6.0L Radiator and Intercooler Upgrades
Today I want to talk to you about some things that Mishimoto offers that will improve efficiency and longevity in your 6.0L truck. I grew up with this idea of improvement: better parts, better quality, improving the weak points of the design so that the vehicle could be more reliable and faster at the same time. That concept has carried me through my life and it is part of why I am talking about Mishimoto products. I don’t work for Mishimoto and they don’t compensate me. I like their products and what they do for the Powerstroke community and I have to say something about it.
To begin, we have to talk about thermodynamics which basically deals with the transference of heat and removal of heat through different materials. These Mishimoto parts increase the efficiency of the transference of heat out of the engine and charger cool system. When your turbo charger charges the air, or compresses it, it creates heat. When you take that hot compressed air mixture and push it into an engine, it is not as efficient as it could be if it was cooler. Even if you drop the charge going into the intake by a few degrees, it makes a huge difference in power output and efficiency. What Mishimoto products do is improve the thermodynamic efficiency of the radiator and intercooler. In addition, Mishimoto products are much better than the factory Ford parts in terms of being able to hold up to hard use.
We see a lot of radiator and intercooler failures in the 6.0 especially people who tow heavy or have a fairly strong tune on their truck. The extra heat and pressure exceeds the original specifications of that particular component. That creates a market for Mishimoto to sell their products that is highly improved over the stock parts.
There are 4 major areas of Mishimoto products I want to talk about: radiator, intercooler, charger cooler boots and radiator hoses. By improving these four pieces up to the Mishimoto quality, you will greatly increase the efficiency and durability of the truck. I hate getting stuck on the side of the road. I am willing to spend money as long as it gives me something that is more durable or has a higher value. Yes, I like more efficiency and I like the truck to go a little faster but I am really after higher durability. I want it to hold up under the stress and strain that I put it through and not give me any trouble.
INTERCOOLER
One of the biggest improvements you can make to your truck in terms of efficiency and durability is to upgrade the intercooler. The Mishimoto intercooler is beautiful and heavy. It has a lot of aluminum in it. But it is highly durable because it has the welded ends. The factory intercooler has these plastic ends on it which I have seen come apart. Ford radiators are built the same with that plastic on the end. They are an inexpensive way to build an intercooler or radiator and they work to a point but it doesn’t hold a candle to Mishimoto. This intercooler is 3 ½ inches thick versus the factory intercooler which is barely even 2 inches thick. All that extra volume inside that intercooler is going to help improve the cooling of the intake charge into the engine. That equates into more power and more efficiency. It keeps the engine running cooler.
INTERCOOLER BOOTS
Many have problems with the upper intercooler boot popping off. They pop off because the intercooler boots are pressurized and oil inside the intercooler gets pushed through the rubber material. If you look at some of the older trucks closely, you can actually see oil dripping from the outside of the hose from the heat, pressure and oil just being pushed straight through them. Mishimoto has greatly improved upon this with their charger cooler boots. Look at the thickness and how much thicker the Mishimoto part is over the factory part.
You know you have lost the upper intercooler boot when you are climbing a mountain somewhere and all of a sudden you hear “pop” and the truck doesn’t have any power anymore. Mishimoto intercooler boot has this very thick and hard PVC type liner that eliminates the oil passing through under the heat and pressure. This part is very cost effective compared to the price of the factory part. You get the whole kit with the low boot, improved clamps and improved durability. They are made to withstand up to 500 degrees maybe even more which is much higher grade than the factory Ford material.
I have tried everything with the factory boots to avoid them popping off. I have cleaned them with brake cleaner and sprayed them with Rave hairspray (like the old bicycle grip trick). They will stay for a little while and then they pop off again because this material tends to stretch under the heat and pressure of being in the intercooler system. Mishimoto’s aren’t going to stretch and you will eliminate the pop off problem with the upgrade.
COOLANT HOSE
Mishimoto shines with their coolant hose. What an incredible upgrade over factory. The long hoses on the lower radiator have a tendency to break and cause all kinds of problems. You can usually get about 50,000 miles out of the factory hose. Mishimoto hoses will go a lot further. Just like the intercooler boots, it is made out of that same high quality material that won’t stretch and break down under higher temperatures than some old hose that you bought at AutoZone. I will seriously consider any type of upgrade like this to be able to increase the efficiency and the durability of my truck.
INSTALLATION
We put a new motor in this 2006 F250 King Ranch. It is perfectly suited without the headlights in to be able to demonstrate what it looks like to install these parts on your vehicle. Watch the video for step by step method of installing these parts including special tools you will need as well as pieces from the old parts that you will need for the installation.
This man has just spent a large amount of money putting a new engine in this truck. It is a 200,000 mile truck and he wants to go another 300,000 in it. It makes sense to spend a little more on the intercooler, radiator, boots and hoses to be able to protect the investment. You want to ensure that you recoup your investment back out of the vehicle. Why would you put an old plastic radiator and intercooler back in this truck? Why put old parts that are all clogged up with 200,000 miles on them back in this truck when you have a much more improved items on the shelf that you can order? Mishimoto is not giving these parts away, but they spent a lot of time, money and effort engineering these products to improve your relationship with your truck and improve upon the factory design. The factory design only takes you so far. These are lifetime parts, they come with a lifetime warranty and they are vastly improved over the factory part.
If you are serious about keeping your truck on the road as long possible, you need to consider these items for your 6.0L truck. At the very least, if your budget is tight, think about the boots. The boots are crucial in making sure that you don’t have troubles especially under towing situations where that upper boot likes to pop off. This will solve that problem. Check it out at powerstroke.mishimoto.com. ~Bill Hewitt
