Crossed over to Diesel

I've always preferred a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup or van. I occasionally haul up to 3300 lbs in the bed of my F250 for work. Makes it ride nice! I'm over the diesel giddy but I might own another some day.

I have a 2005 F250 6.0 as well, and have become expert on these beasts. There is an issue with the stock fuel pressure regulator spring and Ford put out an update in 2009 or so. It's mandatory that you get the fuel pressure tested at a dealer, and have the kit installed - it's under $50 for the kit and takes about a half hour. The fuel pressure will be around 60 psi at idle with the updated spring. Other than that, monitor the oil and water temps with a Scangauge II or equivalent OBDII data reader, change the oil every 5K miles and the fuel filters (two of them) every 15K miles and don't tune it. Last thing - use the Scangauge to monitor the FICM voltage - if it drops below 46 volts at any time, it is failing and will take out injectors. The good thing about this engine is that these little issues are well know and well documented, and have proven fixes readily available.

Brian

The fix for the 6 liter diesel is pretty simple. Get a coolant water filter. Put it inline with the heater core (5/8" heater hose) and when the coolant filter is plugged, change it. Then the heater will run again. Once the debris is out of the coolant, then the oil cooler will not overheat, and it is the clogged oil cooler that prevents the EGR cooler from cooling and this will crack it, causing water to enter the engine.

Your first coolant filter will only last about 300 miles, and the second one about 1,200 miles, the third will last about 4,000, while a yearly change is needed after those three filters.

I have a coolant filter on my Ford gas motorhome. I bought it new in 1996, and changed the first filter at about 10 months old in September, because the heater was not working. Then changed it yearly for 10 years, only adding distilled water to the coolant system all those years. At 10 years old, I drained the coolant and replaced the 2" diameter hoses, and refilled with new coolant. Still have that coolant 7 years later.

THe coolant filter helps clean up even gas motors, and helps the coolant run cooler. By keeping the debris out of the radiator, the coolant transfers heat to the air better, the water pump will last longer, and hoses will last longer too.

At year 3, I put on a filter with built in SCA's. Supplimental Coolant Additives.

Napa coolant filter #4070 and #FIL4019 to install it on your 5/8" heater hose. (the filter holder). My local Napa store stocked all the parts.

I was able to get a new water filter while in Albuquarque NM on vacation in September 1997. I cut apart the old filter to find a lot of sand looking debris. I did not cut apart any other filters though.

Fred.

The 6.0 does have a few flaws with it, but it seems to get a worse rap than what it really is. Just keep an eye on your oil temperature versus your coolant temperature. The oil should never be more than 10 degrees hotter than your coolant. If that's happening, you may have a failed oil cooler. This causes a chain reaction that can cause failure on your EGR cooler and then cause a hydro-locking issue. So it's just something to keep an eye on. There are fixes for it, but if your truck is functioning fine, then they wouldn't be all that necessary.

Diesels are nice though, lots of torque and power very low on the RPM curve. I crossed over myself only a couple months ago :), from a 2010 F-150 to my current rig.

know the feeling, I went from 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton and it was like night and day.

I wish you the very best luck with your new truck.