Hi guys,

So I bought a 2001 F350 Super Duty, Crew Cab, XLT, 6' box at an auction. Was looking for a 7.3 and everything remotely local was 10k+ and looked beat.

I paid 3200.00 before the fees (272k on it). I had the chance to start it before and it runs, but smokes like a hippy, discovered one of the harness connections to the right valve cover was pretty loosy goosy..

I got it home and started working on it. Started with the obvious and made a big list on Rock Auto and here is what I got to.

1) yellowed headlights - replaced with newstyle kit
2) rust - nothing done yet - but gonna need to
3) smoking - ICP sensor code and harness is wacked - ordered from ebay
4) injector O-Rings - replaced and found out that injector #4 had some moron leave a copper washer so they just crushed it when they re-installed the injector and deformed the brass cup. Removed - Replaced - Reinstalled new one (had to make a tap and driver on the lathe) - Smoke is cut down to 1/3 of what it was before and clears up pretty quick after a minute of warm up.
5) stereo faceplate was missing - Ended up being a high end alpine deck and a new faceplate was 45$ on ebay
6) Leveling kit, brought the front end up 2.5~ inches so it doesn't look like its rolling down hill.
7) replaced oil/fuel filters
8) cleaned the S&B air filter
9) PDA fix for right passenger door as per THIS SITE.
10) truck was obviously broken into on the right side (lock punched and ruined), since I don't care I fished the lock back out of the door and glued it back in. Looks good, doesn't function. Don't really feel like replacing the lock / door handle (which is good outside except for the broken inside) when I have power / remote un-locks and the drivers side is good.

Things I need to do to it yet -
a) Install a tail pipe - 4", it is missing due to the previous owner having stacks (which I hate).
b) transmission woes - drags going into 2nd gear both directions. - rebuild required I'm sure. 1-3k ugh.
c) install ICP sensor and harness when it shows up
d) rewire the left hand injector/glow harness (exterior side) as I havn't had a chance to do this yet, did the right but ran out of steam and daylight.
e) body work - 2k or so.

that is it so far, what a project - has been great working on this with my 8 year old.

so far the only thing that concerns me is the smoking.

After the o-rings and the one injector that needed the cup replaced the smoking is WAY less, also ran some of this hardcore "pour it in your fuel filter direct" injector cleaner and it cleaned up the smoke a bit more.

Hoping that the ICP sensor replacement will fix the remainder of the issues.

any ideas? Looks like the driver side injectors have already been replaced with aliant injectors, right side looked yellowish and carried no brand (suspecting original injectors).

 

Bumping you back to the top.

 

Can you do any data logging? What is the ICP pressure and IPR duty cycle at idle and WOT?

What color is the smoke?

 

Well I did the following now.

I ran some SICKDIESEL repair fluid through the fuel filter that had "unknown" hours on it.

Inspected the Fault Codes - ICP is goofed. Ordered a new one and should see it here in a few days.

Smoke is down to almost nothing, other then the usual start up smoke. When I get the new ICP and harness in the mail here I'll replace those and go from there.

I don't know what type of chip is on this thing so once I clear all the codes / sensor problems I'll have a better idea of what is mechanical and what is electrical / sensor issues.

Right now when it is cold + 30 seconds or running I have almost no smoke at idle. When it is hot I get some smoke on high throttle applications. It smells fuelish and is definately not black or blue a bit whiteish. But due to the ICP having oil coming through it I'm suspecting it could be related. THe truck runs better on having the ICP unplugged.

thx for your help and suggests are appreciated. unfortunately I'm just waiting for parts now.

 

New ICP Sensor and Orings seem to have solved the smoke problem.

But I discovered a new problem.

Takes 10 seconds of cranking to start. To me it sounds like a fuel problem. Zero sputtering when it goes, but it is almost like the shutdown solenoid isn't engaging for a bit.

I took a look at the shutdown solenoid and it was missing the hold down nut on the back of the shaft. I put an oring on there to hold it and made no difference. How sensative are these things? do they need to be cinched down or should I be looking somewhere else.

I can't do anything about the data logging right now.....

The Tach seems to bump after about 3 or so seconds of cranking. bumps to 200 + rpm...

 

As I mentioned I bought this truck at an auction and I found what I believe to be a CPS sensor in the glove box. It looks unused. Anyway to test these things on a bench? Wondering if the previous owner bought one and never installed it.

cheers,

 

Ahh,,, the project continues. Truck runs well now. Ended up having the transmission rebuilt (cost around 2200$ and put a southbend clutch in it as well).

Two issues outstanding now are:

(1) drivers door handle/lock was broken into last night and the lock cylinder in the truck was smashed up. (ebay repair) with matching kits.

& ordered a viper alarm (2-way) and put a video system on my house watching the truck. Loaded my shotgun and put it behind my bedroom door.

(2) battery light comes on. Alternator puts out 14.4 volts. The light flickers constantly. Any ideas? when I push down on the connector on the alternator.

 

Truck is running well now. Replaced the front HPOP fittings (the ones on the pump) and the HPOP lines with the updated lines from International. While I was in there I did the O-RING update kit for the entire top of the engine. I believe I've eliminated all the oil leaks (for now). I soaked all the oil out of the valley and scraped all the dirt out of there when I had it all apart. I also rebuilt the fuel filter with the kit from riff raff. AND.... since I was pulling the turbo for the reseal kit I put in the fuel line return kit from riff raff. As for that kit I'm not sure if it made a difference for performance, but it did make a HUGE change in how fast the engine bled the air out of the fuel rail. Like a few minutes running = no sputter start.

Next project is to take the front hubs axle apart. I think I have a bad axle bearing, when I put the truck into 4x4 it rattles and grinds. I've taken the hub plastic apart and I can see both front and back rubber membranes pulling in on the 4x4 command, and nothing feels loose and the knuckle U-joint on the axle feels solid. I think the bearing might be trashed inside..... any ideas? difficult fix?

looks like the bearing parts are 10$/per on rock auto and the seals are inexpensive as well. more of "labour" job. any pointers would be appreciated. hub assembly is noise free and problem free. noise exists only when in 4x4.

cheers,

 

There are detailed instructions in the Tech Folder on the care and feeding of the front hubs. I also recommend stopping at the 7.3L Power Stroke engine forum and diving into some engine specific reading.

 

it was the cardone joint.

 

Congrats on the truck and its recovery. I would want to still test the alternator as it might be putting out the proper voltage but not enough amperage. I have seen those symptoms on several cars I have owned and it usually comes down to the voltage regulating chip that is built into the alternator. If you have a friend with an electronics shop they are not a hard repair but most places just replace them now days for simplicity.