Yes and yes. There are a few issues that are thought to cause the oil cooler clogging. One is the sand castings from inside the block. The blocks are cast in sand, it's just how they're made. Over time, these sand particles break off inside the cooling system and eventually end up in the oil cooler. The other thought is silicates falling out of suspension in the coolant itself. It could be one, both, or none, but we do know these coolers clog at some point. Once they clog, they can't do their job efficiently. Their only job is to regulate coolant and oil temp and keep the temps similar. If it clogs, it cant do that, and coolant begins flash boiling. The first place to see issues is usually the EGR cooler. It can also lead to blown headgaskets as well.

I am using a Ford OEM oil cooler rebuild kit on mine, and I'm doing a full on, cab off, headgasket/headstud repair. You can get this kit brand new from Tousley Ford for ~ $213 +$10 shipping.

If you aren't currently having problems, but want to ensure good reliability... and you don't live in cali, this is what I would do (just what I would do, doesn't mean what you should do, just a recommendation)...

EGR delete setup $~150-$600, depending on who's kit you go with
Dieselsite or Sinister coolant filter kit $~130
New OEM oil cooler rebuild ~$225
Coolant flush with Restore (restore runs about $35 for a gallon, then just a bunch of distilled water), then fill with coolant of your choice, most guys are using CAT ELC coolants now.

Gauges would be a good idea
An SCT with some custom tunes after that, probably a tow tune for when you're hauling your desert toys, and maybe a mild street tune for DD'ing (nothing too crazy since you'll be on stock headgaskets). If you don't want to add any power through a tuner, just get a tune that has stock power, the EGR function turned off, and some transmission tuning, that will really help your trans last.

A 4" turbo back exhaust will help greatly as well (reduce EGT's).



Again, just my recommendations. If you want, and have the money, the BPD EGR cooler and BPD oil cooler are both really nice upgrades... but I can think of a lot of other things for me to spend the money on personally.

 

so for this recomendation

"I would recommend a coolant filter first, it's $120 and worth it's weight in gold."

what brand do you recomend? so does this coolant filter, filter out just the coolant or the oil itself, im trying to understand how filtering the "coolant" keeps the "oil cooler" from uncloging

 

It's a filter for JUST the coolant.

There are two thoughts as to it's protection level.

First, the blocks of these motors, when they're made, they're made in a sand-casting process, which means the block is physically cast in sand. Over time these sand particles break off inside the coolant passages and end up in the oil cooler.

The second thought is the Ford gold coolant itself, it contains silicates and they can fall out of suspension and turn to a "goo" inside and clog the oil cooler.

The coolant filter catches most of this crap.

You have a few choices, you can get a dieselsite.com unit, you can get one from Sinister manufacturing, or you can build your own. Most of the guys who build their own end up spending almost as much to make their own, and it wont look as nice. You can just google either of these names to find their pages Either one is fine, they both serve the same function.

 

well i pulled the trigger on the Bullet Proof Diesels complete kit, i appreciate all the advice Mdub707 and i will defenitely post up repair pics and any issues i might find with the install of their kit, hopefully if someone else has this issue in the future and has the same questions i had i might be able to help them out and steer them the correct way!

 

Great, you'll be happy with it. Be sure to post up pics as you go!

 

i have a 2004 F350 that is all stock no mods. I just resentley startded doing this i can start it up fine and it will idle fine but as soon as i put it in gear it falls on its face and stumbles on its self and it will take off and run fine around 1900 to 2000 RPMs all while blowing white and black smoke and if i start to pull a hill it starts doing it again as long as i keep my RPMs above 1900 its fine i ordered and EGR delete kit for it i hope that this fixes it. It is also throwing a code i dont know what it is i dont have a scanner and i havent drove it in a week and really dont want to drive it. If anyone knows what it is and can help me i would appreaciat it thanks Josh

 

Could be a bunch of things. Go to an auto parts store and read the code, and post it back here. Tough to say right now though, too many things it could be.

 

2004 F350 6.0 (new factory engine) Its like watching reruns with this whole EGR delete not delete. I would recommend you sway from what your friends have done and research this issue with only qualified 6.0 techs that will give it to you straight. I did the whole EGR delete route, air cleaner change, chip crap that everyone said was so great and then, after the number 8 cylinder lost compression and I had to get a new long block, did some real research and put everything back to stock. I only use the readout on the chip as a gauge pack and so I can check DTC's if I do need to put it in the shop. I pull a 38' 5th wheel everywhere and this engine is incredible in that role, as long I drive by RPM and not MPH. Everywhere I look guys are trying to turn a 6.0 into a 1 ton dragster, and yeah, it wasn't made for that. But pulling 14,000 lbs up a 15 mile long .06% grade in the Canadian Rockies and keeping the RPMs under 3,000? It did that all day long over and over again. I have also since found a crap load of owners with 150,000; 200,000 and 250,000 miles on their 6.0's with few problems encountered. I'm beginning to think the real problem with the 6.0 is owners and drivers more than design and function.

 

Finding a qualified 6.0 tech is harder than finding a 6.0 with 500k miles on it.


I agree though, a lot of diesels have problems from lack of maintenance and general mis-use. The 6.0 definitely does not do well with a lack of, or even delayed, maintenance. I can't stress that enough.

Now as far as deleting and all that, tough call. I don't see doing an EGR delete as anything that will negatively effect the 6.0. I think you can't go wrong with that. However, if you could buy a 6.0 brand new, a coolant filter would do wonders for the longevity.

My buddy has an 05 with 300k on it. At 275k, it had not had a single injector replaced, heads had never been off, and he was on the original egr cooler and oil cooler. His truck is a freak. It is also tuned, and he is rocking 40" tires on it currently. Never had anything less than 37" tires on it either. He pulls with it, does donuts out in the mud and whatever else. He does monitor temps like a hawk, and is up on his maintenance though. He just tore it down at 275k to do ARP's, EGR delete, and he had one injector that was starting to stick pretty severely.

 

Well my EGR delete kit will be here to day and its not the fact that i don't know how to drive my truck or take care of it because i do i drive truck in my spare time and have been for the last 6 years I drive for a companie in Yakima Washington. I mainly use my truck for pulling i deliver hay to people in Seattle so it is not just a run around go shopping truck it gets used. But as fare as the EGR delete i thank that is my best rout and once i get it in i will go and have my CEl checked.

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Yeah but their are a number or reasons why you doped compression in your number 8 cylinder. I had a compression test done and still have perfect compression and i have 165,398 miles on my 2004 F350. And until my EGR went out it would pull anything that i wanted to pull i have pulled 14000 lbs with it with no problem it is a good truck nothing else is wrong with it i am happy with it and am planing on putting a 4" exhaust on an after market intake and an Edge Programer on soon.