It's all fun and games 'til you get your paycheck

[Brad Clayton]

After a decade of 6.0 liter repairs, I have come to the realization that those who are not in the know.......should give it a rest. I have dealt with many aftermarket warranty calls, and had to explain how and why these trucks have failed. The conversation has always been and seems that it will always be the same. These guys try to compare common automotive failures to the failures and weak points of a 6.0L. It just doesn't work that way and I had forgotten how ridiculous the conversations go until yesterday,

 

We were discussing a degas bottle venting coolant and the proper way to move toward an effective repair. I was asked repeatadly for cylinder compression readings and specifically which cylinder was at fault in relation to the "blown" head gasket. I offered to remove one glow plug at a time and make 8 individual test drives to achieve the answers to his questions. I think I heard the vague sound of crickets after that one.

 

I was confounded by the fact that this person knew dummy plugs were a common problem on these engines yet he clammed up and played dumb to the idea that it could have a head gasket failure. Oh well, until the next call, I need to come up with a way to record the audio and put it up here.

 

Bottom line: time spent under the hood of the truck, at the parts counter, and at the service counter on the phone, ended up being one losing crap shoot.