Manager Forum

We have an 06 f550 6.0 with lots of oil in the coolant. 3000 miles ago an egr delete and programmer were installed. How can you tell if its the oil cooler or head gaskets. The oil is so thick it will not circulate if engine is running. Thanks

Could be a head gasket issue. If you didn't replace the cooler i wouldn't assume it was. I've seen clean and reinstall because they looked ok. I would tell the customer it may be a cooler or i might even tell them to bring it back to whom ever did it if it wasn't me. If it's been running a while, pull EGR valve off and if it seems to be steaming i would be more inclined to look at cooler.

Almost impossible to be the head gasket. These engines are notorious oil cooler leakers.

Replace the oil cooler and flush the cooling system out umpteen times.

Ive done a few with head bolt stretch issues that caused head gaskets. Pretty common really especially on one with a programmer. There are better bolts available.

brianp87 wrote:Ive done a few with head bolt stretch issues that caused head gaskets. Pretty common really especially on one with a programmer. There are better bolts available.

Well, I agree with the idea of better bolts available. In fact we commonly will install ARP head studs if we do a head gasket replacement, especially if there is any mods on the engine or the electronic programming.

If oil in the coolant can be traced to the head gasket/stretched bolts, can that be verified it was that and not something else?

Simply asking as we have not seen that as of yet.

I dont think it could be verified either way honestly. I think both the oil cooler and heads are common issues. It ususally tough to tell the diff with an egr cooler leak or head gasket leak.

Well, i got to thinking about this thing. And in doing some research on it and looking at a head gasket for the 6.0L, I am asking myself the question: "Where is there a channel where pressurized oil is fed up through the block, head gasket and into the heads?" Am I missing something? In other words, if there is no oil passage through the head gasket, how could a head gasket be responsible for oil getting into the coolant?

I seem to remember the oil feed tubes running through. Ive never seen oil in the coolant on a 6.0 yet. But I do remember the tubes running through on the few weve had apart. I have seen lots of coolant in the exhaust though.

Had Oil cooler pressure tested and bingo it was ruptured. What a job to clean oil out of coolant passages though

Nice work

Agree, nice work. I will fill the cooling system with water, add Dawn dish washing liquid and let it run. I do it about 3 or 4 times and it's clean.

steven kiser wrote:Agree, nice work. I will fill the cooling system with water, add Dawn dish washing liquid and let it run. I do it about 3 or 4 times and it's clean.

I used to use dawn as well, but read on here by someone that cascade works as well without the suds and found that to be correct. So now I use cascade....