Oil Cooler System and EGR replacement now avail for E-series

[mtnrafter]

I had the whole bulletproof thing done to my 2005 6.0 back in March. You can get at everything you need to without removing the motor. Here's a photo of the engine bay after the top end was removed. Btw, very happy with the results

[TwoVans]

Originally Posted by mtnrafter

I had the whole bulletproof thing done to my 2005 6.0 back in March. You can get at everything you need to without removing the motor. Here's a photo of the engine bay after the top end was removed. Btw, very happy with the results

Could you be more specific about "the whole bulletproof thing"?

[mtnrafter]

I'll try to paraphrase the work invoice:

Bulletproof egr cooler
degas bottle
thermostat
oil tube and o rings
unison ring for turbo (billet. no more rust and no more under/over boost codes)
ICP sensor
oil cooler (factory Ford. Same part number as the one from Bulletproof)
inhaler kit
high pressure oil pump fitting to breach tubes (solid piece that won't break)
improved hpop screen
T-5 and all new fluids... Bitter Gold
among other stuff.....

Decoke intake manifold, turbo, vanes, etc. Remove and clean all radiators. Check injectors (all was well). Check studs (all good here, too. They've never seen studs go on a van).

After several thousand miles the van runs like a champ. I don't baby it, and the folks at TSC in Englewood, CO made a point to say that the 6.0 likes to be run hard, not babied. They've done a bunch of these fixes and have had very good results with all of the installs. My temps are spot on and the van runs great (highway driving, offroad and extreme winter conditions all at altitude).

Glad I did it. I plan to keep the rig for a very long time.

[Zeta]

Originally Posted by mtnrafter

I'll try to paraphrase the work invoice:

Bulletproof egr cooler
degas bottle
thermostat
oil tube and o rings
unison ring for turbo (billet. no more rust and no more under/over boost codes)
ICP sensor
oil cooler (factory Ford. Same part number as the one from Bulletproof)
inhaler kit
high pressure oil pump fitting to breach tubes (solid piece that won't break)
improved hpop screen
T-5 and all new fluids... Bitter Gold
among other stuff.....

Decoke intake manifold, turbo, vanes, etc. Remove and clean all radiators. Check injectors (all was well). Check studs (all good here, too. They've never seen studs go on a van).

After several thousand miles the van runs like a champ. I don't baby it, and the folks at TSC in Englewood, CO made a point to say that the 6.0 likes to be run hard, not babied. They've done a bunch of these fixes and have had very good results with all of the installs. My temps are spot on and the van runs great (highway driving, offroad and extreme winter conditions all at altitude).

Glad I did it. I plan to keep the rig for a very long time.

Why did you decide to do all this? Were you monitoring oil temp? What is it now?

Z

[jage]

Originally Posted by mtnrafter

TSC in Englewood, CO made a point to say that the 6.0 likes to be run hard, not babied. They've done a bunch of these fixes

I like the idea of them having seen these vans before, having done the work without pulling the engine... how much does this run there? When is it recommended?

[mtnrafter]

Symptoms were a widening of oil temp over coolant to a spread of 8-11 at hiway speeds, which is still in the allowable specs range, btw, but something to watch. Also, there was a diesel odor in the degas bottle and the coolant level was beginning to decrease as I drove. Also, I had the engine check light go on a couple times in the last few months, and overboost/underboost code 299 (if I remember correctly) appeared on the scanguage and at the shop. And this was on the second turbo that was replaced under warrantee several years ago. Wayne at TSC did a preliminary diagnosis, pulled the egr switch for instance to check for coking, and said that it wasn't immediately necessary to do the bulletproof conversion if I were to be driving in areas that have tow trucks and the like. It would have been perfectly fine to drive until the problems became more acute. I had @ 80k on the van at the time and for all we knew it wouldn't have required any action for the next 10-15k miles. But I have some major trips coming up and wanted to have the most reliable long term solution in place to avoid major dispruptions down the road. Specifically, I'm headed up to the Yukon Territories, Northern Alaska and the coastal range north of Haines this summer for a two month rafting expedition. If you've ever been up that way you know that major repairs, let alone towing, can be major issues. As well, we will be on a pretty well defined schedule and any disruption of more than a few days would seriously impact, and may even eliminate several legs of the trip. Guts feathers and all, the work would have to be done one of these days and I thought better do it now rather than when it needs it later. I would not like to deal with this stuff somewhere on the AlCan or Denali Hiway!

As to cost, parts ran @$1900 and labor was @ $2450. But I had some other things done as well- serpentine belt change and the like. It took about 4-5 business days and alot of bemoaning the E350 engine layout! Some shops remove the body to get at all the bits and pieces, but Wayne and his crew have cracked the code here, doing everything without a body-ectomy.

As for temps, I'm seeing an oil/coolant spread of 1-4deg at 62mph, coolant temps of 195-201, depending on altitude and load. At 68-70mph the spread is 2-5 with coolant temps @ 200-207. Speeds up to 75mph show a spread @3-7deg with coolant temps @ 207-211. Thus far I have driven several thousand miles since the repair on mostly hiways in the Rocky Mt. west as well as rock crawling in Moab and brutal winter weather in the mountains. Altitudes range from 4500'-11,000'. Mpg range from 16-18 at 62mph to a solid 15mpg at 75mph.

Btw, when the auxiliary cooling fan comes on (at temps over 220) the temps drop right NOW down to 181-191 for the coolant with the oil temp following closely behind, then settling down to the mid 190s until the next hill.

[Ketcham]

Why did you opt for the stock ford oil cooler replacement when that has a design flaw over the bulletproof solution where the oil is air-cooled?

[mtnrafter]

I asked that same question. For me, cost was not the issue, here. It was long term reliability. Wayne explained that the updated stock oil cooler appears to be the same one used in the Bulletproof redesign, same part number, same performance characteristics, and that there was no need to go that route. I did some research and found some confirmation of this, too.

Are you referring to the auxiliary oil cooler that's sometimes installed in-line and down stream of the oil cooler? I asked about that, too. Wayne explained that it wasn't necessary for where I drive (cold temps. at altitude can sometimes negatively impact auxiliary air to air coolers and filters, if I recall) and that having more stuff hanging from the lines and motor just increases the odds of more stuff eventually going wrong.

Having said all this, I'm comforted to know that all the parts and work are warranteed. As well, I'll be monitoring temps to determine if anything goes awry. To date, I haven't lost a drop of oil or coolant. I'll let you know after the summer and 20k miles of driving if things start to change. Ultimately, I need to stay vigilant re: oil changes. Full synthetic every 3500-4000 miles.

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by mtnrafter

...As to cost, parts ran @$1900 and labor was @ $2450....

Hardly inexpensive, but actually less than I expcected to hear.


Herb

[EDIT: I meant to ask, what was the downtime?]

[mtnrafter]

4-5 days. They invited me down to the shop to check out what the van looked like torn apart as well as throughout the repair process. Very informative. It's nice to know what I'm looking at.