02 7.3L problem on rainy days

[Kevin Angstadt]

As fate would have it I went to start the truck in the parking lot of the Motel this morning and it did it again. It was raining. I called another tow truck and had it taken to the nearest dealer.

The truck started when we unloaded it off the truck. When they hooked it up to the computer the fault codes were P-0472, P-1316 and P-0261.

When I talked to the "service advisor" he told me that the diesel mechanic was off today and that it wouldn't be looked at until Monday. That meant I would have to rent a car as I was 350 miles from home.

The service manager took it upon himself to look at my truck. He was the one that hooked up the computer and diagnosed the problem. He took the inner fender out and checked the IDM connector. Sure enough it had moisture in it. He dried it out and sealed it up. I drove it 350 miles home in the rain and it never missed a beat.

I can never remember names very well but I will call the dealership on Monday and find out. As far as I'm concerned this man needs to be recognized for his commitment to service. I have never seen a service manager get his hands dirty and have the ability to work his way around the diagnostics in the computer. This man obviously worked his way up from being a mechanic. He diagnosed the problem and came up with a common sense approach to fix the problem. I'm impressed and grateful. He saved me hundreds of dollars on a rental car plus the agravation. All the one's I've ever seen might know what an engine looks like but that's about it.

Alexander Ford in Murfreesboro, TN fixed the problem. If I'm fortunate, the next time I have a problem I'll be in middle TN.

 

[platinum01]

If you go with the 6637 filter I took and drilled a hole in the exhaust pipe from you filter to the intake and then put the sensor back inplace.

 

[Kevin Angstadt]

Thanks guys. As soon as I get a chance I'll change the filter.

 

[bushpilot]

glad you got it fixed...sounds like a great dealer/service manager !

 

[trackspeeder]

glad you got it fixed...sounds like a great dealer/service manager !

X 2.

 

[Kevin Angstadt]

Just an update.

The problem is still there but thanks to you all I have decided to take the plunge and look at things for myself.

After I got it home I tried to take it to get the AC fixed and it pulled the samr crap. I pulled the inner fender and checked the connector on the IDM. All was well. I put it back together and same thing. Just on a whim I drained the fuel filter. It started up and ran fine. Come to find out the shop where I had the oil changed didn't drain the filter when changing it. It was my fault as this was the first time that they did that and I didn't warn them. I went to leave this passed Sunday and it did it again. As usual it was raining. Drained the filter and all was well. Went about 60 miles and the problem started at 70 MPH. I went to slow down and pull off the road and the problem went away.


Now I'm in TX. I figured I would buy a new fuel filter and clean out the bowl. I remembered seeing some crap in there the last time I changed it. When I opened it up I found some grit in there and the shop that I had install the filter didn't use the gasket that goes around the filter. I got it cleaned up and installed the filter correctly. Then I found oil running from the back of the engine. I tightened up the hose clamps under the turbo but it still leaked. Drove it to a local dealer and they found a bad O ring in the high pressure line that goes in the valve cover on the drivers side. While I was there I mentioned to the guy my problem on rainy days. He told me that there was probably moisture getting in to the CPS connector. He checked it and sure enough he found coorosion. He told me that Ford had put out a bulletin with the recall for them to be carefull when replacing the sensor as they could damage the connector. My CPS was changed the end of March. I was told that a new connector harness was not available at this time due to them replacing a lot of them. The mechanic put some dielectric grease in the connector so I guess I'll be keeping my fingers crossed the next time it rains.

 

[Kevin Angstadt]

I'm at my wits end with this thing.

Friday morning it was raining. I started the truck and went on my way. Within a half mile the motor started sputtering again. Pulled off the road and drained the fuel filter. Tried to start and it would run about 2 seconds and sputter and quit. After numeroustries it finally started. The fuel pump was sounding funny so I drove it to a local shop and we replaced it.

This afternoon I tried to start it after a brief rain storm. It did the same thing. After of 10 min. of trying it finally started and stayed running. I ordered a new throttle for it and I should have that in the moring. I'm just picking at straws here, I don't know where to turn to next. Does anyone have any ideas?

The last time the codes were read, I posted the codes earlier in this thread, they did an injector test. You could hear each injector buzzing but #1 would buzz longer than the rest. Does anyone know if this is normal? I was told that a lot of the timing and other things are determined by the #1 injector.

Can anyone recommend a scanner to check the codes? I was even considering buying an edge so that I could monitor the engine codes.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[JLDickmon]

pull the IDM from the fenderwell and check the body of it..

there should be a little baffle plug up high on the backside that keeps moisture out..

I'm gonna bet ya it's gone, and it's spraying water in there..

guess who just went through the same scenario?