6.7 power stroke Earthroamer engine rebuilds

[rea9390]

Looking at several options for an overland vehicle and was wondering if the 6.7 PS in the older Earthroamers can be rebuilt in place or it needs to be removed from the truck I thought I had read somewhere that the 6.7 had to have the truck lifted off the frame to work on it. Maybe it's all an urban legend.

Any thoughts on 6.7 reliability on the ER builds is appreciated.

 

[FordGuy1]

The 6.7 is going to need to come out.

 

[Darwin]

I hear the 6.7's are a lot better than previous generation motors like the 6.4 and 6.0. It wouldn't be my personal choice for a motor in an expedition vehicle since I believe better options exist. They say you don't have to lift the cab to work on a 6.0 or 6.4 but it is fairly common for a shop to repair them that way, which tells me it's probably a major pain in the *** if you don't. When I look under the hood of one it looks daunting the thought of working on the motor, but I am more familiar with a straight six cylinder.

 

[workerdrone]

You'll get all sorts of opinions on them - I had a 6.0 liter for a while and it was a great truck, I had it professionally bulletproofed and they did take the cab off to do it.

But I spoke to a bunch of diesel mechanics who thought the 6.0 was probably the best thing going in Ford right now - once it's proofed. After that, they said if anything goes wrong it's very easy to diagnose and not nearly as expensive to fix as the later models. Said later ones could be tough to nail down the problem leading to multiple part replacements.

Plus, fewer emissions and ULSD concerns with the 6.0 and 7.3

 

[rea9390]

Thanks for all your responses!

 

[ilazonic]

You'll get all sorts of opinions on them - I had a 6.0 liter for a while and it was a great truck, I had it professionally bulletproofed and they did take the cab off to do it.

But I spoke to a bunch of diesel mechanics who thought the 6.0 was probably the best thing going in Ford right now - once it's proofed. After that, they said if anything goes wrong it's very easy to diagnose and not nearly as expensive to fix as the later models. Said later ones could be tough to nail down the problem leading to multiple part replacements.

Plus, fewer emissions and ULSD concerns with the 6.0 and 7.3

Yup you are correct once you bulletproof 6.0 it's as reliable as 7.3. As for the cab they have to come off unless you want to pay arm and a leg for somebody to work on it without removing cab most of the mechanics won't touch it if they can't remove the cab and as for the 6.4 it is not the greatest engine and same with 6.7 plus you need to add DEF with is crap if you ask me. anyways just my .02$

 

[ersatzknarf]

Perhaps consider a Cummins (12V 6BTA) repower rather than a rebuild of the PS ?

It might possibly be more cost effective ?

 

[rea9390]

How does the Cab come off an Earthroamer isn't the bunk area over the PU cab? Can they just unbolt the front quarter panels and take the hood off? Sorry if I sound silly but I have no idea?

 

[FordGuy1]

How does the Cab come off an Earthroamer isn't the bunk area over the PU cab? Can they just unbolt the front quarter panels and take the hood off? Sorry if I sound silly but I have no idea?

The issue we have is when you attempt repair with cab on, it never seems to go very well. The 6.7 is a awsome powerplant, but repair work needs to be done correct. No short cuts.

 

[proper4wd]

How are they doing it on F550 mini buses, its the same design.

 

[workerdrone]

It does seem silly of Ford to design such that the cab needs to be removed to do major work on the motor. It's a work truck in essence, not a supercar.

But, it's only a matter of a couple hours of work to get it off IIRC - then you have total unimpeded access to the motor. In the grand scheme of things, if you're having major work done, the cab removal labor is a small part of the cost.

 

[Mountainhound]

It does seem silly of Ford to design such that the cab needs to be removed to do major work on the motor. It's a work truck in essence, not a supercar.

But, it's only a matter of a couple hours of work to get it off IIRC - then you have total unimpeded access to the motor. In the grand scheme of things, if you're having major work done, the cab removal labor is a small part of the cost.

Not as hard as it sounds.

 

[UHAULER]

Are you wanting to rebuild the engine as soon as you buy one ? I believe the 6.7 came out in 2011 . I would think any earthroamer with a 6.7 would have low to average miles and would last for many , many miles before needing major repair.

 

[2025 deleted member]

The first year or so, 2011 models, had issues with valves and turbos and plastic oil pans. Cab chassis models had more problems, I'm not sure but I assume the Earthroamer has the cab chassis tune in it.

 

[ScottH]

Very interested in this. How do you do major engine work on an EarthRoamer? Is it possible to take the back and cab off for engine work?