hello,I have never had a problem with this truck for two years I owned it ,until now, just driving down the highway and it seemed like I lost half power instantly .I pulled the right side harness off or both of them and no change, pull one of the plug harness off the driver side and It dies, replaced the gasket and injection and glow plug harness that goes inside the valve cover, no change either, what powers the right side and or the left side, help, also replaced the fuel filter, I'm running out of time and money !!!!!!!! also looked at the relay on the driver side for water in it ,it was fine , don't know how to go from here!!!!!

 

Is it running now, or at least starting? When you replaced the valve cover gasket were any of the pins burnt? Were the plugs connecting to the outside of the gasket burnt? The IDM powers both heads.

 

IDM could be bad.

 

yes it still runs, only seems like driver side, found nothing wrong with old gasket or wiring, just went instant, cranks but little louder, half power. can't seem to get rpms up. real slow, you say the Idm, I didn't know if that was the next thing in line that would be the cause, is this normal at this point . I didn't know where to stop tring myself , ford wants my first born to check it out, poor boy tring to find the fix myself, you guys are great and know what you are doing, me I can build anything out of wood, don't do well with motors !!!

 

Our IDM's are known to get water inside them sometimes. A simple check is to remove the IDM and shake it and listen for sloshing. Been raining hard at your location lately? Also when running do you get the CEL (check engine) light?

 

also, does the IDM control both sides at once or each side by it's self. Sorry if I ask dumb qustions, not great on motor terms, should I get a rebuilt one or new, this is driving me to drink !!

 

took it off no water, looks like it has rubber around some of it though

 

no check engine light came on don't know if it could be unpluged, looks like it has been replaced years back

 

The IDM controls firing of injectors on both banks. If it detects something wrong with an injector or associated wiring it can and will shut the entire bank down to protect itself. That is why I asked if you see the CEL light on. It has happened to me and this was the cause.



You can certainly just replace the IDM however if the cause is not fixed then the new IDM will do the same thing.

 

When turning the key to ON the CEL will flash really fast. If you don't see that the bulb may be burned out.

 

I have watched videos and it showed the IDM is inside the fender wall tire well, mine is under the hood mounted on the driver side on the fender wall where it is easy to see and get to. is this normal on a 1997 xlt f350 powerstroke turbo diesel .

 

I went and checked and the check engine light does flash on real fast. it has never came on just instant half power loss

 

the pic looks rough on your gasket and harness , mine looked good, replaced it anyway,

 

Yes, the IDM is located on the driver side on the fender wall and is easy to get at. The PCM is located below that and is sticking in the passenger compartment behind the driver side kick panel.

 

Since you are not getting a CEL I'm almost thinking the IDM may be the issue. Take it out and see if any water is sloshing around inside. There is a single line called the EF signal that the IDM uses to report to the PCM on error codes. If that line is down the truck will still run but the PCM will never turn the CEL On because it has no idea there is a problem. Have a friend where you can try their IDM?