What else should I do? - 6.0 Engine Rebuild List

[JoeH-SMB]

Wow, that's a smoking deal on the injectors especially if they are new! Otherwise, I think unless folks want bigger nozzles that Ford Motorcraft OEM is the way to go.

 

[This old va]

No Hurt feelings here... I'm just super stoked that my wife is supporting this and the way I see it is that I LOVE THIS VAN and I'm keeping it forever!!! ]

That's funny about keeping it forever my old boss was so excited when he bought a diesel when he turned 50, he said he was going to keep it forever !!
He passed away last year at 66, He kept his word... He loved that thing

Sorry that was not too meant to be diesel bashing it's just standard observation and talk..
No difference than a sitting and having coffee in a Starbucks & shooting the s#*t.
In my case I just don't have the funds to maintain such a high cost used vehicle. I may as well buy an airplane and a boat.... lol

 

[ShuttlePilot]

Thanks ucsundog for the info. Looks like accuratediesel are the injectors to use at the moment.

- Eric

 

[RememberTheFallen-SMB]

Ford Dealer price - $1500 but Jay(Zylstra) found one for 700! This guy Jay made me it so much easier for me and I will tell you that he was the most responsive and helpful guy compared to all the other shops which in the end made it so much easier for me to decide to go with them.

Awesome! Thank you very much for the link!

 

[ucsundog]

10/2 update

So I picked up the van and I’m super grateful. We had a few little hiccups with timing and some debugging on issues, but in the end after a month at the shop I drove it 3hrs back home to the Bay Area.

In any case, as I’m breaking the engine in I noticed that my Coolant/Oil temp was hovering 208/210 and when I increased my speed 70 Mph 97deg ambient temp, the temps went to 215/220. Also noticed that at 220 my ac air was no longer blowing cold air and in fact it was very warm air. I should have changed out the Ac compressor/aC clutch. gonna have to look into this later.

Back to the coolant/Oil temps, It has the stock tune and I’m wondering if this is expected. As a comparison, my old engine would be 190/195 consistent freeway driving but this had the SCt tune tow 50 and the Atlas 40 tune. Thoughts?

 

[Twoxentrix]

At 97 degree temps outside, that Doesn’t look too out of line, but the temps are also influenced by several other factors:
What RPM’s are you hitting to do 70mph? I have 4:56 gears and run 2300rpm’s to do 70.
Did you install a low temp thermostat?
What does your van weigh?

 

[carringb]

If your A/C works until the ECTs hit 220F, it's not likely t a problem with the A/C clutch.

Can you hear the engine fan coming on?

 

[unreng]

Doesn't look abnormal. A new engine will take a few thousand miles to break in.

1. Get it tuned...that will help with temp control.
2. 70mph + 97-F ambient is fast + warm...try 65mph and see what happens.
3. The A/C can cause a temp increase when on.
4. Look into the heater valve upgrade to help with A/C...very worthwhile = https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/f...board-vents-13588.html?highlight=heater+valve

 

[ucsundog]

Hi Guys,


Thanks for the replies and yes I will be getting a custom tune. I'm almost at 500 miles today and I will try the canned tunes to see if the temps go down.


btw, I'm running 4.10 gears w/35s and the van weighs 9600 - 10K.



Thanks,

Alex

 

[Twoxentrix]

I'd recommend 5-Star Tune - they can set you up, and are familiar with these Vans.

I also was concerned with my temps, since they hovered on the higher side of average - mostly due to the Van weighing close to 12K lbs when loaded. I drove to their shop & had 3 tunes created (40, 50, and 60hp), but they also tweaked it so the fan would engage earlier. This has helped tremendously when I hit steep and/or long grades, but more importantly when I'm running slowly in 4 low...this is when temps increase quickly since you really don't have any air flowing through the radiator.

 

[ucsundog]

After 500 miles of break-in, I tried the “performance” canned tune and wow this thing does burn outs! The temps are still high on the average 210/214 and the tranny is at 200 and up to 208 and the EGTs shot up all the way to 1350-1400! This thing pulls! I obviously didn’t hold WOT for very long but I tell you this power is addicting! The other thing that was surprising was the Aver MPG shot up to 19/21!


I’m Going to call Mikes 5star Tyne tomorrow to see what they can do.

 

[ShuttlePilot]

Do you think Mike at 5 Star Tuning would be up for a Google Teams conference call for the Forum? Might save him some time on the phone. Since I installed a KC stage 1.0 turbo last spring I've been looking for some optimizing beyond the stock tune as there seems to be a noticeable difference between it and the original Garret turbo. Anyway, I've been thinking of talking to 5 star in the near future as well.

ucsundog, just want to agree with the others that the temps you report are well within what is considered normal. That doesn't mean the temps are ideal, or to your liking, just normal. You are probably also aware that EGT temps can vary widely based on where the temp is measured. Internet posts will claim their EGTs are low but they are measuring it post turbo vs in the exhaust manifold. Just be aware of where someone else is measuring vs where you are measuring.

Here is a link to a post a few years back on 6.0 normal temps as a reference.

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/forums/f33/running-temps-for-6l-19087.html


- Eric

 

[ucsundog]

Hey Guys,

Quick update....

I installed the innovative diesel tunes and the temps got within range. I also installed the Tru-cool Max transmission cooler and she runs at 160 around town and on the highway. Gonna test her out in the mountains. So far all is good!

-Alex

 

[ucsundog]

Update on 4/14/22 on my new 6.0 long block install by Zylstra in Visalia. Zylstra = Poor workmanship and customer service!!!

- After ~20K Miles, i noticed that there’s oil in my Coolant Reservoir!!!. Seems like the Oil cooler failed!!! The Oil cooler was new! I’m kicking my self in the rear for not installing the BPF oil cooler in the 1st place!!! I tried going back to Zylstra and they said that they are not working on any Sportmobiles after mine. Apparently, after bringing my Van back to Sean(Visalia) for 2 other occasions, they had enough with these types of Vans. It sucks because even though my engine was out of warranty, they refused to work on it. I will be posting a poor review on Yelp re. Their service and how they didn’t even offer to help.

I have a question re. Anyone else experiencing a stock oil cooler going bad after ~20K miles. Btw, I monitor my oil and coolant temps with my Edge CTS and my deltas were perfect and it’s only when I went to check my coolant, and I found oil in it.

In any case, I’m getting my van towed to J’s Performance to get him to fix this issue. Has anyone experienced any bad service or regret going to J’s?

 

[ShuttlePilot]

ucsundog, sorry this is happening to you. If it is the oil cooler that has failed I'd be curious if it was not a genuine Ford part. Internet Truck world over the years has shown Doorman, eBay, and parts house coolers rupturing prematurely. The genuine Ford coolers (purchased at Ford or reputable online vendor, lots of fake genuine out there) have been solid. I remember you being pretty thorough in your parts list on this project so I'm not sure how an inferior part might crept in. Or is the possibility of poor assembly the likely cause. The next mechanic will likely be able to easily tell what the cause is.

Again, sorry to hear of the setback

-Eric

 

[ucsundog]

ucsundog, sorry this is happening to you. If it is the oil cooler that has failed I'd be curious if it was not a genuine Ford part. Internet Truck world over the years has shown Doorman, eBay, and parts house coolers rupturing prematurely. The genuine Ford coolers (purchased at Ford or reputable online vendor, lots of fake genuine out there) have been solid. I remember you being pretty thorough in your parts list on this project so I'm not sure how an inferior part might crept in. Or is the possibility of poor assembly the likely cause. The next mechanic will likely be able to easily tell what the cause is.

Again, sorry to hear of the setback

-Eric

Hi Eric, No need to be sorry but i appreciate the moral support. . I agree with you and as an FYI, I purchased my parts at Accuratediesel.com and the guy that I worked with is a guy named TIm. I also purchased an IPR from him and it turned out that the IPR was also a “dud” during the engine install, and now the Oil cooler has failed. I’m now questioning where the get their parts. I spoke to him and he said that the Oil cooler was “new” but I’m not sure if it was a Factory OEM model.

In any case, I’m actually going to now do the BPF oil cooler so that this type of thing will never happen. J’s performance apparently has a custom way of mounting the Oil cooler radiator with 2 external fans. Apparently, he’s done many SportsMobiles and he said he did the Sportsmobile of Dave Fieldman, the owner of SMBWest at the time. Hopefully, this will work and I won’t have any more issues pop up.

 

[daveb-SMB]

I also opted out of a BP oil cooler but so far so good. Knock on wood, I haven't had too many issues with J's performance. Once I made it about 15 miles when the engine shut down and had to return. And if you have a Starcool make sure they put back the correct 72 oz of Freon required. Repair time might be a factor cause they are always busy but I can deal with that better than poor workmanship. But any shop can screw up, and I guess I was lucky with Zylstra's other than the horrible SCT tuner and tune they put in. Almost every issue I've had after the bullet proofing has been bolt-on Ford parts which worried me a bit about using a stock oil cooler but so far so good. I decided to use J's because I'm within 90 miles, and they work on a lot of SMB's, but if you live a good distance from Fresno I'd suggest doing good hard test drive before getting too far from the shop. As mentioned, any shop can screw up and miss something. I wish you luck.

 

[JoeH-SMB]

man, sorry to hear this news. The good news is replacing the oil cooler isn't that big a deal. Top end stuff has to come off so it's labor intensive but at least you don't have to pull the engine. It could also be a cracked head or failed head gasket which would be bad news x 10.

It would be good to confirm whether or not it was an OEM oil cooler that was installed and not a Dorman. Honestly, with the upgraded EGR coolers and also the fact that this is a reman engine (ie., no casting sand) and ELC coolant (ie., no ford gold sludge) then the reasons the oil cooler passageways clog up are are eliminated. And it's the EGR cooler that fails when that happens and you also have an upgraded one, correct?

Keep us posted but IMHO I still think the BPD external oil cooler is a solution in search of a problem.

edit to add: stock oil cooler on my rebuild now at 45,000k and making 400HP.

 

[Twoxentrix]

I have a question re. Anyone else experiencing a stock oil cooler going bad after ~20K miles.

I replaced the high pressure oil pump 2 years ago, and 4 weeks later it developed issues - turned out to be defective. Shop called Ford and their position was they would gladly replace the pump but would not cover any labor costs.
The Shop called me to deliver the bad news, and then said they would cover it so I wouldn't have to contend with the financial burden - Took me by surprise, but certainly appreciated the gesture.
They've been great to work with the last 7 years, and because they offered, I really couldn't let them take the 'hit' alone... so they ultimately agreed to split the cost with me. Its that kind of Service that creates loyalty!
Sorry to hear your predicament went so sideways.

 

[ucsundog]

man, sorry to hear this news. The good news is replacing the oil cooler isn't that big a deal. Top end stuff has to come off so it's labor intensive but at least you don't have to pull the engine. It could also be a cracked head or failed head gasket which would be bad news x 10.

It would be good to confirm whether or not it was an OEM oil cooler that was installed and not a Dorman. Honestly, with the upgraded EGR coolers and also the fact that this is a reman engine (ie., no casting sand) and ELC coolant (ie., no ford gold sludge) then the reasons the oil cooler passageways clog up are are eliminated. And it's the EGR cooler that fails when that happens and you also have an upgraded one, correct?

Keep us posted but IMHO I still think the BPD external oil cooler is a solution in search of a problem.

edit to add: stock oil cooler on my rebuild now at 45,000k and making 400HP.

Hi Joe, Yes, I have an aftermarket EGR cooler, and at this point all things are pointing to a failed Oil cooler but it may also be something else, and I’m just praying for the best.