I have an 05 F350 6.0 with banks power pack and six gun tuner. When pulling my 13500 LB 5th Wheel trailer up steep grades I have engine overheating problems on the last couple of trips. I have 78,000 miles on the truck.

The dealer says I have a blown head gasket and it will not be repaired under warranty due to the after market add ons. Dealer states that as soon as Ford is contacted they will void the warranty on the vehicle. It is my understanding that Ford has to prove the after market products caused the problem to void the warranty.

I have heard rumors of this engine experiencing the problems quoted to me by the dealer IE: stretched head bolts/blown head gaskets without add ons.

I am looking for any information available to refute the dealer claims that the aftermarket add ons caused this problem or any information available to justify claims that this problem exits on this engine without add ons.

Any suggestions?

 

Your dealer is correct, FMC will not warranty the engine with aftermarket power add ons, ie "tuners & chips". If you get out your warranty manual it specifically states that "tuners & chips" will void the powertrain warranty. Sorry but FMC will win this battle if you take them to court, and it will drag out for 2-3 years, in the mean time you will not have the use of your truck as it will be impounded for evidence and you will be paying your attorny alot of money for nothing.

This falls under the addage of if you are going to play then you are going to pay.

Since you are going to be paying for the repairs out of your pocket, you want to install ARP head studs and Hypermax gaskets since you tow heavy with a tuner these are a good upgrade when modifying the Hp & Torque of the 6.0. Also the Banks Six Gun is notorious for lifting head gaskets on the 6.0 and trashing Torqushift transmissions.

 

Thanks,

I am pretty sure you are correct. I have had this equipment on the truck since it had about 10,000 miles on it. The dealer is quoting approx. $4200.00 for the repair. I am going to check around for better head bolts and gaskets before telling them to proceed.

I will probably disconnect the six gun tuner for any future use. I will keep the power pack on though.

Thanks again for you advice.
rethington

 

If I were you I would definitely be calling Banks and seeing what they have to say.

 

I picked the truck up from the dealer today to get another opinion. The thing that bothers me is that the truck runs great with no problems at 75-80 MPH. I don't lose coolant and everything appears to be normal. Even hauling my 5th wheel trailor it works great except when climbing a very steep long hill.

I am taking the truck to an automotive shop which is also an authorized banks distributer. I actually took the truck to Gale Banks Engineering headquarters in Azua, Ca and had the equipment installed by Banks Engineering when I first purchased it. The guy who owns the shop is a personal friend as well and I trust that he will do whatever he can. The first thing he intends to do is to determine whether in fact I have a blown head gasket of if something else is causing the problem.

I have had the truck to 2 dealers. The 1st one was unable to find anything wrong at all. I was unwilling to accept that everything is OK as I have seen and been in the truck when the overheating occurs.

I believe that my friend intends to run interference between me and Banks Engineering. If not I will proceed. I have talked to them briefly and they didn't seem to willing to make any committments. They only advised that the FMC warranty manual stated that FMC had to prove any add on equipment caused the problem before declining to make the repairs under warranty.

Here's another twist. The dealer service writer and diesel mechanic did not recommend that I replace the gaskets with stock gaskets. They recommend that I use Hypermax gaskets with original equipment head bolts. They will procure the parts and do the installation and warranty the engine for 90 days after repairs are completed.

 

I doubt the head gasket due to what you've said. A head gasket problem should be obvious. What's more likely is that your tune is off or something similar like you have more drag than normal or you are getting increased transmission heat. I would talk to Banks and see what they recommend.

One more thing...one difference between going up hill and not is how much boost increases on the turbo. Maybe some type of turbo leak, etc.

 

do you hear your fan running maybe the clutch is not working.

 

You gotta lose that programmer if you value the warranty. Thats what I did. Now if I take a trip with the trailer I don't worry.

 

Check the wire harness to fan clutch. have seen them break. Can you here the fan
come on when it starts to heat up. I had to change mine at around 80,000 it was
doing the same thing. Clutch was costly around 400.00 But check the harness first.
Dealer told me the head gaskets were blown on mine also. I have a tuner on mine
but I keep it in the tow safe mode and it works okay. Skip

 

You need to have the 6.0 tech "pressure test" the cooling system and do a leak down test on the cylinders to confirm the leaking head gaskets. A minor head gasket leak in the early stages may only leak under severe load, but unfortunately once it starts, it will get worse as the head gasket erodes and begin to leak under small loads.

 

I had the fan clutch go on mine a few months back. The truck would not start after it failed, had AAA tow it to the dealer and they replaced the fan assy under warranty for the $100 deductible. They have no problem with the coolant filter system as far as warranty goes.

 

my 6.0 with no tuner on it will over heat..well start to i know enough to pull over and let it cool off..if i am pulling my 5th wheel up a steep grade .. and it 100 deg out side... how hot is it out side when this is happens to you ? might just be you need to let off a little and let it cool off. plus is this happing to you and your using your tuner ? if so try it with out the tuner and see if its better

 

I started to post a reply when I began to read the opening of this thread. Then, as I read on, I found that you had the Banks Mod. That kind of changed things, as it now becomes apparent that this was tuner caused...
But for the heck of it, I'll go ahead and post this.

I learned of a batch of bad instrument clusters on the 05's, where the temp gauge showed the engine was overheating. Mine did it, and I took it into the dealership. The tech hooked up his code reader and determined that the truck had never been overheated, then opted to replace the instrument cluster. I think there may have been a TSB on that issue as he seemed confident that the cluster was the problem.

Anyway, after the new cluster was installed, the gauge never has shown me overheating, even when it is over 100 degrees out, towing 11K, and climbing long STEEP grades.

Don't know what indicated that you were overheating, whether it was the gauge or coolant barfing out of the degas, but I am hopefull the gauge may be the problem with your truck. Worth a try, to get the tech check the computer for history. Unless the symptoms were obviously an actual overheat, then I suppose you can disregard this post.

Good Luck to you, and get rid of that tuner.
I have found that my stock 6.0 performs adequately in towing my 5'r. Frankly, I don't see a real need for a tuner on these engines, and certainly don't see how it would be worth it to toast the engine for a few more horses.

But that's just my opinion. To each their own, I guess...

 

Thanks for all the help. I have had the truck checked out by an independent diesel shop and the head gasket is blown. Repairs are in progress now. Will install new Hypermax gasket kit. I will be getting rid of the tuner for future use. I will however keep the other banks mods on the truck.
I See your in the Eastern Sierras. I will be at Pine Cliff Resort at the beginnging of Sept. for a few fishing and relaxing with friends. You already know you live in God's country up there!

 

Let us know what the cost is. It would be interesting to hear what it would cost at a shop, other than Ford, to have the heads R&R'd and upgrading the studs/gaskets.
Thanks, T