Keith Browning

I have decided to have my feet, my spine and my shoulders removed. I should feel fine after that... or do I need to go for the lobotomy as well?

Sometimes that is the best resolution overall.

I've had a couple myself... just roaring away for no reason.

This showed up on my Facebook feed - thought it was interesting. https://chicdelta.com/products/waterproof-solder-wire-connectors

One of the guys in my shop uses a heavy slide hammer with an adapter

Just caught this on RTTP - Much more cost effective than the other options out there. Anyone have this set? https://www.rotundatechtools.com/rotunda/Tools/Brand-Categories/Lisle/LIS68500/p/LIS68500

Makes you wonder why they bother putting thread lock on these fasteners... cab bolts, subframe bolts alike. They should be dipped in anti-seize compound!

Gheeze Fred! I feel like a pussy after reading that! And you still turn wrenches...

No doubt this is a rough business in many many ways but what about you? How has this business and career choice affected you personally? Do you have any job related injuries with lasting affects? Do you have pain? Treatments, surgeries or just plain ol wear and tear? Anxiety and mental issues are also problematic for a lot of people too. I have had bouts of anxiety myself that have had an effect on my performance at work... some of it caused by work! So I am just curious and this is something we have never really brought up. I turned 50 last year and I have been a tech for 31 years and counting. I had early bouts of back pain in my 20's from over exertion and lifting the wrong things the wrong way. I have learned to NOT do those things. Injuries for me are extremely rare but I am now starting to feel the wear and tear of 30+ years of pulling wenches, jumping up and off of trucks, moving heavy parts, using air tools and so on. I stiffen up on the ride home from work. I have a trigger finger caused by smacking a wrench with my palm. My feet hurt. After 12 hour days my ass is grinding the floor. I am beginning to wonder how much time I have before I develop serious limitations or problems and retirement is nowhere in sight. I can't be alone. Please share your stories, experience and thoughts -

I am replacing a short block on a 2016 F550, I already set the upper pan on the block and torqued it and put on the lower pan as well. The upper pan is "located" with two dowels that are in the block near the rear of the engine so there really is no room to adjust. I noticed today that the rear surfaces are not flush - the oil pan rear surface is maybe 1mm shorter than the block. So if I mate this engine to the transmission I am thinking this may cause problems. This is a new short block that is multi-year/model comparable and because of the amount of metal in the crankcase I decided to put on a new upper pan assembly so yes, both parts are new. Thoughts and experiences?

I will admit that Transits are no E-series but in all due respect the E-series is no transit either.. Transits ride better and handle better. They come in an impressive number of configurations to suit pretty much any vocation. The mid level and high level roofs are a HUGE advance because being able to stand in a van like that is a big deal not to mention the increased cargo space. I still think they are fucking ugly... and the more I get to do on them I am like the rest of the Ford tech community am finding some major PIA operations and quirks.

If you are not aware the driveshaft coupler has been a major recall. If you repaired that truck advice the customer to return to a Ford dealer for a refund and to have the recall performed.

May EVERYONE in your town buy one.

I know that on my Parts And Service home page the link is on the right in the "Warranty Related Links"

Wow that is hot! BTW for me to look anything up in Cummins I need an engine serial number. ESN

Not too long ago Ford updated their Body Boulder Advisory Service website and they even changed the URL of the site and all of the links subsequently changed as well. All of that information is no longer on the Ford Fleet site. The new website is https://fordbbas.com works on mobile now too!

Scott Pruitt Grants 'Super-Polluting' Trucks a Loophole on His Final Day as EPA Head Scott Pruitt's departure as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency last Friday did not come without added controversy. He ended his tenure just after granting a huge loophole for trucks that are among the worst polluters on our roads. The loophole allows truck companies to continue building new "glider" trucks, which use a remanufactured engine and transmission. Such trucks often use salvaged parts from older or damaged vehicles, which were not built to the same standards as the cleaner vehicles of today. This could lead to increased emissions of harmful pollutants in the air, which is why the decision was opposed by groups like the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund and UPS, the New York Times reported. "Pruitt and (new EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler) are creating a loophole for super polluting freight trucks that will fill our children’s lungs with toxic diesel pollution, ignoring public comments from moms and leading businesses across the country," Vickie Patton, the general counsel at the Environmental Defense Fund, told the Times. Because of the loophole, manufacturers will not be forced to limit their glider production to only 300 vehicles per year through at least the end of 2019. The limit was implemented in January. The EDF said in a release that these super-polluters can emit up to 40 times more pollutants than the average truck, and a failure to close the loophole would make it much more difficult for local governments – which had no influence on the loophole – to meet air quality goals. If left in place until 2025, the loophole could lead to more than 12,000 premature deaths because of added pollution, the EDF also said. About 4 percent of all 2015 heavy-duty truck sales were gliders, the Times reported, and Pruitt's final act could yield a major uptick in production again. EPA officials defended their decision by citing a Tennessee Tech study that concluded glider trucks produce the same amount of pollution as trucks with newer technology. But the school later said the study was inaccurate. An investigation is ongoing. Tommy Fitzgerald Sr., CEO at Fitzgerald Glider Kits in Tennessee – the company that funded the Tennessee Tech study – said Pruitt's decision will allow the company to return to full production on the gliders. "The new truck industry conspired with the Obama EPA to try to put us out of business," Fitzgerald wrote in an op-ed. "Our goose was cooked until President Trump and Pruitt came to town." Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, was expected to assume the role of EPA administrator on Monday.

Lion engine family The Lion engine family was developed and manufactured at Ford's Dagenham Diesel Center for further use in PSA (Peugeot Citroen) vehicles as "DT17" as part of joint venture which begun in 1999, in case of Jaguar as the "AJD-V6" and in case of Land Rover as the TDV6. The engines are sharing the same bore and stroke, displacing 2.7 L in the V6 and 3.6 L in the V8 model; the V6, which meetsEuro IV emissions standards, was launched in 2004 and the V8 in 2006. A 3.0 L V6 was launched in 2009 and it was based on the 2.7 L. Lion V6: To improve the engine’s low torque, mainly for off roading and towing applications, Land Rover installed a large capacity single turbocharger, rather than a twin turbo system; in addition the engine was fitted with a large engine driven cooling fan to support low speeds when off roading, high loads and hot conditions. Further more the Land Rover variant of the Lion V6 includes a deeper, high capacity sump with improved baffles to maintain oil pressure at extreme angles and multi layered seals to keep dust, mud or water at the bay and different transmission bell housing bolt patterns. The Lion V6 – constructed from compacted graphite iron – is a member of the Ford Duratorq family and is produced at Ford’s Dagenham engine plant; 35000 engines were produced between April - December of 2004. The 3.0 L V6, known as the Gen III, superseded the 2.7 L and uses parallel sequential turbochargers and an upgraded common rail injection system incorporating fuel injectors with piezo crystals fitted nearer to the tip to reduce engine noise and a metering mode to reduce oversupplying fuel, decreasing fuel consumption and unused fuel temperature. The parallel sequential turbocharger system utilizes the smaller of the two turbos when the engine is running at low revolutions; once the engine has reached 2800 rpm the larger turbocharger is engaged to pressurize the intake. Jaguar tested fitting the engine to its XK model but didn’t carry the project over to production. The 3.0 L variants used by Land Rover feature the 2.7 L’s off roading adaptations plus calibration of the engine’s electronics to allow the use of low quality fuels. 2.7D/TDV6/HDi: Engine configuration & engine displacement 60 degree V6 engine, single and twin turbo diesel, 2720 cm3 (166 cui), bore x stroke 81.0 mm × 88.0 mm (3.19 in × 3.46 in), compression ratio 17.3:1 Cylinder block & crankcase Compacted graphite iron cross bolted block Cylinder heads & valvetrain High strength aluminium, DOHC Aspiration Single turbocharger or twin turbochargers with air to air intercooler, electronically actuated variable geometry with transient over boost capability, port deactivation system Fuel system & engine management Siemens Common rail (CR) direct diesel injection, maximum injection pressure of ,650 bars (23900 psi), piezo injectors DIN-rated motive power & torque outputs 190 HP & 440 NM (320 lb-ft) – Land Rover Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport, Ford Territory 197 HP & 440 NM (320 lb-ft) – Peugeot 407, Peugeot 607 204 HP & 435 NM (321 lb-ft) – Citroen C5, Citroen C6, Jaguar S-Type, Jaguar XF, Jaguar XJ 3.0D/TDV6/SDV6/HDi: Engine configuration & engine displacement 60 degree V6 engine, twin turbo diesel, 2993 cm3 (183 cui), bore x stroke 84.0 mm × 90.0 mm (3.31 in × 3.54 in), compression ratio 16.4:1 Cylinder block & crankcase Compacted graphite iron cross bolted block Cylinder heads & valvetrain High strength aluminium, DOHC Aspiration Twin turbochargers with air to air intercooler, electronically actuated variable geometry with transient over boost capability, port deactivation system Fuel system & engine management Siemens Common rail (CR) direct diesel injection, maximum injection pressure of 2000 bars (29000 psi), piezo injectors DIN-rated motive power & torque outputs 237 HP & 450 NM (330 lb-ft) – Citroen C5, Citroen C6, Peugeot 407, Peugeot 407 Coupe 237 HP & 500 NM (370 lb-ft) – Jaguar XF, Land Rover Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport 251 HP & 600 NM (440 lb-ft) – Land Rover Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport 271 HP & 600 NM (440 lb-ft) – Jaguar XF, Jaguar XJ, Range Rover Lion V8: Built at Ford’s Dagenham engine plant in Essex, the 3.6 L V8 twin turbo diesel engine began production in April 2006. Much speculation in the United States has focused on this engine as a possible Diesel entrant in the F-150 pickup truck and Expedition SUV. It was announced that the new F150 engine will be based on this engine and enlarged to 4.4 L. The Cleveland Engine plant recently began small scale production of the exotic compacted graphite iron (CGI) used in the block's construction, leading many to expect production of the engine there. 3.6 TDV8: Engine configuration & engine displacement 90 degree V8 engine, twin turbo diesel, 3630 cc (222 cui), bore x stroke 81.0 mm × 88.0 mm (3.19 in × 3.46 in), compression ratio 17.3:1 Cylinder block & crankcase Compacted graphite iron cross bolted block Cylinder heads & valvetrain High strength aluminium, DOHC Aspiration Twin turbochargers with air to air intercooler, electronically actuated variable geometry with transient over boost capability, port deactivation system Fuel system & engine management Siemens Common rail (CR) direct diesel injection, maximum injection pressure of 1650 bars (23900 psi), piezo injectors DIN-rated motive power & torque outputs 270 HP & 640 NM (470 lb-ft) – Range Rover, Range Rover Sport

Yes removing the intake requires unbolting the EGR valve and the mixer tube and then sliding it all apart AS you twist and yank the manifold out of the tight space it is in. The biggest problem for me is just the physical aspect of leaning in and all the way back while removing fasteners you cant really see and turning the wrench. This is where dripping the forward subframe was helpful.

I never saw a line leak like this though I am sure it has happened many times.

Ever see this? The engine is knocking hard while cranking with contribution codes for 3,4 and 6. Towed in for no start. I did not expect to see this.

Some pipe... some hose and BAM!

Personally I found this experience highly over rated. When I got about half way through this I was just staring at the engine and all that space in the right side of the engine and thought "why couldn't Ford have simply mounted the EGR cooler right above the turbo and exhaust manifold like the Cummins ISB engine?" Why? It would have fit there sooooo nicely.

Flat-rate reading again... NOTE: The EGR cooler bypass valve solenoid vacuum hose crimp clamp will have to be removed and replaced with a conventional clamp.