[II_Slow]

How do I positively confirm leaky head gasket? I'm not sure if I'm just paraniod or if I getting the leading indicators.
My 110,000 mile 2004 F350 6.0 overheated the other day, topped off the reservoir, took over 2 gallons. I've had the truck 3 years and never added or noticed it low, so could have been very gradual loss. After topping it off, I looked at the exhaust stream, did not seem to have an coolant. Drained the oil, it was clean (no coolant). Drove it 15 miles to ensure it did not overheat - stayed at safe temp, but I did see white exhaust smoke intermittently under light acceleration, OK under load. Shut it off for a while and checked again, maybe had some white smoke but not much. Engince was warm, temp about 60 degrees.
If I do have to replace gaskets and install studs, is this somthing a pretty good do-it-yourself'er should tackle. If it was a gasoline engine, I would have absolutely no reservations about the job. Being a diesel makes me a little nervous. If I do the work myself, who has best documented procedure?

 

[Smiley1]

I am 90% sure its just an EGR cooler. You will normally see a bit or a lot of steam out the tail pipe for EGR cooler. If it was headgaskets, the exhaust will typically enter the cooling system pressurizing it to the point it pushes coolant out the degas bottle. You will see white spots all over the inside hood and driver side engine bay. But remember, this is not a 100% way of diagnosing the problem, just typical.

Just search for headgaskets and TSB for Ford's proceedure on diagnosing.

Many folks have done their own headgaskets. Its a little tight to work in that area and it will kill your back.

 

[expertrider]

It's about a 99% probability that it's your EGR cooler.
If you drive it like that, you're going to blow the HG's!!
That coolant is non-compressible, so as it goes into your intake, it's causing some super-high cylinder pressures. This is a very common part failure.
I've attached a pic of the inside of the EGR cooler. You can find the part on eBay for a LOT cheaper than the dealer. (around $200)
Installing a new cooler is not that difficult, a decent home mechanic can do it on a weekend day. Don't settle for the $2000 repair cost from a dealer, it's not that difficult.
You got a lot more miles out of yours than most people seem to get.

 

[II_Slow]

Thanks for the responses

I was pretty paranoid about the head gaskets after my websearch! It did start to sound more like the EGR cooler, which seems to be more common on the unmodded motors - mine is 100% stock. Looks like Ford's test procedure requires a lot of special tools I don't have. Fortunately, this is not my primary transportation (I still drive my 275,000 mile cummins, which has never been touched except for water pump! - gets 18-20mpg) so I have no rush.

Is is safe to bypass the EGR cooler and drive a while to see if problems go away (while weather is cool - and no heavy load of course)?

If there is already coolant in the cylinders, should I remove it and if so, how (glowplug?)

Thanks for your responses, and please be patient with me, I just learning the deisel stuff. My '94 Dodge hasn't thrown much at me except electrical problems!