I have a friend looking to sell a one ton dually in good shape but the engine quit running on him. I have a 6 liter that runs fine and I love it. Might buy this if it's an easy fix.

Coolant reservoir is empty, white smoke and fluid comes out the exhaust when you try to start it. Putting two and two together I'd assume it's coolant with the empty reservoir. It will start and barely run. Oil level is normal, it has a sinister diesel delete kit. No tune. What's everyone got for ideas?
I'm going to pressurize the coolant system and see if I can find a leak somewhere...injector cups maybe? The local guy wants 6k just to do a head or head gasket if it is either of the two. Not interested in that if I can help it.

 

Injector cups aren't an issue typically with the 6.0L.

More than likely a head gasket issue since the EGR cooler is deleted. If it got hot (which it probably did), you will have cracked heads, failed oil cooler, and potentially all rubber components in the high pressure oil system are degraded.

I suppose if he lost the coolant all at once (say due to a hose leak or such), it could be ok. That said, the no-start is a big clue IMO.

If the white exhaust smoke (and fluid) is diesel, then he has at least one injector over-fueling and that can cause major cylinder and valve damage. You might be able to pick up on any major valve train damage by listening to the cranking "cadence".

 

I've heard stories of the oh no 6 ohs. Supposedly right before he bought it the company did the head gaskets with Ford motorcraft gaskets and arp studs. I've seen the studs. He let it sit for a while and started it every so often before he ran it. 5 months after he started running it full time this happened. Maybe they didn't get the heads torqued down properly? I've read forums of that happening a lot.

 

There is evidence that studs aren't the "end-all" answer anyway. The head design is weak (in terms of rigidity) and the clamping points (bolts OR studs) are too few. One theory gaining some credibility is that the heads may actually "cup" in the middle - more prevalent with excess heat and power.

Even if the heads didn't distort, the block surface prep is as important as properly machining the heads (or not machining them if that would result in thinning the heads beyond specification). Sadly - once everything is back together you just have to hope that it was all done right.

 

One other ugly thing "popping up" in the 6.0L world is lifter failures. This will trash an engine. IMO lifter failure is not an issue with the lifters themselves, but with overheating the oil and/or lack of lubrication (or oil contamination).

Proper oil maintenance is crucial in these engines (and that starts with proper oil and proper filtration - OEM filter and OEM oil filter cap)!

I am looking for a good used 6.0L also (I love the one I have) - but I want to find a low mileage, all-stock truck.