Hi, i just recieved my first diesel and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. It is an 06 6.0 dually with a crew cab. It has an Egr delete on it and an after market turbo. I'd like to see more horses out of it. I've heard things about the motor going bad after chipping them. Then on the other hand ive heard all sorts of things about Sct tuner being the way to go. Could anyone clarify? Ive also had thoughts about adding bigger injectors. What would be the biggest i could upgrade to without having to upgrade everything else. Would any of this put the integrity of my transmission on the line, it is an automatic. Thank you for your time, and consideration.
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Have the factory headstuds been replaced with ARP studs? Still running stock Ford oil cooler? Have the common updates like the stand pipes, dummy plugs, blue spring, etc. been done?
A lot of folks go into diesel ownership without understanding how expensive they can be to repair and maintain. The 6.0 can be a great motor, but before you go about increasing horsepower and torque I would suggest making sure the common updates and bulletproofing has been done. If the truck doesn't already have gauges or something like an Edge Insight to keep an eye on ECT and EOT I would suggest putting something in right away so you know the delta between the two. I think adding an EGT probe with a timer/temp shutdown is a great idea too. If your EOT/ECT delta is too high I would suggest addressing that issue prior to thinking about any performance upgrades.
A lot of folks go into diesel ownership without understanding how expensive they can be to repair and maintain. The 6.0 can be a great motor, but before you go about increasing horsepower and torque I would suggest making sure the common updates and bulletproofing has been done. If the truck doesn't already have gauges or something like an Edge Insight to keep an eye on ECT and EOT I would suggest putting something in right away so you know the delta between the two. I think adding an EGT probe with a timer/temp shutdown is a great idea too. If your EOT/ECT delta is too high I would suggest addressing that issue prior to thinking about any performance upgrades.
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5,125 Posts
Before doing anything you need to read, read, and read about these engines. Fortunately you are on a great site for that. There is a ton of spotty and outright incorrect information out there about these engines.
In general I would not look to modify a 6.0 truck that has not already had all the bulletproofing done. Trying to get more power out of one of these engines without first addressing the weak links is a quick way to end up with a broken truck and no money to fix it. Bulletproofing should include EGR delete, coolant filter, coolant flush, new oil cooler, replacing the STC fitting, replacing the stand pipes & dummy plugs, and a proper head gasket job with studs (heads go to a machine shop for inspection and milling). Having the FICM rebuilt by FICMRepair.com - FORD Powerstroke 6.0 FICM Repair, PHP Tuning and Truck Parts and loaded with the Atlas 40 tune is also a wise idea. Hot side CAC boots are also on the short list of things to replace while you are in there. Cleaning the turbo is another one. Get a monitor on the truck too, something like an Edge CTS.
Once its bulletproofed you can add more power. An SCT tuner is the best option for PCM tunes with custom tunes written by Innovative or Gearhead. With a stock fuel system you can get about 425 RWHP from a 6.0. Going beyond that requires some expensive upgrades. Injectors and a turbo, which need to be paired, and once you go much bigger than a PMax you are going to start trading bottom end for top end, which on an engine that already has a fair amount of lag isn't worth it for something street driven IMO. 175cc injectors area bout the max a PMax can handle, beyond that your EGT will become dangerously high.
The trans isn't really a concern in these trucks. The 5R110 is very stout. There's no need to think about upgrading it until you are nearing 600RWHP. I run a Ford reman trans that has over 120k on it without issue making over 500RWHP.
In general I would not look to modify a 6.0 truck that has not already had all the bulletproofing done. Trying to get more power out of one of these engines without first addressing the weak links is a quick way to end up with a broken truck and no money to fix it. Bulletproofing should include EGR delete, coolant filter, coolant flush, new oil cooler, replacing the STC fitting, replacing the stand pipes & dummy plugs, and a proper head gasket job with studs (heads go to a machine shop for inspection and milling). Having the FICM rebuilt by FICMRepair.com - FORD Powerstroke 6.0 FICM Repair, PHP Tuning and Truck Parts and loaded with the Atlas 40 tune is also a wise idea. Hot side CAC boots are also on the short list of things to replace while you are in there. Cleaning the turbo is another one. Get a monitor on the truck too, something like an Edge CTS.
Once its bulletproofed you can add more power. An SCT tuner is the best option for PCM tunes with custom tunes written by Innovative or Gearhead. With a stock fuel system you can get about 425 RWHP from a 6.0. Going beyond that requires some expensive upgrades. Injectors and a turbo, which need to be paired, and once you go much bigger than a PMax you are going to start trading bottom end for top end, which on an engine that already has a fair amount of lag isn't worth it for something street driven IMO. 175cc injectors area bout the max a PMax can handle, beyond that your EGT will become dangerously high.
The trans isn't really a concern in these trucks. The 5R110 is very stout. There's no need to think about upgrading it until you are nearing 600RWHP. I run a Ford reman trans that has over 120k on it without issue making over 500RWHP.
Thank you for these comments of encouragement, would i need to bullet proof the truck before adding something like SCT? I was already planning on installing a monitor, i have a buddy who is very savy with dmax engines but no experience with 6.0, only 7.3. On another note, what is the cost of bullet proofing a 6.0? As well, is their a complete list of parts i can obtain, as well as an order which part to obtain/replace first, that way i can do a little at a time.
What is a good oil cooler to upgrade to?
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5,125 Posts
SCT is PCM tuning, so I would not run it until the engine is bulletproofed.
Most of the bulletproofing parts come directly from Ford. They issued revised parts when the originals were found to be failure prone. PM me your email and I can email you a list of the part numbers. It won't post because its too big. I buy all my stuff from Auto Nation because they only charge 10% over dealer cost on all Ford parts. Here's a link to their website:
AutoNation Ford White Bear Lake | Parts & Accessories
For the oil cooler just use a new Ford OEM. The aftermarket remote setups start at $1,000 and IMO are a solution in search if a problem. There's nothing wrong with the Ford oil cooler. The problem is the lack of a coolant filter and the coolant Ford uses. In fact, the Ford oil cooler part number still has a C3 prefix indicating that it is unchanged since 2003, which was the first year of the 6.0. Get a filter on the system and run a good ELC like Fleetcharge from NAPA 50/50 with distilled water and you'll never have another oil cooler problem.
Cost depends on if you do the labor or someone else does. Parts wise its about $2,000 worth of parts. Running shop rates are in the $4,500-$5,500 range including parts. I've seen lowball costs of $3,500 and places that wanted over $10,000 to do it. I would not bargain shop this. I'd find a reputable shop in your area that offer a warranty and pay what they want. If you do it yourself you can do a piece here and a piece there, but it all has to be removed to do the head gaskets, so if funds allow I'd just do it all at once to save the time. But, to do the head gaskets the simplest way is to pull the cab off the chassis. To do that you need a lift. You can also do it with the cab on, or pull the engine and do it. I found pulling the cab easy, but I also have a lift and a shop. I have detailed cab removal instructions that also talk about the head gasket job I can send you too if you want. They are step by step on the cab removal, but not the HG job, though I do note all the potential pitfalls in that job.
Most of the bulletproofing parts come directly from Ford. They issued revised parts when the originals were found to be failure prone. PM me your email and I can email you a list of the part numbers. It won't post because its too big. I buy all my stuff from Auto Nation because they only charge 10% over dealer cost on all Ford parts. Here's a link to their website:
AutoNation Ford White Bear Lake | Parts & Accessories
For the oil cooler just use a new Ford OEM. The aftermarket remote setups start at $1,000 and IMO are a solution in search if a problem. There's nothing wrong with the Ford oil cooler. The problem is the lack of a coolant filter and the coolant Ford uses. In fact, the Ford oil cooler part number still has a C3 prefix indicating that it is unchanged since 2003, which was the first year of the 6.0. Get a filter on the system and run a good ELC like Fleetcharge from NAPA 50/50 with distilled water and you'll never have another oil cooler problem.
Cost depends on if you do the labor or someone else does. Parts wise its about $2,000 worth of parts. Running shop rates are in the $4,500-$5,500 range including parts. I've seen lowball costs of $3,500 and places that wanted over $10,000 to do it. I would not bargain shop this. I'd find a reputable shop in your area that offer a warranty and pay what they want. If you do it yourself you can do a piece here and a piece there, but it all has to be removed to do the head gaskets, so if funds allow I'd just do it all at once to save the time. But, to do the head gaskets the simplest way is to pull the cab off the chassis. To do that you need a lift. You can also do it with the cab on, or pull the engine and do it. I found pulling the cab easy, but I also have a lift and a shop. I have detailed cab removal instructions that also talk about the head gasket job I can send you too if you want. They are step by step on the cab removal, but not the HG job, though I do note all the potential pitfalls in that job.
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