GregH

Got it, Keith. Thanks for the instructions...

Ok, so I've been pulling cabs on everything for years - but I got my first 6.4L cab-off in today. I was really quite surprised by how much thought, and lack of thought, Ford put into this procedure. This unit got a high pressure fuel pump to fix a fuel leak into the crankcase. The entire repair was comparable to a 6.0L high pressure pump if you pulled the body to do it. Here's a few pictures of the job. I only spun one cage nut - left front near the radiator. You'll see in one of the pictures that I inserted an old wrench through the access hole in the body frame. Remove the headlight and it's right there. I hit the body bolts with a propane torch for 15 to 20 seconds each before wrenching them out by hand. Tedious, but it got the job done. After that, watch the y-pipe torque sequence. Replace all the fasteners and gaskets. And I just used an assistant to lift the turbo assembly, rather than roll the crane over to hold it. Here's a wrench jammed onto the cage nut at the left front. Careful, because you'll be tapping on the wrench with a hammer right next to a painted, visible part of the body...

The front cover issue, IIRC, was flashing that was blocking part of a water passage. The one I am thinking about had a lack of heat from the A/C at idle.. I'm sure there have been others that manifested differently.

Wow, that is raw talent, Jim. I'm standing in the shadow of greatness...

Ok. The trucks are fixed. They all have more power, and 95mph top speed. 0-60 times dropped from 10.1 seconds to 8.9 seconds. So what was the fix? Short answer - I donno. Long answer - I loaded "CJK" into the trucks again. Same thing I've been doing over and over per various engineer's requests. Here's what I think happened - Big stink at Ford about possible calibration errors. Someone a few cubicles down the row overhears it, thinks "gee, that's a calibration I've been working on." Double checks a few things on his computer, finds an error, corrects it, and places the updated file on the corporate server - replacing the existing CJK calibration. Our IDS reloads CJK from the corporate server when I request a copy to flash into this truck. All of the sudden, the truck is now fixed. No accountability, no paper trail, nothing to keep Ford from saying "technician error" or "just one of those things." So, I probably won't ever find out exactly what happened. You know, if I made a mistake, that's fine. I would appreciate knowing what mistake I made to cause this issue, so it won't happen again. If Ford made the mistake, then tell me so that the story will have an ending. As is, my write-up for this repair won't look very good - verify concern, contact hotline, reflash truck, repeat as required to complete repair, 10 hour MT request. Well, at least the customer is happy. Back to my 6.0L head gasket job on an ambulance.

You had one make it to it's first scheduled service interval? Congradulations!

The field service engineer is forwarding me a website that has the original calibration file available for download. His instructions were to reflash the truck with the original program until the fix is available in about a month. This raises a few questions, however. I'll be putting the original flash back into the truck - essentially undoing the safety recall that started this whole mess. Lovely. Second, about this "fix" that will be available - I am wondering if a recall will be issued to correct the programming installed in the first recall? The engineer indicated that every single truck flashed during this time period has the 85 mph limit. That's quite a few trucks to go back and flash again... I'm looking forward to perusing this website. Hopefully there will be other interesting things there... I'll keep you posted...

Just got off the phone with the field service engineer. He told me to blank path program the PCM with the latest and greatest (48.9P10) and let him know. No effect, of course. He agreed that it was a calibration error on Ford's part. He'll get back to me on Monday. By the way, 10 technicians have called in about this same concern as of this morning...

Ford agrees that there is a problem with my vehicles. In fact, since I called the other day, 4 other technicians called with the same concern from other parts of the country. So, the problem may be widespread. An engineer will be here in the next few days to look at it with me. I'll keep you guys posted. In reference to the speed limiters and Ford documentation, SSM #19633 states the speed limiters for 250/350 and 450/550... Of course this doesn't address any other vehicle lines...

I agree that 85 is too fast in a truck this size. I'm also surprised that it only took the customer 48 hours to realize that the speed limiter had been lowered. I feel safer going to and from work now... Anyway, yesterday evening the hotline had me identify the vehicle again, save the session, and then upload the session to them. I was then instructed to remove the IDS software from the laptop and reload it from scratch. I'll try to blank path program the truck again this morning with a fresh IDS program. We'll see how that goes. I would like to think that this was an IDS problem. But with the checksums that are in place - safeguards to prevent incorrect calibrations - I highly doubt that the IDS happened to choose an incorrect calibration, name it correctly, load it into the truck, and the truck took it. I think that the problem is on Ford's end. I think someone messed up making these calibrations and got the 450-550 cal reversed with the 250-350 cal. Either that, or the 250-550 cal is the same actual program - accidentally copying over the 250-350 cal. Anyway, if anyone is interested in a little research, check your flashed 250-350 trucks and see if the PCM filename ends with "CJK." You'll find it in the session log, middle button on the bottom of the vehicle ID screen. You'll have to scroll up a little to find it. If you wish to go a step furthur, and can do it reasonably safely, see if your flashed 250-350's will exceed 85 mph. I'd hate to think this was a widespead problem. I hope it is localized to our dealership, or at least just the Memphis area. By the way, thanks for the input, guys.

Just got back from a test drive. 2 of our stock units - the two I programmed - go 85. The other one with the factory program goes 95... uhh ohhh...

I've got a customer's F-250 here that only goes 85 after the 07S49 program. I've verified that it has the correct calibration loaded in it (tear tag JFZ9) and the right PCM filename. Customer states that it cut off at 100 before the new calibration was installed. Hotline hasn't got much info yet. I'm about to go drive the other 3 stock units we have. But I updated them 2 weeks ago. If they go 85 also, then I may still have a problem - with 4 trucks instead of 1. If they go 100, then I only have 1 broken truck. Anyone else been here?

So I've got my first 6.4L in for service with an apparent high pressure fuel problem, and I get this phone call from someone at Navistar. He and I talk a bit about the problem with my customer's truck, and he gives me quite a bit of insight and some new testing procedures. We then go on to talk about the cab removal procedure. First, he broaches the subject cautiously - saying "you know, to access some of this stuff on the engine, the cab will be in the way. Ford has made it relatively easy to just remove the whole cab." I tell him that it's cool - I've been jerking bodies on everything from 150/expedition/navigtor up to 550's for years. He then starts to tell me that the cab bolts come off from the bottom - cool, but no new information there. New body style f-150's are already like that. He then tells me that the sealer on the bolt threads is so strong, that they have had many of the welded-in nuts break loose in the body before the bolt breaks free from the nut. What?? You mean to say that if I put an impact onto a body bolt and hit the trigger, then there is a strong possibility that the nut will spin in the body?? Yep, that's the case... He said that it has happened to him during time studies, etc. and that the word has been passed along to the people who make these decisions, but changes along the assembly line are slow to come. You see, the threadlock on the bolts is heat activated. During assembly, they are spun in with power tools at high speed, and the friction from the bolt/nut interface heats the sealer and activates it. Then the bolt stops, and everything is allowed to cool - which sets the sealer and locks the threads. But the thread locker is apparently too strong, or the nuts are fastened to the body too weakly. So, Ford finally catches on that we pull bodies. They do their part to make it faster, ie harder to beat warranty time. And they !@#!?$! it all up in the process. Good job, jerks... The guy from navistar recommended using penetrating spray on it and hand tools only... I seriously doubt spray will help the situation, but you know I've got to try... As for using hand tools, good thing I've done a lot of the 6.0L cylinder head torque sequences. It's a great upper body workout - cut my time at the gym in half! Anyway, has anyone pulled a body on one of these yet? If so, how did it go? Is the Navistar guy exaggerating? Yours in wonderland...

I've got an '08 F-250 that started bucking and jerking on the customer at 2700 miles. Babied it home, then brought it to us the next morning. P0087 in memory, and cannot get the symptom to replicate. Freeze frame showed 2200 psi fuel pressure at 60% load at highway speed. I would have expected much higher fuel pressure. Oil is overfull by 2 quarts or so and smells of fuel. Pulled the valve covers and ran the high pressure test. No fuel leakage observed, and commanded fuel pressure matched measured by 100 psi or so. Hotline has told me to watch the low pressure fuel system and look for an increase while rerunning the high pressure test. If it increases, then I have an injector failing. If it doesn't, they are recommending a high pressure pump. What do you guys think?

This may have been discussed before, but I wanted to relate you about the vehicle I just finished up. Coolant loss from the orange EGR cooler hose on an 04 F-250. I tried a new method today that I've been kicking around in my head for a while. Remove hot side CAC tube, disengage EGR cooler hose from oil cooler outlet, push hose back onto EGR cooler to allow room, remove 2 T-30 bolts on outlet cover, remove cover and outlet. Slide EGR cooler hose off. Reassemble in reverse order. Lost 1/2 gallon of coolant, took about 1 hour to do, and the hardest part was sliding the hose back onto the outlet. Part numbers involved: 3C3Z-9N693-EA, 3C3Z-9N693-FA, 4C4Z-8592-AA. Sorry if it's ben discussed here before... I'm stoked about it...

You know, my father once told me (many, many years ago) that the worst pain I will ever feel is stepping on a lego with bare feet in the middle of the night. This Christmas, my daughter got her first set of legos. Last night, I stepped on one for the first time. Circle of life, man...

So the service manager comes to me and say that our dealer has been "selected" for self audit. He tells me that we're high in transmissions, axles and 6.0L drivability. I go to his office and ask to see the paperwork. He's a very good manager, and he printed out all the warranty trend reports for the past 6 months. I reviewed them last night, and I see a few things that look out of line with our group. Transmissions and axles took a surge starting about 5 months ago, and have been increasing ever since. 6.0L drive took a surge in labor cost/vehicle starting about the same time I arrived at the dealer. Went from +1.3 to about +3.0. I'm the only 6.0L tech here, so I'm the one responsible for the surge. The surge is understandable because the previous 6.0L tech here (who now does nothing but transmissions) told me that he was consistantly underpaid for his warranty 6.0 repairs. Well, I studied SLTS, and talked to our warranty guy (we outsource our warranty claims process) and made sure that I was going to be paid fairly for my warranty claims. So far, I've been paid a fair amount for working on these beasts. I also got a list of claims that Ford recommended we review. I went through them, and they seem quite reasonable. One was a claim for an EGR valve cleaning. Another was a no start concern (STC fitting). After repairing the fitting, it ran rough, so I diagnosed and installed a couple of injectors too. What is funny is that the claims they listed were all fully legit. The claims that are a little dubious, they didn't include. I'm wondering if the claims list is a full list of questionable repairs (in Ford's opinion), or are they holding something back for an auditor if one is called in? I know what needs to be done to reduce the numbers. I am capable of doing it, and management and I are in the process of crafting an "action plan" to submit to Ford. Our numbers will come down and we'll be off of review, of course. I don't care for the fact that I'll have to be underpaid for a while to do it, however. I don't agree with Ford's number system at all. But that's not important. Ford believes in the numbers, and they call the shots. We've got no choice but to comply. Anyone else have some input to their audit experience?

Here are some pictures:

I've got an '02 7.3 that came in knocking, puffing out the intake, and misfiring. Foound a #5 exhaust rocker arm support fractured, and the intake rocker had a crack in it. Counted the knocks while idling (320 per minute at 650 rpm idle) and decided to pull the rocker arms off #5. Counted knocks again, and found a quieter knock at 650 rpm. Pulled the motor, found imprints of the valves on top of the #5 piston, broken #3 cooling jet, and the head of the inboard #5 rod cap bolt was snapped off. This short block was replaced here (by a very talented tech) 2 years/80,000 miles ago. Vehicle has 144,000 miles now. Any idea what would cause this? A programmer is installed in the truck, but it's a pretty mild one. Vehicle is a work truck, and it shows. No excessive weight to carry or pull, but I had to chisel through 3 inches of red clay mud to find the chassis... I'll upload some pictures...

I had one a while back doing much the same thing. Mine had no codes in it, however. But after driving it to and from work (60 miles one way) for about a week with the WDS, I finally got it to act up. Found that the ICP reading would start to jump around at constant throttle/55mph. Not much, but enough to make the engine output change. Ended up pulling out the IPR to inspect, and found metal on the screen. New pump and IPR, another few nights of test drives, and it was fixed for good... May not be the same problem, but I hope it helps...

If you do find that the orange hose is leaking, I have a method for changing it that is really quick... Take off the turbo and pedestal, slide the orange hose off the oil cooler, then CAREFULLY bend the steel pipe on the EGR cooler towards the driver's side of the vehicle and up a little. You can then slide the old one off and the new one on. Bend it back, reassemble, and you're done. Make sure to bend the EGR cooler the minimum amount to clear the oil cooler - if you bend it too far it can make the EGR cooler fail later on...

Here's one on me.... I replaced an engine in a crown vic one day, and prior to installing the engine, I loosened the two nuts on the transmission mount. Then, shifting it back, I had enough room to set the engine off into the frame. Unhook the chain, raise the vehicle in the air, and wiggle the transmission back up to the motor. I finished up the repair, test drove, and released it back to the customer. That night, I dreamed that I left the two nuts loose on the trans mount. The next morning, I asked the service advisor to call the customer and have her return with the vehicle so we could "retorque" a few things that would have settled during her initial drive. When she arrived, and I raised the vehicle in the air, there were the two nuts - just barely hanging on.... oops...

I think the thread started with how to remove the fan shroud. Silly me, I posted how I accomplish the task. In the post, I referenced using an air chisel to remove stubborn fan clutches. This touched off a flurry of negative posts, from technicians, service managers, shop foremen, and consumers. Many berated me for not using the proper tools; several stated that if this procedure were performed on their truck, they would demand a new clutch and water pump. One in particular stated that he would "kill" the technician who soiled his truck in that manner. Even after explaining that I was talking about a precise, and merely adequate, application of force, the posts continued. In the end, I found it necessary to take a hiatus from TDS until the storm passed. I remember years ago I replaced a halfshaft on my sister's taurus. She was appalled that I used a hammer to shock the outer tie rod end into releasing. After that, I realized that sometimes it's not wise to let the owner see the tools and techniques used to repair their vehicle. Evidently, I'd forgotten that I had learned that lesson. I've been called alot of things over the years - some positive, most negative. "Air chisel tech" has been the most hurtful, however. It is obvious from the flow of postings that the great majority of those people have never had the pleasure of removing a corroded, overtightened fan clutch - or anything else that was remotely difficult to remove/access/etc. I agree that there are a lot of problems with the flat rate system. Unfortunately, in my area all the shops have the same system. I'm bound by my need to feed my family week to week, knowing that I'm at the mercy and whim of the general public. There have been more than a few panic situations at the end of a pay cycle when my calculated pay will not meet the bills that are due. Speed, efficiency, and accuracy are paramount to my goal of supporting my family. If a fan clutch gets scarred in a cosmetic way, so be it - as long as functionality or longevity are not impaired. I would love to be in another profession - or at the least on another pay system - but I am also bound by the choices I made in the past that have lead me to this position in life. If I could go back, I would corect all the poor choices I've made. I would not be an automotive technician; I would not have the record I currently am shackled with; I would not live in my current location. I've got no one to blame but myself. My father worked at Lockheed Martin designing the external tank for the Space Shuttle. My mother worked on the Gemini and Apollo missions. My sister also works for NASA tasking imaging satellites. My brother flies all over the country installing and maintaining computer networks in hospitals. I was well on my way to aquiring a degree in industrial technology and was in pursuit of a career at NASA to work on the budding Mars exploration projects. I tossed it all away over one event almost two decades ago. Now I'm a grease monkey. Simply because the only place that would hire me when I really, really needed a job - any job - was Wal-Mart. And they were going to place me in the sporting goods department. Evidently they didn't read my application too well, becuase in this state I cannot be within 50 feet of a firearm. So they placed me in the automotive department changing oil. And so began my career in the automotive service world. It took some time before I could move to the dealership level. Even so, I had to lie on my application to get the job. One month later the bonding company (who was much more thorough with their background checks) advised my dealer of my past. A very tense meeting with upper management ensued, and upon reviewing my performance during my month of employment, they graciously allowed me to keep my job. That was several dealers ago, and my current dealer had the clause "...in the last seven years" on their application. Unfortuantely there is no statute of limitations on that sort of thing, so my goal of working at NASA is no longer possible. So, I remain, the black sheep of the family. Working in the only job that will have me. I make good money, and I am good at my job. I recieve the appropriate kudos from management, I have a following of customers who regularly request me, and my coworkers and I have a mutual admiration. I have a good work environment. But my dreams of so long ago will stay unrequited. I know what you are thinking. "so what, jackass, I've got things I'd rather be doing right now too. You aren't the only one who isn't happy with your lot in life." or "look, asshole, I like this line of work. It's challenging and entertaining, and I make good money. If you don't like it, shut the hell up and leave." Call me a whiner. Call me a complainer. Tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself. I've told myself these things over and over again. There is a ball of clay deep inside me. It is black, rancid, and will stain your fingers if you touch it. Layer upon layer has been laid on it, squeezing it down and keeping it contained. It's in a dark place, keeping my secrets safe. It's a part of me; I'd be lost without it. But I hate it more than anything I've ever disliked before. My father died in 2004. My mother died in 2006. In their eyes, I was a failure. I know that the only way to redeem myself in their's and my eyes is to provide the best life possible for my family. To do this, I must be the best technician I can. Morals are easy to sacrifice in the flat rate system; mine have been sacrificed enough, however. I see no problem with using what some would consider an extreme measure to remove a stubborn part - provided that no component's integrity is damaged. It is the pursuit of a better life for my family that drives me to take the air chisel (or hammer, or impact tool) out of my box....

I have noticed recently that the "other" site has been completely overwhelmed by, well, idiots. They pose a question, it's answered by competent technicians, and it is ridiculed by others. Generally is results in a degeneration of the topic, abandoned by anyone with technical experience, and ends up locked or buried so far back that no one reads it - preferring to muck up the latest thread on the front page. I wonder sometimes why I still bother to go over there and give of my experience. I still do, however; guess it's some masochistic tendancy that's been latent all these years... Sometimes I just want to post "Mediocraties, wannabes, shadetrees, and everyone who thinks they don't fit these categories: Your answer posting priveleges have been revoked. You may continue to post questions, but be aware that heavy editing may take place." I know - very unfair. Freedom of speech and all... Guess I'm still a little peeved about the whole air chisel to the fan clutch ordeal. Anyway, just venting about the latest round of idiots... The whole TSB thing and all...

I made a move very similar to yours - and never looked back! Enjoy!