GregH

That paint serves a purpose - we call it "elastometric paint" and it's chemically similar to the stuff black box transmissions are coated in...

Well, got back on it today... A little bit of antisieze under the bolt head made all the difference... I've got a new friend with this socket - IM202 from snapon.. I'd sure hate to get hit by someone with this in their fist.... Oh, and when I looked at the underside of the bolt head, one half of the head was dry... Matched with a dry semicircle on the cylinder head. The bolt heads were oily when they went in - did the clamping force squeeze every trace of oil from half of the circle?

Thanks... Snap-on should have me a 3/4 drive socket this morning, and I'll try putting antiseize on the bolts this time around... I appreciate the suggestions...

The holes are nice and clear - threads are clean...

Ok, so I'm trying to put together this 6.4 short block job, and I'm really running into trouble with the head torque procedure... I can't seem to keep the bolts from chattering while torquing. During the first round of 90 degrees, half of the bolts started to chatter. Unfortunately, this tended to blow out the end of the socket I was using. So, after breaking or spreading just about everyone's 16mm and 5/8ths sockets, I stopped and tried it again with another new set of bolts and another gasket. Same result. I've got all of the bolts past the first round of 90 degrees, and a few through the second round... The heads of the bolts are starting to show wear from the chattering. Snap-on will have me a 5/8ths 3/4" drive socket tomorrow... I was considering using anti-seize on the threads and under the bolt head instead of engine oil.. What I don't understand is that this is the second short block I've done... The first one went through this procedure with no problems, and just one or two bolts chattering... Anyone have any ideas?

The evidence certainly supports the hypothesis that the customer helped his failure... Ballsy... After years of watching as Ford tightens the screws on us, and then capitulates as soon as the customer throws a fit, I've adpoted a rather pessimistic attitude towards our manufacturer... I usually assume that the customer is somewhat truthful in what he says. The numbers are there in the computer, and in the testing that you have yet to perform. If you are on a prior approval program for long blocks, then the decision is out of your hands, thank goodness. Be like Joe Friday when you present your findings to Ford - just the facts. No conjecture, no theories, no speculation. That section at the end of the prior approval form, where they ask for any additional information that you feel is important, is NEVER filled out on my forms. Inform the customer that you will have to have an engineer review the findings before warranty repairs will commence. Assure them that you are doing everything possible to get their repair approved, but the final decision rests with them... Remind them that you are on their side. This way Ford gets to be the heavy. Sure it also gives them a puppet master aire.... But if they say no, then the customer can take it up with Ford directly... Now, it will be necessary to identify the root cause of the failure... Radiators are only covered for 3/36.... What is the failed part? The customer may have fucked himself....

I replaced a cracked rear cover in an f-series a while ago and found that there were two wear sleeves on the crank. The inner one was mangled where it clashed with the gears. OASIS showed the last rear seal was installed six months before it arrived in my stall... Wonder what it sounded like when it started with a wear sleeve stuck in the gears?

Don't feel bad, stud... I spun two yesterday. B and C on the left side, and I spun them when I was putting the truck back together! WTF?!

Anyone click on the hyperlink in the article pointing to the published patent application? The application is for a starter motor control circuit...

Rotunda has also got the same multiplier for about $5 more... This is the one I use, and it gets passed around the shop a bit. I like it. The last time it was used was when another technician was installing fuel pumps in a freestyle - the locking ring went off and on like butter...

So... If you're using a glycerin based coolant, and you have an oil cooler failure, what do you use to clean up the mess?

Nice truck! Did you guys notice something in this image, though? I took the liberty of enhancing the image a bit, and picked out this detail... I think the test driver likes it....

I liked the one about Nissan's new independent suspension...

My sister bought one with my d-plan discount about a year ago. She opted for the v-6 and all the bling inside. She is tickled with her's. No real problems to report yet, and she's cleared 30,000 miles. One fluke - during a road trip she stopped to change drivers. When she placed the vehicle in park, opened the door and got out, she noticed the engine revving up. She looked back at the cluster and saw that the engine RPM was climbing to 3500. She cut the engine off, waited a moment, and restarted. The problem didn't come back. A dealer visit a few days later revealed no problems. That was a month ago, and the problem hasn't happened again...

I would say it is about damn time! I've busted these things apart before, and it's really not much to it. The main DC-DC convertors are on a separate module within the box, and it simply plugs into the main board. Personally, I would like to see more servicable modules. I had to put a PCM in a taurus the other day for an igntition primary circuit B open. $530 for the part! The owner nearly crapped himself! And for what, a faulty transistor? You know, I could have desoldered that switch and soldered in another one....

I drove the bit out of an old t-30 socket from Matco, trimmed it down and knurled it, then drove it into the box end of an old 8mm wrench.

Yep, seen this a few times... I wonder what the melting point of that glue is.... And what the EOT/ECT deviation is....

I've had a few 6.4's in that have had piggy back modules inline between the PCM and the engine... Usually installed on the air filter housing. One was a small module with a few wires (<6) that tied into the right side UVC harness. Maybe there to fool the FRP sensor reading? Another one caused a few problems... It was tied into the PCM harness and used many more wires - somewhere around 25. This truck was in for recalls and one 08B06. I got to the TCM reprogramming stage, and the IDS would not allow me to proceed. CCSD was reporting that the TCM was still powered up. I went through the suggested remedies, contacted the hotline and followed their additional procedures, and was then advised to replace the TCM with a preprogrammed unit. Never once did the hotline engineer ask if there were any aftermarket modifications... Unfortunately for the customer, when he installed his piggy back module, he allowed the PCM connector to drop down beside the motor. The heat was a bit too much for the connectors and welded them together... Too bad, because if I had been able to restore the wiring to stock, I'd bet I would have been able to program the TCM....

I was talking to my warranty guy the other day, shooting the shit (more like making small talk after getting hosed on a warranty repair) and he mentioned that all the FSE's had been recalled to Detroit. He went on to say that they were asked to bring their company cars and any special tools that they had been issued.... On a more local note, our service manager and general manager have been let go in the last week. And the F&I girl also decided to leave.. Looking like a ghost town around here with dark offices. Add that to the fact that the owners elected to cancel last years Christmas bonus and party, and they amended the handbook to remove the 3rd week of vacation after 10 years of service. Again, I'm glad that I'm on commission... Worse comes to worse, I know a local potato farmer who uses nothing but Fords.. I'm part Irish - I can work for potatoes if necessary!

We've got a new fleet of shuttle vans in town, doing public transit stuff. They are running 5 E-450 cutaways on 4 routes - one is a spare. They rack up about 130 miles a day. Since the beginning, the fleet manager has been complaining about having to add coolant to one of the vans. Ranges from a pint to a quart every 200 miles. This van has just over 7000 miles on it now. 2000 miles ago, I went over the truck with a fine tooth comb. No coolant leaks present, system holds pressure. No coolant residue around the cap. System does not build excessive pressure under load. At the time, I took a WAG and threw an EGR cooler at it. A few hundred miles later the fleet manager calls me back and tells me the concern is still present. I finally got him to allow me to drive the van that far to replicate the concern. I've been driving it home the past couple of nights (60 miles one way) and so far I haven't gotten it to lose coolant yet. Anyone have some insight into this problem? I've worked the F-series 6.0's forever, but I've got precious little experience with this motor in an E-series.

That fat, red-suited, chinstrap bastard... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/drinkingdude.gif

I really appreciate my flourescent underhood light. That with a rechargeable droplight makes all the shadows dissappear from an engine compartment. Position the lamp as high on the hood as you can, so the light will shine up under the cowl as far as possible. Mine also works great up under a vehicle, spanning the rack arms. And that recall where we put the bracket on the frame in front of the fuel tank - put the light across the left rack arms, and the center punch marks show up great.... If I didn't have one already, I would certainly ask Santa for one...

Also, there is a temptation to push your socket onto the bolt head with some force... Try to resist this if you can - pushing the cage nut upwards will start to spread the cage, and make the nut slip that much easier.. There was a suggestion I read somewhere that you might try. Set the truck back down on the ground, and position the lift on the body. Raise the lift until it contacts the body, then go a half inch or so more. This will load the body bolts, and help keep the nuts pulled down into their cages while you take the bolts out..

I'll double check the build date.... Thanks for everyone's suggestions...