i have a new to me 2003 6.0 and have been going through it. Noticed my EOT/ECT delta was about 10 degrees flat ground at 60 mph. I tried flushing out the coolant system this past weekend. I did the full procedure VC9, fleetguard restore. I wasn't seeing what i thought that I should see as far as the deltas go it stayed the same, the EOT does recover better but I'm pretty sure that I need to replace the oil cooler. The truck had the egr welded after it failed other than that I don't really know what was done. t.he reason for my post is this, I had a second gallon of restore and decided why not go ahead and do one more flush and after removing the lower radiator hose this puddle of goo came out . I was wondering if anyone else has seen anything like this
Well, first off, 10* delta at 60 on flat ground is acceptable. I would not have messed with it at that point....
However, since you found that goo, I would say that is some left over oil crud in the system from a previous oil cooler rupture. Continue flushing, pull the block plugs to get a good flush and get the stuff out of the bottom of the block and be prepared to change the oil cooler in the next 6-12 months depending on how many miles you put on the truck.. That much VC9 may have worked other stuff loose that will find it way to your oil cooler eventually.
Additionally, if the EGR cooler is effectively removed from the system the concern over the ECT/EOT delta is altered. The EGR cooler is a source of considerable, concentrated heat in the cooling system. Blocking exhaust flow to it removes that heat. That heat tends to push the ECT closer to the EOT. Once that heat is removed the delta is going to widen, without it meaning that the OC is bad. Once the EGR cooler is out of the system you need to look at the individual ECT and EOT as opposed to looking at them together. The concern is when EOT gets too high, because you risk the PCM entering a derate mode to protect the engine from overheated oil. IMO, even this doesn't fully protect the engine, and I would change the oil as soon as possible if that ever happened because overheated oil is a direct contributor to the varnish that forms in the injectors and causes stiction.
Consider a normal ECT is somewhere in the 190 degree range running unloaded on relatively flat roads. This is going to change with load and outside temperature. In the winter you may only see 180, sometimes less if its really cold outside. If you live in an area where temperatures routinely get below zero in the winter consider a grill cover to reduce airflow and allow the engine to reach proper operating temperature. Engine wear is greatly accelerated when an engine is run for prolonged periods at low ECT.
Consider normal EOT anything 220 degrees and below. Oil really works best in the 200-220 degree range. Like the coolant though you should normally see EOT in the 190-200 range. EOT will rise more slowly due to load and outside temperature, but it will fall more slowly as well. Oil is much worse at rejecting heat than water, which is why we run coolant in our cooling systems instead of oil.
So long as you are within those parameters I would concern myself a lot less with the delta and consider everything to be normal. I would however make sure that you get all that sludge out of the cooling system, doing as many flushes as needed to get it clean. Also, if you don't have one already, get a coolant filter on the truck. The nature of the castings used in the 6.0 means there is always some amount of leftover casting sand falling out of cervices in the cooling jacket and getting into the coolant. This sand combines with the goo you saw and clogs up the OC, as well as causing wear in the system on its own. In general particulate matter in the coolant is never a good thing. IH realized this issue and put a coolant filter on the 6.0 during the design of the engine. Ford in their infinite, penny pinching wisdom removed it in production.
Thanks for the responses, I have installed a coolant filter since the flush. My concern is that I am towing 1958 Chevy from Arizona to Wisconsin in July and I don't want to find our mid trip that I need a new oil cooler. I have assembled all of the parts to replace the oil cooler. As I said after the flush my Delta at 60 has actually increased. to around. 14-16. In watching the EOT since I have had the truck my concern was not so much with the delta but the recovery of the temperature after going up a grade empty. The only grade around here for about 90 miles is maybe a 1200 ft gain. After going up the grade pretty hard the oil temperature does not start to drop for about 5 miles. Granted the ambient temperature is 100 plus but my ECT drops almost immediately. I have not had this truck long and my last powerstroke was about 10 years ago so I don't really have a baseline for what is normal in this climate. Anyone else in az? I guess the only real test is to load a car on the trailer and see what it does. Thoughts? Thanks again for the advice.
I would say that's normal. EOT is not going to drop like ECT. Oil doesn't reject heat anywhere near as well as water. The million dollar question is more: what's the max EOT you are seeing?
Happy Independence Day! So today I loaded the Delray onto the trailer and did a couple pulls over the nearest local grade. The grade is approximately 2 miles in each direction. the eastbound grade is a little more gradual so the temperature did not get as high in that direction. Ambient temperature was about 114. Speed was about 60
Eastbound Oil temp at summit Coolant temp at summit
227.8 215.6
Westbound
235.1 226.4
Based on these numbers what do you guys think, this is a pretty short grade and nothing close to what I will see heading up towards Flagstaff. Bottom line based on these numbers do I need to replace my oil cooler?
The short answer is no. 114 is an extremely hot ambient temperature, and I'm sure that's why you are seeing elevated temperatures, but neither the temperatures themselves, nor the spread between them is concerning. I don't see a new OC lowering those temperatures. What you might consider is swapping to a 7.3 fan clutch to improve overall cooling. It seems to me that the stock stuff is doing what its supposed to do; its just really hot outside in AZ.
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