Hi- I hope someone can help me with this strange problem....

I bought my 2002 F250 7.3l last year with about 70K miles on it. My stepson put a few gallons of gas in the tank right after I got it before someone pointed out his mistake. We drained the tank, changed the fuel filter, did the hutch and harpoon mods and added an external in-line fuel filter while we were at it- no harm done. He then promptly took it out in the desert and blew the tranny horsing around (siezed the torque converter, his neck almost followed ). I had the tranny rebuilt with heavy duty components and added a tranny cooler.

Since this was done last April I've only put ~2K miles on it (I only bought it to haul my rock crawler). It drives fine with no load, and is fine with a load on relatively level ground. However, I cannot climb any sort of mountain grade without the tranny severely overheating (according to the temp gauge).

I had the shop look at it, they said everything checks out no problem and cleared the trouble codes. I haven't tried a steep grade since until this weekend, and the same problem occurred- normal temp on level ground, gauge into the red after 2 miles on a hill.

I was sure the shop was jerking me around, but had them look at it again anyway. They showed me the temp. strip on the side of the tranny and according to that it really didn't overheat. Tranny fluid also doesn't look or smell burnt either. They hooked up the computer and pulled 3 trouble codes- 3441, 1211, and 605.

Other relevant history- I think the gas in the tank loosened up a bunch of junk that clogged the filter- I was having all the symptoms I read on this forum for a clogged filter. I replaced the in-line filter this weekend and all the symptoms (except tranny temp gauge) are gone.

Also, when I'm around 60mph or so on the highway, after a few minutes I notice a moderate squealing noise that varies slightly with engine speed. If I speed up or slow down substantially it goes away, but always comes back sooner or later. It sounds like it's coming from the turbo (I hope not). I don't know if this could be in any way related.

The codes the shop pulled are 1211, 3441, and 605.

1211 is fuel pressure related- the clogged fuel filter would explain that.
3441 is cam position sensor.
605 is PCM ROM failure.

So- my ???'s are-
1) do you think the cam position sensor could be in any way related my problems? Is this something that just "goes bad" and I should go ahead and replace? How difficult is it to replace? I've got good basic mechanical skills (I've been wrenching Jeeps for years) but have no experience w\ the 7.3 or diesel in general.

2) Any ideas on the PCM error? I'm the 3rd owner of this thing and don't know what's been done in the past. I wonder if someone may have gotten in there with a programmer and caused the 605 error- is this possible? It looks like a replacement isn't going to be that expensive, but I really don't want to just start throwing parts at it. I can have the dealer try to re-flash it, but I imagine I would spend almost as much $$$ and a lot more time than if I just replace it myself.

The transmission shop is of the opinion that the PCM is bad and the tranny temp issue is a byproduct of this. They pointed out that when the truck is started the tranny temp immediately reads ~25% up the gauge even when the truck is cold- they feel this is indicitive of the PCM problem. Personally, I wonder if the issue is simply a bad sensor and is unrelated to the PCM. The shop said they'll dig into it further if it persists after I clear up the other issues, but they'd like those eliminated as possible causes first (which is a reasonable request).

I don't know if this problem existed before the tranny rebuild or not- I didn't have it long enough to find out before the tranny got toasted.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

 

Actually this is normal and sounds like your gauge is working properly. The gauge really is more of a glorified dummy light, but if your tranny is getting warm, it will let you know. Yellow means it's too hot, red means it's toast.

By watching the gauge, you haven't allowed the transmission to overheat and burn the fluid..... yet. Plain and simple there is something wrong with the tranny, and the shop is clueless as to what is going on. It's NOT the PCM.

Check your lines going to the tranny cooler for kinks.

You had also better ask them if they did a flush of the cooler and lines.

 

The CPS goes bad if the wind blows in the wrong direction. It is a 10 minute fix. You should carry a spare with you all the time.

As far as the PCM, I vote with Pocket. It is in the trans not the PCM.

What RPMs do you hear the noise?

 

Thanks for the quick replies!

I hear the noise arouind 2500 RPM. It almost sounds like power steering noise (you know that awful loud whining noise you hear coming from a poorly maintained care sometimes?) but it's nowhere near as loud (can just hear it above the engine noise) and has a more metallic note to it.

I'll go ahead and replace the CPS- do you have any recommendations for a good online Ford parts company or should I just shop around?

I also meant to ask- my Actron ODB-II scanner doesn't pull any codes, but the shop's nice Snap-On one does. Is my scanner just out of date or something?

 

My Actron doesn't work well either on the diesels. Check ebay for the CPS or go to International, or I guess NAPA or Ford. All diferent prices. Does the noise sound anything like a faint siren? Does it do it with the truck sitting still, and rev it to 2500?

 

The basic Actron OBD-II scanner does not work on PSD's. Our trucks technically aren't OBD-II compliant, meaning that they don't throw standard codes. You have to get a scanner that reads Ford diesel specific codes.

I'm with trike on the Ebay CPS. $45 for a brand new one in the Ford OEM package.

As for the noise.... test first by revving the engine in park. This will tell you if it's the serpentine belt or one of the drive accessories, because noise from them is engine speed specific (RPM), not load specific.

If it doesn't duplicate the sound in park at 2500 RPM, then you need to check the turbo for endplay. Take off the intake tube, and grab the shaft of the compressor wheel and try to shake it around. There should be no movement side to side or even in and out. If there is play, your turbo is the cause of the noise and is in need of a rebuild or replacement.