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Old 04-30-2012, 10:08 PM   #1
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2006 f250 6.0

I am towing a 36Ft toy hauler with my 06 F250 are there any others out there who are towing with this truck. i had air bags installed in the truck and the ride is good but is seams to almost be too much for the truck. I know that the 6.0 has had issues in the past but I would like to hear from people that are towing with this truck and there experience
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Old 05-01-2012, 06:15 AM   #2
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There are some variables that need to be discussed regarding your tow vehicle. What is the max weight of your trailer? Where will you be towing your rig? Hills, mountains, mainly flat lands? What rear end ratio do you have. At least a 4.10 or 4.30 gear to tow that big a rig. Have you made any mods other than the air bags to your truck? The F250 should be capable depending on some of these variables. The 6.0 does have issues but if treated properly is still a strong pulling motor. If you haven't made any performance improvements like exhaust system and computer chip you should look into those. They greatly improve performance and fuel mileage. If you're looking for an excuse to get a 350 or even a 450 then the 6.4 and 6.7 motors are the way to go.
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Old 05-01-2012, 07:32 AM   #3
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Don't chip the 6.0!...I have a 6.0 that went through all that bad stuff, but now running great. First sign of trouble is when towing your TH (when the engine is under a load) and it's puking coolant through the cap on the coolant tank. But that's another story and after a lot of work that has been done to my engine, no more problems. I do have a Banks exhaust system, airbox and the intercooler inlet pipe and it seems to help the performance, especially the flow-thru muffler.

I tow a 34ft. TH and when it's fully loaded, it's over 13k lbs. and my '05 seems to handle it well. With nearly a 1900 lbs. tongue weight, the rear springs handle it well with only a 1-1/2" - 2" drop and I don't have bags. Ford has at least four different types of rear leaf springs and I happen to have the heavest springs on mime. I do have the 4:10 rearend and do have to watch my speed on the flats because the truck wants to run away with the TH. The hills are a different story, the long 6% and steeper grades you will find your speed will be around 45-55 mph going up. I'm ok not trying to set a land speed record going up steep hills, I rather extend the life of the engine than trying see how fast I can make it up a hill. The only time I use the Tow Haul feature is when going down hills, any hill when towing the TH and that feature works great when it comes to saving your brakes.

I can go through the list of things that had happened to my 6.0 and how it was fixed, but from my experience with this engine, don't put a chip in it and do the exhaust system.
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Old 05-01-2012, 07:47 AM   #4
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Its not the chip that causes the over heat problems, its not watching the EGTs (exhaust temperature) while pulling a load. Most chips have a mild tow tune to help prevent high exhaust temps. Having an EGT guage and a coolant temp guage is a must even without performance enhancements. If getting a chip make sure its one that has selectable tunes and in most cases use only the 1st or 2nd level tune when towing. Watch the EGTs, if they get too high switch to the stock tune and slow down. Don't let the EGTs get over 10,000 deg. for any extended period. Nailit is right, slowing down on steep grades (and making sure the tranny is in the right gear) will prolong engine life as well. It maight take you a few minute longer to get there, but think of the savings. A 4 - 5 inch straight pipe exhaust obviously flows the exhaust better and also helps keep the exhaust temps down.
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Old 05-01-2012, 08:47 AM   #5
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Well I just got rid of my injury prone 6.0. Sad to say I really liked the truck. When working fine it pulled great and had plenty of power for most hauls. I just had bad luck with repairs. Injectors, FICM, EGR cooler, EGR valve, turbo problems etc. it was just too costly to keep fixing it constantly I traded it in last week. I used the Edge Insight monitor for gauges and it's a must if your hauling. Keep temps below 1250 at it highest, I've seen nearly 1100 hauling the 30qbss up some big hills but mostly hangs around 950-1000. With good maintenance it will run great but just be prepared to pay for repairs. If something breaks its usually expensive.
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Old 05-01-2012, 09:03 AM   #6
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I noticed a typo in my last post (thanks to JeffK), 10,000 deg. WHOA!! Should be 1,000 deg. The 6.0s are problematic but still are good engines if they are taken care of. Any diesel related component is expensive to replace! Heck, the oil filters on the 6.0s .4s and.7s are $20 at Walmart! Don't mention any major components, they'll break the bank. But when they run right, boy do they run good. My tuned and straight piped 6.4 puts out 800 ft. pounds and still gets 16 - 18 running empty! 10 - 12 pulling a 42ft toy hauler.
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Old 05-01-2012, 09:10 AM   #7
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Forgot to mention mine was stock except a 4 in turbo back exhaust. No tuners on the 6.0 unless you've done head studs and EGR delete and other misc. upgrades to handle it.
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Old 05-01-2012, 07:55 PM   #8
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I'm not going to make this a brand thing because I am a Cummins guy. I am the shop manager at a fairly big construction company and I take care of 5 6.0's and they are great motors when taken care of. They are a little lacking in power for towing at interstate speeds but I can tell you that you are not going to hurt them buy running the dog doo out of them. As a matter of a fact the EGR problems (stopping up of the intake and EGR valve are caused by babying the truck. Believe me when I say "put your foot in it" the 6.0 loves to run hard.

My service truck is a '06 F350 CC with 4:11 gears and has 140,000 miles on it and I have been through it all with 4 of the trucks. EGR deletes because of idling all day on jobsites in the winter months. The EGR cool problem is a problem caused by silica that was used to clean the blocks out when being built and not all of it got removed. The coolers on these motors have very small passages that the coolant flows through that get stopped up with this silica. This in-turn causes an unexpected overheat condition 90% of the time when under a load only that will very easily warp the heads causing it to burn the coolant. I went through this with 2 of the trucks. Easy fix is an inexpensive aftermarket coolant filter for around $130.

6.0L Powerstoke Bullet Proof part 1 - Coolant change and filter install

The next thing on a 6.0 is injectors. Fuel pressure is the main killer of the injectors on the 6.0. The injectors are capable of "pulling the fuel if the supply isn't there which will "pull" the o-rings right off of the injector. Also the fuel also acts as a coolant for the injectors and when it don't get enough coolant....well we all know what happens. The first mod to do is to get a good set of gauges and put them on the truck. Fuel pressure and EGT would be the first.
The next thing is replace the fuel pressure regulator spring. Ford has an upgrade kit (Ford Part number #3C3Z-9T517-AG) for around $80-$100. You can also get it through an International big truck parts house. International part number #1854267c94 for the spring and gaskets. 40.00 at most international dealerships. For the equiv. International part just the spring and the seal is part number #6E7Z-9C165-B.

They also had a hard hot start problem that was o-rings in the high pressure oil passages in the heads. I think Ford charges $1400 to fix this problem but with about 20-30 dollars worth of parts and about 4 hours and anybody with a little wrench turning since can do it. It looks worse than it really is. I have had 3 of our trucks down to the block. They are not as bad to work on as many people put out.
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Old 05-09-2012, 10:35 PM   #9
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I added helper springs to help with the hitch weight of my last 38'TH.
My 06 F250 Crew Cab 4X4 6.0L was the best pulling truck I have owned.
Only time in the shop was for oil changes. I sold it last year after my TH sold. Great truck.
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:13 AM   #10
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tramsamz9 thanks for the info about the coolant filter...simple an affective an I will be doing this add on with the gauges.
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Old 05-10-2012, 08:05 AM   #11
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HI

My TV is a 2004 F550 with a 6 liter. I bought it used but knowing its history. The original owner pulled an 8 horse trailer between Ontario and Kentucky. I got the service records with the truck.

I did a full filter and fluids service on it as soon as I got it. It pulls my Sterling 32RL with ease. I had to drive WOT a couple of times and it is amazing how much power you get. Like any vehicle if you take care of it and don't drive the s--t out of it they will generally behave.

I am happy with it and got it for a price that if I need to rebuild the motor then I am only out the camping time then money I have already factored in not having to buy new.
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Old 05-10-2012, 09:57 PM   #12
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Excellent points transam. you hit the nail right on the head. I am a FORD diesel technician and specialize in mainly diesel. I just want to add one thing and thaat ia the oil cooler has a tendency to get contaminated on the coolant side. Regular coolant flushes will help along with the add on filter. When the oil cooler gets restricted it does not allow enough coolant through the EGR cooler and causes excess heat in the EGR cooler resulting in the internal solder joints to melt and cause major coolant loss into the exhaust
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