800 miles before being totally clogged with sludge. The second one about 1,200 miles and the third will last the remainder of 1 year. After that, buy the new filter every year or so, or when the heater stops working.

I actually like it when the coolant filter is clogged all summer, and the hot water is not circulating around my cool air from the A/C unit. You can use the shut off valves to restrict the flow in the summer, and your dash A/C will work much better.

Good luck,

Fred.