Service

Power Stroke Repair

Ford Power Stroke diesel service in Spokane — EGR coolers, oil coolers, head gaskets, injectors and emissions work.

Power Stroke covers several very different engines, and the reputation of the family is dominated by one of them. Which one you have determines almost everything about what to expect, so it is the first thing we ask.

We service Ford Power Stroke diesels in Super Duty trucks and vans at our East Trent shop.

7.3L

The 7.3 is one of the more durable diesel engines ever put in a pickup, and plenty are still working. What we see is age-related rather than design-related: injector driver module and camshaft position sensor faults causing stalling or a no-start, glow plug and controller failures, injector wear at high mileage, and the usual accumulation of leaks. Owners who keep up with oil and fuel filtration generally get remarkable service out of them.

6.0L

This is the engine with the reputation, and the failures are well documented enough to be predictable. The core issue is a chain reaction: the oil cooler plugs, which starves the EGR cooler of cooling, which fails and pushes coolant into the intake — and the pressure and heat that follow lift the cylinder heads, because the factory head bolts cannot hold them under those conditions.

The symptoms are white smoke, coolant loss with no external leak, overheating, bubbling in the degas bottle and rough running. Other common items on this engine are the fuel injection control module, injector stiction causing a hard cold start and a miss that clears as it warms, and turbo vanes sticking with soot.

Addressed properly — oil cooler and EGR cooler attended to, head studs fitted when the heads are off — a 6.0 becomes a genuinely reliable truck. Addressed piecemeal, it becomes the engine everyone complains about. We will give you an honest assessment of which situation your truck is in and what the whole job costs, rather than fixing one symptom and letting you discover the rest.

6.4L

The 6.4 introduced the diesel particulate filter, and most of what we see relates to it — regeneration problems on trucks doing short trips, and fuel dilution of the oil from the in-cylinder regeneration strategy, which is why oil change intervals on this engine deserve respect. Radiator and cooling system issues and turbo problems are also common.

6.7L

Ford's own design and generally the strongest of the family. What we see is the modern-diesel pattern: emissions system faults, DEF quality and injector problems, turbo issues, and on the earlier trucks a high-pressure fuel pump that is unforgiving of contaminated fuel or water. Draining the water separator on schedule is genuine insurance on those.

What we will not do

We do not delete or defeat emissions equipment on any of them. It is a federal violation, it fails a DOT inspection, and it destroys resale value. We diagnose and repair those systems instead, including forced regenerations and sensor and cooler faults.

Call (509) 655-7715 with the year and engine.

What You Get

  • 7.3L, 6.0L, 6.4L and 6.7L Power Stroke
  • Oil cooler and EGR cooler service
  • Head gasket repair with head studs
  • Injector and FICM diagnosis
  • Turbo vane sticking and replacement
  • DPF regeneration and DEF system repair
  • Glow plug and cold-start faults
  • Super Duty trucks and vans

How It Works

  1. 1Confirm the engine — the generations behave nothing like each other
  2. 2Scan codes and live data including oil and injection control pressure
  3. 3Block test coolant where a head gasket is suspected
  4. 4Assess oil cooler restriction and EGR cooler condition together
  5. 5Give a written estimate for the whole job, not one symptom
  6. 6Carry out the approved repair
  7. 7Road test and re-scan to confirm the fault is cleared

Frequently Asked

Is the 6.0L Power Stroke really that bad?

Its failures are predictable rather than random, which is what makes it fixable. Addressed properly — oil cooler and EGR cooler dealt with, head studs fitted while the heads are off — it becomes a genuinely reliable truck. Addressed one symptom at a time, it earns its reputation.

What causes white smoke and coolant loss on a 6.0?

Usually the chain that starts with a plugged oil cooler: it starves the EGR cooler, which fails and pushes coolant into the intake, and the resulting heat and pressure lift the heads because the factory bolts cannot hold them. We block test to confirm rather than assuming.

Do I need head studs?

If the heads are coming off, yes — fitting studs at that point costs comparatively little and is what stops the failure repeating. The factory head bolts are the limiting component in that chain.

My 6.0 is hard to start cold and misses until it warms up. Why?

That pattern is characteristic of injector stiction, where the injectors do not move freely until oil warms and thins. Glow plug and controller faults produce similar cold-start complaints, so we test rather than assume which it is.

Why does my 6.4L need such frequent oil changes?

Its in-cylinder regeneration strategy dilutes the oil with fuel, so the interval genuinely matters more on that engine than on most. Stretching it is one of the more expensive economies available on a 6.4.

Is the 7.3L still worth keeping?

Many are, and plenty are still working. What we see is age-related — injector driver module and cam sensor faults, glow plugs, injector wear and accumulated leaks — rather than design problems. Kept up with, they last remarkably well.

Other diesel work we do

We cover the greater Spokane area and North Idaho — see the areas we serve.