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Old 10-11-2016, 04:29 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Oct 2016
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Year: 2005
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Engine: e450 6.0
2005 e450 6.0 what problems?

have heard bad things about 6.0 diesels.
should i anticipate and prepare for major problems?

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Old 10-11-2016, 04:31 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stone21 View Post
have heard bad things about 6.0 diesels.
should i anticipate and prepare for major problems?
If you're not an ace diesel tech, then yeah you COULD be in for some major issues. Prepare to spend some money and time "bulletproofing" the engine.
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Old 10-11-2016, 05:58 PM   #3
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and dont.. whastever you do dont get it Hot!.. the 6.0 has PLASTIC parts in the oil circuit.. if they melt the engine is completely destroyed.... I believe meltdown starts at Oil temperature of 260.. thats not out of the question to reach if pushing it hard and something in the cooling system fails..

2005 model year the 6.0 was a little better than its first 2 years but it could still cause issues if not careful with it..
-Christopher
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Old 10-11-2016, 06:57 PM   #4
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Join Date: Oct 2016
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Engine: e450 6.0
2005 model year the 6.0 was a little better than its first 2 years but it could still cause issues if not careful with it..
-Christopher[/QUOTE]

thank you much for the warning!
i also understand there are very often problems with the system that recirculates
the unburnt fuel...something to do with emissions.
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Old 10-11-2016, 07:22 PM   #5
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the EGR cooler could be an issue.. as could the engine oil cooler..

alot of people hook their 6.0's up with a OBD-II dongle and an android app TorquePro to watch live, the various portions of the computer.. a lot can be learned by watching what the computer thinks and does..

a forum member ruined the International version of a 6.0 (VT-365) last week because it ran hot and he decided to drive that extra couple miles to an exit... he melted the oil filter plastic components.. that engine is done...

its important to watch engine Oil temperature.. ford nor international gives that gauge on the dash however it can be read from the computer..

-Christopher
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Old 10-11-2016, 07:38 PM   #6
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is that it for major "common" 6.0 major issues...? keep it cool?...i love this handy little bluebird school bus, almost in perfect condition, but the warnings i've been running across about the 6.0 make me think i should sell it and find another more reliable diesel shorty.
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Old 10-11-2016, 07:39 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stone21 View Post
have heard bad things about 6.0 diesels.
should i anticipate and prepare for major problems?
Isn't there a class action lawsuit going on over the 6.0?
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Old 10-11-2016, 07:50 PM   #8
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Isn't there a class action lawsuit going on over the 6.0?[/QUOTE]

yes, but settled...looks like a pretty restrictive settlement at that...methinks.
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Old 10-11-2016, 07:52 PM   #9
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theres a ton of 6.0's out there still on the road... your bus has made it this far... the 03 / 04 were the worst years.. .theres also tons of information on the net about how to make your 6.0 run forever...

alot of people's 6.0 issues came about as they ran the piss out of them.. poulling hard, driving fast, using programmers to make more horsepower..

dirty oil is another culprit.. any of the International engines with an 'E' at the end its imperative to run clean oil and clean coolant of the proper type..

one of the issues was that after internationbal designed the engine, ford claimed it was too pricey to put in a consumer level truck so they made international cheapen some of the parts to save money.. and then ford wanted more HP / TQ than the international version put out so couopled with cheaper parts in the first couple years and running them harder they got a bad rap..

the predecessor to it the 7.3 didnt seem to have as many issues, though alot of the components are similar in the ford 7.3 and the international T-444E.. International didnt make them to be raced...

some of the stuff I mention like temperatures, clean oil and coolant apply to ALL diesel engines... even the old mechanical DT-466's..

psaying attention to things like any "skip" or miss in the engine as well as oil -level.. (is your oil level going UP?.. could mean a bad injector), and such..

my Guess is that the 6.0's in school busses are much more lightly used than those in some 20-something's Power stroke that has to be Loud and Fast to his buddies...

a lot of the vids i watch on powerstrokehelp's youtube channel are of engines that were abused or not shut down quickly at the first sign of an issue...

if you do plan to run lots of miles on the bus there are things to do to bulletproof a 6.0.. I thin theres a thread on here where a forum member documented his bulletproofing of a 6.0..

-Christopher
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Old 10-11-2016, 07:58 PM   #10
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6.0 Powerjoke...

Ok, the 6.0 is not as bad as people want to say they are. Its mostly in the electronics. International used them in equipment and had very few issues. When Ford started putting them in the trucks, Ford insisted on doing their own electronics. This is where the problems are. Everything is controlled electronically. The biggest issues that come to mind here are EGR issues. You either need a cooler or an EGR delete. Delete it if you can, and if allowed in your state. HPOP- High Pressure Oil Pump. The injectors need pretty high PSI behind them to get them to pop off. TONS of these trucks break down due to this. Its not something that you have a warning about, they don't slowly wear out, just one day your engine will not start due to low pressure. Sensors are always hit and miss. I believe mine had 3 seperate engine coolant sensors. (I replaced my 6.0 with a 5.9 cummins). Clean fuel is a MUST if you get ANY debris through the filters to the injectors, its bye-bye-injector. Also, any repairs on this engine is BIG $$$. On the bright side, when they run good, they have LOADS of power, smooth, and clean. I feel a lot of the new diesels are so powerful, that if ANYTHING goes wrong, it can mean huge failures that result in the engine tearing itself apart. I'm not telling you to buy or not to buy, but the prices on them are low for a good reason. Also, I know nothing of them in buses, this is just my experience in Ford trucks....... Also, the 6.4 is a step up, but still riddled with problems.
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Old 10-11-2016, 09:04 PM   #11
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sdr76, cadillackid, stu & filo, and eastcoastcd...new heros of mine.
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Old 10-11-2016, 10:17 PM   #12
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The duty cycle that has killed more 6.0L's than anything else are the type that include a lot of idling or any other sort of duty cycle that doesn't allow the engine to get to operating temperature.

The reason why the Ford 6.0L and the IC VT365 became such a disaster in school buses is most school buses rarely ever run long enough to get warm enough for the EGR to work properly. The more you ran them cool the more the EGR got all plugged up. In a very short period of time the EGR not working caused major problems on the intake side where the EGR was supposed to be recycling. The insides of the engines that died as a result of the EGR failing are the blackest and dirtiest engines I have ever seen.

The same sort of destruction has happened in consumer vehicles that are used for daily driving--stop and go, relatively short distances, never get warmed up properly.

There are some 6.0L/VT365's out there that have gone long distances. In most cases the engines were in vehicles that got out and worked hard and got up to operating temperature. But as it has been noted, they do not last long at all if they get hot.

Warmed up is good. Hot is not good.
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Old 10-12-2016, 02:25 AM   #13
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My 2004 6.0L E-450 has 158k miles. I was told by the guy who owns DP Tuner that the bus engines are very detuned. Which might mean they'd be in better shape than the engine in a truck. Mine appears to be in very good shape, as far as I can tell. None of the telltale signs of impending failure.

So I tore into it proactively, to avoid future problems. I removed the everything in front of the engine (radiator, intercooler, fan, etc), everything on top of the engine, and the exhaust off the rear of it. New belt, water pump, PS pump, new bearings in the idler pulleys. New oil cooler, TIG welded the EGR cooler's exhaust passages and reinstalled it. Stiffer blue spring in the fuel pressure regulator. Cleaned out the turbo vanes and got them working again. Also had cold start / rough running problems and it turned out the be a bad power supply board in the Fuel Injector Control Module. Dorman replacement is $93 on Amazon and simple to change. I pulled mine out and re-soldered per instructions I found online. Truck starts and runs fine now.

I learned how to do this stuff by watching videos on youtube. Search for it.
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Old 12-28-2016, 06:10 PM   #14
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For good or ill I just bought one of these. 2005 6L F450 Super Duty Power Stroke pulling a 30 passenger shorty with 118000 miles on it. The bus and the engine are in fantastic shape.

I will have all of the filters and fluids changed by a mechanic immediately; oil, coolant, transmission, etc. I will be installing a coolant filter as well. If I can avoid the full bullet proof I will. Since some of the usual problems are detectable I will be installing the EGT, oil and transmission temperature gauges.

My bus, like many others has a rear radiator heater that pumps coolant from the main coolant system to the rear of the bus and then uses fans to blow air across the small radiator to heat the passenger area. There are intake and return lines that run to the front and it looks like there is a pump that also runs to circulate the coolant to the back.

Would it be possible to use those lines as a secondary/supplemental cooling device?

I'm thinking that with some creative sheet metal work and insulation I could vent that excess heat without heating the cabin of the bus. Would an alternate radiator in it's place work better? Would this be an appropriate place to mount the coolant filter? The van front end doesn't leave much room up front.
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Old 12-28-2016, 09:05 PM   #15
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Full bullet-proof, a couple thousand bucks.

New engine, $25K +.

What are you saving by skimping? Your call.
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