Advice about upgrades

[IowaFarmer338]

So I am doing the upgraded FICM from ficmrepair.com next week. Im getting the atlas 40 upgrade. What should I do next? This thing is stock, but does have the edge guages. Keep in mind, I need to worry about cost right now. I broke my leg and havnt worked for 3 months lol. I know I should do the EGR delete kit. What is the cheapest and most cost effective first, and then on? I already have 4 inch exaust. I do not think its got a cat converter on it, but havnt looked to see if its a fancy exaust. Thanks for you guys help, just about every time I have a question, all of you are a HUGE help, and its appriciated.

[fordfan30]

coolant filter next

[Roush4_6]

As said above, a coolant filter is a must. Also look into an upgraded fuel pressure spring (blue spring mod). Updated STC fitting (HPOP), stand pipes/dummy plugs, 6.4 banjo bolts. Those seem to be the most popular things to do to prevent any future problems. Most important thing you can do with the 6.0 is MAINTENANCE! You to be borderline obsessive about it. Oil every 5000 and alot of people change over from Ford gold coolant to a cat ec-1 ELC coolant. How is your EOT/ECT temp delta? They should be with 15 deg. of each other. Gives you an idea of how your oil cooler is doing. Im sure there's more and hopefully somebody who knows more than me will chime in here, there are lots of helpful people on these forums.


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[IowaFarmer338]

thanks guys. gonna order the filter this week. what are standpipes/dummy plugs?

[Ford06]

Performance machine has a good coolant filter setup.

[2 Stroker]

Originally Posted by IowaFarmer338

thanks guys. gonna order the filter this week. what are standpipes/dummy plugs?

Here you go along with the STC fitting the Edge Insight CTS will give you HPOP readings must be at 500lbs to start and about 3900lbs at WOT
Ford 6.0 update parts
2 stroker

[IowaFarmer338]

Whats does WOT stand for? And what do they do? Why do I need to do this?

[HeavyAssault]

Wide Open Throttle...to measure the operating limit of the truck. I'm not suggesting this be done but it's a measure of the system he is describing.

[IowaFarmer338]

ok thanks. What does that mod do for you?

[HeavyAssault]

Ford updated stand pipes for all 2004-2007 Ford 6.0 engines. The old style rail plugs were prone to o-ring failure. Symptoms are loss of ICP pressures which can cause no start or stalling. It's also some times misdiagnosed as a bad IPR valve or HPOP. These have been updated with a back up PTFE washer.

[TKOPerformance]

The question is do you want to spend money now, proactively, or spend it later, possibly after a catastrophic failure?

For an '06 I would advise head gaskets (standpipes and dummy plugs will come with the gaskets)with ARP studs, EGR cooler delete, new oil cooler, updated STC fitting, updated turbo drain tube & oil feed, installation of a coolant filter, change over to ELC coolant, and blue spring update for the fuel pressure. Oh, and gauges or an Edge to monitor vitals is an absolute must.

I guarantee that if these items are not a problem yet they will be, typically before 100k. You can hot rod it now and pay later, probably pay more too, or you can just do this stuff now and it'll handle whatever you want to throw at it upgrade wise.

Maintenance is an absolute must too. These trucks are completely intolerant of putting off maintenance. The injectors rely on oil to function, so oil changes are critical with injectors running $220 each, plus a $180 core you start to see why I and others harp on it. Ditto on fuel filters.

[2stroked out]

Which edge do you have. If its the insite cts. You can monitor up to eight things. keep an eye on ECT(engine coolant temp) EOT (engine oil temp){keep a delta of less then 15*,hot level ground highway speeds} FICM volts,Battery volts(low voltage will kill FICM)TRANS temp. I think these are the main gauges to watch all the time.Rotate the others to diagnose or watch for problems.I would do updated parts as to how deep I was going into motor. If you do EGR delete maybe oil and drain lines and clean TURBO.oil screen and stc fitting. your going to be that deep anyway. You can look at the TURBO lines but the screen and stc fitting you will have to look at after you get into the motor. (Im assuming you bought used and don't know what has and has not been updated.)
A Coolant flush with restore,restore plus,and change to a CAT-1 coolant ,coolant filter. But this flush could clog your oil cooler. Do a search on each mod and be informed.

[2stroked out]

Also harpoon and hutch mod are free also could do high idle mod. Do a search on these.Some do Zoodad mod. I use archoil products as fuel and oil additives. If your just bored these are a few mods You could do free. Blue spring and 6.4 banjo bolts are cheap mods. Test your coolant cap they are cheap and some seem to be going bad.
Like everybody said keep the oil changed the spool valves on these injectors sheer the oil. and wear it faster than other motors. Keep coolant flushed and clean. Keep fuel filters changed (low pressure will kill your injectors) use only ford filters

[TKOPerformance]

I wouldn't recommend the 6.4 banjos. If you want to improve fuel flow to the injectors you need to go to a return regulated fuel system like the ones offered by IDP. The blue spring kit is a good idea if you don't want to go that far with it, or just for maintenance, as that will ensure your fuel pressure is proper.

There's another thread on here where a couple of knowledgeable guys talk about why the 6.4 banjos seem like a good idea, but may actually hurt your engine.

[HeavyAssault]

A regulated return system is not required for a mild truck. You are better off with a sump and a AD150 lift pump.

Highest HP 6.0 without a RR? - PowerStrokeArmy