mrbudge

Just re-programmed all of our stock units, no major problems. One said programming failed, so I re-did it and it was ok, and only took a fraction of the time second time around. I find that if IDS is up to date, settings are all correct in your browser, you are patient, don't shortcut, and make sure your USB cable is plugged all the way in, programming is not a problem. Same with programming issues with 6.4s. I have seen so many horror stories but have personally never had trouble.

At least snow can be moved. Wait until it all turns to water and we are doing our best beaver impersonation with sandbags to keep it out of our basements. But alas, I like to look at the bright side. We now have lots of water to make electricity with and sell to our southern neighbors so they can charge their electric cars.

We looked into getting one of these but they are built to order and it will be spring before they will be ready. I talk regularly with a tech working for Cat in Rankin Inlet (way up north) They get all kinds of crap up there to work on. They have a Freightliner school bus up there with a Cummins in it. There is a manual regen button on the dash, but it is so cold up there that even in manual regen it won't get hot enough to clean the filter. So they drive it till it won't go anymore, and then replace the filter for $3000.00 plus shipping. We shipped a torqueshift up there once, it was $1800.00 one way. Good thing the government has lots of money.

I know this has been discussed before, and I have reviewed some of the older threads, but I am just wondering if anyone has some new info on these 6.4 trucks that can't go into regen because they are on a job site that limits their speed. I see a operator's manual regen is available on the 2011 6.7, but that does me no good for these trucks. I have also seen the manual regen tool that is available, but you know noone wants to spend money to have their problem fixed. Any info is appreciated.

Whenever we open up one of these engines for vct concerns, I make sure that the cam journal caps are pulled and inspected for scoring. There is a restrictor in the vct valve body that will allow base engine oil pressure to be maintained at the oil pressure sender but if the cam journals are scored, when the engine is hot at idle there will not be enough oil pressure at the phaser to maintain operation. The phaser will start to rattle and set your code. Rev it up and it will get better. If it will do a power balance without giving a syncronization error message then your base timing will be ok. Even the non vct engines will chew up the cam journals and cause oil pressure loss. When I see the chain guides worn out that indicates to me that the vehicle has not been maintained, and usually will find the cam journals worn out as well.

So do they ask what the causal part is? Or better yet what was the defect that caused the failure. You gotta know they will ask when the claim goes through, prior approval or no prior approval.

Tick tick tick tick tick.........

Heard from many different sources- "I have been driving for years, why should I have to read the book?" Or better yet-"I am a professional driver, I know how to work a truck."

Apparently this is common in some European car manufacturers, a legacy of the Audi 5000.

While we are talking about strange combinations, anyone remember the BMW slant six turbo diesel in the rear wheel drive Continentals? All courtesy of Ford Motor Company. But back to the Crown Vic diesel, I have often thought about re-powering them with a diesel for the taxi fleets, if the cabbies would pay, ha ha. Probably wouldn't use the Cummins though. Better that than all those damn Priuses.

Is it just me or has the first step in diagnosing a concern changed to "ask someone else"? This site is good, but over at the monkeyhouse I have to wonder how many of these guys it's their first day at work? When I get asked for assistance (it is my job) I will usually answer with a question, hoping it may engage the thinking portion of the brain. Is it wrong of me to think that the knowledge accumulated over years of headaches is worth something?

An Austin Mini will fit in the back of a 75 F100, you just have to leave the tailgate down.

Have you checked HVBOM?

Hope everyone gets used to them quick, they are supposed to be coming in the new Focus next year.

And 11300 lb towing capacity. I can see the exhaust glowing red from here.

I wish that trucks could talk. They would have great stories to tell.

I am a supporter of any training or certification that is available, be it ASE, ASSET, Red seal, or what have you. It shows me that the tech has the ambition to take the effort to get certified. Certification is not the end of the process. As the industry is constantly changing, certification must be maintained, and should be mandatory. If we are all held to a higher standard it may be a first step toward removing the stigma of working in the automotive industry. As much as training and certification are necessary, sometimes there are people who "just don't get it", with the upside down calipers being a good example. I don't recall anywhere in my training over the last 28 years being told that brake fluid is heavier than air therefore the bleeder should be at the top. Sometimes a little common sense goes a long way, and unfortunatly that is not taught as part of the certification process. I guess the whole point of my rant is it is too easy to become a mechanic. If we were all held to a higher standard, meaning tougher courses continuing education, and universal certification, perhaps the less than qualified guys would be weeded out. It is not easy to diagnose correctly and repair a motor vehicle correctly. Don't send me someone to train as a tech just because they can't do anything else. When some hack destroys someone elses vehicle and charges him to do it it makes everyone look bad, stealership or indie. I have been told "you mechanics are all the same" I can assure you I am not the same as the guy that leaves the injectors loose, or the wiring harness lying on the egr tube, or any of the thousands of examples of hackage I have seen throughout the years. It is late Friday and I am cranky.

Not saying right or wrong, but are vehicles not crash tested to verify fuel system integtity during a crash? What does modifying a fuel system do to the vehicle's ability to pass a safety inspection? I guess it depends who does it. I have seen Super Duty wreckers with the big midship tanks installed, and the problems it caused were immense, one being the pickup not reaching the bottom of the tank, as well as the sender float not hitting bottom at empty. Oh yeah, the tank would slide around in its straps while rubbing the crushed fill pipes on the frame. And putting a fuel tank behind the axle as an accessory reminds me of an old car called the Pinto. I guess as long as people need the extra range other people will be putting in the slip tanks, long range tanks, or whatever. I just look at the installation and wonder how they get away with ruining someone elses truck. I know I wouldn't.

When it won't start pull the valve covers and look for oil coming out of the injectors when cranking. Won't always leak out of the spill spout, I look for a trail of oil from the injector to the bottom of the head.

Maybe a N14 would be a good fit in a pickup truck. After all, they go a million miles in a Peterbilt, so they should be good in a small truck, right? And imagine the juice one of those things would make with the right programmer? Your manhood would just swell! I was in Europe a while ago, and was talking to a guy from South Africa (small world). He was watching some American TV and saw the Super Dutys, Dodge Cummins, Duramaxes, etc, and said to me those trucks must have big engines, at least 4.0 liters. I said no, try at least 6.0 liters. He said why do they need such a big engine in a pickup truck. I didn't have a polite answer for him without mentioning the chrome balls hanging from the rear bumpers. The N14 only has 465 hp and will pull 100,000 pounds. Maybe 6.0 liters and 300 hp (or whatever you have it set at) is a little overkill for a boat trailer and a case of beer?

Only $15000? What can you do to a 6.0 for only $15000?

Conti's are great. I get to keep the takeoffs and put them on my old truck till they are good and worn out. I'll live with some noise for free tires. The Escapes are ok too. The new rear driveshaft seems ro get rid of the 55mph vibration that some had, and keep the tailgate latch lubed so the rattling doesn't drive you crazy.

Our old flight recorder went to South Carolina once. Tried to call the customer for 2 weeks, obviously not home. Came back full of recordings, taken at highway speeds. Not much help in solving their stalling at stops concern. Making a recording of something is fine and dandy, but I still like to be in the seat when it happens so I know what was going on when the concern occurs. People tend to omit information that they feel is not necessary when you give them a box and say go drive. BTW, South Carolina is a long way away from here.

Thanks Bruce, thank kinda what I was thinking. We are so spoiled with IDS, yet I still hear lots of complaining about it. I feel good when I take an IDS to some of the local shops to help them out (you rub my back and I rub yours) and they are amazed at what it will do. I'm sure if we had more opportunity to use the AE kit it would become easier.

About Auto Enginuity, we have domestic enhanced, and we got the updated advanced connector. We find it kind of slow, and sometimes hit and miss on applications, especially body and chassis systems. Am I just expecting too much from it after using the oem scan tool? We are running it on our IDS Toughbook, so it should have enough power. I haven't updated it for quite a while, since noone has really warmed up to it yet and it doesn't get used alot. We don't have the proline connector yet, It would have to make a dramatic difference for me to consider it.