Thinking About (ok bought) F-350 with PowerStroke 6.0L - Questions

Grum.Man said:
It seems ironic to read through all of these post and realize just how unreliable diesels have become and everyone seems to be fine with it. They are like ticking time bombs that have to get special treatment to survive and even then you are looking about multi thousand dollar repairs within 200k miles. This would have been unacceptable in a diesel from 20 years ago. Then again diesels from 15 years ago made less tq than some of the gas powered trucks now.
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Thank the government. The vast majority of problems on the Cummins diesels are induced by the emissions garbage. Even the famous Bosch injector pump failures on the fuel feed aide, are because they needed the Bosch to meet new emissions standards way back in 1998. The previous mechanical pumps are rock solid.

But folks do know how to fix these recurring maintenance issues, and anywhere it's legal, they rip off half of this crap or augment it (like adding a proper fuel lift pump in front of the Bosch pump so it never loses fuel or cooling) so the problem goes away.

As a Dodge guy, as much as it pains me to say it, Chevy hasn't changed nearly anything on their Duramax/Allison combo for a long time -- and if you want a "turn the key and drive forever" diesel, it wins right now. The new Ford engine may also be in that category but both Dodge and Ford still have quirks in their turbo systems and emissions systems.

Can't really see why they wouldn't, though -- they're putting out *twice* the torque and horsepower than my '01 Cummins or more now, while producing less emissions overall. It's impressive tech, but it comes at a price. Both money wise and maintenance wise. These pickup trucks are putting more power to the wheels than the tractor trailers my grandfather drove.

If it makes you feel better about reliability, my Cummins blew a head gasket (overboosted without a waste gate, long story, not my fault) and still towed a 12,500 lb trailer halfway across the U.S. on five cylinders because I thought the water pump was failing. Just poured coolant in at each fuel stop and it kept going... the modern ones would have sensors and crap that would have shut the engine down. My '01 just kept pulling. Throttle response seemed a bit sluggish. ;-)

Only thing that has ever stopped a buddy with a couple hundred thousand miles on his Chevy Duramax/Isuzu is when his fancy Allison transmission threw a code that it couldn't shift like it wanted to. Chevy looked at it twice and handed him a new truck under warranty. The dealer and Chevy wanted it to go back to Chevy engineering as-is to see what was really wrong with it. He paid a pittance in wholesale price difference and walked out with the keys to a new one.
 
denverpilot said:
Thank the government. The vast majority of problems on the Cummins diesels are induced by the emissions garbage. Even the famous Bosch injector pump failures on the fuel feed aide, are because they needed the Bosch to meet new emissions standards way back in 1998. The previous mechanical pumps are rock solid.

But folks do know how to fix these recurring maintenance issues, and anywhere it's legal, they rip off half of this crap or augment it (like adding a proper fuel lift pump in front of the Bosch pump so it never loses fuel or cooling) so the problem goes away.

As a Dodge guy, as much as it pains me to say it, Chevy hasn't changed nearly anything on their Duramax/Allison combo for a long time -- and if you want a "turn the key and drive forever" diesel, it wins right now. The new Ford engine may also be in that category but both Dodge and Ford still have quirks in their turbo systems and emissions systems.

Can't really see why they wouldn't, though -- they're putting out *twice* the torque and horsepower than my '01 Cummins or more now, while producing less emissions overall. It's impressive tech, but it comes at a price. Both money wise and maintenance wise. These pickup trucks are putting more power to the wheels than the tractor trailers my grandfather drove.

If it makes you feel better about reliability, my Cummins blew a head gasket (overboosted without a waste gate, long story, not my fault) and still towed a 12,500 lb trailer halfway across the U.S. on five cylinders because I thought the water pump was failing. Just poured coolant in at each fuel stop and it kept going... the modern ones would have sensors and crap that would have shut the engine down. My '01 just kept pulling. Throttle response seemed a bit sluggish. ;-)

Only thing that has ever stopped a buddy with a couple hundred thousand miles on his Chevy Duramax/Isuzu is when his fancy Allison transmission threw a code that it couldn't shift like it wanted to. Chevy looked at it twice and handed him a new truck under warranty. The dealer and Chevy wanted it to go back to Chevy engineering as-is to see what was really wrong with it. He paid a pittance in wholesale price difference and walked out with the keys to a new one.
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The pre-electronic cummins trucks bring a premium because of that. Seems like the LBZ duramax is about the best most reliable "modern" diesel as even the lly had injector problems. I knew a guy who hauled cars for a living with his Duramax. At 600k the stock allison let go. The dealership gave him a new transmission free of charge all he had to do was pay the labor so they could evaluate his as well.
 
In the case of my truck, I have north of 300k miles.

I don't view a fuel pump, a few starters, a water pump, a few alternators, batteries and a radiator as out of line in 300,000+ miles.

The head gaskets were partly Ford, and partly my fault for running a tune that was way too hot... I paid the piper and got the distinct pleasure of seeing my trucks cab touching the roof of my buddy's garage while the rest of the truck rested comfortably on the ground.

Fun fact learned while we were tearing that thing apart: the front shock towers make excellent beer holders when you get that pesky cab and front fenders out of the way.
 
I think the key point with these people who have insane (~600k+) miles is that they drive a LOT all the time. Like I said before, my Dodge was trouble-free, but I put 108k miles on it in 2 years. Just like airplanes the high time ones are the happiest, but eventually will have issues.

I don't care for Chevy trucks so they were out of the question on purchase. I like Fords and Dodges, but I really only like the Dodges because of the Cummins. I do find it odd that Ford has made so many different diesels from the 6.0 onwards, whereas the Cummins basically has stayed the same other than going to 6.7L in the mid 2000s. I'm sure other things have changed, but it's been an evolution. It seems GMC has done similar with the Duramax.
 
Ford has had a tough time coming up with an engine that was as good as the 7.3. The 6.0 had all the known quality issues that have been mentioned here. The next truck with the sequential turbos was a fuel and oil hog with lots of Turbo issues. The 6.7 I have heard is a good engine so far. The Cummins is a great engine wrapped in a terrible package. The Duramax/Allison is the best combo but most people are afraid of the IFS for no real reason.
 
Grum.Man said:
The Duramax/Allison is the best combo but most people are afraid of the IFS for no real reason.
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I just don't like Chevy trucks, which is the real issue for me. Don't like the feel, ergonomics, or the way they drove. First truck was a C2500 with a 6.5TD, it was just a POS all around.
 
No real reason... Ever seen a tie rod break on a Chevy ifs? Same question, dana 60.

That said, I've put like 5 unit bearings on the front left of my truck... Wish I knew why, but I'm getting quicker on the replacement job every time.
 
Grum.Man said:
Ford has had a tough time coming up with an engine that was as good as the 7.3. The 6.0 had all the known quality issues that have been mentioned here. The next truck with the sequential turbos was a fuel and oil hog with lots of Turbo issues. The 6.7 I have heard is a good engine so far. The Cummins is a great engine wrapped in a terrible package. The Duramax/Allison is the best combo but most people are afraid of the IFS for no real reason.
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Yeah, I think Ford just had a difficult time getting the design/size correct. The 7.3L was revered as the best out there for a while until Dodge got the Cummins package going, then Ford went with the 6.0L, which did well after the teething problems were sorted, but then ended up being too small in displacement. Ford upped it to 6.4L but had to deal with International's design and the sequential turbo arrangement, which hadn't been used in this application before. Finally, Ford decided to go back with a design of their own (with help from AVL) and is currently highly-regarded. I doubt Ford touches this one for a long while, especially because the market seems to have found its sweet spot at 6.6/6.7L displacement with the Big 3.

All that said GM's DMax is on it's 6th or 7th version (even though the changes have been subtle) in order to meet the emissions targets and higher output of the competitors. The DMax/Allison partnership was the best part of the truck, but I never liked the GM styling of the 00's and the interiors were garbage. Dodge had the Cummins engine which was great, but had quality issues in the transmissions, suspensions, and general paint/interior up until the late-00's. Ford had most everything together except the iconic engine since the 7.3L was retired, so people sometimes just dealt with it. I think all three mfg's are at the point where the majority of the quality issues with each brand have been largely eliminated so that choosing a 3/4-1ton truck is just about personal preference in design.
 
SaltH2OHokie said:
No real reason... Ever seen a tie rod break on a Chevy ifs? Same question, dana 60.

That said, I've put like 5 unit bearings on the front left of my truck... Wish I knew why, but I'm getting quicker on the replacement job every time.
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No I have not ever seen nor had a tie rod break on a Chevy IFS. Then again I don't go to tug a wars or sled pulls where people are abusing their trucks either. No doubt the Dana 60 is stronger but I find it hard to believe one would ever break a tie rod under normal use with the stock tires. The Dana's go through bearings, ball joints, bushings just as fast as the IFS trucks do so no real difference there. The IFS has a better ride, ground clearance, and steering which is why GM has stuck with it. If you plan to lift your truck, serious off road, or sled pull the SFA is the way to go though.
 
Agree. But I'm hard on my truck, and I'm not sure whether that's "break IFS" hard, or not...but I don't want know.

Never been hooked to a pulling sled, but only because I'm still on the factory clutch, and at this point I'm trying to see how many miles I can go. Have a dual disc and new flywheel sitting in the spare bedroom, been there for 4 years. Ordered it when I put a different turbo and tune on the truck that the factory clutch couldn't hold... Then popped head gaskets and decided I'd do better to just run a lower power tune... And suddenly the desire to drop tranny and t case went away. :)
 
I'm sure the next thing to go on the Dodge will be the clutch, and I know the dual disc I want, but there was a spate of complaints that they were sourcing Chinese bearings and those were failing until the complaint levels online got high enough to force the maker to go find some decent bearings made in the US.

Now I'm glad I didn't do the clutch when we rebuilt the steering stuff! Bullet missed me and I heard the thing go by my ear.
 
Grum.Man said:
I was implying that they aren't reliable. Injectors going bad, turbos sticking, fuel pumps failing, EGR system crashes, head gasket leaks, and most of this is reported before 200k miles. Seems crazy to me that we accept these repair cost just so we can pull a load faster. The fact that they are adding all these additives, filters, treatments, DEF, sheesh I will stick to a gas burner.
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There's no shortage of recalls on gasoline vehicles either, although admittedly most of those are due to some safety related issue. Vehicles are more complex now, regardless of what part of the hydrocarbon distillate chain they are fuelled with. And complexity increases purchase cost, ongoing maintenance costs and the number of potential failure modes.

Take a newer gasoline powered vehicle to the dealer for routine servicing and it almost always feel like I am buying it back from them when I settle the bill. :mad:
 
GRG55 said:
There's no shortage of recalls on gasoline vehicles either, although admittedly most of those are due to some safety related issue. Vehicles are more complex now, regardless of what part of the hydrocarbon distillate chain they are fuelled with. And complexity increases purchase cost, ongoing maintenance costs and the number of potential failure modes.

Take a newer gasoline powered vehicle to the dealer for routine servicing and it almost always feel like I am buying it back from them when I settle the bill. :mad:
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I don't really take recalls into consideration. For one, they are free fixes so I don't really care. I'm more concerned about the wear parts like emissions, injection.. etc. I run all of my vehicles into the dirt all of which have at least 250k miles. I don't think I have ever had to replace something on my gas engines other than an alternator and routine maintenance such as plugs and such. I don't think I have ever spent more than a couple hundred dollars on any engine related repair. I've never changed a fuel filter, never ran a fuel additive, never had to remove a cab to fix a head gasket.. The worst I have ever done was replace the intake gasket (notorious problem) on my 98 Chevrolet which took 8 hours and about $50.00 in parts. I can't say the same for my friends with modern diesel engines. No doubt they think they are cool pulling a mountain pass at the speed limit whilst I am often under it in my gas trucks but just like an airplane the time saved is minimal. Fuel economy while towing isn't much different, maybe 1 or 2 mpg.
 
Got my new coolant filter in last night, which I changed out. Old one looked like it had been there a while. Sinister Diesel (who made this filter kit) didn't give particular recommendations but said every 6-12 months, this one was probably on for a few years. New fuel filters and/or new air filter arrived today which I'll put on. No idea when those were done so it's good to do those as a baseline. 4" exhaust should show up this week to put on sometime this weekend.

I think the oil temperature on the truck is getting too hot at times. It seems that for certain hot starts (especially if it's had about 15 minutes to heat soak) it becomes hard to start and requires extra cranking. Runs fine and oil pressure is good when running, starts fine when cold, it's just this hot starting issue which doesn't present itself all the time, only sometimes. The previous owner said he hadn't changed the oil cooler on it, although he did recently put a new HPOP on it because he had hot starting issues. My guess is that he knew that didn't solve it 100% and that was likely why he sold the truck.

From what I read, the factory oil cooler clogging is a common issue. It looks like a replacement stock oil cooler is pretty cheap (~$150) and Sinister Diesel has an upgraded oil cooler that fits the stock location which is ~$300. Then you get into the Bulletproof Diesel stuff which looks too expensive to be worthwhile in my opinion.

Any thoughts on the best option if I do an oil cooler replacement, or other things to look at for this issue?
 
Hot no start is usually a high pressure oil leak (so says my Ford diesel guru). He said HPOP on 03-04 is where he'd bet, which I realize is done... But he said that's it most of the time on the early ones.

I put Ford part number oil cooler in when I did my heads.
 
Yeah, I'll probably try the oil cooler since the HPOP was done a few months ago. Like I said it's intermittent. He said before he replaced the HPOP it was every hot start.
 
Hard to start hot on a 6.0 is generally a high pressure oil problem. Leaking seals on the standpipes and dummy plugs, or an ICP/IPR problem. You need to be able to see actual IPR values during cranking when hot to have an idea. You need 500 psig to start. If the IPR value is going to 85% and pressure is not over 500 psig, then you most likely have a seal out or flat, or could have a fouled screen on the IPR. With the HPOP having been replaced recently, I wouldn't suspect the stc fitting on the pump.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
I think the oil temperature on the truck is getting too hot at times. It seems that for certain hot starts (especially if it's had about 15 minutes to heat soak) it becomes hard to start and requires extra cranking. Runs fine and oil pressure is good when running, starts fine when cold, it's just this hot starting issue which doesn't present itself all the time, only sometimes. The previous owner said he hadn't changed the oil cooler on it, although he did recently put a new HPOP on it because he had hot starting issues. My guess is that he knew that didn't solve it 100% and that was likely why he sold the truck.
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Did you try spraying the engine with cold water...???

(sorry, someone had to say it)
 
Looking at YouTube on what's required to change the oil cooler, it's a pretty significant job (of course, it's a 6.0).

The truck has a ScanGauge on it, and one of the parameters it should measure is Engine Oil Temp. So I'm going to watch the difference between the oil temp and the coolant temp some to see what it does and what the difference is between the oil temp and the coolant temp. Since the oil cooler rejects heat to the coolant, they should be close with the oil temp a bit hotter. I've got a long trip I'm doing next week so I'll be able to tell from that what the temp difference is and if it needs it or not. Also give some more time for the cleaning additives to do their job.
 
I didn't read all of the replies so this may have been covered. I have a 2007 6.0 and had all of the usual problems. When I repaired the head gaskets I spent the extra money and put in ARP studs and any/all up graded parts possible. It's been a great truck. Change oil every 5k and fuel filters every 10k. Replace the oil drain plug with a valve from Fumoto. Install a coolant filter from one of the numerous companies. I also changed the coolant to a silicate free CAT coolant. I order my filters in bulk from dieselfiltersonline dot com. The Racor filters are the same as the Motorcraft (look for the patent # on one end). You can also upgrade the transmission by replacing the pan with a 2008+ deep one to make room for a replaceable filter in place of the mesh screen. If one battery is giving you problems, replace them both. I also suggest a way to monitor your FICM voltage. Consistent voltage under 46 volts could mean FICM issues which will destroy your injectors.


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OK, in reading this thread, why are diesel trucks so much different than most vehicles? When the average consumer buys a new vehicle, they expect to put the key in one hole, fuel in another, and drive. For a long long time. But, buy a new diesel truck, and you have to replace head studs, add extra coolers and filters, gauges to monitor this and that. Why are they so crappy from the factory? If I bought a $60k plus heavy duty diesel, and it had this many issues, I'd blow a head gasket myself. I mean, let's be real. Honda can figure out how to get an $18k Civic to 200kmi, but the big three can't get a truck there for $60k? What's wrong here? These things sound like they're as bad as or worse than the expensive large German cars.
 
Part of the problem is that the diesel engines have aluminum heads, and cast iron blocks. Apparently someone did not do their homework to find out if aluminum and cast iron expands differently while heating. Until the new head gaskets came along that would work, it was thought that head studs was the fix.

Another problem is with the electronic engine control. It did not take long to find out HP can be increased tremendously with after market programmers. And with the engine now developing more horsepower and torque than the manufacturers designed for, things break.

And of course the manufacturers want to spend the least amount of money as possible, and as found out, it came back and bit them.

I have just over 100k miles on my Duramax and haven't put a wrench on it except for regular maintenance, and I plan to keep it for another 10 years.

Just FYI, diesel engines in pickups are not heavy duty engines.
 
Zeldman said:
Just FYI, diesel engines in pickups are not heavy duty engines.
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Yes, compared to OTR truck and railroad prime mover engines. That said, Ford and Chevy advertise these trucks as "super duty" and "heavy duty".
 
Bill Jennings said:
Yes, compared to OTR truck and railroad prime mover engines. That said, Ford and Chevy advertise these trucks as "super duty" and "heavy duty".
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Many people use these trucks as if it were an OTR semi hauling cargo. The small Chevy/Ford/Dodge (Ram) diesels just aren't designed for that and will have issues. The biggest difference between the diesel pickups of today and those 20 years ago is the emissions requirements. Many of the problems these modern engines experience stems from that. That's reason #1 I won't replace my 10 year old truck until these kinks are worked out.


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Bill Jennings said:
OK, in reading this thread, why are diesel trucks so much different than most vehicles? When the average consumer buys a new vehicle, they expect to put the key in one hole, fuel in another, and drive. For a long long time. But, buy a new diesel truck, and you have to replace head studs, add extra coolers and filters, gauges to monitor this and that. Why are they so crappy from the factory? If I bought a $60k plus heavy duty diesel, and it had this many issues, I'd blow a head gasket myself. I mean, let's be real. Honda can figure out how to get an $18k Civic to 200kmi, but the big three can't get a truck there for $60k? What's wrong here? These things sound like they're as bad as or worse than the expensive large German cars.
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Also keep in mind that the Ford PS 6.0L was put into production back in the mid-00's, and they weren't $60K trucks quite at that point unless you were buying some Harley Davidson edition. Frequent oil changes and filter changes are a part of diesel engine maintenance, it's just how the engines function. We aren't talking about a 9:1 compression gasoline engine here, things are under much higher pressures, including the fuel delivery system and air induction system (turbos). Most of the diesel trucks (head gasket issue on the 6.0L notwithstanding) run for 100K miles without any major servicing, but will run 300K miles before any overhaul work is needed. It doesn't work like a Honda 2.0L 4-banger because it's designed to do the same thing. You put 20K pounds in tow behind a Honda gasoline motor and it will have the same issues the diesels have. You forget that while these are under the hoods of the "Big 3" American automakers, there has been plenty of design-work done by Yanmar, International, Mercedes, Cummins, et. al., so it's not as if the Big 3 are simply not building them correctly.
 
Zeldman said:
Marketing. Like when Jeep says off road, yet it comes with street tires.
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Well, in comparison to standard duty trucks (1/2 tons, Rangers/Tacomas) they are Super Duty/HD. I don't disagree that there isn't marketing in it, but it's also what the model is being compared to. They aren't being compared to a Kenworth. They serve a heavy duty segment of the light truck market.
 
Zeldman said:
Part of the problem is that the diesel engines have aluminum heads, and cast iron blocks. Apparently someone did not do their homework to find out if aluminum and cast iron expands differently while heating. Until the new head gaskets came along that would work, it was thought that head studs was the fix.

Another problem is with the electronic engine control. It did not take long to find out HP can be increased tremendously with after market programmers. And with the engine now developing more horsepower and torque than the manufacturers designed for, things break.

And of course the manufacturers want to spend the least amount of money as possible, and as found out, it came back and bit them.

I have just over 100k miles on my Duramax and haven't put a wrench on it except for regular maintenance, and I plan to keep it for another 10 years.

Just FYI, diesel engines in pickups are not heavy duty engines.
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6.0 Ford is iron block, iron heads. Having lifted my old heads off, and new heads on... I have to agree that they're iron. That, or the entire valve train consists of osmium.
 
Bill Jennings said:
OK, in reading this thread, why are diesel trucks so much different than most vehicles? When the average consumer buys a new vehicle, they expect to put the key in one hole, fuel in another, and drive. For a long long time. But, buy a new diesel truck, and you have to replace head studs, add extra coolers and filters, gauges to monitor this and that. Why are they so crappy from the factory? If I bought a $60k plus heavy duty diesel, and it had this many issues, I'd blow a head gasket myself. I mean, let's be real. Honda can figure out how to get an $18k Civic to 200kmi, but the big three can't get a truck there for $60k? What's wrong here? These things sound like they're as bad as or worse than the expensive large German cars.
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If the first owner of my Cummins hadn't put a larger turbo on it and let a clueless person wire the wastegate shut, mine would be bulletproof. I'd wear out the synchro in the 650 lb manual transmission on it and of course, the clutch, a couple hundred thousand miles before the engine needed any work. Not to mention all the flexible components in the steering system.

Cummins has a free club you can join where you get a badge for every 100,000 you put on the things. Numerous are over 1,000,000 miles.

The upgrades and mis-done work on mine were what killed the head gasket, prior to me owning it. So I studded the head, fixed the wastegate problem, but a better intake manifold on it, upped the injector size by 5 HP each, and fixed all the steering issues while it was in the shop that were due anyway, and continued to flog it.

My diesel shop guy said he'd see me in another 100,000 miles for a transmission rebuild when I handed him the check. Or for the dual disc clutch when mine starts slipping. Probably 50,000 more miles depending on what an ass I am with the throttle and clutch.

I drive it like a grandma unloaded and only get on it when the 12,500 lb trailer is hitched and the clutch is all the way up. Match revs as best I can during shifts with the trailer. Normal heavy duty stick shift driving skills. Most people don't drive modified ones like a grandma. I just want the extra HP for towing heavy. Otherwise taking the truck back to stock would be just fine.
 
Did the fuel filter change Friday night (with the help of my 4-year-old, he was a good helper). The two filter setup is odd, but it is a pretty quick and simple job. I am quite sure that the previous owners weren't following the 10,000 mile recommended interval, or else the fuel was just dirty. The first filter was pretty black around the bottom.

Then yesterday I pulled the 3.5" exhaust and did the 4" turbo-back exhaust. What a pain that was. Really it wasn't too terrible other than getting the downpipe out. I found the downpipe was easiest to get out and new one in from the top. Everything I read said to do it from the bottom, but I just wasn't having any luck there. It worked fine from the top.

Today we towed the boat to the lake with it. To nobody's surprise, this thing tows the boat way better than the Avalanche.

Wednesday I'll be putting 1,000 miles on it or so to go help a friend pick up a wing for his plane, which will be a good highway run for it. Also give a lot of time for the injector cleaners (fuel and oil side) to see how those work. I do think there might be a failing injector on it.
 
denverpilot said:
If the first owner of my Cummins hadn't put a larger turbo on it and let a clueless person wire the wastegate shut, mine would be bulletproof. I'd wear out the synchro in the 650 lb manual transmission on it and of course, the clutch, a couple hundred thousand miles before the engine needed any work. Not to mention all the flexible components in the steering system.

Cummins has a free club you can join where you get a badge for every 100,000 you put on the things. Numerous are over 1,000,000 miles.

The upgrades and mis-done work on mine were what killed the head gasket, prior to me owning it. So I studded the head, fixed the wastegate problem, but a better intake manifold on it, upped the injector size by 5 HP each, and fixed all the steering issues while it was in the shop that were due anyway, and continued to flog it.

My diesel shop guy said he'd see me in another 100,000 miles for a transmission rebuild when I handed him the check. Or for the dual disc clutch when mine starts slipping. Probably 50,000 more miles depending on what an ass I am with the throttle and clutch.

I drive it like a grandma unloaded and only get on it when the 12,500 lb trailer is hitched and the clutch is all the way up. Match revs as best I can during shifts with the trailer. Normal heavy duty stick shift driving skills. Most people don't drive modified ones like a grandma. I just want the extra HP for towing heavy. Otherwise taking the truck back to stock would be just fine.
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It seems like yours is probably the overall most bulletproof generation. The generation that I had (2004.5, which was really 2003-2006 or so I think) seems like at least half the trucks in the 200-300k range are reporting that they have new engines. From my understanding around then a lot of people have injector problems that end up hydrolocking the engines. Now my guess is that those people also aren't taking good care of their engines and allowing the injectors to get to that point.

The various cleaners I've put in the fuel and oil seem to improving things. As I think I said a bit ago it appeared to have a weak injector, as one cylinder didn't run the first start of the day when we first got it. It cleared up after a couple of minutes. Now first start of the day all 8 are running just fine although I get white smoke (just smells like diesel, doesn't smell like coolant) until it warms up. I remember under certain conditions my Cummins would do that, although that was mostly cold starts. Some excess diesel getting in on one cylinder. The 1,000 miles or so I'll do on Wednesday should give a lot of time for the cleaners to do their thing, so we'll see how that does.

The ScanGauge that it came with also has the ability to add some functions not currently in there, so I'm going to add those before the trip, especially engine oil temp.
 
How to support a wing on a trailer...

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Bill Jennings said:
Does the plane perchance belong to Wonder Woman?
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Nope, belongs to a friend of mine.

SoonerAviator said:
Why such a high angle? Wouldn't it be easier just to lay it flat, or mostly-so?
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At its widest point (this is a wing for a twin with a wing locker) it's 10'6". That would require an oversize permit which I don't want to mess around with.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Nope, belongs to a friend of mine.



At its widest point (this is a wing for a twin with a wing locker) it's 10'6". That would require an oversize permit which I don't want to mess around with.
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Gotcha, makes more sense when it's wider then 8'6" (or the trailer for that matter). Any concern about airflow from the direction of travel putting force on the wing in a manner it's not made for? Something that a air deflector on the front or an enclosed trailer could combat? It's not like there aren't tons of people who've transported wings/etc. on an open car hauler/trailer before, just thinking out loud.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Gotcha, makes more sense when it's wider then 8'6" (or the trailer for that matter). Any concern about airflow from the direction of travel putting force on the wing in a manner it's not made for? Something that a air deflector on the front or an enclosed trailer could combat? It's not like there aren't tons of people who've transported wings/etc. on an open car hauler/trailer before, just thinking out loud.
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I've thought about the airflow aspect. The forward velocity of the truck shouldn't matter really. I expect we won't be driving above 70 so that's really not much speed. There won't be a positive angle of attack on the wing so I doubt any issues there. My bigger concern would be strong crosswinds, but even then I'm not too worried there. The trailer is 2,000 lbs, the wing is a few hundred, and it's attached to a truck that weighs around 7,000 or so. I can always slow down to make things more stable. We'll find out what the comfortable speed is and do that. 2 drivers so it's not bad.
 
Right, I was just thinking about the force of a 65mph wind getting "underneath" the wing and bending/stressing it. It's likely of little concern, and I certainly wouldn't expect it to exert enough force at those speeds to lift the structure/trailer, at least not before buckling, lol.
 
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