Author Topic: Ford 6.0 diesel head bolts (Read 2797 times)

Ruskin · « **on:** August 17, 2009, 07:43:14 AM »

Son has a 6.0 diesel in his 04 F-250. Around 50k, he had the head bolts replaced by for. Just before it went out of warranty, he went to Ford with the same problem. They check it and and did some service work; however, I believe Ford used aluminum head boltw which stretch. I am told Ford knows of problem. Ford is suing Navstar for warranty costs due to head problem caused by bolts.

I understand there is an after market set of bollts which cure problem. Ford will not put them in when warranty work is done. 50k to 100k is not the miles one would expect from a diesel.

To repair the cab has to come off. It seems like this is not a job for the faint of heart.

Any others have same problem?

I checked Ford, and I don't find any mention of a recall.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2009, 08:53:53 AM »

never saw an alum head bolt , you are looking at a part that is rated up to 170000 psi and some rated higher . They may have alum. heads like the GM diesel has now . Most were grade 8 but now there are some ( after market )rated higher than grade 8. If the surface of the head bolt that contacts the alum. head was not of correct shape and surface treatment it may erode the head , but that is a guess , also the expansion and contraction of different metals could cause problems , Seems GM's engine claims to have over come this . I had one and put over 180000 miles on it with no problem . With the alum heads it sounded like it was comming unglued when you put your foot in it .

mauser98us · « **Reply #2 on:** August 17, 2009, 12:38:33 PM »

it's one of the reasons
ford doesnt use that motor anymore,head bolts and cranks. Then you have the issue of the aftermarket performance stuff. An issue waiting to happen. That's one reason I still have my 97 with the 7.2 diesel. Have close to 300 thousand miles no issues.

Ruskin · « **Reply #3 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:27:02 AM »

Engine just let go. I understand Ford no longer uses the 6.0. My son tried to get it fixed under warranty. He was told nothing wrong, and now he has a truck with a shot engine and owes more on it than it is worth. Ford knew there was a problem, and is ducking for cover.

He had financed it at Ford; howevr, he moved the note to GTE credit. That means he has no leverage over Ford. I wonder if GTE would carry any weight with Ford?

A diesel should get more than 100+ miles.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #4 on:** August 20, 2009, 09:43:05 AM »

Get a local Garg. to check for recalls , if he has service orders he might get some relief

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2009, 12:22:49 AM »

are you sure about this! i cant imagine using alum. head bolts even on a gas motor let alone a desiel with its higher compression

Ruskin · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2009, 04:16:55 AM »

My mistake it is the heads not bolts. Ford used IH to make the diesel. They no longer use that engine. They are suing IH Navstar over warranty problems. It seems the 6.0 has a reputation among truckers which is not good.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #7 on:** August 22, 2009, 12:35:08 AM »

that makes more sense.

30-30man · « **Reply #8 on:** August 22, 2009, 10:09:09 AM »

Ford knew there was something wrong with the 6.0 diesel no doubt. They did the same thing with the 4.2 gas engine they put in the f150's. They would leak around the head gasket and cause coolant to mix with the oil. Engines would last up to 100,000 mile but the insides of them would be rusted so bad the core was shot. Ford slide under the radar on these engines. At one time there was a class action lawsuit on both these engines against Ford. I don't know what happened with it. I think my next truck will be a Toyota. I'm done with the big three myself.

GatCat · « **Reply #9 on:** August 22, 2009, 08:32:27 PM »

A company called ARP makes all kind of head bolt, studs, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if they offer a kit for that engine, not that it does you any good at this point. You might try getting info from a web site, turbo diesel forum, lots of good info there.
Also, even though I truly like Toyota trucks, especially the 20R & 22R 4 bangers ( just bought another, a '95 a couple of days ago ), the Japanese still can produce problems, look at the early 3.0 Toyota V-6. If engine oil wasn't changed religiously, they would sludge up, causing head gasket problems, etc. There are plenty of other examples from the land of the raising sun. I think what the Japanese makers due is to keep customer loyalty by doing their very best to correct the problem, do repairs even out of warranty, etc. THAT is the ethic that puts them ahead, in my opinion.
Mark

Ruskin · « **Reply #10 on:** August 23, 2009, 08:58:46 AM »

Son tried to get warranty work done within the time limits. Ford put him off. He now has a boat anchor. The rear end he had to repair. The front end just went. He owes more than it is worth to fix. He needs a truck to work as a fence erector and haul his equipment. Tough spot to be in.

I am thinking of going to the credit union and spelling out a deal if they will help. My son is going through a nasty divorce and custody case for his son. He has been fighting this for over a year, and it will go to court in December. I am funding the attorney for that. I am also thinking of suing the Hillsborough County Sheriff for a cover up which is why this has takne so long. More money.

Back to the truck. GTE has the financing. If they come after him all he can do is give them the keys. If he were to go after Ford he would be tied up in a legal battle and if GTE would pounced on him he could fight both. He doesn't have a snowball's chance of suriving that. My suggestion would be to approach GTE and point out they both have an interest in the truck which Ford knows was a lemon in the engine department. If he and GTe would consolidate and sue Ford there would be a little more clout. He would assign any recovery money to GTE along with the truck. This seems to be the better way. GTE could gamble on this. If they go for a sure thing they get a boat anchor and judgement. HE can't get any lower. What would be accomplished by GTE. Ford misses all the fun.

30-30man · « **Reply #11 on:** August 23, 2009, 02:17:30 PM »

Some finance companies won't come and get it. They will hire a repo outfit to do it and then pile on more charges on what he already owes. I'd get him to call and be up front wtih the finance company. Sometimes they will lower the payments, so he can scounge enough dough to get it fixed. If Ford has a record of the trouble when in warranty, my advice is to take them to small claims. In some places there are caps like $5000 max. All he has to do is ask for a repair sheet from the dealer. Most dealers will be gald to help you as they have no loyalty to Ford on stuff they should have payed in the first place. You can handle it yourself, you don't need a lawyer for small claims. They won't fight it and will settle quickly. I did this with a Pontiac Grand Am my wife had that went through transmissions. The thing slipped all the time and they would not fix it after they claimed to rebuild it several times. It finally went out two months after the warranty and they wanted us to pay the $2500 for a new one. They will claim you have to go through arbitration with another party to settle the dispute, that is BS. The small claims route took me about three months, but it was worth the wait. I got a new transmission from Pontiac and reimbursement for a rental car. There is a filing fee, but it is small compared to what the repairs would cost.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #12 on:** August 24, 2009, 01:44:41 AM »

30-30 man yota gives money to groups fighting to keep sportsmen off beaches in NC and other places . And the profit goes away from America. Just a thought . And yes i do have an axe to grind they did some what the same thing to my daughter as Ford did . NONE OF THEM ARE CLEAN !

30-30man · « **Reply #13 on:** August 24, 2009, 12:02:10 PM »

Well they all are involved in things I don't support. Gm and Ford give money to the American Negro College Fund and and I wonder what about the poor white kids? They do it for political reasons and to make sales. Toyota is jsut trying to please the environmentalist types. They have no loyalty to them if they are not buying vehicles. The big three are going under because they have shafted millions of Americans on products they refuse to make right. All it takes is getting burned once to make a person never buy their products. That is somehting few of them understand. I know the japanese companies are not clean, but they don't have as many problems as the big three have had by rushing things to market before they are ready.

Take them to court, it is the only way they will do what is right. They won't fight small claims because it is more costly than settling. Once they settle, go to a private mechanic not affiliated with Ford.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #14 on:** August 25, 2009, 02:04:11 AM »

I have had many problems with the big three as i have a mixed fleet and agree they send products that arent tested as well as they should . But like the industry i work in the govt. mandates products will be a certian thing and you have to put it on the market . Water closets are a good example they regulated them in the 1970's and today we are seeing the first ones that work well . Heat pumps are the same with all the ref. changes . with debt what it is we should watch where profit goes . i don't do work for offshore car builders but do for some in the big three .

Ruskin · « **Reply #15 on:** August 25, 2009, 04:24:57 AM »

I guess the mighty diesel which people in construction need has been impacted with the government mandates about emissions.

I understand Ford had to meet certain standards and gave them to IH Navstar to build an engine to the specs. To meet the standards the 6.0 was born. Well it has gone by the wayside because it was a disaster. The heads cannot handle the pressure put upon it when hauling a load.

Now, if one has a 6.0 in their truck, I don't think that engine is being produced today.

I undertand the rplacement of the engine requires one to separate the cab from the chassis. Not a simple issue. The cost of a replacement engine might be $8000+. Ford was going to give a trade in allowance of about $12000. The math goes against repairing, especially if a 6.0 is put back in. Only pickup about 50,000 miles before it starts going bad if the upgrade with after market parts are not used. Ford will not use the after market parts. A catch-22.

j104wd · « **Reply #16 on:** August 25, 2009, 12:32:22 PM »

do a search for the cummins swap there are alot of people replacing the 6.0s with cummins motors

GatCat · « **Reply #17 on:** August 25, 2009, 10:42:23 PM »

I read in a diesel magazine that yes, the cab of the truck must be lifted to do the repair, approx. a 20-22 hour job. There are aftermarket head studs that replace the head bolts.
Mark

Drilling Man · « **Reply #18 on:** August 26, 2009, 04:19:46 AM »

I was baleing hay, dropping small squares on the ground, for a guy that was to come get them. The guy shows up with a ford 6.0 diesel, and i noticed he was shutting it off at every bale or two, getting out to throw the bales up on a trailor for his boy to stack. I mean he would drive it up 50 feet, shut it off, throw a bale or two, start it and go to the next bale.

When he was done, i asked him why he didn't let it idle, and he started into his long sad story of how he was on the "third" 6.0 in that truck, and ford told him they traced the problem to guys idleing the diesels. They told him to NOT let it idle, not even for a few mins...

I know another guy that had one blow up! The block was ruined, and the estimate from ford to replace the 6.0 with a new one, was right at $15,000.00.

I really feel bad for the guys that bought that junk!

DM

Ruskin · « **Reply #19 on:** August 26, 2009, 08:16:53 AM »

My son's estimate is $14,000.00. Maybe the truck needs Obamacare!

I am interested in the Cummins swap. I read where the 12V 5.9 will swap out the 6.0. It would not use the wiring harness of the 6.0. There is an 18 page booklet on internet for sale telling how to do it.

I wonder if the thing can be done by taking the ront fenders off rather than the cab?

To go back to Ford you might only be getting 7-50,000 miles additional driving miles before it goes again. Tough to swallow on a working man's income. That would boil down to owning a truck that might book out at $14K with a monthly payment of 700.00 on note along with amortized costs of $14,000 for replacement.

It looks bad from behind the 8 ball.

j104wd · « **Reply #20 on:** August 26, 2009, 01:44:38 PM »

taking off the cab realy isnt a big deal if you have a lift to use. it can be done with a jack and jackstands in your drive if you must.

Ruskin · « **Reply #21 on:** August 27, 2009, 04:11:43 AM »

There was a class action against Ford. Williams A. Ambulance, Inc., et al. v. Ford Motor. It had to do with problems with the 6.0 in their ambulances. I saw the settlement. I would like to know the findings in the case. This happened in Texas.

Maybe there are more 6.0 owners that would be interested or know of lawsuits against Ford over the 6.0. I understand the 6.0 and 6.4 have bad reputations.