Fredsvt

The local school district near where I work has 40 E Vans with the lovely 6.0. They called us asking what to do about the coking problem, as they have EGR and then power related issues from the intakes clogging so bad. (lots and lots of slow speed idle time) They were told it's somewhat normal, unless they drive the crap out of them, which is a non possibility. They ended up buying spare manifolds, egr valves, coolers and a walnut shell blaster. They periodically pull the manifolds and egr coolers send them and have them hot tanked, blast the egr valves and intake ports. I have no idea what they do with carbon and junk going down the ports into the motor. I haven't heard how long (or lack of) the egr coolers last having them hot tanked.

I'm a little more OCD when it comes to the cure time. I leave the engine upside down for 24 hours on the stand after installing the pan to keep any oil off the silicone/pan area. During that time I do whatever else needs doing while it cures. Then after my back recovers during that time I get to go back and hurt all over again.

Hi Bruce, Yes, been around here a while, since I don't work at a Ford dealership, I don't post much. I don't get to see them until they're old and rusty. It's funny, this particular truck only from the A pillar forward was rotted, every line, bolt and hard part was crusty. From the A pillar rearward it looked brand new as does the body and interior. My boss charged him 18. He originally told him 20. I guess he took a couple of hours off when the parts count went way over a grand. The guy didn't seem to care, just fix it. The Ford store we get our parts from told us they'd get 24.5. Another question, since I'm asking. I got leery of Ford's "new" gray silicone for the oil pans, as it doesn't seem to be the same as the Int'l T442. When did it change? We call and get tubes from International. This is one job I care not to do twice.

Sorry if this is in the wrong place. But I wanted to get an idea of what a Ford dealer tech would get for the following on a CP job. I wanted to see if my boss was in the ball park. I just finished up the following on a 2002 F350 7.3 dual alt truck. Not a work truck a very clean (except for underbody rust) personal truck. Oil pan replacement. Cab on. I did pull the trans/xfer to make pulling/installing the motor easier. Only adds about 25 minutes anyway. While out, I ended up replacing the following rotted/bad parts. Both leaking up pipes (frozen bolts in the manifolds) Replaced both high pressure p/s hoses. Replaced supply and return fuel lines on engine. (ones next to front cover) Replaced both "quick connect" lines that go from the stainless lines to the feed lines on the engine as they were permanent connects. Replaced the t-stat and upper neck. (rotted) Pulled turbo pedestal to reseal. At customer request, replaced both rotted front shocks, engine belt, fuel filter, and 2 batteries as well. Approximate time I spent on it was 12-13 hours. sorry for being so long...tia

I picked what I saw as a lesser of two evils. Neither were ones I would have picked. I hated Hillary at the beginning but would have rather had her than either of the ones we had to choose from. I looked at Barr's website when I got my absentee ballot, and his was the only one that made any sense. He repeatedly requested to be included in the debates. Both sides AND the media refused to allow him access. Both parties have failed us, big time. The dems, love to tax, spend and give away everything to people who shouldn't get anything, and then always blame the gop for anything that happens. Being in NJ I see it constantly. The gop went away from true conservatism, i.e., fiscal prudence and small unobtrusive government. The gop became after Reagan the holier than thou, we are on God's mission to do whatever (which became our foreign policy, stupid imho), and the party who let whatever big business those in power invested in, become the ones that mattered (i.e. lining their own pockets). Not the people they were there to serve. The whole thing SHOULDN'T be about "he who spends the most money wins", it SHOULD be about who can best serve ALL the people. I'm trying to be as open minded as possible. But this person, who's a complete UNKNOWN has to prove himself. What I've seen and heard so far does not impress me in the least.

I read a poll Tuesday morning asking a simple question "How do you feel about the upcoming election" Excited Scared Nervous Thinking of Canada Here's the percentages after I made my choice. Excited 3% Scared 30% Nervous 15% Canada 52% I'm very nervous over what he intends to do with the military around the world. Let's capitulate to the terrorists and Russia. Then his "spread it around" theory. The worst though is the forced volunteerism, you MUST watch your neighbor, who'll watch you, and if you don't actively volunteer to help others.........You get "fined" aka taxed appropriately. Anyone seen the city year commercials. Click those heels, wear the "golden O" and your uniform. Looks quite familiar to those who have studied ww2.

About a month ago I had an '01 engine out and upside down for a rotted oil pan. Along with that both manifolds were leaking at the heads and both up pipes had blown donuts. I found all the manifold bolts were there but backed out. The manifolds at the rear were warped nearly .125", two new manifolds, gaskets, pipes, and that damned inlet adapter as it cracked in two trying to get the up pipe flange bolts out. I guess they didn't like the heat from the supposed 175hp chip (printed with that and "powerstroke steroids") the damn environmental company drivers were running on an F550 that's always overloaded. No wonder I've put 6 ZF6s in this thing. That chip is long gone now. Now their boss wants limiters. Go figure.

greg, I don't have much experience with the 6.4, so I can't offer any help to you. Anyway.. One of our customers just picked up an F550 drill rig, weighed on leaving Idaho for NJ, at 18,900 lbs. The drilling manager for the environmental company that owns it asked what "exhaust filter cleaning", as he termed it, meant that was displayed on the information panel. I explained it the best I could. He mentioned it was coming on every 120-150 miles on the whole trip back. Is that considered "normal"? He averaged about 8.6 mpg. It was interesting when we first saw it that the upfitter was told by Ford directly to not tamper with or modify the exhaust in any way, and how "rainbowed" (almost deep purple in color) the entire exhaust was from the DPF all the way to the tips were.

The big difference between a d-e loco and a truck hybrid is that the big diesel in the loco runs wheel motors, not through a transmission. And there is no battery pack, it's pretty much direct from the electric generator to the wheels. Then on decel they send the energy produced by the wheel motors when in dynamic braking to a huge resistor grid on the top of the loco and it's dissipated by the huge fans on the roof. Here's a question, why aren't they using either in-wheel motors or something similar in hybrid cars/trucks?

Jim, As a person (USC) who has visited your country for the past 13 years. (I go up to Winnipeg to visit extended family) I've found in recent years especially, that it seems Canada is doing much better economically than we are down here. (NJ, US) I've found that, correct me if I'm wrong, your country is very self sufficient on most of their energy. i.e. Hydro, natural gas, and most recently oil. I know your fuel prices are higher, via taxation, but I'd rather at least have an idea of where the money is going than just to big oil's wallets. And your government at least to me doesn't seem to be as ass backwards and PC when it comes to looking for new sources. I see your Hydro rates way, way lower than ours. For other US citizens reading, Hydro is electric. The first time I heard that term I was saying to myself "what the f$@# are they talking about?" I see your real estate market as doing way better, most people I've met up there seem to do very well financially and seem genuinely content. Or am I that clueless? Or are they clueless to what's going on? I find your news reports to be much more informative than the bullshit we get down here that's so biased and stuck on one subject. Thanks for clarifying a lot of questions I had regarding your political system, I could never make sense of all the parties, etc.

In the NJ Indie world we're steady slow, sometimes dead. We seem to have 2 weeks a month where we actually get busy-ish. Then twiddle time. This has been going on since October '07. We were super busy then, all of a sudden, nothing. The only trucks (up to 550) that actually are coming in are ARI managed units and they'll spend money. Everyone is very tight on money and wants quotes for even the smallest jobs. We always know when the dealers are dead, when we call for parts and they show up within 20 minutes, that's a real good clue.

Just thought I'd mention, that a 5w40 synthetic HD diesel oil, depending on who makes it and what its specs are is no thinner at high temps than a conventional 15w40. Actually it could be thicker at high temps if it's a quality HD oil than conventional oil. Kevin McCartney over on iATN is and has been trying to teach basics on modern engine lubrication. There's so much to learn, wish I could attend one of his classes. You need to find out what brand of oil the customer has been using, and look up the specs on the oil manufacturer's website to determine whether it is suitable for a high shear diesel engine.

It wouldn't surprise me to see it like that. Look up the next Isuzu dmax. It has NO manifolds, the exhaust exits into the Vee and the heads appear to have the intake through the valve covers similar to the navistar inline 6. The turbo(s) on that dmax are in the vee, supposedly it's less plumbing to get the exhaust to the turbo(s). Here's a link http://www.sae.org/automag/technewsletter/080108Tech/01.htm

hey larry Got a pic? The 6.6 duramax has a pmd? If you go to Kennedydiesel.com, I'm sure he'd have just about any plug for a GM diesel. They sell a PMD/FSD extension harness for the 6.5, along with the cooler for the fuel solenoid driver if you need one.

hey guys, I've got a family member interested in either one of these, more likely the Edge. Has an X plan through where they work. How are they holding up? Haven't heard much, either good or bad. What's the real world fuel mileage on one of these with the new 3.5? Thanks for any info.

Our shop has a customer who works for Cummins in the engine plant. Big problems going on there right now from the little B series (the Dodge) all the way up to class 8 engines. The Bs are suffering from varying blown pistons, (not isolated to 1 hole, but usually 5 and 6) and others are breaking cranks. This is on the 5.9 as well as the 6.7. No definitive cause has been determined yet. Yes on the VNT. We don't see many Dmaxes, but a couple of shops nearby have a few fleets with them, they only complain right now of slightly worse fuel mileage. They also have a VNT. The Dodge doesn't require cab removal/raising until the motor or head has to come out. Most routine stuff can be done without it.

sorry for the long post. one of our shop's customers is a large contractor for the state. This unit, an F550 2wd, mason dump left in the lot with a note, bogs and smokes. 10,410 miles. Coolant and oil both full. Oil nasty though. Check engine light is on. Found code for turbo boost actuator pos sensor 'a' circuit performance. I cleared the code, which didn't immediately return. Since our shop doesn't have an IDS, I told my boss that we're at a dead stop on diagnosis. He calls the customer who insisted on new fuel filters. I install the filters, and follow the SI for bleeding the system. The old filters were clean, fuel looks good, no smell of gasoline. While our shop and the shop next door were checking out how "well" Ford shoved 15lbs in a 5 lb box, I believe it went into regen, the idle kicked up to just under 1100 and it sounded like a jet out the back end. Idling is quiet and smooth. On test drive, it quickly makes it to around 2k rpm. Then it bogs, starts a horrible, very, VERY loud rolling knock. What appears in the right mirror to be liquid fuel and the most thick white smoke pours out of it. Within about 2 to 3 seconds, it clears up (white smoke to blueish then none), the boost gauge pegs PAST 40 psi, and this thing flies. It'll push you back in the seat it pulls so hard. Once cruising it seems to run fine. You can make it downshift and accelerate no problem. Upon slowing to make a turn and the revs fall below 2k, the same thing occurs. On the test drive the MIL never returned. The engine sounded like it will grenade if driven like it is for any length of time. It's now waiting for the lowboy to come and get it to take it to the contractor's dealership. The contractor owns a Ford store about 2 hours away from our shop. I'm curious to the failure and will wait to hear what happened.

The car was brought to the dealer where they bought it yesterday evening. I'm guessing the father put the dead oem battery back in and assembled the tray, etc. The wife stopped by (our mailperson) and said that they are replacing the alternator, under warranty, but will NOT go into the draw on the battery without a minimum diag time which isn't covered. Due to the nightmare under the dash. Can't wait till they find the 2 gauge battery wire for the amp system that they tucked away under the carpet.

For background, I work at an independent shop, doing many 7.3 fleet trucks. Anyway, today a customer, who I'd rate a D, has her son's '06 Focus towed in. Her husband, and her son, already have tinkered with it. The car has 21k on it and appears abused. He already bought a new battery to drive it for a day or so, leaving the dead original in the trunk, with the battery hold down, and covering. The car doesn't charge, has a large 3 amp draw when key is off. The father can't figure out how to put the stock stereo back in, as his kid has chopped up the dash, cut the dash harness and ran amp power by cutting the + cabling under the dash to the inside fuse box. He want us to "return the car to stock" so the dealer will warranty whatever has failed in the charging/electrial system. I see it has NO coolant visible in the degas bottle, there's no feeling of coolant in the upper hose as well. The oil is chunky black and 2 quarts low. They say they use "synthetic" and it doesn't need changing for 50,000 miles. Oh, sure. My boss refused to touch it other than to let him know it doesn't charge and there's a draw. Sorry if anyone here in NJ gets this car. I really hope that the powers that be do the right thing. DENY. Do you guys see many like this at the dealership level?

I really wonder how long people will actually get "lifetime" coverage on their Chrysler products. At our shop we've been unable to order many parts for Dodge pickups and vans going back to just 2003. They are saying that they are no longer made and we'll never see them. The dealership we purchase from is one of the largest in the state, and they're saying that once stock is depleted on certain parts that they will not be making any more. what happens to your warranty when you have a 10 year old car/truck that the dealership can't repair as there's no parts to fix? Sounds like Ford with the "obsolete" parts we've already run into on '97 and '98 7.3 vans.

I found out a while ago that the 7.3 could go a long time with no major problems. An environmental company's fleet I work on had a '95 that they went nearly 975,000 with. It only needed one turbo, as it began to pass oil to the compressor side late in life. Never needed a glow plug, any harnesses or any injectors. It was serviced every 5 to 7k. Lately I've been seeing how their "new" fleet manager, who's paid bonuses by how little he spends, is destroying their fleet. I see at least 6 '99 to '01 7.3 engines soon to die at low (100-120k). I can see 7.3 deaths will be ranging from airboxes being left open or sucked inside out air filters, rotten oil pans, turbo failures (already 2), chronic driver and operator chipping (swapping 120hp chips from truck to truck) and drivers ethering them on cold starts, as the injectors are sludged from lack of oil changes. If we see these every 7k the trucks are lucky, and with the constant stationary pto running at 1300 to 3000 rpm they do, they usually have way more hours than actual "miles" on them. Kind of sad in a way.

maybe this will help someone 2004 f250, no start, codes P0611 and P1378. I found no power to the FICM and the relay not activating. The tan/yellow wire to the relay (+ trigger) was dead. I had power from the CJB. But no power to the connector on the inner fender. I unplugged all of the connectors there and pulled up the harness to find that wire, and only that one exposed and rubbed through to green death on the plastic wheel well liner. Repairing the wire and putting some flex loom on the harness that nearly sits in the elements should hopefully keep the wires whole.

sorry for the long time in updating. I had no oil out the exhaust, like another F550 that pulled in one day after this one. The compressor fins look very sharp and well defined, so I don't think it's been dusted. The intake after the breather is clean and no grit is present. The customer did not want to go further at the moment, the family needed the truck and he's going to monitor oil usage himself. His wife does not check it, obviously. I have two good leads to go by. I haven't run into a turbo blowing oil out the compressor side, but this could be a first. I'm still leery about the injector orings as I've seen several of the '99-'01 engines using oil with relatively dry intercooler tubes. I'm sure it'll be back soon.

This beastie is a bit hungry. A 7.3 with 90k well maintained miles, first time our shop has seen it for service. She (the owner) had been seeing her local dealership while it was under a Ford ESP plan. It's not worked, loaded or abused, she does drive SLOWLY, that's for sure. Anyway, it was just under 1k over on the oil interval, it appears to have used 13 quarts in that time. she only noticed it by it dying on acceleration on cold starts. There are no external leaks. blowby is not as low as I'd like, but in specs, and the cold side intercooler tubing and Y is soaked with seepage of oil. The interooler joint is dripping with oil, more than what I'm used to seeing on a 7.3. The truck runs well. No oil wetness in exhaust. Have you guys seen these with bad internal injector orings causing this much oil consumption? I'm talking about the orings inside the injector body itself. Not the serviceable ones on the outside to seal to the cups. No oil is in the fuel, nor would I expect to see any with no fuel returns from the cylinder heads. I've been reading about other HEUI injected engines that have those orings fail and they can drain the crankcase in just hours, by feeding the offending cylinder(s) a diet of 100% lube oil. I've never seen a 7.3/t444e consume so much while running so well.

Hi Keith, Both the trucks I've done this week were leaking, one really bad from the supply line. Very messy. (was the electric pump truck) I'm not so sure it's just from the salt in the winter. I see many just rotten from the humid ocean air in the area where I work. It seems that an east breeze sets up all through the year at night. We've got a couple of customers that only use their trucks as pleasure use, weekend trucks that don't see snow. If the car/truck sits outside at night, the underbody rust is horrible after just a few years. Our shop sees quite a bit of rotten brake lines, and for some odd reason RABS valves rotting right off the frame, the fittings rot away. We also see many '93-'97 F series with rusted through and broken rear spring hanger brackets.