[wedge45]

OK sports fans need some help here I finally blew the head gasket's at 149,000 miles. this past year has been replacing various smaller parts , The turbo finally let go radiator finally let go water pump etc. that happened back in July it's probably what caused the head gaskets to go but six months ago there was no indication now they have finally let go blowing a little steam for the first 2 to 3 minutes of warm-up then the metal expands no more steam truck runs great now here's the issue my repair shop here in the LA area has quoted me the following prices $5800 to do the head gaskets replace the head studs and replace the EGR cooler. Add another $3000 if the heads need to be reworked for a grand total of $8800. From all you experts out there no comments about by Chevy etc. I'm a dedicated Ford guy my truck is in excellent condition and I just want to get my motor done and up to running the way it used to run, please advise if anybody has any reputable mechanic's in the North LA County area by the way my guy is actually a diesel fleet and repair company all he works on our F250/350 and above he primarily works Dodge Ford motors attached to backhoes motor sweepers bobtail dump trucks all the way to large tractors so he is a good diesel guy and has been good to me in the past are his prices quoted accurate please advise thanks... Wedge

 

[wedge45]

WOW... no help or info from anybody huh?
OKEY DOKEY THEN... Good luck to me!

 

[yan7gin]

My suggestion. Do the work yourself. Its not a hard thing to change a head gasket.


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[chuckster57]

WOW... no help or info from anybody huh?

OKEY DOKEY THEN... Good luck to me!

Day of the week and time of the day can dictate how many views/responses any thread will get.

Like stated above, if your skilled and have the tools, head gasket change isn't an impossible job. How comfortable are you with a wrench in your hand?

 

[Ford06]

The prices sound a little high to me, but that could just be the price of doing business in CA. Are you losing coolant? Have you checked the pressure in the degas bottle? I would make sure it is really the headgaskets before spending that kind of money!

 

[wedge45]

I am pretty comfortable with a wrench in my hand, but that would've been 20 years ago when I used to work on my older internationals pick up trucks dirtbike's and Broncos but nowadays. I don't have the room I need a hip replacement I need a knee replacement and I have to have back surgery so I'm pretty ****ed up and don't have the ability to do it myself. Now in addition to doing the head gaskets my guy is talking about upgrading everything head studs he wants to go with an aftermarket EGR cooler and an aftermarket oil filter and oil cooler so I think he's pretty much dead on. I know he's not going to try to cheat me I just don't know if there's anybody else that's better with 6.0 performance engine building here in North LA County places like Bulletproof Diesel, Sinister diesel are too far out of my range to travel to so I was just looking for some help on someone who can do the work in North LA County thanks for your input wedge

 

[fordsforever73]

Doing all the standard 6.0L upgrades is the way to go, imo. The aftermarket oil cooler is way overkill though. Going with a new upgraded factory oil cooler and a coolant filter is much cheaper and more effective for the average guy. Your prices are a bit high imo, $3300 for head work? I paid $500-600 CDN to check heads and machine them flat. You want to go to a shop that has experience with these heads too. From all the reading I do here, right around 5 grand is the going rate to bulletproof a 6.0L, in the US...but there are many options that you will see or here about...all depending how fat your wallet is. Lol

 

[meteor56]

The first price, $5800, is a good deal to me; I paid quite a bit more, and had already replaced the EGR coolers myself.
The price for the heads is high; also replacements from Ford are remans, not new. If you don't mind used, check out LKQ and ebay. Your machine shop can verify the integrity of any you buy.

If you do the aftermarkedt EGR coolers, check prices. The prices vary for the same item. I got mine from InjectorWarehouse.

Unless the oil cooler is giving problems, I would not invest in the kit. I did because mine was shot and the cost of replacement was almost the same as for the kit.

Definitely add the coolant filter. There are several available, all about the same price; Sinister is the prettiest, but I went with another.

I would love to get my work done at the shop fordsforever73 used, but I don't get up that way but every couple of years (only to P.G.). Next time maybe I can meet up.

 

[Phil G.]

now they have finally let go blowing a little steam for the first 2 to 3 minutes of warm-up then the metal expands no more steam truck runs great

You are positive it's HG's, right?

If the steam your talking about is out the tailpipe and it goes away after warmed up, that's classic symptoms of EGR cooler failure.

Just asking, I'd hate to see you tear into the heads if your first choice is only to fix the immediate problem.