G. Bedford

I have a short level about 5" long that I use. I put the HPOP in the vice while holding the level against the lower mounting pads that go against the block when bolted up. I simply match the fitting angle to match the HPOP base angle.

Shortened rod due to past cooler leakage causing a hydrolock condition? The compression test may be worth the time. I have had 3.8's(coolant) and 5.4 3V(fuel) with short rods that were not noisey yet, but caused a shake.

The TSB doesn't include the '07 MY. You may order and install the parts and not mention the TSB(clear it with management). I have had claims scrutinized or kicked back because the Ford computer caught the discrepancy.

I do them when I am not following a TSB procedure. I will say, as a flatrater, I find them terribly redundant and a waste of time when the same thing is already on the RO.

I would needle her into buying a proper engine stand. I mean, really, how professional can you look to the customer when they come in and see this complex engine sitting on a pallet? Go for it.

Next time place a stethescope on the body of the EGR cooler while you have it sucked down. You can actually hear the coolant being pulled through the hole by the suction. Kinda like the sound of sucking through a straw, but can be slight. Try it on one you know is bad to get the feel of it.

It's called "Greyhound Therapy". Do the cheapest part to get the claim paid so you can push the more expensive, correct repair claim onto the next dealers 126. If it ain't an IAT, it is a fan clutch, defective pressure cap or thermostat. But, it sure can't be head gaskets. We see far too much of this game.

I had an '05 F350 today for a severe lack of power complaint. Turns out the turbo vane movement test confirmed stuck vanes. I rip the turbo off and tear it down to find the unison ring rusted solid to the CHRA. So I go and get a CHRA and ring from parts and get everything buffed clean and ready to re-assemble. I go to place the CHRA into the turbine housing and it won't drop together. I try a few more times and then it dawns on me I have it clocked right, the turbine is too large for this housing. I troop back to parts grumbling and they look it up again. It's correct for the application, I'm told. Now, what the hell, is it miss boxed? Looking through the full history I see it had a turbo assembly replaced 50k ago. The part number they put in is incorrect. Great,now I have everything cleaned up and I need a complete. I also have to do a prior approval. I send off my prior approval explaining the situation and my need for an approval code for a complete. The reply is to install a CHRA and unison ring. Excuse me? Putting the incorrect turbo back in has got to be construed as tampering or modifying the emissions, right? So I send an update wanting to have them reply on the legalities so I can print something off to cover my ass. My reply the second time is an authorization for a complete turbo. Funny how that works. Flat rate just ain't covering the amount of time wasted in doing a proper repair nowadays. It was a long day, fellas. So, who is betting the ticket will get reviewed?

My procedure has been the same from the beginning, no reason to change success.

The model I have came with standard 1 gig RAM and a 160 gig hard drive. Actually, the screen is better than the toughbooks we have and you can't beat the difference in price. I purchased the extended warranty for an extra $60 so I have a 3 year coverage. So, for around $300 I'm happy with its performance.

I use an Acer Aspire One mini laptop. They come preloaded with XP Home. It has a 10 inch screen and a keyboard big enough for you folks that type with more than two fingers. Picked it up for $250 at Wal-Mart. I love the size and light weight.

A tech I work with was on the TRP. They saw the jig that each returned EGR cooler is clamped onto and pressure checked. It had better leak or it WILL be charged back. It was pretty much an assembly line as each was tested and tossed in a bin. Also, mark each returned EGR cooler with the RO# and prior approval # with a marker and 700 tag it. Since so many coolers are getting tested, it is possible to have them charge you back for someone elses cooler. Cover yourself to keep your losses at a minimum.

The new procedure is in the WSM 303-08. The SLTS has a labor time, too.

Went right to it with the link you provided. Gonna show it to my WA and SM. Thanks for putting in the extra effort for me, Aaron.

Can you guys give me a little direction to that in the W&P manual, by section and page? I looked on the 2009 Ford on-line manual and couldn't come up with it. I'm hoping it isn't a Canada only version you guys see. Thanks.

The topic on engine hours came up on the warranty admin. area of the Ford message boards awhile back. The consensus was the hours are for maintenance scheduling only. It does not change the fact the warranty coverage is 100,000 miles by the odometer. I wish Ford would come out and positively state this, because it causes confusion.

We have a number of cleaned oil cooler housings from customer pay jobs that I would just grab one of those and pitch the bad one during the swap. It would be less hassle. Stock up your supply now.

I would bet an update to TSB 07-23-14 (oil in coolant) will be forthcoming to only replace the heat exchanger in that instance, too. I did have an old oil cooler laying under my bench that came from a customer repair. I tore it apart and tossed the plugged heat exchanger away. After a long hot soak in the parts washer the cover looks brand new. Now when I get this repair I can put the new heat exchanger on this clean cover and keep moving on the job at hand. The oil cooler off that rig can be torn down and cleaned later at my leisure.

I noticed they shaved a tenth from the labor time.

http://www.snopes.com/rumors/freezing.asp

I still have some old boys that like to throw a little auto trans. fluid in the fuel, too. Does it help? Don't know. But, have never been able to connect any failures to the action.

Out here in fly over country, I haven't seen a FSE in years. I don't think we will feel the reduction. Heck, our nearest training center is Denver, and that is 400 miles one way. We just deal with the every day problems on our own.

The adapters showed up today that we ordered from the link I provided. The round bar stock on our older OTC stand is just a bit larger on the OD than the adapters ID. So no, it was not a direct fit. We sent the adapters to the local machine shop for a little ream job, but they aren't back yet. I see on the Rotunda catalog they have the same adapters under the part number 209-00154($312), but the engine stand is now supplied by Norco,too. I will have more info for you in a day or two on how it all comes out.

Part of the problem is since Ford raised the renewal fee from $350 to $485 yearly, people are trying to lower the initial VCM cost to help pay for the increase. I am just glad our dealer stepped up and purchased more IDS units to keep the shop productive.

We have the OTC stand and recently ordered the Norco adapters to make it more user friendly than the universal attatchment arms. http://www.mile-x.com/norco78201-ford-engine-adapter.aspx