What’s the purpose of the DIY Solutions Kit?

If you are the owner of a truck powered by a 6.0 Powerstroke engine that is in need of repair, you have two options. You can have an auto repair shop perform the work for you, pay an expensive labor rate, and hope they use quality parts, or you can save time and money by performing the repairs yourself. With the right tools, a basic understanding of how your truck operates and a positive attitude, a knowledgeable truck owner can perform almost any repair.

Many truck owners and enthusiasts take pride in the fact that they perform much of their own repair work and upgrades. With all the information available online, the right parts, and with help from knowledgeable friends, performing your own repairs can be a fun and money saving project. So if your diesel truck needs an engine repair or you want to upgrade your engine, and you have the tools and knowledge to complete the job, a Do It Yourself (DIY) Solution Kit can provide you with all the parts you need to make these repairs and upgrades.

DIY Solutions Kits are available in three different packages that are tailored to suit your specific repair and upgrade needs. The first package or level is the Essential Solutions Kit which contains ARP 425 studs, a heavy-duty oil cooler, head gaskets, exhaust and intake gaskets, a turbo install kit, and an injector seal kit. This will provide you with all the parts you need to perform a basic teardown and rebuild on your 6.0 Powerstroke, and because these parts are upgrades from stock components, using a DIY Solutions Kit will increase performance and lengthen the life of your truck's engine.

The next two DIY Solutions Kit packages are the Half Way There Kit and the All In For Life Kit, which contain even more upgraded parts to help you accomplish your repair and performance goals. Which kit you purchase will depend on what particular goals you are trying to accomplish, but all kits will provide you with the parts you need to perform a rebuild of your 6.0 Powerstroke engine.

The 6.0L Powerstroke Variants

The 6.0 Liter Powerstroke diesel engine found in Ford Super Duty trucks, Excursion SUVs, and Econoline Vans arrived in the second half of the 2003 model year as a replacement for the 7.3 Powerstroke that was found in previous Ford models. The 6.0 Powerstroke was developed by Navistar, formally known as International Harvester, which has decades of experience producing diesel powerplants. The 6.0 Powerstroke engine is the smallest displacement engine built by Navistar for Ford and shares some features with other Powerstroke variants.

The 6.0 Powerstroke is a V8 diesel with a turbocharger just like the 7.3, which it replaced, and the 6.4 which succeeded it. It was upgraded to 32 valves from the 16 found in the previous engine and featured a single variable vane geometry turbo with an intercooler. The 6.0 produced around 325 hp with about 570 ft-lbs or torque, making it a competent performer on the road or at the job site, but many 6.0 Powerstroke engines suffered from reliability issues and multiple engine related failures.

The most common failure points on the 6.0 Powerstroke include oil cooler problems where coolant flow through the cooler is restricted, causing higher than normal oil temperatures and possible EGR valve and cooler failure. Another common issue is a blown head gasket which can fail due to stretched head bolts caused by a failed oil cooler. In the most severe cases, the cylinder heads can even crack or become warped beyond repair.

Other issues that may arise include high-pressure oil system problems where the high-pressure oil pump fails and sends debris through the oil system, and fuels system issues that include problematic fuel injection control modules and fuel injectors that can fail due to under-voltage issues. Even with all these problems that have been mentioned, the good news is that during the 6.0 Powerstroke’s production life aftermarket companies started to develop and produce upgraded parts for the 6.0 to solve these issues. Even after the 6.0 powered trucks ended production after the 2007 model year and vans were phased out after 2010, upgraded and performance parts continued to be developed by the best aftermarket parts suppliers.

The above issues are not only repairable, and possibly preventable with the installation of upgraded parts, but many of these repairs can be completed by a knowledgeable truck owner. This is where a DIY Solutions Kit for a 6.0 Powerstroke engine comes into play. It will provide you with all the necessary parts to perform a major engine repair on your truck and allow you to make any upgrades you want to suit your particular needs. Below is an overview of the process involved in carrying out an engine rebuild that will give you a sense of the work required to complete the job. For a complete guide to this project, see our YouTube video series on installing the DIY Solutions Kit.

Overview of 6.0 Powerstroke Engine Disassembly

Step 1: Before you even begin the disassembly work, you will need to visit the shop of your choice to have your truck's air conditioning refrigerant removed. This step is necessary because many DIY truck owners do not have an expensive A/C recovery machine, and in many areas, improper disposal of refrigerant is against the law, so having a shop recover and then recharge your truck's A/C later is the way to go and at a price point of around $100 it is affordable.

Step 2: Next, you will remove parts such as the grill and the headlights to make the engine more accessible and then drain all of the fluids. The most external parts that make up the engine will be removed next, including the radiator, serpentine belt, intake manifold components, power steering components, the 6.0 Powerstroke turbo, and the fuel system components. To help with the process of removing the cylinder head bolts in the next step, removing the vacuum pump is highly recommended, but not necessary.

The removal of these components will allow you the clean them and inspect them for any damage or wear that you might not have noticed before. If any issues are found, this will be the perfect time to replace these parts because they are already off, so half the job is already done. It is essential to stay organized and keep all of your nuts and bolts, gaskets, and parts well organized in separate containers and keep things as clean as possible. This will help you in the reassembly process and allow things to go smoothly.

Step 3: With everything removed from the top of the engine and out the way, it is time to remove the engine's major components. The engine’s cylinder heads, catalytic converter, power steering pump, and the rest of the required parts will be removed in this step. Removing these larger parts will take some time and might require help from a second pair of hands, but with a little patience the engine's heads and other parts can be removed safely and efficiently. Having plenty of extra light under the truck and in the engine bay will help with this process by allowing you to see what you are doing, even in a garage or shop that might have otherwise poor lighting.

Step 4: Next comes the actual removal of the engine block. With the heads and all other components off, it is time to unbolt the block from the starter, torque converter, transmission, and hoist the engine block out of the car. It is important to line the truck's engine bay with protective coverings to prevent scratches and dents. Placing a soaker pad under the engine bay will catch any spills during the removal process. Once the block is safely removed, easy access to the engine bay will allow you to give it a thorough cleaning. During this cleaning process, and any time cleaning products are being used, it is crucial to keep the work area well ventilated because safety should be your number one priority during the entire rebuild process.

Step 5: Now, with the 6.0 Powerstroke engine removed, you can remove the pistons, crankshaft, and rod bearings for a close inspection of your engine's internals. If any damage or wear is found, such as scoring on the crankshaft, these parts will need to be taken to a professional machine shop that can repair the block and its internals properly. But if everything looks good, give the block a good cleaning with some compressed air to remove any debris and excess fluids, and you are ready to start the reassembly process.

Step 6: The last step will be to install the engine and all of its components in the reverse order of their removal. Any worn or failed parts will now be replaced, and upgraded parts such as 6.0 Powerstroke head studs, and an upgraded 6.0 Powerstroke turbo can now be installed. Once all of this has been completed and everything is back together, it is time for a drive to test your rebuilt and upgraded engine with the reassurance of many more miles to come.

Where to Buy the DIY Solution Kits

If you are looking to repair and upgrade your truck, it is important to use the best 6.0 Powerstroke parts available, and those can be found at Blessed Performance. Using a cheaply made part will result in failures that will lead to many expensive repairs down the road. Blessed Performance carries the highest quality parts such as turbos, exhaust systems, custom engine tunes, and they offer three levels of DIY Solution Kits that will allow you to perform a complete rebuild and make upgrades based on your particular needs. They stock almost any performance part for all of the most popular models of diesel trucks and can help you create a custom package to help you accomplish your goals. Check out Blessed Performance, send them an email or give them a call with any questions you have, order a DIY Solution Kit or any other parts you need for your 6.0 Powerstroke engine, install them, and enjoy many more miles behind the wheel of your truck.