Tried rebuilding a 6.0 Powerstroke with aftermarket heads and now I'm chasing coolant leaks

So I took on a 2006 F-250 about 2 months ago. Guy wanted me to do a full rebuild on his 6.0L. I figured since I was in there I'd save him some cash and go with aftermarket heads instead of OEM. Big mistake I think. Got it all buttoned up and fired it up and it ran great for about 3 days. Then I started seeing coolant weeping out around the head gasket on the driver side. Torqued to spec, used the updated studs, everything. Pulled the head back off last weekend and the deck surface looks just a hair wavy compared to the OEM one I had sitting next to it. Has anybody else had bad luck with aftermarket castings on these 6.0s? I'm thinking I gotta bite the bullet and get OEM heads now.

3 comments

3 Comments

claire87214d ago

That wavy deck surface is a pain - reminds me of my patio furniture that rusted after one rain.

dixon.james14d ago

Hold on, @claire872, you're comparing a Precision machining tolerance issue to patio furniture? Anyway, back to your 6.0. I gotta say, I think you're jumping to conclusions blaming just the heads. Did you check the block deck surface too? Those 6.0 blocks can warp just as easy. I've seen guys chase their tails swapping heads three times when the block was the real culprit. Also, what torque sequence did you use on those studs? A lot of guys skip the warm-up re-torque on the 6.0 and that's where the weeping starts. Check the block first before you spend the money on OEM heads. You might just need to get both surfaces machined flat and run it again.

keith_bennett14d ago

Wait, are you telling me your 6.0 is now acting like a leaky garden hose too? Lol. That wavy deck surface sounds like it was cast on a Monday morning before the coffee kicked in. I'd bet the farm that aftermarket head is warped from the factory, which is honestly a classic 6.0 money pit move - spend less upfront, pay triple later. You might as well check if the block is warped too, because at this rate you're gonna end up with a boat anchor before you get it sealed.