Bruce Amacker

A 6.7 locally got a ring and pinion for the exact same reason 'cause the dipshit salesman specced it wrong. Check the ratio. Speaking of 6.7s I'm finally tearing mine down. Head off, a couple of pistons out, front cover off, HPFP off. That aluminum head is light as a feather! No huge surprises yet on design, pretty good overall. Front seal has a grit guard that was stuck to the crank and wouldn't let the cover slide off. I'm still wondering about CMP access in-chassis with that monster aluminum bracket partially blocking it. Upper pan has two big long passageways cast into it for oil suction and delivery to the cooler. I don't have the tools yet, so no injector puller. (They've been on Ebay but I'm waiting until the price comes down to a G.) I remember in training the injectors didn't seem very tight. A prybar wouldn't get them out but I discovered the if you invert the crab it works great for a puller. There's a million bolts in this thing, I can't believe you guys can put in a long block and know where every bolt goes. I'm glad I don't have to put this thing together so it runs- I'm rusty to the core on wrenching. Shot 500+ pics in the last couple of days.

The control group is my customer in Grenada using 5000ppm sulfur fuel with zero injector and fuel system failures over the last decade. It might even be longer than that, but they can't remember. As for 7.3s, the majority I see are over 10 years. I wonder if production numbers declined in the later years.....

I had mine out about 20 years ago by an oral surgeon, but I was awake. My most vivid memory is how physical the extractions were- I remember his left forearm pressed really hard against my forehead while his right hand muscled the teeth out. My neck hurt afterward from the tugging and jerking. I filled a coffee cup with spit and blood on the ride home- it was gross. Overall, it really wasn't that bad. I don't remember how much it cost or even if I had coverage at the time.

You paid too much. I'd have done it for $1000.

Nah, I wouldn't worry about replacing the DPF, if any additive got through it would likely burn like fuel. He'll probably need a DEF tank assy and maybe the injector, though. The heated line is a big chunk of change from what I remember, too. Get used to this, we're going to see a LOT of it. I waiting for the first DEF into the fuel tank mistake, I'm wondering what FMC will want to do to keep the warranty intact........ Good Luck!

Yea, but whether it's steel or iron might give you an idea what's up, along with other pertinent info like chromium, lead, nickel, aluminum, and 30 other contaminants. I think oil sampling is one of the most overlooked items of diag in the LD/MD world. In the HD world it's frequently done at every LOF. In your case it's going to tell you what went wrong, not what's going wrong. You're still gonna put a motor in it, and I wouldn't re-use the heads, either.

An oil analysis will tell you what the metal is and a hint of where it came from. Napa/Wix PN4077 ($14) will take a week or two, a Cat dealer can frequently get you results within 24 hrs at more money. I think it's a no-brainer, put a motor in it. Remember the IDS compression test is comparing cylinders, so if they're all low from excessive wear it could show all green bars. If you want rock solid evidence do a mechanical compression test. Good Luck!

Not the first time: http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/forums/ubb...=true#Post34539 He may divulge costs to you privately but I suggest you not discuss it on the forum as it's illegal. (Interpreted as price fixing to discuss fees among competing shops.) I think this is the biggest mistake on these trucks, to put the DEF filler next to the fuel tank. It belongs under the hood where it might make you think a bit before adding fluids. Good Luck!

I'm sure that it is a nice demonstrator as Atech is known for supplying quality stuff, but I think those casters look really weak for the weight they're carrying.

I build my own cutaways and thought they were pretty good until I saw this. I wonder how much it costs?

You are correct and I apologize to everyone on this board, we have talked about this in the past and we all agree it is industry wide and not dealers only. My customers rarely, if ever, send stuff to indys, only dealers, so I hear the horror stories constantly about both Ford and IH dealer service departments. Indys are just as bad, or worse, than dealers. Some recent posts on a large public well known Fleet Repair forum are perfect examples of that.

Unfortunately, this is a story I have heard many times over from all corners of the country, especially regarding E-vans. Parts left loose or missing, shrouds cut for component access, harnesses damaged and rubbing from gorilla repair, overall butcher work, it's an epidemic. I've had several customers tell me it's cheaper for them to fix the van in-house and eat the cost than to send to to the dealer and have it done for free (after a 2 week sunbath).

Low fuel pressure.....

In studies that I have seen in trade rags that I agree with, money was never the #1 thing a tech wanted, it was always about #3-4 on the list. The first is usually job satisfaction achieved from feeling appreciated. Stability and benefits were up there too. I had several guys take pay cuts to come work at my shop years back. If I was interviewing a tech and he said his #1 primary goal was money, I never hired him. (Yes, I paid going wages with a benefits package that couldn't be beat)

IH released improved rubber "fuel sleeves" (those rubber compression fitting o-rings) for ULSD. Updated Fuel Sleeves for Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel TSI Number: 07-12-06 TSI Date: March 2007 1878937C91 I saw a rash of 7.3 water drain problems (leaking o-rings) in 2006-7 when ULSD came out. My customer in Granada uses 5000PPM sulphur fuel (very high) and have not had an injector failure in their fleet in 10 years! I strongly recommend a lubricity enhancer like Stanadyne Performance Formula in all diesel powered vehicles. You should hear some of the first hand stories my students tell about using Stanadyne and its better fuel economy, easier starting, better running and lack of component failures. I have a few that buy it in 55 gallon drums (one student this week says he gets it for $1300, which is pretty cheap, under $3 pint)....

There IS considerable difference between the 7.3 and the 6.06,4 pistons. The later pistons use a Teflon or similar insert in the skirt where the 7.3 did not. I supplied my friend 7.3, 6.0 and 6.4 pistons for his article, but I don't have a 6.7 piston out yet.

5C3Z-12224-A $55.34 IH 2501105C1 $12.10 Napa EC89 $15.99 Alliant Power AP0021

I'm helping someone write an article about PSD pistons, I provided him with 7.3, 6.0 and 6.4 pistons for research as I don't have my 6.7 torn down yet. He's looked in all of the service literature about piston manufacture and asked a question I can't answer: Are PSD pistons forged or cast? Is there any service info regarding the construction of the piston? Any input is welcomed, sources are encouraged. Thanks!

My opinion is that I use 25F as a differential between EOT and ECT for a cutpoint, and this is only valid on a good highway run. In the city or in the bay these temps will virtually mirror each other even if the cooler is partially restricted. I know Ford revised the spec to 15F but that's too close to normal for me, I've seen 13F spread on a truck with both coolers brand new. Usually when they wacked, they're really wacked, more than 25F. If it's in the low 20's I warn the cust that they may be on the road to a couple of coolers. 10F spread setting codes is news to me, and doesn't sound right. I don't know if Ford publishes a max oil temp but IH publishes 250F max, so I wouldn't get upset about such a small differential.

I'm assuming you're working on a 6.0 van, I e-mailed you a bunch of pics since it's faster than posting them all up. In the future be more specific about what you're working on. Good Luck!

You can continue to use it and program modules from data on your hard drive, just don't upgrade your IDS software. If you do, it will lock you out. PS You're only cheating yourself if you intend to renew the software license later. You will have to pay back to the original expiration date, effectively screwing yourself out of license time. If you wait 8 months, you still pay the full fee and your expiration will be only 4 months away. If you wait 18 months you will pay twice the fee and your expiration will be 6 months away. I have 2 IDS's. BTDTGTTS.

I remember Dieselmann Charles Ledger saying he saw this with no DTCs causing a no-start. It wouldn't be the first time I saw a hard fault with no frigging trouble code.....

I assume the VGT command is also cycling? Restricted EBP tube, bad EBP sensor, bad VGT solenoid, sticking vanes, etc. can all cause this. You might want to install the rack position sensor and do the tests to verify the VGT is working properly, or try an EBP and make sure the tube is clear. Make sure the ICP is not surging, too, leading you down the wrong path. Good Luck!

I agree, if the guy has been great with maintenance during his 71K miles I'd be more inclined to repair this engine than rolling the dice on an FQR. When I attempt to restart the engine, it sputters farts and sneezes and sounds like the engine has no compression cranking at about 240 RPM (which explains his "it sounded funny" description). As far as what's causing the "weird crank" I might suspect the HP oil is at that threshold where the PCM has enabled the injectors (.89v) and fuel is being delivered, but not enough to light the motor and run properly. Can you recreate this "odd sounding" cranking problem? Plug a homemade injector test light into the harness and see if it blinks. Does it have a throttle plate? I've heard of throttle plates sticking closed causing freaky no-starts from lack of compression. IIRC, the PCM cycles the EGRTP on KOEO to exercise it. If it sticks, you have a no start with no compression and don't know why. Pull the snorkel and physically watch it operate. As I'm doing this, the only PIDs that seem wonky are ICP_DES indicate 0psi, while ICP psi stays frozen at 689 psi, ICP volts are at 0.89 volts and IPR duty cycle dips to 13.97% (lower than the default 14.84% KOEO duty cycle). Forget the ICP pressure PID, it's virtually useless when diagnosing a screwed up HP system. Was ICPV KOEO where it is supposed to be? (.17-.24v is what I use) The .89v cranking is considerably lower than where it should be cranking at 240RPM, I'd expect to see 1.5v or so, maybe even more. I have seen bad ICP sensors piss off the PCM and cause a really low IPR command with no DTCs, so I'd start there. (http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/forums/ubb...h=true#Post7102) I'd probably warranty the ICP for him and replace the pigtail to play it safe. If you get past this, do your basic EGR cooler/HG diags, pressure test the cooling system, manually command the VGT up and down, blah, blah, blah, to determine head gasket/EGR leakage and verify his coolant problem. If the fan were inop would it cause this problem in the winter? I think the HS number is a Victor head set supplied by Carquest. If I think of more I'll edit this post. Good Luck!

I know what you're saying, I've seen it too but not on all 7.3s. I don't know what it is besides a glitch.