Jim Warman

Hmmmm...... Canadian bacon? Like as in "bacon made in Canada"? Years ago, a meat packers named Gainers ate the big green wiener (pun intended) because they made union bacon..... and the unions killed the goose that laid the golden egg (or is that killed the pig that offered the golden rasher?). Oddly, Union bacon might also be Canadian bacon - or it could be US bacon, too... Non-union bacon (I prefer not to call it scab bacon) is about reasonably priced.... Kosher bacon, OTOH, THAT would be quite the find.....

Just so I can poke at rich... wiki isn't real clear if this is a 4 stroke cycle or a two stroke cycle (a la old Detroit Diesel). Check Wiki for "Otto cycle" and it will mention a four stroke cycle suck/squeeze/bang/blow engine with either compression or spark ignition. FWIW, there are a lot of variations on the theme(s) (the Atkinson cycle is 'common' in some hybrids... its only difference from an Ottocycle engine is valve timing - since this motor is assisted by electric traction motors, it doesn't need to build much torque outside of a very narrow band. I'm still looking for an old link I used to have that described (among things like the Pogue carburettor) some unique engine designs - including a horizontally opposed twin cylinder that used a scotch yoke rather than a crank/ rod arrangement. I guess this thread has been shanghai'd

On a scale of one to ten - is the noise irritating or close to OMG!!!! Jeez, if we only had a way to qunatify something like that part.... Have you tried "full fielding" the actuator to see if that quietens it down (it will run pretty ragged)? Don't discount the possibility of tensioner/guide concerns....

All of my beads finally wore out.... while the GUI is good and basic, it isn't real intuitive..... a certain amount of training and thought is required. And any porn you get needs a LOT of imagination for it to, ahhhhh, get a rise out of the viewer.... Of course, today we see a lot of common sense and intuitiveness.... to shut your computer off, click <START>. Wow,,, them beads look a lot like blueberries or maybe saskatoons.... got any KoolWhip?

Many values are computed... And they can base many of these on load, mass fuel desired and many other values that give know results. Of course, these are based on a "properly operating system".... but then any management system is bound bay that overwhelming principle. I'm not too sure of any speed density calculations (other than a small run of trucks that didn't get a MAF) but on a MAF equipped truck, devoting CPU time to speed/density calculations seems like an abject waste of time... (something that engineers are adverse to at times). In the hundred and some odd years since the creation of the Otto-cycle, infernal (sic) combustion engine (hmmm, is the modern diesel a true Otto-cycle? or will we find out it is a veriation of an Atkinson cycle or whatever?). anyway, you can pretty well bet that the boffins have analyzed (did you notice you can't spell analyzed without getting "anal"?) a lot of the cause and effect and predictability stuff.... With the constants..... cylinder dimensions - the somewhat variables... ambient temp, atmospheric pressure, engine rpm, MGP... I don't think this shit should be much of a surprise. They can write an algorithm that pretty much predicts what is going to happen (where the fuck is Cetane when you need him?) when this much of fuel in <that> cetane range is dumped in a cylinder with the other much air........ But we are starting to lose sight of the things <WE> should be worrying about? Yeah, it would be damned fine to understand EXACTLY where IAT2 falls into our world.... but it ain't a big requirement. Our job isn't to fuck around with IAT2... our job is to keep it clean - though we do need to learn "warning signs". Does the EGR test on the IDS give a rats rosy red if IAT2 is good or bad? How about if we unplug IAT2 and perform the EGR test? - consider this high on my list of goofy shit to try now I thought of it. Yes... IAT2 isn't the best measure of CAC efficiency in the world.... but suggest what other means the PCM has of determing this??????

Back in the late '50s, "Leave It To Beaver" was a popular sit-com. I stumbled across this quote and it made me think of some on this august list... Wally Cleaver: Gee Dad, how come you know so much about buying cars? Ward Cleaver: Well, Wally, as unbelievable as it may seem they did have cars in my younger days. Wally Cleaver: Used cars? Have a fine day, gents....

Be it a performance issue or a hard/no start issue, the diag sheets are no brainers.... and each step has pay assigned to it... What does it take to print off the sheet (we ARE addressing the basics, right?) and fill it out..... at least as far as the first sign of trouble. Unlike Kieth, I don't feel that there is an issue with redundancy... Yes, we have more than our fair share of pattern failures... to the point that techs are getting upset about being called to task about some decisions. I have seen, far too many times, where neglecting the very basics has cost dearly in the end. Yes, I'm the guy that says "don't perform unnecessary tests". But I'm also the guy that says "do perform the ones you need to....". Ummm.... if we say "I checked fuel pressure" - we did it the way we are told to, right?

Some good advice all 'round.... "Bloatware" is all we can call todays operating systems... The absolute best operating system I ever had shipped on three 4.5 inch floppies. My 286 SX was blazing fast and everything I could ever need left a lot of unoccupied real estate on a 44 Mb HDD. Today (it's WINDOZE NOT DOS) my PC isn't smart enough to shut down Acrobat Reader after it's done with it.... If you allow auto-update to have it's way with you, the very first message you get after auto-update forces a reboot is "updates are ready for....". Granted, 9600 baud wasn't a good way to surf for porn..... But why is it that software continuously is just out of reach of current hardware? If it's on top of your desk, it's obsolete, anyway.... here is what we saw as a computer in my youth.

I am going to refer to step one of the TSB which, in its most basic understanding, is telling us to make sure that the coolant loss isn't due to some other concern.... "Inspect the cooling system as per WSM 303-03".... and 303-03 states "verify the concern". If the fan is pooched, you are going to overheat BEFORE you have coolant loss... If the engine doesn't overheat, why would we suspect a fan concern? And here-in is one way to consider this concern - does the motor overheat because of coolant loss? Or is the engine loosing coolant due to overheating? The order of business will determine which direction we will go. I heartily suggest reviewing the appropriate section in the WSM - NOTHING is too basic to warrant a review of current practices. It is important to keep things simple.... whether the job is retail or warranty we do need to keep a tight rein on costs - and this will include avoiding any unnecessary test procedures. (Rising costs and unnecessary steps have resulted in TSBs like 09-08-03). Finally... monitoring fan PIDs for the sake of monitoring fan PIDs will reveal????? However, we might decide to perform PPT AH3 (the VDF performance test.... ) but we will be forgetting a very basic premise.... do not perform a PPT unless directed to. Everything we do should have a "why" attached to it... On edit.... how many bad VDFs do we see on these engines.... and what is the overwhelming symptom?

Adding EGR should reduce combustion chamber temps... after all, that is what the EGR is supposed to do (reducing NOx generation). As for some of the other stuff.... if we know IAT (ambient), ambient air density (BARO), MGP (boost), IAT2 (CAC efficiency), EBP (inferred or real) and MF_DES - I am reasonably sure that there will be an algorithm that will help us determine EGT. Wuile adding some monitoring (VGT position and EGT pre or post turbo not a big deal) might help0 with controlling errant actuators, the main result would be increased per unit pricing... Not much of a profit builder. But we are straying fat, far away from how IAT2 is actually used... and getting a straight answer twice in a row doesn't seem to happen. While the 6.0 was borne of a need for reduced exhaust opacity, the main thrust was for the reduction of NOx emissions. They could meet the opacity requirements through careful fuel management but for control of NOx, combustion chamber temps need to be controlled or monitored in some manner.... To this end, I would consider that IAT2 is used more for measuring CAC efficiency and using that figure to compute combustion chamber inferred temps. To reduce those temps MORE EGR would be commanded rather than less....

Ummmmm - flat rate reading - we are ALL guilty. Step 1 <Inspect the cooling system as per the Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-03 for external leaks, oil or fuel contamination, and/or diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs). If external coolant leaks, oil or fuel contamination of coolant, and/or DTC(s) P0480 / P0528 are found, do not continue with this procedure. Refer to WSM, Section 303-03, Powertrain Controls/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) or any other applicable articles as needed.> Now.... cooling system diag "should" be a no brainer (when is the last time anyone looked at the front of EVERY component in the cooling stack.... )... I smell an MT operation here.... Have you referred to 303-03? What about EEC tests? If the VDF isn't working correctly you are most likely going to retrieve DTCs.... if the VDF isn't working correctly, you will most likely have a concern written up as "engine overheats" or "engine runs hot" - as a tech, it is up to YOU to perform your diag rather than rely on what some asshole in a pick up truck "thinks" is wrong. A long time ago, back when I was allowed on InFord - someone felt the need to ask me where I learned to check the rad for restricted air flow... WTF is that? Is this a case of needing to relearn how to write something up? No VDF diagnostics? I don't think that it is Fords pecker you feel stuffed up your back door.... It could be your own....

Let's not forget that the time elapsed has to do with the wiener and his insurance carrier. FWIW, I usually spend too much for my insurance coverage. I rarely purchase coverage based on price but performance equals peace of mind.... Many years ago, during one of my brief peccadillos away from this august trade, I was about 1500 miles away from home and my loving bride had an inch of water on the livingroom floor of our rented apartment. One phone call.... in the middle of the night... "Send her to a decent hotel... does she need any cash?" were the words from my insurance broker.... Translation? "Do not worry...we will sort it out when the time comes". Scrimp on coverage? Yep... making payments on a truck you can't use could be a 'normal' part of that.... It is interesting to watch the commercials on US TV... the "insurance wars".... The only way I can see to offer a cheaper hamburger is to put less stuff in it - and the only way to offer cheaper insurance is to ........ We'll overlook the stupidity part for now.... "Shud ah puts hah test or reg'lar in muh poor stroke?".

I set out with quite a diatribe on this and I apologize to any that endured it... But, after all was said and done, it occurred to me that I'd mentioned something about directed diagnostics some time ago... this was while mentioning the interactive PC/ED (along with it's idiotic circuit testing). These TSBs have taken on a life of their own - no longer a "streamlined diagnostic", they have become a directed diagnostic - I imagine partly in response to ones willingness to throw a "trifecta" at a truck. As for testing cooling system integrity with the rad kit? It is a very useful test... but there are times that the test will not be conclusive. Same goes for the pressure test.... sometimes applying pressure only serves to seal the system better... And that is where the visual test takes over.... Back to the TSB... it's sad that Ford feels the need to look so closely over our shoulders, but I don't think it was unexpected. I think a lot of trucks got a "trifecta" more as a customer service than a customer need... Once again, the techs that care get painted with the same brush as the techs that don't

Your diag is always important.... have a real good idea of what you are looking for when you remove the trans from the vehicle.... "hoping" that the cause for the concern will slap you in the face on teardown is living dangerous.

And https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckBBAS/non-html/Q157.pdf and https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckBBAS/non-html/Q117R1.pdf . This https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckBBAS/topics/f-sd.html should be close to the top of your favourites list, guys

Resist the urge to put all of your eggs in one basket.... Vacuum testing a cooling system is a powerful tool... it isn't the only tool available to us for this purpose, as we all know.... Pressure testing a cooling system is another tool.... I have seen cases where one works and the other doesn't... EITHER WAY!!!!! I have seen the odd cooling system that wont indicate a leak when using vacuum... Gee... the test isn't accurate - let's not do that any more..... I have seen cooling systems that seal better when we add pressure - one of the "other" tests we can do. So... obviously, that test doesn't work all the time either... so let's not do it. That leaves us with pretty much nothing to do - let's all go home and watch soap operas..... I'm an ass.... because there are times I stray from the TSB.... While I try very hard to be sure I have included EVERYTHING the TSB wanted, there are times we need to stray... Back when I was allowed on inFord, we got into a discussion on cooling systems. I remarked about the number of restricted cooling stacks I see and someone asked me about where we were told to check for debris in the radiator.... PPTs.... WSMs.... TSBs... these all assume that we have a familiarity with what we do... Often, some of the absolute basics are overlooked by the technical writers..... TECHNICAL WRITERS.... Often, when someone asks me how to diagnose a concern, I will forget to include checking things that I do automatically... things that come without forethought.... Overheating/coolant loss... is the cooling stack plugged? The TSB doesn't tell you to look.... But the TSB represents the MINIMUM testing you should do - not everything you can do (when is the last time you found a PPT in the PC/ED that couldn't be done faster and better than Fords convoluted ordeal?). Dwayne... the radkit failed to show a leak.... but didn't you already pressure test the cooling system as per 09-08-03? And it likely passed there? And..... ermmmmm, isn't "visual inspection" another test step? Egg on the face? Hardly? The planets were in a particular line that day and that is what you got.... as the concern caught and corrected? Seems to me that that was the desired outcome... Testing cylinder seal is probably the best example.... I'll cheat and use a gas engine in my rant.... relative compression is one test... but what if all the cylinders are "soft". Does this make relative compression useless? Or does it mean that we have a symptom, relative compression didn't reveal the problem and now we test further??? So we test intake manifold vacuum.... and that might have us check compression.... and that might have us do a cylinder leak test or maybe a running compression test or testing for exhaust restriction.... Blame the TSB? Since when did we abdicate thought? FWIW, I get my attitude from all of my loving brides doctors.... they have often cut her open just to see what is going on... even after running a whole bevy of tests.... and coming up with all manner of "what they think" is going on.... And what blows me away.... electrical is hard on most guys.... even thought electrical rules are set in stone and binding.... noithing will beat a proper volt drop test on a malfunctioning load.... Mechanical testing can be as fickle as can be.... and some guys put implicit faith in only part of a "full test procedure"... I've been doing this for 40 years... and the best advice I can give you is to expect the unexpected....

Sometimes I wish I could stop..... another analogy - when I open my mouth, words fall out. no thought - no plan - shit happens.

Let's not forget some of the other conditions that can influence IAT2.... restricted airflow across the CAC is the first one that comes to mind. We have seen cooling stacks about plugged right off - and the first drivability complaint we generally hear of is engine overheat... If IAT2 was consistantly higher than some predetermined level, would we expect to see an excess EGR flow code? High boost levels would also deliver higher than normal IAT2... stationary PTO operation or a V-Mac compressor - used to be an operator would open the hood on his truck when running an engine driven air compressor but that practice appears to have gone by the wayside. A stuck open EGR valve.... one wouldn't expect to see a stuck open valve along with a failed valve position sensor at the same time...... but, in the grand scheme of things, how many times are we seeing systems with multiple concerns delivering a drivability camplaint.... LOTS. I can see IAT2 being (in current configuration and because each reflash needs to, as far as I see it, pass EPA scrutiny for specific criteria) used in computations for fuel, boost and EGR decisions, but only in the sense that high charge air temp will deliver high combustion chamber temps. Navistar engines (those designated as VT365) and "Ford" engines (those designated 6.0PSD) are worlds apart in so many respects.... 90some HP being something that sticks out like a wedding prick. There be a chance that comparing the two operating systems might be akin to comparing road kill to fresh veggies... I DON'T KNOW.... and the few times I have asked, I have usually gotten a reply that was almost, nearly in the ballpark of the answer I wanted/expected.... So... what can we be sure of when we discuss IAT and IAT2? IAT before we take our intake air and "process" it. If the truck has a stock air filter, IAT will be close to ambient.... If the truck has a cold air intake, expect something much higher.... closer to underhood temps. IAT2 is what we get AFTER we process (or perhaps MISprocess) our intake air. Far too many variables begin to creep into the picture - have they been accounted for? Do they need accounting for? But, somewhere along the line, we come to the realization that a gooped off IAT2 is the sign of quite another concern.... perhaps, instead of analysing the effects of a gooped IAT2.... we should get IAT2 to stop getting gooped???? Sadly, I'm not sure we can achieve that goal.....

Not all the pros work at dealer stores.... and not all the turds work at an independant... I'm pretty sure that if you put enough ketchup on road kill, it might come out tasting pretty good....

Larry, my wife and I have become experts at losing loved ones... both of our parents and, of course we have a lot of family members that aren't spring chickens any more.... Debbi lost an aunty just this past weekend and we are just waiting for the funeral announcement. It is vitally important that we dwell on the positives in life - and it sounds like you realize that. We remember the good times, the lessons learned and all the things shared - joys, sorrows, laughter and tears. Know that our prayers are with you and your family. Life is a journey... we reach our final destination by placing one foot in front of the other... repeatedly. At the risk of sounding uncaring or crude, One old guy explained life thus.... "From the moment we are born, the only thing that we MUST do is die - everything else in between is optional".

No offense taken Larry.... or did the "if you hurt yourself I'll kill you" reference go unnoticed? There are people in Canada that seek employment only so that can "injure" themselves and then milk the system. As for publications in other languages, one might approach Ford directly. The list of countries in the drop down list on the Stars2 log in page is pretty eclectic.... 15 countries and growing. Let us not forget that Canada offers up "franglais".

Larry, I am an anal SOB..... If you injure yourself on the job on my watch, I will fucking kill you. I try to ensure that the guys have fun when fun can be had...... But I do have my own vision... And that vision includes having guys go home safely at the end of the day. I'm an asshole.... there should be no surprise there.

This is THE Kenny. He is unique.... he is fun (in a disgusting sort of way)... he is undeniable..... Like air, the sky being blue and the cosmos.... there is no why.

Let's crawl back into the WABAK machine.... I think we can forget the zigzag for this trip.... Used to be we'd have a "winter" thermostat and a "summer" thermostat. There were very real reasons for these - conditions most of you have never dealt with.... vapour lock - I'll bet many are at least a little able to sound familiar - and percolation. Switching from a (at that time 185F) winter thermostat to a summer thermostat (160F) was a ritual.... along with the twice yearly ignition tune up (points, condenser, plugs, rotor) - a stop gap measure by todays standards, it could be (depending on where you lived) a very necessary maintenance operation. For many years now, the factory has specified ONE thermostat.... If there is a need - either proven or assumed - to change the thermostat to something other than spec, then there is something else afoot. Either the vehicle isn't being used in a manner intended or there is a mechanical concern that should be addressed. But now we get into that "nether" region.... People that alter engine basics.... be it thermostat, fuel curves, ignition curves, whatever.... They don't do this with an eye on tailpipe emissions..... However - as PROFESSIONAL, CERTIFIED technicians, we have become the keepers of the public trust.... Shee-it... why do I keep repeating myself... especially when I am preaching to the choir????? Bruce said it.... What more is there to say? If it is written on glossy paper with full colour pics, all we need add is a few testimonials.... Hugh Jorgan in PA says "this is bitchin' man". Mike Hunt agrees. Phil McCrackin agrees. Billy Mays will double your order..... And I didn't even see the ad..... but you guys need to visit the monkey house to see what the "other" world sees.....

youtube..... break.com..... crazyshit.com.... How many trips to the emergency room begin with "hey, guys - watch this..."? I spent my youth (or is that mis-spent my youth)without the benefit of funniest home videos or jackass....