6.0 oil cooler terminal timeframe?

[BogusBlake]

2006 van, 6.0. I'm the 4th owner. According to the service records, the cooling system was flushed in June.

I just returned from a trip Most of it was highway through MT so I had plenty of time to look at my newly installed Scangauge and worry. I'd already done a lot of reading so I knew about the 14 deg max delta between EOT and ECT I should be on the lookout for.

I expected transients outside of the typical range so I didn't pay much attention to those. I did keep track of steady cruising info though.
At 65mph on level or very slight uphill with the AC on, the ECT would hang out around 220 and the EOT would get into the low 230s. This seemed hot and my mileage sucked, so I slowed down for the rest of the trip.
At 60mph, level ground, AC on, the ECT hung out between 210 and 212 while the EOT was very solid at 225.
Driving 45mph or less, the temps stay around 205 for ECT and 215 for EOT.
After long grades, the EOT sometimes got up to 240 and took 10-15 min to come back down
The temps were all over the place when crawling or slow offroad driving.
Starting in the morning, I (high) idle the engine until the ECT is around 130 (takes about 8 min) and I drive easy until both temps are over 180 (not long). Then it takes a good 30-45 min for anything to to over 190.
It really seems to be the sustained highway driving where I observe the troublesome temp delta.
After even more reading tonight, it seems like I have some, you know, "work" to do.

Here's my questions:
Knowing that the oil cooler is a ticking timebomb, how big of an emergency is it? How long do I have to get this handled? (obviously every situation is different). I won't be going into Baja or AK any time soon, but is it a "park the van" kind of thing?
I'm pretty handy but not a professional mechanic or anything- should I even attempt this repair myself?

A few other details: It's got the SMB Amsoil filter thing on there, but the full flow filter is some Ford filter. The PO mentioned that "Oh, its not on Amsoil anymore". At the same time as the cooling flush, it got an oil change at a Ford dealership and I don't know what they put in there. I've never had to add oil.
I've only had to add coolant after I spilled some removing the leaky Flat Plate. I topped off with MC Gold.
I've put Ford Cetane booster in every tank I've filled.

[PatO]

Those delta's and max's are significantly more than my 2004 with 66K miles. I recently drove 700 miles in 90+ ambient with a bad EGR valve and have never seen over 230 then or in the 18 months with my scan gauge.

I would also check to make sure that the AMSOIL bypass hoses are on correctly, or I should say incorrectly. The original SMB instructions are wrong and there is an extensive thread about this pinned to the engine forum. Basically the painted fittings should be not be lined up and your filters should be hot. Some filters prevent back flow, mine did for almost 20K miles.

I have an "bulletproof" estimate right next to me for a BP EGR cooler, new OEM oil cooler, new turbo and turbo stuff and now that yesterday I popped the P0299 replace turbo code I'm going to get it all replaced very soon. Based on your description I would say that you should deal with your situation very soon. The peripheral damage can be extensive. Check the scary sales information on BulletProofDiesel.com and elsewhere on the internet if you haven't already.

Pat

[Millerfish]

don't forget about the degas/overflow tank cap. This can have a big affect on cooling.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=8584

[Ford_6L_E350]

Your temps seem high. Do you have anything restricting airflow into the radiator - i.e.: driving lights, aftermarket bumper, etc.?

My van runs around 190-195 water temps at 65 on an 80 degree day. EOT ~8 above that.

Mike

[BogusBlake]

Originally Posted by PatO

I would also check to make sure that the AMSOIL bypass hoses are on correctly, or I should say incorrectly. The original SMB instructions are wrong and there is an extensive thread about this pinned to the engine forum.

Check the scary sales information on BulletProofDiesel.com and elsewhere on the internet if you haven't already.

Pat

Both done. Hose routing is correct, one of the POs did that. And yeah, the interweb is scary!

Originally Posted by Millerfish

don't forget about the degas/overflow tank cap. This can have a big affect on cooling.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=8584

I'll check it.

Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350

Your temps seem high. Do you have anything restricting airflow into the radiator - i.e.: driving lights, aftermarket bumper, etc.?

Agreed. I have an aluminess bumper with two big Hella lights on it. Billet grille.

[carringb]

I would say your oil cooler is done. I would not put off that repair. Start monitoring your coolant bottle by marking it. If its losing coolant, your EGR cooler has cracked as well. Once the EGR cooler cracks, DO NOT DRIVE. Sometimes you are lucky and the crack stay small. Sometime you aren't lucky and the first crack dumps enough coolant into the motor to hydrolock it. Even a small leak will cause the turbo to rust up.

[BogusBlake]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to park the van until I can get this handled, hopefully in the next two weekends.

I'm leaning toward doing the repair myself but I'm going to do my homework and get some quotes. Horizon Ford in Seattle seems to have a good reputation and specializes in commercial diesels. Anyone have another recommendation for a shop who isn't scared of vans?

If I do end up doing it myself, does anyone have some words of wisdom or a time hack of how long it might take? I'm expecting 8-10 hours.

I'm intending to install a new OEM oil cooler, a BPD EGR cooler (since I'm in there), and a coolant filter (since I'm draining the coolant). Any suggestions for other reliability improvements to do at the same time? Turbo oil lines?

I saw a mention of Evans Waterless Coolant http://www.evanscooling.com/products/coolants/ in another thread here. Anyone have an opinion on that?

Anyone have a link to an online or PDF of the factory service manual?

Thanks- Blake

[BogusBlake]

Originally Posted by BogusBlake

I'm expecting 8-10 hours.

Horizon Ford just quoted me $2k labor and 3-4 work days. I might be really underestimating...

[carringb]

8-10 hours is correct. But shop time doesn't equal actual time. There will be time needed for the dishwasher (intake will need ultrasonic or solvent cleaning.... most of the guys call tank the dishwasher). Time waiting for the tech to get back to work after he finishes whatever he's doing while parts are being washed etc. Yes, it is possible to get it done in a day but only if you assign a mechanic exclusively to it, which probably won't happen at a large dealer because that interferes with overall productivity. And rushing the job won't leave time to properly clean all the parts the come out.

I have never used the water-less coolant. I always recommend CAT/Cummins ELC coolant for the Ford diesels. It will not break down like the Ford Gold coolant. The Ford Gold coolant is actually good stuff but was never intended for the extreme temps that can be encountered in the EGR cooler. I started using the CAT stuff after the 5th EGR cooler failure on a Cummins 5.9L in our F650. No more failures after the switch. Zerex sells it and you can find it NAPA and other parts stores.

[PatO]

I have a 16 shop hr estimate for every thing you mentioned plus turbo update tube, turbo seal kit, oil supply line, STC fitting kit(?), a few filters, coolant flush, fan belt etc, plus a BPD water pump ($410) for 4 hrs. labor so a total of 20 hrs @ $91/hr and a grand total with parts and tax of $3800. Then add a $1200 turbo to that. I plan to get 1 more estimate but I think that is in the ball park.

Anybody know what red antifreeze is? It is on the estimate.

FYI - I've been doing some WOT on the hills around here and my P0299 CEL has gone off. The code still shows on the Scan Gauge.

For comparison my 70mp EOT today was 218 and with a delta of 12 which has worsened in the last 6 months. When I got home I high idled it for 10 minutes on the AIC and reached a driveway steady state of 190 and 203. Outside temps over 90 degrees. I believe I am reaching borderline on oil cooler efficiency.