TikToker spends $2,500 and 60 hours fixing Ford’s most cursed diesel engine: “Let’s just tear it apart and fix it”
A woman bought what seemed like a great deal on an old Ford truck—until she discovered why it was so cheap.
But instead of calling it a loss, she rolled up her sleeves and dove into one of the most brutal engine repair jobs she's ever tackled.
Woman fixes $2,000 Ford Powerstroke
In a viral video with more than 1.4 million views, TikToker Caylee Penderass (@cayleependerass) documented her journey repairing a Ford truck that seemed like a bargain at first glance.
"I just doubled the reliability of my old Ford truck with one single part. It's a key to another old Ford truck," she jokes at the start of the video, holding up a second truck key. "I figured if this works half the time and this works half the time, I have one good truck."
Penderass explains she paid just $2,000 for the truck because it had a serious issue. "Best part is I paid $2k for this thing because if you dip a rag in the coolant reservoir, it's entirely filled with milky oil," she says in the video.
Milky oil in the coolant typically signals a blown head gasket, an expensive and labor-intensive repair. But Penderass decided to diagnose the problem before assuming the worst.
She demonstrates a test using a glove placed over the coolant reservoir while the engine runs to check for combustion gases blowing into the coolant system.
"I don't see any air. Now, since we don't have combustion gases getting into our coolant, that means the oil is getting into our coolant when it's in some other situation," she says in the video.
Based on her diagnosis, she determines the culprit is the oil cooler heat exchanger, which is buried deep in the V of the engine block on Ford's 6.0-liter Powerstroke diesel engines.
"On these six o's, it's usually the heat exchanger, which is an oil-to-water heat exchanger buried deep in the V of the block. Still not an easy job, but way [expletive] cheaper than doing head gaskets," she says in the video.
Repairs took two weeks
What follows is a time-lapse of an absolutely brutal repair job.
"Anyway, let's just tear it apart and fix it. Oh, [expletive]. This is the worst [expletive] engine I think I've ever worked on," she says as she begins disassembling the engine.
The video shows the painstaking process of removing the oil cooler, which took eight hours alone. She points out the failed seal that caused oil to leak into the coolant system. After five hours of cleaning parts, she shows off the new components: a new turbo, gaskets, filters, a new fuel pressure regulator, an oil cooler, a new thermostat, and a fuel injector control module.
@cayleependerass $2000 for a Powerstroke 4X4 is a good deal if you don’t count the $2500 in parts and 50-60 hours of labor and pain I put into it. But hey, I have another truck now so I count this as a win. #powerstroke #ford #diy #trans ♬ original sound - Caylee P
"I skipped about fifteen hours of work, but we are back together," she says in the video, showing the reassembled engine. She then tests the engine without coolant to make sure nothing leaks before filling the system.
A week later, after running the truck "hot and hard," she demonstrates that the repair "was successful."
"I have a mix of Simple Green and distilled water in the coolant tank. And look at that. Residue, but no oil," she says in the video.
"$2000 for a Powerstroke 4X4 is a good deal if you don't count the $2500 in parts and 50-60 hours of labor and pain I put into it. But hey, I have another truck now, so I count this as a win," Penderass wrote in the caption.
What are the common issues with Ford 6.0 Powerstroke engines?
The Ford 6.0-liter Powerstroke diesel engine, found in 2003 to 2007 Super Duty trucks, has a rough reputation.
According to Moose Jaw Truck Shop, a Canadian repair shop that regularly works on these engines, Ford "missed the boat" on several features in the Powerstroke. The shop sees the same few problems constantly.
The oil cooler issue Penderass dealt with is one of the most notorious. The 6.0-liter Powerstroke requires significant oil cooling, so Ford equipped it with a liquid-on-liquid oil cooler, according to Sinister Diesel, an aftermarket parts company specializing in diesel engines. Unfortunately, this cooler can become clogged with debris or rupture, leading to overheating. When it fails, oil and coolant mix, exactly what Penderass discovered in her truck.
What makes it worse is that a failing oil cooler often triggers a domino effect. The oil cooler failure can cause the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) cooler to fail as well, Moose Jaw Truck Shop reported. When the EGR cooler leaks, it dumps coolant into the exhaust system, creating white smoke. The steam pressure can stretch the head studs and lead to blown head gaskets, hydro-locked engines, and turbo contamination, according to Sinister Diesel.
Other common 6.0 Powerstroke problems include head gasket failures caused by weak torque-to-yield head studs that can't handle aftermarket modifications, and Fuel Injector Control Module failures caused by engine heat and vibration, Moose Jaw Truck Shop reported.
The engine is also notorious for coolant contamination from casting sand left over from manufacturing, metal shavings, rust, and mineral deposits, according to Sinister Diesel. These contaminants clog the oil cooler and EGR cooler over time.
Because of these widespread issues, many Powerstroke owners opt to "bulletproof" their engines, a term for replacing all the failure-prone components with upgraded aftermarket parts before they break. Companies like Sinister Diesel sell complete bulletproofing kits that include upgraded oil coolers, EGR coolers, head studs, and coolant filtration systems.
Commenters react
“Buying a 6.0 is a good way to make sure you never run out of content,” a top comment read.
“I was a senior master certified Ford technician for 10 years at a dealership. 10/10 would let you work on any of my vehicles,” a person said.
“I don't care about cars or boats but every time I see your posts I am SAT. you make this easy to understand and fun to watch,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Caylee Penderass via Instagram and TikTok direct message.
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