Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-26-2014, 01:56 PM   #1
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Livermore, Ca.
Posts: 90
Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

Hi All,

I'm newbie and I'm in the process if pulling the trigger on a used sportsmobile 6.0 PSD. I've read and know about all the inherit design issues and blah blah blah...my question is what can you do to have peace of mind knowing ur won't be stranded out in nowhere? If I were to bring it to a specialized diesel shop to get it inspected, would that be good enough to know that a 3k mile trip would be safe? Would a shop be able to point out a problem before it happens or am I just rolling the dice with truck!

ucsundog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2014, 03:31 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

I've taken mine on several long (10K+) trips. I've had a couple of failures (injectors, alternator, sensors, EGR valve) and found that local diesel shops have been dealing with 6.0's long enough to be able to repair them. A dealer may have more parts, but the last diesel shop had the cam position sensor I needed in stock.

It is going to be difficult to carry enough parts to fix any modern vehicle. Too many sensors and interconnected systems. The real problem is troubleshooting. Without computer software to troubleshoot it, you are just guessing - must be more than a dozen reasons for a no start.

For $1000 you can get a laptop and AutoEnginuity software to troubleshoot a 6.0. I carry it.

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2014, 03:33 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

2-hours of diagnostics can tell a lot about the engine's condition. I would start with basic maintenance however including coolant change, oil change, and change all filters (oil and both fuel) with Motorcraft filters. Then have some testing done.

Things I would suggest to have evaluated:
-Engine oil and coolant temp delta (>15F= plugged oil cooler)
-Cylinder contribution test (measure injector quality)
-Cranking cylinder contribution test (measures relative cylinder compression)
-Turbo VGT test (checks for sticking vanes)
-ICP duty cycle test (can indicate loss of high pressure oil and/or faulty ICP regulator)
-Fuel supply pressure (indicates failing fuel pressure regulator and/or lift pump)
-Check boost (indicates worn impellers and/or sticking vanes)
-Check for any codes using a Ford diagnostics terminal or other high end shop terminal that can pull ALL the codes like AutoEnginuity or Snap-On. Many engine codes do not trip the Check Engine light
-Test the charging system and batteries
-Check FICM supply voltage. A faulty FICM can damage all the injectors.

That's what comes to my mind immediately. I'm sure there's items I'm missing. I also highly recommend installing a coolant filter. It's cheap insurance and may prevent the inevitable oil and EGR cooler failures. I always installed the NAPA coolant filter and universal filter base, however Sinister diesel offers a similar but much prettier setup. Ford dealers hate installing coolant filters because it means probably losing you as a future big spender.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2014, 03:42 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Posts: 1,995
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

You might have to spend a lot of money for piece of mind. How many miles are on it and what maintenance, preventative or otherwise, has the PO had to do?

Remember that what you read on the interwebs are mostly the bad stories. That said, the big issue is the oil cooler followed by the EGR cooler. Lots of info on the diesel forums.

I love the 6.0 on mine. The low end torque is really nice to have for these rigs.
__________________
2005 E350 RB 6.0 PSD for extended fun
1989 Landcruiser FJ62 for local fun
2011 VW TDI Golf for hwy fun
JoeH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2014, 07:37 PM   #5
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Livermore, Ca.
Posts: 90
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

the truck is 2006 with 60K miles where the owner has kept good maintenance. The truck also has a 140K mile warranty and so the truck is completely stock. With the warranty that gives me piece of mind knowing that Ford will cover whatever issues may arise but obviously it won't help me if I'm 100 miles out in the boon docks stuck in no-where land.
ucsundog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2014, 07:52 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Zeta's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Preston, ID
Posts: 1,213
Send a message via Yahoo to Zeta
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

There is no peace of mind.

Z
__________________
'06 RB50 SMB Diesel

https://www.tomsinclair.net
Zeta is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2014, 08:41 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: San Diego
Posts: 527
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

Don't forget to bring satchels of cash on your trip... like what you see in Breaking Bad.
so far this year - 1 heater hose, 1 H.O. alternator, one heater core; $1850 parts and labor.

I have 70K miles now.

This very moment I have a hair dryer pointed at my passenger side carpet which I have completely pulled back drying out the several pints of antifreeze that leaked there in yesterdays heater core failure.
__________________
2004 SMB 4x4 RB 6.0 PSD; ARP Head Studs, Gen 3 Cylinder Heads, BPD Oil Cooler connected to AMSOil Bypass, a whistling Wicked Wheel Turbo, Coolant Filter, Upgraded alternator, ScanGauge, SCT custom and SMB Fox shocks.
BFG 285/75 R16 KM3 Mud Terrains on ProComp 7069's
PatO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2014, 01:16 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 386
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

get in and drive it.

biggest issue is not running these things and many have 200-300k on them
__________________
carl

2010 SMB
www.xtrememobileadventures.com
Carl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2014, 03:10 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 496
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

ANY engine or vehicle can strand you. Should'a got a V10!
j.whitbread is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-27-2014, 04:18 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
carringb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
Re: Preventive measures on the 6.0 PSD before a long trip

Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl
biggest issue is not running these things and many have 200-300k on them
That has not been my experience with them, on either account.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
carringb is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:12 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.