Jim Warman

Check out AutoEnginuity... a lot of DIYers seem to be in love with the program...

Dave, I didn't see where your fuel trims are at.. Any clues to be had with them? I've always been a firm believer in what ignition voltages are trying to tell me, too... at the very least required voltage and spark duration....

100%... thank God for open book tests....

Must be nice.... my dance card had a sudden surge of thos "unfixables" that fall outside any real guidelines or procedures. An Expedition that wouldn't charge when the alternator was cold (the concern was hard enough to find - let alone the cure.... P0622 as a memory code can be interesting).... I think I pooched someones power program (an 06 with an on demand EGRTP code). FWIW, the 06 doesn't have an EGRTP - a reflash appears to have fixed that but I'd be interested in seeing how to do the PPT for it if the reflash didn't fix it. An Excursion that has a 85ma parasitic draw that can kill batteries in less than 4 days. And these are turning out to be the easy ones...

I see we have a new EGR diagnostic tool in the IDS (46.7)... Haven't had the chance to use it yet and the online PC/ED doesn't tell us much about whats being tested or how.... Anyone tried and have any early imprssions?

Keith, I have had a good deal of success with using the phrase "do not feel confident" when describing some repair procedures. I sometimes wonder if creative writing shouldn't be offered as a specialty.... I am often called upon to "polish" the repair tales of other techs... I have saved us several bounced claims by using the "if you can't blind them with brilliance then baffle them with bullshit" ploy.... Incidentally, there is a test to check for restricted oil cooler passages (regarding coolant flow). We road test the truck while watching EOT and ECT PIDs... IIRC, anything greater than a 14 degrees C temp difference gets a new oil cooler. There is a reference to it in 06-21-02....

Don't feel too bad, Rich.... I didn't qualify for the cruise simply because I live in Canada. There are a lot of carrots that Ford dangles in front of US techs that the rest of the world never gets to see..... Even the "crown " we get to wear.... In Canada, I can beome a "senior" tech or I can become a "master" tech.... I cannot be called a "senior master" tech (sounds kind of redundant, anyway). In the end, it is not about monetary rewards or titles.... it is about doing what we do and doing it well.... Our best customers rarely get the opportunity to fill in a questionare.. because filling out questionares p*sses them off... "Get me in, get me fixed and get me on the road..." is what they are after.... Once my customer is happy, I can fight with Ford later.

Mine had a "canned" response feel to it... telling me to check things I had already checked... still, there were references to things I hadn't yet thought of (or would have I thought of them without a "suggestion"?). Even at the best of times, Hotline is more of a "sounding board" than a solution.

The first order of the day is to take the aftermarket accessories out of the picture.. next is to look for what might have been compromised by the installer.... With this stuff out of the picture, we can start to rely on our Ford documentation.... Had an Escape (about an 03 or 04) not too long ago.... Radio stayed on even after the door was opened.... the installer somehow found out that pushing in the lighter would kill the radio.... but it would come back on when the lighter was pulled out. Strange that the delay relay would decide to short out during a remote start install...

TBC stands for Trailer Brake Controller.... This is the integrated trailer brake control offered as an option on the SuperDuty. If you are going to work on this part, a scan tool that can do the TBC module is going to be a big help.... Knowing that there is s switch on the master cylinder will help, too....

Well, I had the opportunity to give the all new hotline a try, today.... Posted a "simple" request and handed over my cell phone number... a little less than a half hour later, I got a text message advising my that I had a reply. Pretty neat, actually.... Unfortunately, I was looking for a magic bullet for a 06 Expedition that wont charge when it's cold.... Looks like I'm dragging the heat gun out in the morning to warm up my component of choice (this is a PCM controlled alternator). Not as bad as it sounds.... and here comes a bright idea from the old redhead for TOOLS..... <drum roll, please> Dragging out miles and miles of extension cord to plug in the block heater for a reluctant diesel can be daunting... We had a local tin basher (plumbing and heating company) fab a duct to fit our small construction heater.... one that we could slide under the engine. I had my gen-set at work from when we had a float in the Santa Claus parade so I coupled that with the construction heater and put all that on the back of our yard truck (an '86 F350 with an old Holmes cable sling set and a nice push bumper)... Doesn't matter what corner of the back 40 we are in... Fire up the gen-set, plug in the heater as well as the block heater and a half hour later, even the hardest starting truck turns into a pussycat.... And that brings us to another dandy tool.... a piece of square tubing that slips into the hitch receiver.... A large plate welded and re-inforced attached to one end and a pin so that the push bar is about a foot away from the truck being pushed.

Not wanting to speak out of turn... why are you replacing branch tubes when the STC keeps blowing out? I've never heard of this concern (which only proves I haven't lived long enough to see "everything").... My first inclination (and this would have been at STC fitting #2 or #3) would be to make a recording of ICP and IPR when the concern appears..... UNLESS.... the other tech is like me... I have tinitis something terrible... it can mimic air leaks quite well. If there is any doubt, I always get at least two other people to listen for me (using a piece of hose as a stethoscope). I can't see myself getting too carried away on an "I think it's the..." deal. Some extra time goes a long way to preventing a chargeback or repeat repair. Another tattle tale... squirt some oil on to the suspect STC fitting and look for bubbles while air testing. Something sounds odd and I really do hope that all of your labour isn't going to end in a nasty surprise. I've had more than a couple of HPOP concerns that made patience the most useful "tool". Good luck...

HGM, Cetane et al (man, this old guy has problems with people that don't habe "names")... The head stud rumour surfaced a long, long time ago - not sure where but it would be a way of increasing strength without increasing diameter in an area of the cylinder block where an increase in diameter may compromise the female threads.... A 2mm increase in this area puts our threads 1mm closer to the cylinder wall on either side of the shared bolts.... Like anyone else, I'm working off of what I read... with a disadvantage being that we Canadians are treated like redheaded stepchildren as far as Ford is concerned.... Getting back to the point, I felt that Bruce's pictures would have generated a lot more commentary than we've seen thus far... Even if the main commetary would be "I'm going to find a rewarding career in door to door, multi-level marketing"....

Greg... you sound a little like me.... Anal can be a way of life.... There are times I go out into the back lot, wrench in hand.... only to find out that I did tighten whatever it was that I couldn't remember tightening.... If I'm the last one out of the store (and that happens more often than I care to admit) you might find me putting my pants on in the middle of the night to go check a door.... and yes, they are always locked... Better safe than sorry...

I have to go along with Bruce.... We've had 4 VCMs for a long time (Currently only 8 people in the shop.... 'neener/neener/neener'). VMM took a bit and my VDR cable looks to be in limbo.... If a Ford dealer is having trouble getting a VCM, my experience tells me that something is wrong in the food chain.... If you have access to inford or FMCDealer, you should also be able to get on to fordrotunda.com (memory thing) with your same username and password.... I'll check when I get home and fix any misconceptions.....

Threads advocating the addition of acetone to both diesel and gasoline have come and gone in many forums and venues.... I will admit that I have only glanced at any articles regarding it's use. But.... I would first wonder about any environmental or other impacts.... (Google ERG2004 and search guide number 127 - this, BTW, is the same emergency response guide used by US fire departments). If it is not already present in our current fuels, one would have to be concerned with the legality as well as the efficacy of the additive.... As technicians, we are 'ipso facto ' custodians of the air we breath. Many of the decision we make, the things we do or don't do or the advice we deliver should be done with some of this responsibilty in mind.... FWIW, those who "know" me realize that there is no way you can confuse me with a tree hugger.... With a driveway full of V8 4X4s and not an econobox to be found, I can hardly be called environmentally obsessed.... at the same time, I feel it is important to maintain those vehicles I have in such a way as to minimize the impact of my choices on our environment.... Back in the 70s, there was a campaign for "zero pollution"... cooler heads finally prevailed and we realized that "zero pollution" was an impossible dream. Doing our best to minimize our personal quotient is as good as we can do. I liken it to a scenic look-out..... much like we find in mountainous or otherwise picturesque terrain. If nobody discarded a candy wrapper or drink container on the ground.... the area would only bear the burden of our traffic. But it only takes a few to soil something that could remain picturesque for years to come.... Once the trash starts appearing, the human "beast" that resides in all of us will emerge... my little piece of trash wont be noticeable in this sea of trash before us.... Just because something is now, apparently, "socially acceptable" doesn't make it "morally acceptable". Sorry to get off on a tangient... but I hope I have gotten a point across........

Bruce, the owners manual is the most expensive unread book available in print...

By now I would hope that we all know of the changes that will be happening with hotline access at the beginning of December. I understand that there is a video tutorial on FMCDealer as we;; as a FAQ or similar... I haven't found any help on inFord (our Canadian counterpart) as yet... but I'm still hoping. Apparently, the French (required in Canada) hotline access will be unaffected. All of our guys are one finger, hunt and peck typists... This is NOT going to be easy.... It looks like there is a general trend towards more online "wizards" for diagnosing concerns.... While I find that "directed diagnostics" are helpful, there are too many things overlooked or left outor inappropriate and we are then led down the "garden path" - and we all know that this will have us replace something very expensive, non-returnable and never to be asked for again..... No matter what we may have experienced with the hotline personnel, I think that basic human interaction is a vital component.... When faced with "multiple choice" type responses, I often find that none of the choices apply well to my circumstance. Speaking with an engineer can often stir my thought process.... perhaps in a direction he might not have intended....

I've been using the VDR more and more lately... sometimes all I seem to have to do to correct some running concerns is hang the pendant where the driver can see it.... Even when viewing live data, I make a LOT of recordings... makes it a lot easier than trying to scroll through a bunch of info and trying to make sense of stuff that is constantly changing.

I've made my experience and point of view well known in their forums.... and, too many times, been severely chastised by some of their members.... Still, I make regular trips back there (I was "grandfathered" in from 6literpowerstroke.com) and stick my nose in on occasion... I get the impression that there are some very good techs there that deserved better bosses.... but there are even more mediocre-to-bad techs that are hoping that unionizing will bring them great rewards..... Some days my faith in human nature is.................. lacking...

Signing up for the Tech to Tech forum will get you in for free.... But... activity has dried up. FRT appears to have shot themselves in the foot.... Rare to see a post to the auto forums.... the last 6.0 post sends people to a dead end.... there are no "tech to tech" discussions regarding improving product knowledge or honing skills....... rarely even any union rhetoric..... Lots of cut and pastes about what Ford is doing/has done wrong..... But I don't see anything constructive.

If anything is going to show my age..... This was a fairly new car (warranty job, too).... about a 73 Olds with the 350 TH... Way in the back of the trans is a little, goofy shaped "anti-clunk" spring. I placed this spring in plain sight to avoid forgetting it during assembly. I had quite a fight to get all the clutches lined up and the two shells together and finally dropped them into the case..... then I noticed the spring sitting in it's conspicuous place.... Of course, removing the drive assembly made it "fa;; apart" and I returned to fighting everything back into line.... Relieved, I dtopped the assembly back into the trans..... and noticed the spring - grinning at me, it seemed.... We repeated this process two more times before I finally got smart.... it was shortly after that that I renounced recreational pharmacology as a viable leisure pursuit. Since then, I only resort to minor blemishes... like trying to rip the door off a near new SD crew cab..... Mistakes are there, waiting to be made.... all that is required is the smallest lapse of attention..... But they sure make for some fun coffee breaks.... Keep 'em coming and don't be embarrassed.....

Mike... for some of it, the workshop manual will give the basic part number in the exploded views - usually in the description and operation subsections for each heading... Sometimes, this can help speed up the process....

Mike.... if I can be bold enough to make a suggestion.... broadcast messages.... I download these every morning, read them while the first pot of coffee is brewing and post them on the corkboard in the coffee room.... Broadcast messages can be a wealth of information (and information is our friend)... from changes in a TSB procedure to finding extra labour ops we can cost out. Broadcast messages are, often, Fords way of saying "heads up, gents!!".... OASIS.... I try to get my guys to run OASIS on about every job they get.... One tech spent over 2 hours diagnosing a transfer case shift motor concern only to find out that the TSB pays about .6... add that service history can be valuable in achieving customer satisfaction. I have one tech that spends an almost inordinate amount of time in front of the terminal.... and he consistantly posts higher efficiency ratings than any other tech.... I'm sure that you seen me say it on other venues.... we have some great resources available to us.... it is important that we learn what these resources are, where we can find them and to use them to our benefit.... A lot of guys close the toolbox a 5:00 and don't look back.... Kind of odd when the state of the art is in the middle of a tremendous change and really odd when we consider that this is how we clothe and feed our families.... Some of our personal time spent learning our craft is not out of line... this commitment is what will separate us from techs that are merely adequate... or worse.... I am far from the sharpest pencil in the box.... I'm a grade 8 drop-out.... I make a nearly obscene amount of money because I can honestly say "I don't know... but I will find out...". Play with your toys when you get the chance.... establish "baseline" datalogger readings to learn to recognize anything "odd" more readily.... Establish a rapport with your local tech training facility instructor... Talk to the hotline guys (not everything they say is 'gold' but it can often get you thinking).... HTH

Glad to see you in the "trenches", Mike.... You wont see any "coat or money" kinds of threads, here..... nor will you see "attitude" like someone hell bent on unionizing.... Not sure what you're apologizing for, but it must be good for a coffeebreak chuckle.... c'mon, you can tell us... /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/poke.gif /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif