[firemediceric]

Not long ago for the wife we picked up an all stock 2004 Excursion with 70,000 miles. I installed a Scan Gauge II to monitor temps. I flushed the cooling system with Restore, Restore+, plenty of flushes between the treatments and after with distilled water and then used Zerex ELC to refill the system. I also installed a coolant filter at that time.

Once the engine gets up to temp. the ECT runs between 185 to 198 depending on outside ambient temps which have been in the mid 90 degree range. This was the case before as well as after the coolant change. Driving around town the EOT runs about 8 to 12 degrees hotter than the ECT, which once again was the case before the flush & coolant change and continues to be the case after the new ELC.

Yesterday we exercised the engine on the highway. The ambient air temp was in the 90 degree plus range. Running about 80 MPH for 30 or so minutes the ECT was up to around 195 degrees. The EOT climbed and held around 18 degrees hotter hovering around 213 degrees. I don't think it ever got hotter than that and at times was a few degrees cooler bringing the delta back down to 15 degrees or a hair less. When we came off of the highway and drove at about 55 mph with some stop lights now and then along the way, the ECT dropped a couple of degrees and the EOT dropped much more so showing only 8 to 12 degrees hotter than the ECT.

Am I looking at a problem now or in the near future in this regard?

 

[dieselmac]

There's definitely some blockage in the oil cooler. At those same conditions in 100+*F heat I run about a 10*F delta.

 

[mlwest]

Sounds like you're on the way to dealing with the dreaded oil cooler plugging issue.

At least you've got a way to discover the issue before truly ugly things begin to happen.

 

[firemediceric]

truly ugly things begin to happen.

Sounds like you're on the way to dealing with the dreaded oil cooler plugging issue.

At least you've got a way to discover the issue before truly ugly things begin to happen.

I took the Excursion out for another run after reading a suggested test criteria of 65 MPH for 20 min on flat road which this time I did. The outside temp was 92*. I ran the truck on the flat highway for 20 minutes with the cruise control locked in at 65 MPH. At the 20 minute mark EOT was 212* and ECT was 195*; a 17* delta.

How bad of shape am I in? I have read of some people putting in brand new coolers and having the delta remain at 20* or so. Although I'd feel more comfortable seeing a narrower delta, how wide can it predictably go before it reaches a level indicating critical obstruction to the point that it may cause catastrophic damage, or as put above, "truly ugly things begin to happen"????

 

[dieselmac]

That's a tough one to call.

You should really look at it from a cost/benefit standpoint. Spend about $750 now (DIY) on an oil and EGR cooler or about 2-4 times that down the road on egr and oil cooler plus head gaskets.

 

[mlwest]

That's a tough one to call.

You should really look at it from a cost/benefit standpoint. Spend about $750 now (DIY) on an oil and EGR cooler or about 2-4 times that down the road on egr and oil cooler plus head gaskets.

Absolutely, it's a gamble many 6.0L owners don't even know they're playing since a lot of owners don't have a gauge (or a late flash for those 05 and later models) to tell them the bad news about the EOT vs ECT delta.

If I were you I would at least not tow anything and watch very carefully to make sure you don't end up with deltas that reach the 25+ range for any length of time.

Good luck.

 

[05_HARLEY_F250]

Might I ask what a delta is?

 

[HeavyAssault]

The 15* delta is based on a HEAVY LOAD/FULL THROTTLE run during the reading. Read the Ford TSB.

 

[TDIDog]

Might I ask what a delta is?

A delta is the difference between two items.

In the case of the 6.0, it's the difference between engine oil temperature and engine coolant temperature.

 

[02power]

Go ahead and change it! You will have the intake/turbo off so take care of the EGR cooler delete also.

Take you about 8-10 hours tops to do both at once. Who's coolant filter did you use?

Thanks!

 

[OT]

H A..do u have link to newer TSB? Old TSB 06-3-8 Coolant Expelling mentions..An EOT that is 25 deg. higher the ECT may indicate a failed oil cooler. TIA

 

[baddna]

I think I had read on one of the posts that the larger delta was either for the very early 03s and was later changed to 15 degree delta. I use the Edge CS as my monitor and believe it was the worst thing I ever put on my truck, in the past ignorance was bliss. When you think how many 6.0L trucks are out there with so many not having any idea what their deltas are, maybe some of the engines are really good at handling the heat but most like mine are not. My truck is an 03 now with a new oil cooler and egr delete.

 

[02power]

Baddna What are your temp with new oil cooler and do you run a tuner? Can you tell a temp drop with new cooler vs old.

Thanks!

 

[baddna]

My delta is now a max of 11 degrees but I have not pulled any insane hills yet. What I do find now is that my ect rises, as it should, not just the eot thus keeping the delta within spec. Everything will cool down normally once one is on the flat at 60 mph. I only have an Edge CS on which I display ect, eot and boost. On a side note when I had the oil cooler replaced and the egr deleted they also cleaned out the turbo as the Edge had showed an over boost condition, now my boost is normal again. To answer your other question no I don't have it tuned as I don't have the jam to do that.

 

[firemediceric]

Go ahead and change it! You will have the intake/turbo off so take care of the EGR cooler delete also.

Take you about 8-10 hours tops to do both at once. Who's coolant filter did you use?

Thanks!

I will order the parts, but I won't do the work myself. I know my limitations. For the oil cooler rather than going with another OEM cooler I'd like to go with Innovative Performance Research IF they ever have it in stock again. It's been listed as out of stock for weeks. For the EGR delete I plan to use River City Diesel EGR Delete kit 6.0L Good products? Any comments?

The coolant filter I installed is from Sinister. Sinister Coolant Filtration System / Filter Kit for 6.0L Powerstroke

 

[dieselmac]

Don't do the Innovative Performance oil cooler. It is extremely inefficient. You'll be stuck with abnormally high oil temps. They have increased the passageways so much the heat transfer efficiency has dropped quite a bit.

And they're out of stock for a reason. Folks ain't buying them.

Stick with the OEM oil cooler (check Tousley Ford for lowest price). There's nothing wrong with it for a liquid-liquid cooler. Just keep up with the coolant maintenance regardless of what type coolant you use.

 

[02power]

I like the Sinister EGR delete.. Istalled 12 of them so far with no problems just cost a few more $$ but very nice product! The IPR cooler has to be made by someone?

 

[firemediceric]

Don't do the Innovative Performance oil cooler. It is extremely inefficient. You'll be stuck with abnormally high oil temps. They have increased the passageways so much the heat transfer efficiency has dropped quite a bit.

And they're out of stock for a reason. Folks ain't buying them.

Stick with the OEM oil cooler (check Tousley Ford for lowest price). There's nothing wrong with it for a liquid-liquid cooler. Just keep up with the coolant maintenance regardless of what type coolant you use.

Glad I asked before I purchased and had it installed! Thank you. I would have thought that the larger passages being advertised would prevent future clogging, would allow better flow which in turn would have resulted in more efficency. I looked at is as an all around better product. Thanks for the direction.

 

[firemediceric]

I like the Sinister EGR delete.. Istalled 12 of them so far with no problems just cost a few more $$ but very nice product! The IPR cooler has to be made by someone?

I looked at the Sinister as well as others. I've decided (unless someone points out an error in my thinking) that I'll go with the River City Diesel unit. In my ignorance I asked River City Diesel what the difference was between their kit and a lower priced competitor I was looking at. Here's the reply I received: "The kit you provided a link to is one of the worst ones available. It uses a two piece loop tube. The loop has an o-ring on it and the block holds it down. This allows side to side movement which will cut the o-ring. The kits that use putty are knock offs of our kit. Many companies have tried to duplicate our kit and failed. The Sinister Kit for example is a knock off that has a threaded in loop. They use pipe putty to seal the threads. Our kit is the only one available that has a solid one piece loop tube assembly. It is fully welded and leak tested. We have never had a failure. Our kit is far and away the best on the market. Feel free to call or email if you have any further questions. You will not be disappointed with our kit.

Thank you,
Bob
River City Diesel, LLC
309-699-2488"

Thoughts?

 

[02power]

I would say you can't go wrong with the River City Diesel unit.. I have never used one and there cheaper than Sinister, The sinister is a great part and looks very nice and no problems so far!

What the best price you have seen on the Ford OEM oil cooler i have a great connection at a ford dealership may can help you out?

Thanks!