Keith Browning

Ahhh, you guys suck. I was just messing with you with my ambiguity. I just had a bad day... Notice how Jim didn't bite?

But, Alex... This is something your service manager and your warranty administrator SHOULD be knowledgeable of.

No, competency does not come into play here because the vehicle is out of warranty and there is no warranty claim. An after warranty adjustment is simply Ford helping the customer by paying a percentage of the repair with the customer participating. The kicker here is that Ford requires warranty labor times to be used, the dealer's warranty labor rate and parts prices.

As for your/our technician mumbers being used for other techs it is up to us to blow the whistle

You fellas need to submit some pics for the members rides...

That's a lot of Molson!

No need for email my big angry hillbilly buddy! See the file attachemnt! ALSO - Look in the main website menu under "Inside DTS - Technical Resources" for a write-up Brad did on this topic.

I can think of reasons for and against. If Ford opened up it's classrooms to the public they could generate revenue, perhaps enough to keep the training centers open. But, this would require the pre-requisite web training. I think the combination would be cost prohibitive for many people. Companies and fleets could afford it. But, Ford does have a responsibility to it's dealers to maintain some sort of proprietary access. After all, the dealerships are SUPPOSED to be the experts offering factory trained technicians and OEM parts. If it gets to the point where most of the technician body has to board an airplane to take a class I fear that training will become unattractive. Competency or not.

If you are still actively attending Ford training classes here in the US some of you might have noticed that a lot of training centers have been closed. They are still falling. Here in NJ we recently lost our Somerset location and I just learned that the Mount Laural location near Philadelphia is next. In talking to the instructor I learneded that more may fall. This is not just for economic reasons either. Falling enrollment is the primary reason for this. The number of technicians on class waiting lists have drastically fallen to nearly half of what there used to be. When the Yonkers and Boston centers barely have enough classes filled to keep one of thierer classrooms going it says something. So what is it? Are we all trained? Are there fewer technicians? Are dealers not sending technicians to school unless they need someone to be certified? It just seems odd that with technician competency requirements that there aren't more classes being filled. Another observation I have made is that the attendees at the last several classes are mostly older guys, not young up and coming technicians.

The purpose of these things escapes me completely other than it is a demonstration of needless technology that delights the simple-minded and boosts the egos of the pompous. The "FOB" still requires a person to maintain possession of it so there is no convenience gained. The "FOB" does not require being attached to the vehicle in the manner a "KEY" does thereby allowing it to be removed from the proximity of the vehicle while still being operated whether by accident or lack of intelligence of the possessor... now that is convenient, isn't it? Lastly, the "FOB" adds no security advantage as fobs and keys alike contain encrypted codes for anti-theft purposes. Again, no advantage. Perhaps, maybe, after the World Government has been established and everyone in the planet is injected wittheirer digital I.D. we can use those to start cars and access doors where permitted to. I disagree. There is a better idiot already inside each and every one of us trying to get out. Technology like this makes that possible.

It isn't ad and if I removed the secondary radiator and the AC condenser it would have been another .5 at least and made a bigger mess. The less I have to remove, the better. The less I have to clean up, the better.

I recall the software required an registration/activation code or at least toward the end it did.

I took out as little as possble leaving the secondary radiator, and condenser in the truck. It DOES come out that way without bending anything.

No Brad, this pile of garbage engine actually had new harnesses under the VC's. it ended up being a shorted injector. I just swapped the magnet and all was well. The stupid thing passed all circuit tests including a load test. Had my test IDM on it and no change. I wonder what will be next or has this van seen the last of me? I bet the trans doesn't make it much further. When I had it apart to remove the new engine the trans fluid was black... but we are only doing sublet warranty repairs for another garage that buys parts from us so I guess when the trans job get's botched guess who gets to fix it?

Oh boy! It's baaaaack... with the check engine light on and running rough. Cylinder #2 high to low open and cylinder #2 high to low short.

I know.

Six days! Isn't that great!!!

Proof that idiocy is still alive on the FMC boards. That sleeve could not make it past the plastic 3-way tee mere inches below the degas bottle let alone the curve in the hose itself. Since yours is now out of the truck, pull that sucker out and compare it to the tee on the hose it conncts to... you know, where it splits off to the heater and the front cover.

Who said that you REFUSE to work on them? I don't see that anywhere.

Eh, you get numb to working on diesel E-Series trucks after a while. But some guys like Mr. Chan might require a big hammer to the skull to become sufficiently numb! His hatred for them runs deep.

At the time of your post those labor times are accurate.

Yes Bruce, APCM is the Ford term for the controller... AIC (Auxillary Idle Control) is the generic term for such a device usually more associated with the vehicle hard wiring method though. I thought there used to be a hard wired connection that you could use different resistors to select different idle speeds? From what I can find for this 1999 truck it is only 1200 RPM.

From what I can find 1200 RPM is all that you get using the PTO wiring. I think that in order to have selectable RPM you need to install the FORD AIC controller.

And that doesn't include labor. This is a good example of why we don't rebuild things much anymore as it is usually more cost effective to install a remanufactured part. The problem is you lose confidence in the remanufacturer when you come across a situation such as this and I have had very few problems with Ford reman stuff over the years.