Try a sleeve kit first, then maybe a repair kit. If there’s a cast failure and money isn’t an issue, you should consider getting new, machined heads (just be ready for the cost). Especially since you don’t know the truck’s history. Do you have receipts from when the work was done? Was the truck treated poorly?
I recommend doing both since the mechanic will already be working in there, and you won’t have to pay extra for labor. If he can confirm the cast failure without wasting time and money on kits, that would be ideal.
Just a heads up, you’ll spend a lot on kits plus labor. Also, if one side is bad, the other side may be too. It’d be smart to do both sides. You might want to get quotes for new heads and consider future costs. A 6.0 for $3K is a good deal, but there’s likely an issue with it.
These 6.0 engines are pricey but great when well-maintained. I’ve owned and worked on them for years—each truck is different, but they all have their quirks.
Sorry if this is a silly question, but is the kit I posted both a repair kit and a sleeve kit? Here’s what their website says: ‘Our solution to the problem involves replacing the factory fuel injector sleeve with an extended sleeve which completely covers the cracked area and is cemented and sealed by a retaining compound.’
If it’s not, could you link the right one? Also, would I need to do this for every injector bore or just the ones that are leaking? I’ve heard others say they usually only have failure on one side.
You can use that kit. But if you go that route, you should do all 8 injectors. Doing just the ones that are bad will end up costing you more in the long run. If you do all 8, you can rule out issues later.
Damn, at that point, I’m better off just buying new heads, huh? The only reason I was considering this route is that it would cost $500 to fix the crack, versus $3K for new heads. But it’s not worth it if I have to replace all 8 injectors.
You could just fix the ones with problems, but in my experience as a tech, the cracks don’t last long before you need new heads. If you end up getting another issue, you’ll need to replace that sleeve and do the labor again. That’s why I say do all 8, or at least the 4 on one side if that’s where the problem is.
You can do whatever you want, my friend, but I’m just saying sometimes trying to save money ends up costing more in the end. The factory heads on these trucks aren’t the best, and with 220K miles, I’m guessing they’re probably warped. Best case, the sleeve will last 20-40K miles before the heads go bad. Worst case, they’re already shot.
What do you think about these compared to KDD heads?
Blessed Performance, Bulletproof Diesel, and KDD are top-tier in quality. Personally, I go with Blessed Performance. Their products are great, and their customer service is excellent. The owner is active in 6.0 groups on Facebook and always willing to help, so I recommend joining those groups.
In the end, you can’t go wrong with any of these heads. If you don’t choose one of those companies, just go straight through Ford.
If it’s already studded, wouldn’t it make more sense to just swap the heads? You can get a good set of O-ringed heads for about $1,300-$1,500. You’re already doing all this work—why put old parts back in? Just curious, I’m in the same boat with my 2006; it’s at 189K miles, and it’s probably going to need a head job within a year.
Nah, you make a great point. That’s why I made this post—I’m still pretty new to diesels, and I wanted to figure out what would be best for the truck.
I hear you. I’ve been hesitant about pulling parts too, like my up pipe that’s been sitting in my garage for 3 months. But why put old parts back in? I’m pulling the FICM and sending it off to be tuned. If you can do it yourself, it’s worth renting a car, because the rate I got quoted is about half the shop labor per day.
You know any good recommendations for O-ring heads under $3K? All I’ve found is the KDD heads, and I paid $3K for the truck, so I’m not trying to dump the same amount into just the heads.
I’ll send you a DM.