shop for 6.0 ford diesel repairs

[TreeClimber]

Anyone know of a good shop for Ford 6.0 Diesel repairs, prefer in south end, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, maybe as far north as Renton?

Brother in law (yeah, same one who blew the transmission) is asking for a shop recommendation. He thinks his head gasket is blown.

I've also recommended he take this time to do an EGR upgrade or delete, and a oil cooler replacement.

Any other comments, excluding smartass'd remarks about the Superduty 6.0, are welcome.

Looking for ideas & knowledge.
Thanks,
Tony

 

[Lucky Jeff]

The Powershop out in Enumclaw has done more then their fair share of 6 leaker stuff. If he can go the distance DDP is always a good choice. They're a bit far, but you really should have someone that knows what they are doing, work on those things.

 

[ChopTop84]

DDP in Monroe (Dynamite Diesel Perf), or Powershop in Enumclaw. There are a couple of guys that post on craigslist, but you get what you pay for there.

 

[zukkev]

Before the head gasket is condemned, make sure it's not the EGR cooler leaking coolant; there's a little hose at one end of the cooler that always leaks......been there seen/fixed that...

 

[ChopTop84]

Ive also seen the EGR coolers crack, and allow exhaust gasses into the coolant side, pressurizing the degas bottle and giving the "white powder" look to the hood blanket right above the cap, so yes, its not always the fault of the headgaskets anymore.

 

[TreeClimber]

Thanks for the comments, ideas, & PMs. Any other ideas?

 

[reefermadnes]

we had a 6.0 in our f550 dump truck and had nothing but huge problems.We traded it in with only 45k miles and had dumped 15grand into that piece o ****.New turbo,egr cooler,etc,etc,etc 6.0 is crap.Get a new truck,you will dump nothing but big bucks into that turd. uke:uke:uke:

 

[reefermadnes]

Ask a dealer mechanic and they all say the same thing 6.0=uke:

 

[Lucky Jeff]

Some people seem to have a tough time reading

 

[Avanteone]

I have a buddy who is ford diesel tech, that loves making play money working on 6.0's on the side. He does great work, at very reasonable prices. If you're friend is ok with not having an actual SHOP do the work, pass on my # to him.

 

[TreeClimber]

I have a buddy who is ford diesel tech, that loves making play money working on 6.0's on the side. He does great work, at very reasonable prices. If you're friend is ok with not having an actual SHOP do the work, pass on my # to him.

I've had a couple of PMs that basically said this same thing.

How do you get the heads off, without raising the cab off the frame?
Or, does your buddy also have a hoist?

 

[leadfoot067]

matts diesel repair does ALOT of 6.0 fords...he has a shop in tacoma down on 11th st..253-312-6945

 

[Avanteone]

I've had a couple of PMs that basically said this same thing.

How do you get the heads off, without raising the cab off the frame?
Or, does your buddy also have a hoist?

1. Vast majority of 6.0 head gasket failures are mis-diagnosed.
2. Most of the time, the work is done in my shop, so hoist is available.

 

[ChopTop84]

How do you get the heads off, without raising the cab off the frame?
Or, does your buddy also have a hoist?

several options. Ford dealers like to lift the cab.

private shops tend to pull the motor.

Both take about the same amount of time.

Ive heard of guys removing the motor mounts and sitting the oil pan on the crossmember. I've also heard of guys pulling the head by leaving the back bolts in the head and using rubber bands to hold them in place. I've personally never seen it done either way on a 6.0. I have seen the bolts/rubber band trick on 7.3's tho.

 

[TreeClimber]

1. Vast majority of 6.0 head gasket failures are mis-diagnosed..

I can believe this. I really really really wish that I was able to verify the problem with his truck. But all he asked me for was a 'head gasket shop recommendation", so that's what I'm doing.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas.

I have forwarded everyone's shop recommendation
I have forwarded all the PM recommendations.

 

[zukkev]

Jack the ass end of the truck up as HIGH as you possibly can so the engine is tilted forward instead of back, remove the EGR valve (2 bolts, it is a snug fit and may take some twisting/pulling to get it out but it's easy to get to), and pressure test the cooling system...If the EGR chamber fills with coolant, you have a bad EGR cooler or hose...:awesomework:

 

[t1h5ta3]

several options. Ford dealers like to lift the cab.

private shops tend to pull the motor.

Both take about the same amount of time.

Ive heard of guys removing the motor mounts and sitting the oil pan on the crossmember. I've also heard of guys pulling the head by leaving the back bolts in the head and using rubber bands to hold them in place. I've personally never seen it done either way on a 6.0. I have seen the bolts/rubber band trick on 7.3's tho.

i generaly do the ruberband trick..... why spend the time to lift the cab or pulling mounts etc when it takes 30 seconds to twist a few ruberbands over bolts.

 

[whitetrashfab]

I leave the cab on to do head gaskets on most of the 6.0's that come through our shop, its not much harder then doing 5.4-4.6 heads in the truck. The 6.4 is a different story... pull the cab for just about anything on those. I get alot of misdiagnosed 6.0's come into our shop, even ones from the dealer. Make sure where ever you end up taking your truck they understand and enjoy working on them. The 6.0 is a good motor with the right upgrades and maintenance.

 

[mudmaster]

The 6.0 is a good motor with the right upgrades and maintenance.

This is the key! I have a 2004 with no issues so far......

 

[Avanteone]

The 6.0 is a good motor with the right upgrades and maintenance.

Yeah, but that's like saying that a stock Wrangler is a grreat wheeling rig if you ditch the stock axles and wheels and tires and suspension and transfer case and... and... and... :fawkdancesmiley::haha: