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[lubbockguy1979]

The head gaskets are not the problem although they have been revised since 04. The bolts that ford uses are the problem. They are torque to yeild and the 6.0 has fewer head bolts then say a 7.3 and higher horsepower. This is why we have head gasket problems along with the egr system that can be problematic. The only true fix is to get arp head studs that torque down with more ft/lbs. As far as code reading at auto zone their equipment will not pull the codes that a autoenguinty will or for that fact the ford factory system. Another thing to remember there is a tsb (technical service bulliten) that tell the technician to fill the degas bottle cap to the minimum line to help aleviate puking problems. One cheap fix that got rid of the horn noise was to replace the degas bottle cap. For me it was the cap that was not functioning corectly. The 08+ cap is revised and vents pressure differently and more effectively. This is probably not what is causing the lack of power but it might kill the noise. The only way that I know of to check for the loss of power aside from cleaning the egr valve first is to do both a injector buzz test then a cylinder contribution test. You can I believe do these tests with the auto engunity. Most code scanners cannot though. If you have one or two injectors that are not functioning properly this would eliminate that. The auto engiunity is about $400 bucks plus ford liscence software possibly cheaper if you hunt for it. For me it was about $350 to have ford run a diagnostics test on my truck when I had a bad ficm. If I knew what I know now and could afford to have my truck down a few days it would have been cheaper for me to self diagnose the issue I had.