Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
I have two in my fleet and basically I would love to do nothing more that dig a big hole and push them in (I would have to push because I know they will cost me more money to drive them into a hole). One alone burned 1/3 of my budget (injectors in both vehicles, turbo, oil cooler, clutch-fan etc) in the first 3 months of this year. OK, I did basically inherit a neglected fleet who was probably trying to run a fleet by the gas-and-go... look at how well my budget is doing because I am not fixing anything method. Anyway, do the regular PI with the 6.0 as they are not a robust "can ignore issues" engine.
While there are definitely a lot of lemons out there in the 6.0 world, I'm not afraid of them like other people are. If my Ford truck was a Dodge or a Chevy, it would have cost at least $15,000 more than I paid. Given the savings I had no big issue spending more than $5000 having the engine made reliable. My buddy spent more for the Cummins version of my truck, and has spent more than me on repairs. The 6.0 really is a bargain right now.
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Considering how much that the PS 6.0 is a problem child, I would not try and avoid maintenance with this engine, especially if we are talking about the injectors.
It's not about avoiding maintenance, it's about constant maintenance. I would definitely need to send away oil samples to see how it is doing. I'm not sure if it would extend oil changes or replace them entirely.
My injectors cost $800 to rebuild, and my mechanic charges $300 to do the work, that would be the most I am risking here.
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
But are the "stick-slip" and cold start romp problems we've heard about on the 6.0 PS over the years due to sticking on the oil side or the fuel side of the injector? My guess is on the oil side, which would probably be helped by having regular doses of fresh oil.
I believe it's mostly on the oil side, since several different oil additives can help - at least temporarily. I've also read you can take the injectors apart and clean/sand the spool valve on the oil side to fix some of the issues.
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Considering 2) - do you currently dispose of your used oil in your fuel tank ?
No, but I'm interested in the idea. 12+ quarts of dirty oil is always a PITA to deal with.
I was just looking at this ULSD additive lubricity study:
http://www.natbiogroup.com/docs/education/lubricity additive study results.pdf
They also tested WMO from a diesel engine, but the concentration was only 200:1. The results show almost no change in lubricity.
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Cheaper to rig up a pet cock to drain 2 quarts off every 1500 miles, and top it up...do that for 10k miles and see what the oil looks like...if you like it, consider the full set-up.
I like that idea, I'll probably give that a try. That's my big question, what will it actually do to the oil life. I think the Cummins version has a computer to determine just how much oil to burn. In my version, I would have to be the computer.
I still might consider a bypass filter also as this would extend the change interval for the factory cartridge oil filter.
I have two in my fleet and basically I would love to do nothing more that dig a big hole and push them in (I would have to push because I know they will cost me more money to drive them into a hole). One alone burned 1/3 of my budget (injectors in both vehicles, turbo, oil cooler, clutch-fan etc) in the first 3 months of this year. OK, I did basically inherit a neglected fleet who was probably trying to run a fleet by the gas-and-go... look at how well my budget is doing because I am not fixing anything method. Anyway, do the regular PI with the 6.0 as they are not a robust "can ignore issues" engine.
While there are definitely a lot of lemons out there in the 6.0 world, I'm not afraid of them like other people are. If my Ford truck was a Dodge or a Chevy, it would have cost at least $15,000 more than I paid. Given the savings I had no big issue spending more than $5000 having the engine made reliable. My buddy spent more for the Cummins version of my truck, and has spent more than me on repairs. The 6.0 really is a bargain right now.
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Considering how much that the PS 6.0 is a problem child, I would not try and avoid maintenance with this engine, especially if we are talking about the injectors.
It's not about avoiding maintenance, it's about constant maintenance. I would definitely need to send away oil samples to see how it is doing. I'm not sure if it would extend oil changes or replace them entirely.
My injectors cost $800 to rebuild, and my mechanic charges $300 to do the work, that would be the most I am risking here.
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
But are the "stick-slip" and cold start romp problems we've heard about on the 6.0 PS over the years due to sticking on the oil side or the fuel side of the injector? My guess is on the oil side, which would probably be helped by having regular doses of fresh oil.
I believe it's mostly on the oil side, since several different oil additives can help - at least temporarily. I've also read you can take the injectors apart and clean/sand the spool valve on the oil side to fix some of the issues.
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Considering 2) - do you currently dispose of your used oil in your fuel tank ?
No, but I'm interested in the idea. 12+ quarts of dirty oil is always a PITA to deal with.
I was just looking at this ULSD additive lubricity study:
http://www.natbiogroup.com/docs/education/lubricity additive study results.pdf
They also tested WMO from a diesel engine, but the concentration was only 200:1. The results show almost no change in lubricity.
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Cheaper to rig up a pet cock to drain 2 quarts off every 1500 miles, and top it up...do that for 10k miles and see what the oil looks like...if you like it, consider the full set-up.
I like that idea, I'll probably give that a try. That's my big question, what will it actually do to the oil life. I think the Cummins version has a computer to determine just how much oil to burn. In my version, I would have to be the computer.
I still might consider a bypass filter also as this would extend the change interval for the factory cartridge oil filter.