# Yet another 6.0 problem...



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

Hey guys I'm having some issues with my 2006 f250. Lately it has been taking a lot of cranks to start and blowing what appears to be blue smoke when engine coolant temp is around 115 or lower. While blowing the smoke it runs very poorly, feels like it misses and won't really build any power. Once if warms up it runs like a beast! I want to blame it on an injector sticking while cold?! Also it cranks just as long cold or warm, only time it starts right up is right after you shut it off. Batteries are just over a year old. I'm thinking I have two separate problems, a sticky injector and maybe a poor battery?


----------



## offshorefanatic (Jan 13, 2011)

Devans87 said:


> Hey guys I'm having some issues with my 2006 f250. Lately it has been taking a lot of cranks to start and blowing what appears to be blue smoke when engine coolant temp is around 115 or lower. While blowing the smoke it runs very poorly, feels like it misses and won't really build any power. Once if warms up it runs like a beast! I want to blame it on an injector sticking while cold?! Also it cranks just as long cold or warm, only time it starts right up is right after you shut it off. Batteries are just over a year old. I'm thinking I have two separate problems, a sticky injector and maybe a poor battery?


When my 6.0 did that they had to replace the heads and head gaskets on it,shortly after I got a new motor for it. Are you running a programmer on it?


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

I ran innovative tunes on it for maybe 6,000 miles and put it back to stock. Always scared I would tear something up, it was just a mild street tune at that. Definitely not the answer I wanted to hear!


----------



## corndog 69 (Jul 14, 2008)

If your running a programmer I would take it off and run stock. Alto of the 6.0 are having problems with programmers. I saw with my own eyes yesterday in a mechanic shop a 6.0 bed and motor was on the ground and the whole 4door cab was in the air on a lift. I asked what was wrong with the truck and he said the head bolts were twisted due to programmers and if they have to change heads or head gaskets they have to completely remove the cab that SUCKS I drive a 04 6.0


----------



## offshorefanatic (Jan 13, 2011)

corndog 69 said:


> If your running a programmer I would take it off and run stock. Alto of the 6.0 are having problems with programmers. I saw with my own eyes yesterday in a mechanic shop a 6.0 bed and motor was on the ground and the whole 4door cab was in the air on a lift. I asked what was wrong with the truck and he said the head bolts were twisted due to programmers and if they have to change heads or head gaskets they have to completely remove the cab that SUCKS I drive a 04 6.0


Back when I had the speed bug I had the 6.0 with the programmers and blew up 3 motors before I hit 100000miles and ford warranted those motors. My 3rd motor blew up at 109k miles and I had to pay for it out of pocket. After that all the programmers came off of it and it went back to stock. I traded that truck in with 380k miles.so I got almost 200k miles on the motor with no programmer. BTW ford crate motors run about 14k$ installed. I say pull the chip off of it drive it a little and see if you can get the motor warranted.


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

Only ran the programmer for around 6,000 miles. It's been stock for the past 6 months.


----------



## jas415 (May 25, 2009)

*6.0 issue*

Blue smoke?? Not black or white? I always thought blue smoke was oil burning in the cylinder, white was coolant and black was fuel. If blue is oil and there is blue smoke for the first few minutes it runs, sounds like oil leaking past valves into combustion chambers.

I would think long time cranking would not be a battery probably but more in the fuel delivery or glow plug arena. But, heck I aint a diesel mechanic. Maybe the oil in the head has a bearing on the cranking issue also, like the conpression stroke blowing the oil past the rings and then the plug will fire.


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

I'd say it's more white than blue, maybe not even blue at all. I can maybe get a video tomorrow morning. I have noticed sometimes when it first fires up a small puff of black smokes comes out then it goes to white/blueish. I've never suspected oil because its an obvious smell of fuel and I'm not losing any oil.


----------



## offshorefanatic (Jan 13, 2011)

Devans87 said:


> I'd say it's more white than blue, maybe not even blue at all. I can maybe get a video tomorrow morning. I have noticed sometimes when it first fires up a small puff of black smokes comes out then it goes to white/blueish. I've never suspected oil because its an obvious smell of fuel and I'm not losing any oil.


It really sounds like a head or head gasket issue. Could be getting coolant or diesel on the cylinder. Or could be the EGR cooler. Either way if you dont get it fixed sooner than later it will cost more to get it fixed.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

How many miles on the clock? Has it had any work done on the EGR?


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

bwguardian said:


> How many miles on the clock? Has it had any work done on the EGR?


143,000. Got it with 120,000 and no work has been done to it since.

I may pull the egr out and try to clean it up and try that out, otherwise this truck might be a trade in.

Nothing I've heard so far is sounding like a cheap fix, of course what is on these trucks. Not looking forward to finding the problem that's for sure.


----------



## offshorefanatic (Jan 13, 2011)

Devans87 said:


> 143,000. Got it with 120,000 and no work has been done to it since.
> 
> I may pull the egr out and try to clean it up and try that out, otherwise this truck might be a trade in.
> 
> Nothing I've heard so far is sounding like a cheap fix, of course what is on these trucks. Not looking forward to finding the problem that's for sure.


If you do decide to trade it in, keep in mind that ford offers up to a 200k mile warranty on the 6.4 and the new 6.7 diesel. it cost 2500.00 extra which I financed when I bought my 6.4 and it is a FORD warranty not a 3rd party warranty. It covers anything under the hood and not the drive train. Worth the money in my opinion.


----------



## TIMBOv2 (Mar 18, 2010)

I HAVE AN 06'--6.0(CO.TRUCK) LOST TURBO @ 40K,3 INJECTORS AND EGR VALVE @45K,ANOTHER TURBO AROUND 50K,AND COMPLETE ENGINE @60K,ALL ON PROGRAMMER,SHE'S @ 160K NOW AND ONLY HAD ONE LITTLE TURBO PROBLEM IN THE LAST 100K,BUT KNOCK ON WOOD SHE MAY LEAVE ME ON SIDE OF THE ROAD AGAIN JUST SINCE I SAID IT'S BEEN DOING GOODsad3sm


----------



## pwrstrkr (Oct 5, 2010)

sounds very very similar to what i was having going on to my truck. hard to start after it had set up over night ect. When it did start it would puff white smoke(excess FUEL) but would be fine once warmed up. I pulled the EGR valve out and it was caked with carbon build up so i cleaned it put it back it and ran some what better(but still hard to start cold) for about 2 days then back to what it was doing before. when and had a diagnostic ran it ended up being an injector sticking open along with the EGR valve sticking open when i turned the engine off allowing coolant to bypass. A full EGR delete will run around $250 and is well worth the investment even if that is not the problem cause sooner or later it will be. Also i would bring it to have a diagnostic ran to see if there is not a cylender firing being that there is an injector sticking. 

Are you having any problem with coolant puking out of the degas bottle?


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

No puking! Made sure to keep an eye on that. I'm gonna look into the egr delete. Does unplugging it do anything?

I really think I have an injector sticking, when accelerating when cold sometimes you will notice it puff white smoke every 2 or 3 seconds. Other times its a steady stream of smoke. Makes me believe the cylinder just fired and threw out the unburnt fuel? Starting to make sense, when cold I can watch my mpg gauge just drop dramatically every day until it gets warm. Im thinking trade in....


----------



## pwrstrkr (Oct 5, 2010)

that is pretty much EXACTLY what mine was doing when my injector went out.

unplugging the EGR valve does NOT do anything. you can go to www.rivercitydiesel.com and they have a very good delete kit that comes with everything that you need to completely delete the EGR, i know when i ordered mine it was FREE SHIPPING. Those guys are very knoledgable about the ford engines. it took me about 8 hrs to delete everything to mine. honestly first tho i would start with getting a diagnostic ran on the truck to see which cylnder is not firing to know exactly which injector is failing. but would very strongly recommend deleting the EGR to prevent future problems. also are you noticing almost like a "miss" when you are at a stop light or anything? If so that is a dead giveaway of an injector failing.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Run a tank of fuel with some lubricating additive first. Then look at the plugs and wiring for the injectors next...maybe the glow plug relay too. I would do some simple things before trading it in...might be something that is easily fixed. Regaurdless, get the EGR taking care of.


----------



## Dcrawford (Jan 3, 2008)

anyone ever heard of running transmission fluid in their diesel? I had someone tell me to do that about every third fill up. I run slick diesel in my truck. I think that helps keep the injectors clean.


----------



## pwrstrkr (Oct 5, 2010)

bwguardian said:


> Run a tank of fuel with some lubricating additive first. Then look at the plugs and wiring for the injectors next...maybe the glow plug relay too. I would do some simple things before trading it in...might be something that is easily fixed. Regaurdless, get the EGR taking care of.


X2

Also the mechanic that changed my injectors for me highly advised me to run a cetane booster being that these engines are designed to run off of a higher cetane than what you can get at the pump and also with this ultra low sulfur **** your injectors are not getting the lubricants that they need to function correctly. you can get it at any parts house, its called slick diesel (i think thats the name) they make an injector cleaner/lubricant (grey bottle) and the regular cetane booster/prevents injector build-up/lubricant(white bottle) I run the white bottle in almost every tank of fuel and they grey every 7-8 tanks. and was told not to run the Lucas injector cleaner cause is takes all the lubricants out of the injectors?


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Artifishual said:


> anyone ever heard of running transmission fluid in their diesel? I had someone tell me to do that about every third fill up. I run slick diesel in my truck. I think that helps keep the injectors clean.


That worked in the old 6.9L and early 7.3L diesels. The deposits it leaves behind is not so good for the newer ones...I was told this by a long time diesel mechanic. It is better to use the TCW-3 outboard motor oil or equal equivalent you might find at a truck stop...the chit you find at your local store is really just snake oil.


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

I'd say it has a miss at idle when cold, when semi up to temp it runs fine. 

Got a gallon of the grey bottle but haven't used any in a while. Actually forgot it's been in my tool box. I'm gonna dump some in here in a minute and try it for the remaining 3/4 tank I have left. A buddy of mine knows a powerstroke guru who can plug it up and find out whats going on. I'm really thinking it's a injector sticking, or hoping so anyways.


----------



## Dcrawford (Jan 3, 2008)

bwguardian said:


> That worked in the old 6.9L and early 7.3L diesels. The deposits it leaves behind is not so good for the newer ones...I was told this by a long time diesel mechanic. It is better to use the TCW-3 outboard motor oil or equal equivalent you might find at a truck stop...the chit you find at your local store is really just snake oil.


is this the stuff your talking about? i googled it and first search result was Academy. How often do you use it?

http://www.academy.com/index.php?pa...ubricants&start=8&selectedSKU=0107-00590-1009


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

Artifishual said:


> is this the stuff your talking about? i googled it and first search result was Academy. How often do you use it?
> 
> http://www.academy.com/index.php?pa...ubricants&start=8&selectedSKU=0107-00590-1009


Correct! Most people use Walmarts cheap oil though. One ounce to gallon I believe. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!


----------



## pwrstrkr (Oct 5, 2010)

Injector is hella cheaper than head gaskets fo sho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Devans87 said:


> I'd say it has a miss at idle when cold, when semi up to temp it runs fine.
> 
> Got a gallon of the grey bottle but haven't used any in a while. Actually forgot it's been in my tool box. I'm gonna dump some in here in a minute and try it for the remaining 3/4 tank I have left. A buddy of mine knows a powerstroke guru who can plug it up and find out whats going on. I'm really thinking it's a injector sticking, or hoping so anyways.


You can hook it up to a scanner and retrieve codes...but the best way to look for bad injectors is do a buzz test.


----------



## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Artifishual said:


> is this the stuff your talking about? i googled it and first search result was Academy. How often do you use it?
> 
> http://www.academy.com/index.php?pa...ubricants&start=8&selectedSKU=0107-00590-1009


Yes, you can find it at Wally World or even your local parts stores. It is prolly cheaper in the gallon variety. I don't use it as the biodiesel we burn is the absolute best lubrication you can put in one...period!


----------



## phafireman (Feb 3, 2010)

Devans87 said:


> Hey guys I'm having some issues with my 2006 f250. Lately it has been taking a lot of cranks to start and blowing what appears to be blue smoke when engine coolant temp is around 115 or lower. While blowing the smoke it runs very poorly, feels like it misses and won't really build any power. Once if warms up it runs like a beast! I want to blame it on an injector sticking while cold?! Also it cranks just as long cold or warm, only time it starts right up is right after you shut it off. Batteries are just over a year old. I'm thinking I have two separate problems, a sticky injector and maybe a poor battery?


Your cranking problem sounds like an high pressure oil o-ring, that I have had replaced twice on my 6.0. Also I highly reccommend calling Power Stroke Magic (713-896-7326) on the Northwest Side of Houston. Garrett and Philip know what they are doing, they installed an EGR bypass kit and my 06 Runs better than it ever since it was new. I have a list of repairs that several local dealers have done, these guys are the Best with Fords!!!!!!!!! Good luck


----------



## Devans87 (Sep 5, 2007)

Just wanted to post an update, found a product called rev x. Cost me about $75 for to small bottles. Added it to the oil and within a day all my issues went away. It still cranks longer than normal but like I mentioned I believe that is another issue. This stuff really works, if you experience and injector problems this stuff is worth a shot before you go to the next step.


----------

