I need your expertise in trouble shooting my 2003 6.0 PS with 66k miles.
I was snow plowing last night going down the highway from one job to another. It started making this ticking noise which sounded a little like a exhaust leak. I gave it gas and it started missing and some black smoke came out the tail pipe. It does not have the power it should either. It does not have any check engine lights on. It idles fine. In fact I continued pushing snow in some of my smaller jobs. It seems really noticeable at rpms above 1800 or so. I have not been running it hard, we only got 3" of snow. I am worried I will really hurt something it I go back out but I am losing serious money sitting here. I called Ford and it will be 3 days to get me in! I have been letting it idle while I shovel the sidewalks, not usually more than a half hour. Ford suggested EGR and replacing it. I'm not going to start throwing on parts with out me hearing it from you guys first.
My thoughts.
Bad fuel? I did fill up a few hours before the symptoms
Fuel filter? I do not know the history of the truck. I bought it used 3000 miles ago. OASIS came back fine with an injector being replaced 10000 or so miles ago.
Another bad injector?
Water sucking in through the K&N FIPK? However it did not clear up on the dry 45min drive home.
Please help me get this back on the road ASAP!
Thanks everyone!
66,000 on your 03 its still under warrenty for the 5/100.I would take it in.You could pull the EGR out and clean it put i did mine at around 90,000 on my 03 and it looked pretty clean.I did it cuz the pics people were posting on how curded up theres were.and thought mine would be a mess at 90,000.
Take it to the dealer stress this truck is how you make your living and need it back asap.
Who you pushing for up there? I'm down in Overland Park. 4 snows in a row =D.
Does it sound at all like it could be something rattling around in the exhaust? We had some bolts shred off in one of our v10 plow trucks and get stuck in the manifold and it makes a god awful noise when your over 2k rev's and it will occasionaly smoke. Dealership assured us that it won't hurt anything. We are holding off on doing anything since they said it would take 2 days to fix and we can't afford to have it out of service.
Maybe have someone lay underneath the truck so you can figure out exactly where its coming from.
I'd start with some Power Services 911, possibly a new fuel filter and then try unplugging the EGR. IIRC, if the EGR is already somewhat gunked up, unplugging it may not help as it may not be closed all the way when you shut it off. Make sure you turn it off before pulling the plug on the EGR.
Well I took it into Ford. They think it is the #4 injector. It's going to take 3 days to get it in. Luckily no snow in the forecast. They think there is a program or a chip in it because the boost is tacking. The guy I bought it from didn't think there was any program. Ford said when it comes back to me it will be reset to factor specks. I don't know much about these things. Are there chips you can have or just programs? If there is a chip then I don't want Ford to take it. How do I know what it has?
im betting money that you have an exhaust leak. same prob with mine one time. when you have a leak the turbo dosent get all the flow it needs so it trys to compensate by boosting more to keep up.. but your seeing more black smoke because the turbo isn't spooling quick enough to keep up with the injectors because of the leak. tell the dealer to do a smoke check on your exhaust. its the quickest and easiest way to find it. Good luck!
im betting money that you have an exhaust leak. same prob with mine one time. when you have a leak the turbo dosent get all the flow it needs so it trys to compensate by boosting more to keep up.. but your seeing more black smoke because the turbo isn't spooling quick enough to keep up with the injectors because of the leak. tell the dealer to do a smoke check on your exhaust. its the quickest and easiest way to find it. Good luck!
That makes since and would explain the noise I am hearing. I'll call them in the morning and ask them to do the smoke check. I have aftermarket exhaust, will that effect anything?
besides the dealership might want to be a pain in the butt about warrenty issues with it, it shouldn't be a problem with the smoke test. you should ask them for a factory air box for it too and get rid of the k&n. they have been known to ruin the turbos on these trucks. the factory one is much better cause it filters smaller particles and is said to support up to 500 ponies, which 95% of us arn't hitting even with a tuner.
The saga continues. Ford replaced #4 injector yesterday. Today they say it still isn't right. The ticking noise is throwing them off. They think it is a lifter in one of the heads. They are pulling at least one head off tomorrow. All I can say is I am glad this puppy is under warrenty! I asked if this is a common problem. Their answer is they have never heard this on a 6.0 before. I asked them to put ARP head studs in while they were at it and they laughed.
Got a call from the Ford dealer today. The "hotline" suggested they swap injectors around. That didn't do it. They said they are in the process of replacing the fuel injection control module which they really don't think is going to solve all the problems. They think it will take care of the misfiring but not the ticking noise. They have narrowed it to the driver’s side of the engine. Can someone out there with technical expertise and has knowledge with the 6.0 please help us out. They are just throwing parts on now and do not know what the problem is. They are really nice and determined to fix this but I need my truck back!
Last edited by KCGman : 01-07-2008 at 07:16 PM.
Reason: spelling
Well I feel like I am talking to myself here. Surely one of you Ford techs can chime in. FICM replaced and no change. Today they told me it may be a push rod. It will be Friday before they can pull the valve cover off. I am starting to get a lilttle pissed off. The mechanics are doing what "FORD" tells them to do. Should I be escalating this somehow? Should I be concerned that this is now gone on for 10 days and they don't have a clue?
KCGman, any "ticking" noise exhibited from a 6.0 is usually valvetrain. It could be coming from the lifters, pushrods, rockers, or valve bridges. I have seen instances of both bent pushrods (typical) and failed rocker tip pads...both which will cause sometimes excessive lash in the valvetrain- more than what the lash adjuster in the lifter can handle.
Thank you PSD 60L FX4. They are acting like this is something they have never seen before and not at all common. I find it hard to believe that I have something rare. I would tend to think it is their inexperience which is scaring me.
The bad:
It is snowing and I am sitting here not making money.
The good:
Well, none of the above solved the issue. Ford called first of the week and said they have to pull the driver head off because they have no idea what the problem is. I guess to do that you have to pull the engine. I went in to check on it Tuesday and they found the problem. A lobe on the cam was deeply scared. It was causing a valve to hit the piston. Not sure if it was intake or exhaust valve. This was in turn tripping the knock sensor which was causing the rough running. I have no idea what caused this or if it is common. Anyway, they ordered me a new long block! It will be Monday before it arrives, Wed at the earliest getting my truck back. The new motor will have a 3yr/75,000 warranty. My truck has 66k. I think I would be silly to get rid of it. Praise God for the 100k warranty. If I have to pay for all of this, which there is no way I could, it would cost well over $10,000 by the time it is all said and done.
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Quick help needed on snow plow truck engine issue
Finally found the problem!!!
