Fordracer

I replaced a turbo on an 05 once and it had a surge at 2,000 rpm after repacing it. I replaced the VGT acuator and that fixed it.

We have a National Guard truck that is used on the runway and never goes above 20 mph. It's a 2004 6.0. I've replaced turbo's every 4000 miles and complete exhaust systems at 10,000 miles. I called the hotline about it and they say the military sometimes run jet fuel because that's all that's available sometimes and the hotline acted like it was no big deal. They also said that the military gets all the good quality diesel and that's why we have poor quality fuel. We told the gaurd to drive them on the highway once a week and we haven't had anymore problems.

Thanks Tony and Keith. That gives me some insight on what to look for. I guess I'll have to watch the load more often to see what it does under different circumstances. I did think it was odd it was going down to 0% at idle and fluctuating so rapidly. I've always wondered what other pids are helpful that we don't use because we don't know what they are telling us.

If load is calculated from alot of sensors and the hotline uses it all the time on trucks they mess with what is it telling them that would help in diagnoses? On the truck I was working on the load% showed something was acting up but not what it was. The ICP voltage and pressure were staying steady. If it wasn't from previous experience I wouldn't of known it was the ICP. By the way, the customer came back today to say his truck runs great and that took care of it.

This might be a stupid question, how is load % calculated? I usually don't monitor it much since I don't know what it's telling me. I have a truck with an intermitent miss and surge. It had a code P0403 and a EBP sensor and connector recall. I replaced the nonresponding EGR valve and did the recall and test drove. I couldn't get it to act up. I was hopping the EBP sensor was causing the problem. The customer picks it up and drives it four miles and it acts up again. I install a VDR and have the shop foreman drive it and he couldn't get it to act up either. Give the truck back to the customer and he brings the VDR back with recordings a couple of days later. The only thing that looks strange on the recordings is the Load %. It's fluctuates from 0-10% 55 times every 10 seconds for 25 seconds. The ICP voltage doesn't fluctuate which is what I was suspecting the problem was. While I was looking at the recordings yesterday the customer pulls in with the truck acting up. We go for a drive and come to a stop and it surges and almost pushes us through the stop light. I replaced the IPR and connector and sent him on his way. I assume the Load % uses the ICP and other sensors to calculate it's reading but I can't find anywhere how it's done. I'd appreciate any input on how they come up with Load %.

15 years ago I couple guys I work with and me brought in the Teamsters. The owner would fire people for no reason and was always cutting everyones pay and was getting ready to cut ours. Whenever the labor rate goes up 2.50 and we only get .25 cents it gets old after awhile. I ended up getting fired for bogus reasons because I got the union in there and they had to hire me back after 4 and a half months with back pay, that was a nice vacation, and I've been here ever since and now they leave me alone. Everything worked out good for 12 years. We could get the owner to give in some and when his son took over he was even easier to deal with. When the son got fired and they brought in a new partner/general manager he started playing hard ball. We are a right to work state and we really have no power with a union. The new boss went to the bargning table and started slashing everything and there was nothing we could do about it. He didn't budge an inch on anything because he didn't have to. With the week economy, and they own two other dealers in town, Mercury and an Auto Care, if we went on strike they could hold out on us until they broke the union. It was a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation. This fall we are going to have a decertification election and get rid of the union and see what happens. I've been here for 24 years and I am the only one that works on diesels so I think I have some pull without the union. If not it's time to move on.

While you have your wallet out you need to break down and buy a topside creaper also. I finally bought one a few months ago and I love it. It's nice to have to work on 7.3's and 6.0's but I think it's a necessity when working on 6.4's.

I didn't talk to the hotline about it. I'll ask them about it the next time I talk to them. The next 6.4 I get in here I'll pull the relay on it and see if it does the same thing.

Had an interesting one today. It wouldn't crank over and when you jumped the starter to crank it over it wouldn't start. The only code was a P0231-Fuel Pump Secondary Circuit Low. I figured that had nothing to do with a no crank so I ran codes on all modules and nothing else came up. Then I got to thinking, they probably don't want the motor to crank over if it has no fuel pressure to feed the the high pressure pump to prevent damaging it. It ended up being the fuel pump relay was bad and now it cranks and starts. I don't remember this being brought up in class so I thought it might be good to know about.

I bought a new Snap On torque multiplier on Ebay for a couple hundred bucks to use when torquing 6.0 head bolts on the 3-90 degree turns. You can use one hand on the last 90 degree turn and it's easier on your back. I also had to replace a ring and pinion on an F-450 and the pinion nut torques to 800-1000 lbs. I used the torque multiplier and it still wasn't easy but it's the only safe way to do it. So you can use the torque multiplier on more than a couple bolts, it was well worth the money to me.

I use a torque multiplier with a 4:1 ratio to torque diesel head bolts. You can turn the last 90 degrees with one hand. No more bowed breaker bars.

I just bought one last week from Northern Auto Parts (formaly Northern Hydralyics) for 199 plus 33 for shipping. Ordered it at 3:00 PM and was at my house before noon the next day. I haven't had time to put it together and try it yet.

I had two customers with 450's and 4.88 gears complaining about 7-8 mpg with less than 5,000 miles. We told them with those gears what do you expect. A 450 is not a grocery getter it's for hauling and I bet it does a damn good job of it.

Ford also had a diesel in the Mark VII, I think it was a five cylinder. Tempo's also had a diesel option.

Good luck Larry. When are these dealers going to realize that we are not a dime a dozen? A few years back I read an article that said being a mechanic is as complicated as being a computer programer. My wife is a computer programer and she makes almost twice what I do with killer benefits. Young people trieing to make a career decision will look at the pay difference and skip the automotive route. Dealers need to wake up before it's to late and us older mechanics retire or leave to go somewhere else and there are no young people to replace us.

I just had a 6.4 with the dipstick tube leaking at the bracket that bolts the dipstick tube near the valve cover. The weld must of burned through the tube. It sure takes alot of work just to replace the tube.

On the Fordstar broadcast they said to quit cleaning the EGR's because of repeat failures.

For those of you that missed the broadcast they did have some good info on it. They are coming out with a new center section for the turbo that we can replace instead of replacing the turbo for sticking. Also they are releasing new TSB's for plugged oil coolers, leaking EGR coolers, and degas bottle overflow. There's a new test to checked for a plugged oil cooler if you can't drive it to check the oil temp.

According to the Fordstar brodcast today you replace them. That's what I've been doing for the last year because I was getting tired of comebacks making us look bad.

One of them has 1300 miles and the other one has under 1000. Maybe they need to loosen up.

We have two customers with F-450's and 4.88 gears complaining about 7.5 mpg. We tell them tough shi*. You don't buy a 450 to go buy groceries you buy it to tow and they do one hell of a job doing it. I have a 2001 7.3 crew cab dually with 38,000 miles on it because I only drive it to tow or haul something. I drive my Bullitt or 500 all the other times.

I've seen 4 guys retire in the 24 years I've been here. I'm 45 and plan on retiring sometime between 55 and 60. I've been saving for retirement since I was 26. It also doesn't hurt to have a wife that makes almost twice what I do as a computer programer. Her employer has 401K and matches dollar for dollar up to 10% and also has a pension that will be around $1 million when she is 60. Being a mechanic might pay a living wage but the lack of benifts cost us dearly. If it wasn't for my wife I'd be working until I could't turn a wrench. Going to party in college towns when I was young payed off.

I recieved my new card yesterday and the money was on it. They never did put my newest winnings on the old card. There was only 16 cents left on the old card and it didn't transfer over.

After calling three different phone numbers I was told that when they try to put the money on my old card they will issue a new one.

I had four spins and made 70 bucks, not to bad. Then I remembered my card expires at the end of this month and I don't have a new one yet so I quit spinning. I remember last year they said if you don't use the money before the card expires you loose it. Has anybody else ran into this and when do we get our new cards?