Ford F-Series Powerstroke Diesel Problems

johnminn

2005 6.0L Ford (International) Engine.
We are now in stage two of the problem of blown head gaskets.
In spite of the fact that Ford has sent a bulletin to it’s dealers stating that the 6.0 L engine tends to blow it’s head gaskets, they are denying our claim.
They are stating that they will not service it under warranty because it has EXTERNAL TO THE ENGINE components which are not made by Ford. Conklin Company proved to John Deere that they can’t get away with that excuse.
It would appear that what they are saying is that for those who do have this engine, be sure that you do not ask that engine to work like a truck engine and that you should not do something so nasty as pulling your camping trailer with it. It would appear that I made a serious mistake of pulling my triple axle trailer up hill in warm weather. Guess I shall have to find a 1946 Chevrolet with the babbitted bearing 6 cylinder so that I can pull my trailer. I used that car to pull a very heavy trailer all over Colorado and the North central parts of the US. You would surely think that a big Ford V8 was more powerful and tougher than that Chevy straight 6. The Ford made only one trip up a long slope, and the Chevy pulled innumerable hills.
I surely hope that Ford/International get their act together. We will now go through a certification process covering the components Ford/International used to put the heads on that 6.0L
“See you in court” seems the path want us to be taking. That is a BAD idea on their part, because “word of mouth” spreads like wildfire these days.
If you have a similar problem, holler, and I will give you a rather large file of “to do’s”.
Remember this: Even if a dealer and or regional representative denies your claim, they do have a tacky problem to deal with called the law. When you bought your truck, you have a legal right to expect that it will function in a normal manner for a reasonable amount of time. Does anyone here think that 59,000 miles to failure is reasonable?

mschmal

What gives you the right to expect Ford to be responsible when you take after market components not made by them and attach them to your engine?

Why don't you try to get the maker of the mod parts to fix your engine....

Its just amazing. What company has the engineering and money to invest in makeing a diesel engine component better than Fords? Don't think that that if a change was reliable possible, Ford would do it at the factory?

Mark

duckedup

First It has about 80,000 miles on it. It started running rough the other day no power at all, shut it off restarted it and it ran fine.Did it again the next day. Today it did it and when I shut it off it wont start back. It acts like it isn't getting fuel. I replaced the fuel filters but that didn't help. Any suggestions?

duckedup

I finally got it to start, but it runs very low rpms and if you give it fuel it does nothing just sits there sputtering.

johnminn

It did prove to be the head gaskets leaking.
The truck is still in the shop.
We did find out that the first sign of the failing head gaskets many times is the failure of the EGR coolant tube.
They don't want to cover it under warranty.
Now they have a dilemma because we have requested that they give us a signed refusal with and explanation for the reason they refuse to do it under warranty.
Sure not like the old days when they stood behind their equipment 100%.

cowboy9

Hey John,

I guess I missed up in replying to your other email and it didnt come through as i just replied to this one and lost it also, lol.

Sorry but they already told you that because of what you did with putting on Aftermarket items they are not going to cover it. Why would they do what you want they are Ford with more money than most ever dream of having.

What all did you do to your truck as far as getting more power out of it ?

Cowboy

johnminn

The coolant problem was indeed the head gaskets according ot the Ford dealership.
We went round and round and round as the dealers blamed everything BUT the head gaskets.
I was asked "How does the engine 'know' that it is pulling a load?"
The answer is very straight forward.
The maximum volume of the cylinder is fixed.
When under light load the cylinder takes on a light load of air/fuel which is compressed into the top dead center volume for the cylinder.
When under load, a maximum amount of air/fuel is in the cylinder. That larger volume is then compressed into the same volume as the light load was, resulting in MUCH higher pressure.
Inadequate, under torqued or damaged head bolts allow the head to "bounce" enough to allow compressed grasses to escape into the cooling system and other places.
Hence the water problems under load.

johnminn

Ford talks out of both sides of their mouth.
On one hand they say that they do not void the warranty for after market products.
They do that because of the the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. 2302(C)says that they can not just off hand deny warranty. They have to prove that the after market device caused or contributed to the failure.
Since they have had the gasket problems in engines in compartments with only factory parts, they have a problem they don't want to address.
According to the dealer "Ford has stated that they WILL NOT warranty any engine which is not factory".
BUT
If you call their customer service number they state "Ford does not void a warranty with after market equipment in use".
WHOA!
So I asked the dealer and zone rep "Did Ford give you that will not warranty in a written document that I can see?".
"NO they told us that over the phone".

Cowboy,
Now you know how to dance with a broken leg.
John

Kirstie_H

from a Ford F&I guy:
joel0622, "Extended Warranties" #2068, 25 Aug 2007 1:45 pm

cliftonfarms

I have an 06 F350 with 32000 miles that has been doing the same thing for months. Several dealerships have examined it and replaced this and that; including ALL of the injectors more than once, the fuel pump, the filters and several other things that I am not certain of when reading the printouts that they have given me. Everytime I get it back, everything is fine for a few days, then starts all over again. Usually, I can tell it is about begin by tell-tale puffs of black smoke and slow throttle response before the shuttering and skipping begins. As I write this, it is in the shop yet again. Someone told me to have them check the EGR valve. I am also having them check in the tank for trash and debris blocking the intake screen. Have you found out anything about your problem since your last post?

johnminn

"Black smoke" doesn't sound like a lack of fuel.
It does sound like a poor fuel/air ratio.

I think they are looking in the wrong part of the fuel delivery system.
It would appear that the regulator system is seeing a full throttle condition.
OR
You are losing air flow. (not too likely unless there is a piece of plastic on the intake side of the filter. Worth a mention, but that is about all it is worth.)

How about fuel rail pressure regulator?
The schematics are at the other shop, but I am wondering if that fuel pressure is not regulated by the computer and is regulated by the fuel demand.
Check Throttle Position Sensor with ohmmeter.
Check all electrical connectors for pin/socket alignment.
As I recall, that cable is assembled in Mexico on a piece work basis. if a pin or socket is backed off a bit, they would meet "nose to nose" and when you disturb it when working on the fuel system the contact is re-made temporarily.
The diagnostic readout should detect that as you wiggle harnesses.
Let me know what the dealership finds, would you please.

cliftonfarms

Will do...It will be after Tuesday before I hear anything because of L-Day. Thanks.

autotech41

Well lets start at......I had an oil cooler leak so I proceded to replace cooler,Now I am a technician just not alot of experiance with powerstoke 6.0, But got cooler replaced and was flushing out radiator and backflushed the block. Tied it all back together to return to my customer. I took it for a test drive and it ran fine through first and second. When it shifted to drive about 45 miles an hour A Intercooler pipe blew off, Not sure if clamp was crooked or what happened but after that it died and will not start no matter what I do. I have fuel in filter and at fuel rail. I am so totally lost now. If someone could help I would be appreciative. So would the customer LOL

dex5

hello! just wondering how you made out with your no start problem, as i have an 04 in the shop right now with the same thing, did the fuel tests,changed egr,and also i have the parts at hand to change out the computer and injector modual, still no start when it does run its as if it were running out of fuelalso changed cam and crank sensors

johnminn

Mark,

After market equipment which is properly designed IS NOT the problem.
These 6.0L engines have been blowing head gaskets in spite of the fact that every "nut bolt and screw" under the hood was OEM.

I am watching for the factory to come out with improved head bolts due to the nature of when the problem shows.

No load, no problem. Heavy load climbing hills, coolant dumps.

A 350 dually with a 6.0L diesel is supposed to be a workhorse, that is why people buy them. Only a few want them for the same reason many want a Hummer.
The idea is to be able to pull a good size travel trailer up over the hills without getting down into first gear.

A work horse is not supposed to be like a cutter pony.
A good diesel engine well cared for should make 250,000 easily. (Even if I use Donaldson filters instead of Ford filters because the Donaldson filter is far superior to the Ford filter and exceeds all of Fords specks.)

mschmal

I was talking more about reflashes, different turbos, playing with the intake or exhaust.

Incidently, Ford just came out with an extended warranty program for up to 200,000 miles on new 6.0 (e-vans) and 6.4 powerstroke. So they must think they have the problems solved...

Mark.

cowboy9

Okay guys I am not sure what you think the truck is suppose to be but I will try ot make this simple.

An F350 is able to haul 2000 lbs which is one ton and yes when pulling some type of trailer depending on the size of it can be pulled up a hill and at a good speed if you want to fly up the Mtn at 75 MPH with a 10,000 lb trailer you might wanna get a Semi, even when I race my truck and vette at the 1/4 mile track it gets hot and thats only a 1/4 mile.

As far as using a Donaldson Filter I would not use it on the oil just like I would not use a K&N filter either, the reason is because they are thicker and yes they clean the oil better they cut down the flow of oil needed.

Last thing is that we got lucky when they came out with the 7.3 and that they built it good but people tried to make more power and more power out of it and started blowing them up then wanted to Ford to replace them, lol. Now a lot of things Ford did replace because there was no way for them to trace if someone had used a Chip or Programmer to get more power but when they came out with the 6.0 Ford changed 2 things, 1 they made the head gaskets weaker and the computer able to store information like chips and if programmers had been used.

Now I love Fords and will never buy anything else but I also know that the truck was made not to haul 10,000 plus up a hill at 75 MPH.

Cowboy

cowboy9

Hey Mark,

Yes you can get a longer Warranty but it's not because they think they have a problem or that they have solved anything but because they are trying to keep sales up. Now hopefully you read my last post or some of the other ones and that you start replacing Turbos, Intake, Exhaust and Injectors you just automatically voided your Warranty and the motors life just got cut in half or more.

And it's funny you use the word > Playing < because thats is what you are totally doing is playing with something you have no clue about or the after market company is doing to give you more power they are playing with you motor and it's not going to last. Although you will cut the motors life in half or more but if you want more power so you can pull up the mtns better you might wanna find you a good 7.3 to play with. Thats all I have are 7.3's and yes I make more power out of them but I know at some point I am going to replace the motor sooner because of it. I once ran into a guy that had over 750,000 mile on his 7.3 and pull out the file case to show all the service records for it. It was not a small case, lol. He had replace the rear end twice, 2 Turbos, 3 Trannys and just just about everything else at least once BUT the motor was still the same one it came with.

Now I know I miss use my trucks and I admit it and I know you guys think you are not miss using them but the second you start to race them and do things to get more power out of them you are.

Cowboy

adw04

from reading here i see i'm not the only one. parked in usual way, shut down. came back several hours later wont start. will turn over, no warning lights, glow plugs cycle, everything normal but wont start. towed 60 miles into dealership. soon as off the hook, starts right up. dealership has for two weeks, say checked everything, all ok. now have ghost in the machine and have lost faith. anybody have similar experience with a fix???

terrapin2

terrapin2

When I try to start my F350, it will hesitate several seconds before turning over. Sometimes it will not turn over at all, either hot or cold. I just replaced the batteries & the problem still occurs. The dash lights are on indicating there is power. My mechanic is confused. Any ideas?

coachr91

Oh nooooooooo!! I've looked over several foriums and it seems that others are experiencing the same thing that just happened to me..I stopped for diesel and my truck would not start after a fill up..towed to dealer says it may be bad gas..said the computer doesn't pick up any problems..took it home ran ok for a while I stopped , shut it off and then it would not start, like it wasn't getting any gas..took it back after it finally started, the ford dealer at first couldn't find anything wrong until it would not start for them. He now says it's a sensor problem and they are trying to figure out which one..mind you it's been a week..2007 with only 22,500 miles..what can I do? I'm towing an RV and need the truck, we are stuck in an RV park..without the truck...

adw04

Ford told me the same thing. If the cant recreate the problem they cant fix it. Anyone out there found the cause of the wont start problem????? Guess I should have bought a dodge.

arielsante2007

arielsante2007

I have to keep an eye on the coolant level and refill it every week. It has no leaks whatsover. Is this normal on this type of 6.0 turbo-diesel engine?

bmackinnon84

i was just wondering if you ever found your problem? im having the same problem and it all happend in one day, it feels like half the power. if you can just right me back and let me know anything.
Thanks, Bill

rgt3

I own a 2004 F50 6.0 Powerstroke - used mainly for hauling a horse trailer (big one - 6 horse - about 4 times, little one - 2 horse- about thirty) and hay (10 times). Has 50,000 miles and NO aftermarket parts, except a bed liner, brake assist and a gooseneck hitch. Ran great until 40k miles, when suddenly it cut off while driving and restarted - seemed underpowered that day. Then ran fine. Next day, my wife was driving with my stepdaughter and clouds of white smoke started coming out. They were able to creep into a parking lot. Towed to Ford for $125.00. Ford said it was the injectors and warranty covered them. Last week, in the morning, the truck would "spin" (Ford tech's term) but would not turn over. Did this in the morning and once at the dealer that day (after another $125.00 tow). Next morning, started fine, as well as, the next three days. I picked it up today and has run fine - seems to have full power. Ford has no explanation for the problem, but I wonder now if they are just begging off until waranty expires. They said the computer checked out and they could not find a problem.
As a horse owner, the last thing I need is a sick horse and a dead truck. (Only had a couple of emergencies so far, but the horse could have died if I had to call around looking for another truck.) I bought this truck on recommendations of reliability - always have heard diesels are reliable and long lasting. After reading here, I think I will look for another truck, especially when it is still under warranty and the Company cannot even figure out the problem.

ducky83

ducky83

have 2002 f350 powerstroke, noticed a smell and all wet under the passenger wheel well. opened hood and looks like diesel in the over flow anyone have this problem

kdean2608

Tell them to replace your "camshaft sensor"!!!!! I have a 2008 Super Duty Diesel now with 15k miles and mileage not improving at all. Over last 5k miles started noticing the engine would not idle down form time to time and rpm's run higher sometimes when running on highway at varying speeds. Finally a month ago service light came on, took it in and they ran VIN and found a SSM on this truck for this concern to replace camshaft sensor and sure enough it fixed problem and mileage improved briefly and idling problem stopped. They also told me if this sensor went bad completely it would NOT ALLOW ENGINE TO START, hence your fix. Problem now, it is returning and come to find out dealer installed an old one in stock from prior year or earlier production so CLEARLY ford has a problem with its supplier for these CAMSHAFT SENSORS. Make them install a BRAND NEW ONE!