Jim Warman

Haven't done one myself but the tech in the next bay alluded to some "gotchas" on the one he did. He figures his next one will go much smoother so they can't be much more than a touch of brain-fade.

Been casting an eye at the TV my own self.. NASCAR in hi-def AND 5.1..... all that's missing is the ubiquitous "track burger" and the smells. Seems like I can piss them TDS guys off, but not enough for them to request my abscence. I can't be really sure why I'm addicted to the place... I usually make my feelings known when I see terms like "stealership" and so on. Don't know if you saw my reply to one of the guys that calls me "grumpy".... I mentioned that being grumpy beat the hell out of being dumb. But, like we've mentioned so many times, these guys will increase torque half again what came from the factory and it's the motor and trans that are a POS rather than whatever some "expert" sold them on. At the same time, I try to inject some modicum of sanity to posts from guys that think they know everything (after all, they replaced a CMP and now their truck runs) but don't know shit from shinola. It's also a great education - our DP is always alert to increasing retail sales and knowing the customer helps tailor this program. Whenever possible, I like to slip in an off-site link.... The guys at 6LPS are very good but there's a lot of union stuff there. Canada has better labour laws than the US and unionizing our shop would penalize our DP much more than anything than could be done to Ford. Fortunately, our DP is one of those men that knows the value of his service staff and treats us very well.

I just re-read my post.... I can remember when everyone in the shop oohed and ahhed over my brand new dwell guage. Now I have a tool we never even dreamed of and I'm looking to donate my dwell guage to a museum..... Gawd... it's been a llooonnnnggggg time.

Has anyone heard how progress is coming on the IDS system for laptops? Ford is really pushing the PDS here in Canada but I like the idea of having my scan tool and manuals all in one spot - not to mention saving the $600 that a P-PC will cost over and above the VCM. My eyes like the bigger screen of the laptop, too I can't be sure, but it sounds like the biggest benefit of the PDS is that it reboots quicker than the WDS....

Jeez... you guys missed that hotbed of lunacy.... oops, I meant logic - honest. TDS plays host to just about every crackpot out there...

Our instructor told us that it doesn't switch from one to the other (unless I misunderstood). Instead, the actuator would open and allow the second turbo to join the first. I'd mentioned that I could see a host of problems in the transition period but he stated that it would act more like a wastegate with the dumped gasses going to run the second turbo in conjunction with the first. To my feeble old thinkpot, this actually sounds like it could work!!

Kieth... I spent Friday at the Edmonton training centre. Ford Canada is pushing us diesel techs through 51S01T0 - 6.0 updates. There was a quality control issue with the top snap ring not being seated that would give your concern. We are told that this has been taken care of. It was a battle to stay awake for part of it but there was some really good info and discussion. Got to take a good look at the 4.5 twin turbo at the same time... damn, that's a cute little thing.

Just came back from a 6.0 update course. They had a 4.5 sitting in the classroom (where's my camera when I need it?). Neat little package.... Instructor alluded to the likelihood of this being the turbo configuration well see on the 6.4.

Like Kieth, I listen closely to everything the motor is trying to tell me..... he can probably hear it much better than my battered old lug-holes... Sorry I can't tell you what sounds are distressing and what sounds aren't.... The feeling comes with time and experience, I suppose (but I can't prove it)... you will, however, get to the point where some things just sound "right" and some don't. I still get the odd truck that don't sound "right".... but it don't sound "wrong" either.

Pete, I always seem to go back to my trusty old ways (or is that CRUSTY old ways??)... A length of vacuum of fuel hose (be sure to stick the clean end in your ear) and even me with my tinitis can localize sounds. One of our pups had a noisey one not that long ago... After a couple of days of swapping flywheels and checking cam drive keys, we started the motor sans transmission. The noise was loudest inside the pilot bearing. Further investigation revealed one pooched rod bearing and it's mate with tattletales indicating a bent rod. Watch the old guys.... diodes and modules can make us scratch our heads, but there's more old school tricks than you can shake a stick at.

I'm not impressed with the ambulances I get.... mostly Crestline and Mystere here in Canada.... BUT.... they are head and shoulders above motorhomes in quality of conversion work.

Kieth, just thinking about what's coming down he pike is enough to make us think cab removal may be a reality. I understand that the 6.4 will have head studs instead of bolts..... As for what's sitting atop my hoist... the DPs '66 Fairlane ragtop. While the youngsters think that the relic is working on a relic, I prefer to think that a classic is working on a classic....

Wow!! No wonder you guys are pissed all the time. My little corner of the Great White North has a base wage of $28CA... a half buck a bubble and a buck an hour for making efficiency. Lot's of retail, lots of steering and brakes. 50 - 60 hours a week (I could work 24/7 if I wanted). Our two countries are, at the same time, so very alike and so very different.

Dave, will you be at the meeting next month? I can't make it but we are sending one of our guys down....

Dave, will you be at the meeting next month? I can't make it but we are sending one of our guys down....

Our DOM was in talking to the saleweasels yesterday and confirmed the 6.4 twin turbo for 07 model year.

Keith... just a note for everyone.... I think we should all have this kind of stuff resident on our hard drives. My laptop.... (in amongst the requiste joke and porn bookmarks) has the following installed (40 gig HDD).... All the latest sevice DVDs (yes, you don't need the discs), the APCM manual, both 6.0 "bibles", WDS desktop mode, owners manuals for al my power tools and household appliances, the spreadsheet we use for all our special tools (like Tool Crib, only free), my calendar, my diary, my fave CAD proggie, a couple of movies, hours and hours of tunes and Gawd knows what else. We should all move into the 21st century and embrace the technology that is driving those things we work on. Your bandwidth and storage can't be free... no sense in clogging it with stuff that a guy should have close at hand.

Somehow I "scored" a Chev K3500... customer is top heavy with Ford products and decided we can fix their Chevys, too. A broken centerbolt is the concern but I look around. Rear caliper slides are siezed, inner brake pads are pooched... the 8.1 needs to be boosted all the time and it barely idles (this is an 02 "truck"). Bearing in mind that this IS a one ton and it IS a 4X4.... how could I get high centered backing it off my 4 post hoist?

Ahhh, welcome to the world of the ambulance mechanic..... At least the Y pipe is easier to do...

Dale, we have done several turbo back 4" installations... a couple with straight pipes no less. Some guys seem to like the sound... I think they all sound like crap. Even through the mufflers the turbo noise is evident. No abnormal EGR problems.... Our winters are cold and we see a LOT of idling trucks.

Ed... I'd be scared silly of what could happen if a string of tef tape got into the hydraulics... I finally did my first 04B24 yeaterday and it went a lot better than I imagined. I only needed kit one, which helped. I was a litle surprised when the instructions said to re-use the bolts when the WSM says different but I don't recall seeing any mention of thread sealer so I used none. With the bolts properly torqued, I don't see any opportunity fro fluid to bleed.

Ed... I'd be scared silly of what could happen if a string of tef tape got into the hydraulics... I finally did my first 04B24 yeaterday and it went a lot better than I imagined. I only needed kit one, which helped. I was a litle surprised when the instructions said to re-use the bolts when the WSM says different but I don't recall seeing any mention of thread sealer so I used none. With the bolts properly torqued, I don't see any opportunity fro fluid to bleed.

IIRC, the PPT for P0603 is pretty straigthforward. Clear code - rerun QT - if it returns replace PCM. Word of caution - almost every chipped 7.3 I have seen with a P0603 has a chip and the code is generated by the chip clearing the KAM at every key on. Power programs (software rather than hardware power adders) usually leave the same tattletale. Been a couple of times I have "accidentally" sold PCMs rendering some poor dupes programmer useless (these download the factory program and upload a replacement program.... Once the power program is uploaded, The programmer can no longer upload the power program to another truck without the process being reversed. (I hope that is a clear explanation....). HTH

The "victim" is an 04 F550.... toolboxes, picker, steel deck... this truck could go on a diet.... Several lines on the RO...all written like a customer praying for warranty. One line complains of a noise at 70ish mph and another line complains of "grinding noise in the front". Oh, yeah... we definitely have grinding but the front of the truck appears to have back up lights. Rear brakes are metal on metal with one caliper getting ready to puke it's guts. Are you ready???? Customer says he'll fix the brakes later.... all I need to do is drive it at 70 mph and find his noise..... I quietly reinstalled his wheels and parked it outside.

Blasphemy!!! blue.... I'm gonna slam dunk that bonus SPAmsoil stuff inta mah crankcase and fergit awl changes altogether.... Gonna add a bypass oil filter too so I can rob mah enjun by leechin' oil from the base oil system.... After that, a good ol' high flow air filter... just like the ones that put dust on the wrong side of the element.