Better Roads Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/119545
COOLANTFILTERINSTALL By Steve Temple Adding an oil-coolant ���lter can prevent headgasket failure in the Ford 6.0L T he symptoms were obvious, but not the cause. Mechanics at BD Diesel were seeing a string of headgasket failures on Ford���s 6.0L engines. Some technicians blamed them on an insu���cient number of head bolts, others the design of the EGR cooler. Only after tearing down a number of faulty heat exchangers (for both the EGR and oil system), and also comparing the variance between oil and coolant temperatures did the source of the a���iction become obvious: sludge. When murky coolant was drained and allowed to stand for a time, ���ne silt settled out. The source? Evidently sand from the casting of the 6.0L engine blocks can leach out of the metal and into the water jacket. (Which, oddly enough, doesn���t seem to be a problem with other Ford diesels, nor other brands.) As the sediment plugs up the oil cooler, the problem gets compounded. Less coolant ���ows to the EGR cooler, and the engine runs hot. Then the ���uid begins to break due to the high temps, and isn���t able to do its job. And the thin vanes of the EGR cooler suffer damage as well, until you end up with a molten mass of metal. Of course, that means plenty of work for diesel repair shops. ���Fixing oil and EGR coolers is a common problem, and keeps Photos by Steve Temple us busy,��� admits Tim Anderson of T&A Performance. A rebuild kit runs about $400, and nine to 12 hours of labor. Even worse, he points out that a 260-degree oil temp will peg the coolant temp gauge (if the truck has the latest calibration), and 300 degrees melts just about every plastic part under the hood. At that point, the engine is not repairable, a total loss. You can avoid this expensive scenario with a simple ���x: install a coolant ���lter. That, and follow a few other maintenance tips (noted below). Installing a coolant ���lter usch as BD Diesel���s takes bout an hour, or slightly more if you���re doing it the ���rst time. BD Diesel���s Cheyne Beukes notes that the ���lter is a ���passive system,��� meaning that it���s not mounted in front of the water pump (not feasible), and doesn���t ���lter on every pass of ���uid, since the feed line is from a T-���tting o��� the heater system. But that���s good because in the unlikely event there���s a restriction in the hose, it can���t cause any damage to the engine. The kit is mounted in-line with the engine coolant hoses and includes a ���lter head, spin-on ���lter, mounting bracket, hoses, clamps, ���ttings and mounting hardware, along with a bypass valve to PROPICKUP DIGITAL PP0413_Ford Coolant Filter.indd 42 3/8/13 9:06 AM