first experience with a 6.4

Fredsvt · November 14, 2007

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.