Improved Filtration Will Make Your Power Stroke Last Longer

Despite its poor reputation, the Ford 6.0L Power Stroke diesel is a marvel of modern manufacturing and engineering technology. They’re tough and with care will last a long time. Issues with the 6.0L are legendary and have been well documented. Fortunately, the aftermarket has come out with solutions to fix these small issues and make your 6.0L last a lifetime, with proper care and maintenance.

DW-1406-FILT-2 — 1) Here you see the external engine oil and coolant filter kit from Sinister Diesel. This kit helps extend the life of your 6.0L diesel by eliminating contamination that the factory systems can’t.

DW-1406-FILT-3 — 2) The first step is to install the fittings and then bolt the two filter adapter plates to the mounting bracket. This is easier done off the truck.

DW-1406-FILT-4 — 3) The filter adapters, once mounted to the bracket, are installed on the passenger (RH) side of the engine compartment.

Two of the issues come down to one solution, filtration. It’s been proven that the 6.0L benefits greatly from added filtration of the engine oil and from the addition of an engine coolant filter, too.

Now the idea of extra filtering of the oil is understandable. The more dirt and grime you can get out of the oil, the less wear and tear on the engine’s internals. So adding a second filtration system ensures that you get the grime and crud out at two points, rather than letting it circulate around the motor a few times, trickling through the bypass port before being trapped. In addition, the oil in your Power Stroke is also asked to work harder than standard motor oil. It acts as a lubricant, but is also used to cool the pistons and to drive the high-pressure fuel injection system. This means it also picks up more trash and also a lot of extra heat. A second filter helps keep the metal, carbon particles and other trash from causing premature wear of your 6.0L diesel. Another upside is it also acts as a minor oil cooler, as some heat is radiated off the filter and housing. Not a lot, but some.

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Now a coolant filter might be harder to understand, but consider that the 6.0 has a liquid to liquid or, more accurately, an oil to water system to cool the oil. While the water is hot, it’s not as hot as the oil, and liquid-to-liquid transfer is more efficient than liquid to water by a significant factor. In addition, the water is also used to cool the EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system. Any junk in the coolant system, either from the sand-casting process used to make the block or from other sources of corrosion and wear, can plug these small passages. As you can imagine, this is BAD. The coolant filter will help pull most of the junk from your coolant system and keep it out over time. Now, the coolant filter system won’t restrict your coolant flow, but it will filter a small amount of coolant at a time, eventually filtering most of the coolant, which is better than the no coolant filtration that you get stock.

DW-1406-FILT-5 — 4) The back edge of the fan shroud needs to be trimmed to provide room for the oil filter body. This reduction in engine cooling, if any, is immeasurable.

DW-1406-FILT-7 — 5) The new Sinister oil filter cap has a fitting on it to route some oil from the stock filter to the remote filter for additional cleaning.

DW-1406-FILT-8 — 6) The remote oil filter must be filled before installing it on the filter adaptor. This prevents low oil flow, during the initial startup after installation.

DW-1406-FILT-9 — 7) The new coolant filter taps into the coolant overflow line to filter coolant as it expands from the engine heat. This then goes through the filter and connects to the one of the lines leading to the heater core.

DW-1406-FILT-10 — 8) The oil return line is connected to a fitting mounted in the top of the oil filler cap.

DW-1406-FILT-12 — 9) Sinister Diesel offers a matching billet aluminum fuel filter cap and thermostat housing to compete the cool look under you hood. This cap also lasts much longer than the plastic factory cap ever will.

DW-1406-FILT-13 — 10) The fuel filter is taller than the coolant filter and should be mounted in the forward position for the best management of engine space, per the instructions.

DW-1406-FILT-14 — 11) A cool tech tip is to use a split piece of radiator hose to prevent wear of your new oil and coolant filter lines. This can help when securing them out of the way, or in locations where they have to pass over some other component under the hood.

DW-1406-FILT-15 — 12) The completed Sinister oil and coolant filter system setup fits well and helps extend the life of your Ford 6.0L Power Stroke. It also has a cool look too.

We had the experts at Bud’s Diesel show us just how easy one of these Sinister Diesel kits are to install. You can do it at home, or find a shop near you to do the work. Follow along and we’ll show you how easy it is to install a Sinister Diesel auxiliary oil and coolant filter set on your 6.0L Power Stroke. DW

SOURCES:
Sinister Diesel
www.sinister-diesel.com or

Bud’s Diesel
949-297-8477
www.budsdiesel.com

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