6.0L Oil and EGR cooler replacement in the shade of a tree

[BogusBlake]

2006 E350 van with 6.0L PSD. Scangauge has indicated that the oil cooler is on its way out. Typical shop quotes start at $2k for just labor to replace the oil cooler, so I've decided to try it myself, shadetree mechanical style.

While I'm in there, I'll also do the typical "bulletproofing"(Coolant filter and BPD EGR cooler) and if a component I'm touching anyway has a design update, I'll handle that at this time.

After reading and digesting the service manual instructions for this job, I'm optimistic.
This won't be a photo-tutorial of how to do this job, but I'll try to document the bits that are tougher than they would be if I fixed engines for a living.

TL;DR I did it. You can too- you need: Some time (it took me 30 hours total), a place (you'll be removing a lot of parts and you need to put them somewhere safe), and a plan (the job can be broken up pretty easily into 3-4 hour chunks but you need to do things in the right order).
I spent $1668 on the essential parts, tools, and supplies, and another $723 on updates for parts I'll be accessing anyway.

Here we go!

I purchased a subscription to maintenance instructions from http://www.alldatadiy.com read the procedure a few times while looking into my crowded engine bay. There's a lot of steps that start with "do this other step first" so I made myself a timeline plan so as not to waste time trying to get something out if it wasn't ready.

Order of disassembly / reassembly: New parts to install
Drain oil and coolant
Radiator stack
Turbo and pedistal
Cooling fan
Intake Manifold
EGR cooler
Oil cooler: new cooler, oil strainer, gaskets
HPOP : STC fitting
EGR cooler : New cooler, gaskets, IPR screen
Intake manifold: intake manifold gaskets, egr cooler hose, FPR, fuel supply lines
Cooling fan
Turbo and pedistal: Turbo oil tubes, new seals
Radiator stack: coolant filter, thermostat and housing
Refill Oil and Coolant: New Filters, Degas bottle cap

I purchased the following parts and tools:

I'll get started with disassembly while my parts are en route.

[unimogdave]

Take a look on Youtube I saw several videos on the subject. Good Luck!!!

[Viejo]

Pictures - or it never happened.

[BogusBlake]

Originally Posted by Viejo

Pictures - or it never happened.

This should look familiar:


Three hours spent tonight, radiator stack is out.


- Instructions says "you can only drain 80% of the coolant while the engine is in the vehicle." It might be worse than that. I only got 18 qts out of 27. Now that I think of it, there's probably some in the degas bottle that I can get out somehow. Anyway, now that I know this, I may stick with the MC Gold coolant unless I can figure out how to push all the old stuff out of there.
- Instructions said to completely remove the tube from the air box to the turbo. Can't get it off the turbo yet so it stayed on and I just took the airbox end off and pushed it out of the way.
- SMB added hoses that run back to the flat plate are in the way frequently. I may end up rerouting them as part of this project.
- When you take off the transmission cooler hoses that go into the lower tank of the radiator, the instructions say to "plug and cap the lines and fittings". Figure out what you're going to use ahead of time. Its a .5" barb. I used to have a big box of random bolts and screws from other projects but it got purged in a recent move. Luckilly, I found some Shimano splined crank bolts in my bike toolbox that were a perfect fit to plug the hoses. a little drizzle of ATF came out of the radiator so I'll just top off when everything is back together.
- The front anti-sway bar is in the way of removing the lower fan shroud. If you pop off the end links you can swing the bend in the bar out of the way.
- Instructions say to "position the AC condenser fwd so you don't damage the condenser with trans cooler fittings" then lift out the radiator. Well, there's nowhere for the condenser to go, so I took off the upper fan shroud first, lifted the radiator up enough for the lower pins to be free of their grommets, then carefully lifted it past the condenser.

Stay tuned...

[JoeH]

I think there is also a drain plug for coolant on the block. That might help to get the rest of the Gold out of there. And FYI, my local shop which has an excellent reputation with the 6.0 quoted me 11 hours to do the job but that included cleaning the intake and turbo.

[BogusBlake]

Worked 4 hours last night. Not sure where I spent all that time, but the Turbo is out.




I tried to take off the fan assy but the fan clutch wrench I bought was not the right size. The bolts holding on the aft fan shroud were REALLY tight. The lower ones thread into some hex standoffs. If you take these bolts out, hold the standoffs with a 7/8" wrench or they'll spin and might twist off the plastic mounting ear of the shroud.
Someone has definitely been in my engine before and probably had the turbo out. A few of the hardest-to-reach fasteners weren't fully tight and I found a few "spare" screws. Working on or around aircraft for most of my professional career has made me hyperconsious of FOD, but it also really makes me appreciate Ford's use of free-running fasteners. Most things on aircraft (and a lot of items on my Toyota) use locking threads so you have to fight the screw all the way out with a tool. On the van, once you can break the torque, you can usually unthread with your fingers.

The turbo oil drain tube was a Chinese puzzle to get out so I'm apprehensive about how I'm going to get the new one in there.

If you work on this engine, make sure your 5/16 or 8mm socket is in good shape because you'll use it a lot.

I've taken a while pile of bulky parts out but that engine bay still looks crowded!

[Tapatio]

[sdwindansea]

Originally Posted by Tapatio

Surely you can't be serious....

[BroncoHauler]

Don't call me Shirley.

[vwteleman]

One of my fave commercials as a kid (make sure the volume is turned up).

[youtube:3fwwkcwx]