Use thread-locking compound to ensure any mounting brackets stay secure. Note the notch that locks the bracket onto the vehicle’s frame. Insert the mounting bracket next to the radiator. While it doesn’t seem to have as many issues as the 6.0L, Anderson points out that coolant care is extremely important to a vehicle’s longevity and ultimately minimizing repair costs-which is a way cool approach to keeping your diesel pickup on the road. Also in the works from T&A Performance is a filter for the 6.4L Power Stroke. The feed line is from a T-fitting off the heater system and the line to the degas (fluid reservoir) bottle. Getting back to the coolant filter, it’s not possible for it to plug up the vehicle’s fluid passages since it’s a passive system that pulls only small amounts of coolant at a time. Attach the ball valves in the locations that are best suited to your application. First wrap plumber’s tape around the threads of the hose fittings for proper sealing from leaks.ĥ & 6 The filter housing has more than one port, so install a block-off plug in the unused one. In addition, coolant conditioner (a necessary additive for diesels in particular) can be introduced from a tablet inside the coolant filter, which will supplement having to pour in additive every 15,000 miles. Once installed, Anderson says that the filter not only removes those clogging particles, but also can extend the life of the coolant, water pump, seals and any other parts that rely on coolant flow. (The install can be done without a prior flush, but for best results and minimizing debris, he recommends the flush first.) T&A Performance founder Tim Anderson says that the best time to install a kit is right after a coolant flush, to remove as much debris as possible. Priced at $145, this firm’s coolant kit is affordable and easy to install. The setup we’ll show here is from T&A Performance, a diesel repair shop in Sparks, Nevada, that also offers a range of products for diesel pickups. Several aftermarket companies now offer coolant filter systems for the Ford 6.0L Power Stroke, and commercial trucks have been using them for several years to protect their hard-working, high-mileage rigs. So what’s the ounce of prevention? Installing a coolant filter system (along with following a few other simple maintenance tips see sidebar). Note, too, that 260-degree coolant will peg the temp gauge, and once the fluid hits 300 degrees, it melts just about every plastic part under the hood. (Yet oddly enough, this debris doesn’t seem to be a common problem with other Ford diesels, nor other brands, so some of the mystery remains.) The sediment plugs up the oil cooler, and since less coolant flows through the EGR cooler as well, the engine runs hot, and then the fluid begins to break down and doesn’t do its job. Where was this muck coming from? Evidently sand particles from the casting of the 6.0L engine blocks can leach out of the metal and into the water jacket, according to the experts. When this murky coolant was drained and allowed to sit still for a time, a fine silt settled to the bottom. But we found a few other items in the coolant system that required some attention as well.Īfter disassembling a number of failed heat exchangers (for both the EGR and oil system), and also noting a significant difference between oil and coolant temperatures, the source of the affliction become apparent: sludge and debris. Here’s a stock 6.0 Power Stroke, viewed from the location where the coolant filter will be installed. The point here is that just because you have 100K-mile coolant in a vehicle, if it’s more than three years old, it’s no longer 100K coolant. At right is a new tank, at left is a used one, showing discoloration. These two coolant reservoirs from a Duramax show how contaminated coolant can get over time, and why it needs to be checked regularly. Don’t run any number higher than a 24072, because you can actually put too much conditioner in the system, which will also cause fallout of casting sand from the block. You can use just about any brand of standard coolant filter on the market, such as from NAPA or the IE WIX, but only with a minimum amount of additive (part number 24070 has no additive, and 24071 has the lowest amount of conditioner inside the filter). The ball valves make it easy to replace the filter with a minimum of drips. It includes a billet coolant filter housing, mounting bracket, pipe plug, two stainless steel ball valves, a pair of coolant lines, and installation hardware. The coolant filter system from T&A Performance is simple to connect, requiring less than a couple hours of labor. And on the 6.0L, whose oil cooler has minute water and oil passages, this can spell death to the cooler and EGR cooler downstream. Through the process of corrosion from combining aluminum and steel parts on an engine, debris can find its way into the cooling system.
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