G. Bedford

Did you try re-flashing the VSM with as-built data?

I buy just a regular old allen wrench in the size needed. I have 10, 12, 14 and 17mm wrenches. Cut a half inch off the long end and drop it in a socket when needed to make a cheap allen head socket. You still have a good allen wrench left, too. Two tools for the price of one. You can also use the "insert" in a 3/8" or 1/2" drive socket.

Most guys are using the vise grip method to remove the phasers. I've done them by the WSM and that is where you see the amount of scoring on the cam journals. One of our techs got bit on this hard. I wish it were easier to check oil pressure at the head, because base pressure is not reliable on what is available up top on these engines.

I did my first one yesterday. It was a little slow on the schedule so I took my time putting the tool together. The tool locked in well and as I put the pressure on I walked it up with an air chisel. It came out fairly smooth. So, I was surprised to see the valve upper stayed together but the "snout" had broken free and remained lodged in the mixing bowl bore. The amount of carbon and corrosion between the bore and "snout" leads me to believe most times it will be a waste to use the tool. Replacing the valve and mixing bowl will be the norm. This was an '08 with 75K miles.

I heat them all with a torch and remove by hand. If the front ones still feel tight after heating, I just cut the head off. The bolt shaft will rise through the mount along with the body. Once lifted you can apply heat directly to the bottom of the cage nut and spin the bolt shaft out with a vise grip.

We had one with 600 miles that the exhaust plugged. Would barely even idle, so unable to do any regen attempt. $4300 for a new "torpedo" DOC/SCR/DPF assembly. I think he found the FRP sensor connector not fully seated

Best of luck to you. Be sure to let Ford/Stars know you are no longer working at your dealer and have left the system. Believe me when I say there are quite a few "ghost techs" kept on the books for certifications sake.

We got four new ones in and ran them all on the alignment rack for the PDI. What is up with the tank shield covering the LR section of the frame rail? No where quick to set the post on our regular racks with it in place.

This is why we never deny the warranty ourselves here. We send the information along to Ford and they make the decision. The warranty contract is between Ford and the vehicle owner. Over the years many a claim I felt sure to be denied, Ford said to perform the repair under warranty. We won't be left holding the bag.

Problem is, the trained apes earn more by doing the general work that produces flag hours. We are teaching the newbies there is no reason to further yourself. Sad.

Did you also swap the '04 injectors into the '06? There is a break date and the flow is different. You have to have the '04 PCM to match the '04 injector flow rate or your fuel trims go haywire.

Haven't seen an FSE in years. Ford will simply not send one out. I had a 6.4 awhile back that I went through the same thing on. Incredibly stupid from the get go. Obvious failure that could have been determined in the first hour, but finally ended up a sad, sad comedy because of Ford's stubborness.

On the other hand, it appears, some dealers didn't charge it out because they thought it was considered shop supplies and ate the cost internally. The flush was done properly, but the ticket was kicked.

No need for clips with the latest design UVC harness. There are now bumps on the underside of the lock tabs to make a positive latching. Compare the old to new UVC harness and you will see what I'm talking about. If you attempt to force a clip in there it will break the tab on your new harness.

Before just adding the clips, take a look at the spread of the female terminals in the UVC harness. As the clip separates and hangs, along with the heat and vibration, the terminals can really widen and cause a poor tension fit to the male spade of the valve cover gasket. One of our techs added clips only and then had an open circuit when the male spade was dead centered into the female terminal. On high mileage rigs I bid new UVC harnesses to avoid a concern later.

Heck, I wish we still stocked parts. We order everything these days. Daily Parts Advantage has been no advantage to the techs in my dealership.

There is life after back surgery. It's been 13 years now since I had L4-L5 micro surgery. I am sure procedures have gotten much better since. Hang in there and tell yourself you intend to return at full capacity, nothing less.

We have been getting more and more sick-o owners in that are now out of warranty coverage. These guys have never realized the true costs of repairs since the most they ever paid out of pocket was a hundred dollar deductible(and no deduct on '07 and newer). Whether it was an injector, a EGR cooler or a long block it was nothing to them but some down time. The glazed over eyes and stunned look when they are handed the estimate is something to behold. The big jobs usually result in them muttering they "will just trade the POS off" as they head up front to sales. Pretty soon they are back, after finding out that no one else wants an out of warranty sick-o either. Especially, one that is exhibiting the classic pattern failures. People just don't have a spare 10 grand laying around for an engine nowadays. So what does this have to do with hybrids, you ask. From day one the cost of the HV battery is hanging over your head. The 8 year/100,000 mile(10/150K Cali.) coverage will expire. The HV battery was $7,500 for the part alone, last I checked. Diagnosis and labor extra. So will the hybrid owner end up like the sick-o owners? An old, high mileage Escape Hybrid that has depreciated in value to the point that it is simply not worth the repair cost? Will any knowledgable buyer of an older hybrid not take into consideration the possible cost/risk they are taking on and adjust their offer to compensate? Time will tell, I guess.

When the hybrid was first offered my manager came out and said he was sending me to class. I declined. I was always first to go to any class so it took them off guard. I have no problem with the technology as a tech. Neat stuff. As a one man business, a flat rate tech, I think it's a loser. There is little maintenance to do and the powertrain in the Escape/Mariner has been very reliable in our area. The main hybrid components have generous extended warranty coverages and ,frankly, I have enough warranty on my plate with my diesel certs. The tech that did get hybrid certified has found the non-certified techs can do the gravy and the warranty comes to him. Add the fact other dealers that haven't a certified tech send their used vehicles here for warranty repairs has added to his angst. The few instances he has done major repairs, each time to the braking system, the shop has had to cover his lost time. I am happy with my decision.

We have had to do a number of wasted 3rd members, too. Overhaul was not really an option due to the damage. Wish the new one would come with a drive flange installed so you wouldn't have to mess with torqueing the nut. We fashioned a flat plate on a section of square tubing that slides over the end of our cherry picker. Just have to bolt the 3rd member by the flange to the plate and let the cherry picker handle the weight. Works well if you have the rig on a hoist.

We get 14-15 hours for the coolers. This includes the LOF and coolant flush following the coolant loss TSB steps.

"No more sick days for flat rate employees" So does this mean the other employees under different pay plans, salary or hourly, still get sick days? Your posting makes it sound like the technicians were singled out.

I had the local GM dealer bring me a sold used unit ('05 500 CVT)off their lot that needed a catalyst. The car was still under 8/80. They waited 3 monthes as it sat on our lot for a catalyst to become available. When that date arrived and a new date was set six more monthes down the road, they came and got it. They traded the customer out and sent it to auction. Good publicity.

"Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan." It is almost comical how many times they get across the thought in the ads that this is Fords' baby, in order to distance themselves from the Navistar 6.0/6.4 debacle.

I've seen oil spray or spit past the butterly valve actuator rod at the pedestal. Hold your mirror around where the rod exits the pedestal and see if it fogs or gets spatter.