Keith Browning

Wow that takes me back to when I used to work on cars and minivans. I actually saw a lollipop stick to a headliner in a minivan. Some of these mom rides do get nasty.

(snickering to myself) Don't worry Chris, I have broken more stuff than I will EVER admit! Does that make me a Master Expert?

This probably does have the record or close to it. If not it surely will be. Mafia? Never heard of it!

I think the bigger question is going to be the vehicle changes we may see. We know the Ford Transit Connect (small European van)looks like it is a definite but will the current E-series be replaced with the larger Ford Transit van platform also from Europe? You are aware for the all but confirmed Ford built diesel engine that is coming to replace the 6.4L? I agree about the wait and see idea, it looks like we are just about to see some of the changes Ford has been working on starting with more globalization of their products. The diesel engines HAVE to play into the grand scheme. I recently read that Toyota has renewed their commitment to a clean diesel option for their Tundra heavy duty trucks. With GM and Chrysler on the precipice of disaster I think it would be wise for Ford to ramp up their diesel engine development... but yes, we will have to wait and see.

The only suggestion I have is to look through the labor time guide to make sure you don't miss anything. I am curious as to how long it took you though.

Perhaps someone only looked in the tank and as you have discovered, those screens are not visible unless you pull the recirculation valve assembly apart. As Bruce mentioned, there is an older topic on this... although the screens are not officially serviceable they can be cleaned or replaced

Debris in the fuel tank clogging the pick up? Just a guess.

Well it was the Hot-Line that suggested to me that I had a valve train issue... having repaired one 6.4L with some seized valves it seemed a possibility but i n reality things turned out strangely different. On the subject of valve train concerns, any malfunction there can and likely will affect other cylinders beside the cylinder with the problem. Case and point, a stuck exhaust valve on #8 caused #6 to miss worse than #8. Yeah! Fun huh?

Since I trusted my testing and the initial relative compression results I assumed that was the reason for the change after the repair. Having replaced injectors on other trucks that dumped fuel into the cylinders and noticed a fuel knock and roughness afterward I thought it would clear after driving it hard as usual. Not this time.

I used to see a chiropractor but my health insurance kept changing and began to be too expensive... wow! that sounds really fuckin stupid! I pay $7900 a year out of my paycheck for health insurance and I am afraid to use it because I cant afford the co-pay.

Thanks for the link. A bigger problem I have had is long term problems with my neck and subluxations leading to neck pain and numbness in my left arm. I actually lost feeling on the inner edges of my index and middle fingers which has slowly come back over the years. If I sleep or lay with my head in a bad position or stress my upper body at work I sometimes get a shooting pain in my shoulder and across my left pectoral muscle. Likely related to the same nerve. If it is not one thing its another!

I almost went nuts with a 6.4 and relative compression... that one with the missing wrist pin retainer and the burnt piston. The bastard ran like shit and smoked badly. I went through the diagnostics end ended up putting 2 injectors in the offending cylinders. In retracing my steps I THEN discovered different relative compression readings... which I repeated several times getting inconsistent results. I cant explain it Jim. At that point a manual compression test was the only test I would trust. After pulling this thing apart the damage I found should not have produced erratic results. I was thinking I was going to find a valve train issue... this engine may yet make the 6.0L look good. I may get to swing that engine in the next day or so. The truck has only been around since January. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Looks like a nice neat package. I cant wait to do the training on this direct injection. I am curious as to how it works and the commonalities it may have with diesel injection systems. Thanx for the nice pics Mr. Amacker!

Eeeeeeasy there!

Holy SHIT that is a sweeeet lookin ride! 365 HP and all wheel drive - wow!

That is good news. I had been wondering when the Ecoboost engines were finally going to make into cars and hit the streets. I also see mention of the return of the Taurus SHO!

I can't sit in front of my service advisors when they call a customer. Sometimes they mince an explanation they were given mere seconds before they picked up the telephone. I try, with the best of intentions, to explain things in a mannor they and the customer can easily understand. I try, with the bst of my ability, to teach or show them how something works...

Cool Bruce. This chart you posted accounts for altitude only as I see it and it does not account for weather changes in barometric pressure - I see accounting for temperature as being more difficult to factor in on top of it all. Wouldn't it be more accurate to just compensate using a baro reading? Heck, you could even use data logger to obtain that value real time, no? Compensating aside, I can't think of any time or place I have seen Ford publish a specification for compression testing. (I do hope that I didn't miss anything along the way - ) Yes, we know to compare cylinders: determine a baseline and measure variances between cylinders but it is the baseline that sometimes comes into question. Knowing what readings to expect for healthy engine at seal level is the key here.

Hmmm, good point Bruce. I hadn't thought of that. Now that you have brought this to our attention, how much can altitude affect compression numbers and other than testing a like vehicle, how would we know if our readings are normal for our altitude? Ask a Hot-Line engineer and you won't get an answer. Perhaps there is a chart or a formula somewhere that would provide a ballpark figure? I am sure guys that build and prepare racing engines have to know this to set up engines right? I just caught onto that!

I have had my share of ailments over the years. I am happy to say my back has remained healthy for quite some time now after a few years of excruciating pain. I discovered that removing and installing tires from trucks was triggering it... I now remove and install lug nuts with the truck raised and lower it to the ground to remove and install them. This suggests to me that paying attention to how we do certain things will answer questions about the risks to our health. The topic of carpal tunnel syndrome is a common one in our profession as well. Not using our hands, particularly our palms as hammers is one of the biggest things we can remember. Smacking a wrench to loosen nuts and bolts can be particularly damaging to our hands. The shock from the pounding pneumatic tools deliver is also bad for our hands and wrists. Like many technicians I have developed large strong muscles in my forearms which is natural to have happen with the constant use of our hands. Because of the strength in my arms I have strained my wrists on several occasions my squeezing too hard while using pliers or side cutters. This causes tendinitis and can be very painful for several days to weeks. I am sure these occurrences contribute to long term damage. I don't have any real problems with my hands or wrists (pain) but in the last few years I have noticed that I am not as flexible as I used to be and my elbows and wrists tend to be a little stiff in the morning some days. I am sure that this is the tell-tale sign of things to come. If there are exercises or therapies we can use to mitigate the effects of our profession I am all ears. One thing I do know is that our own behaviors can have a great influence on our health and safety. Knowing about these dangers and learning ways to reduce the affects is something I don't think is discussed nearly enough. Perhaps we can raise a little awareness right here at the DTS...

Do you have ANY DTC's or test data to go on or share with us? The only strange 6.4L story I have was that one with fuse #74 that screwed with me and the Field Service Engineer from Navistar... but we did not have melted engine parts.

Dwayne I hope you don't mind that I stuck the pictures into your post. Yes, I recently noticed a truck that had that white ring in the top of the standpipe. I looked at it and questioned it but I did not fool with it leaving it in there, it almost looks like it belongs there. Now the interesting question is is this a design change or some aftermarket device? Since it prevents the inlet valve from locking without a filter in place I see the potential for problems. Did the inlet valve lock function after you removed this part?

Where did the oil analysis get sent to? Did you get it returned directly to you? I did the same and posted it here - I was sure the vehicle was not maintained but the test results indicated the possibility of a failed EGR cooler. Since that customer would not sign for tear down the truck was towed out to another dealer. I have no idea what the final diagnosis was.