Alright guys. Quick background - have had the truck 1.5 yrs. It is 04 PSD CC 4x4 auto w/ ~150k. A few months after I got it, it went down on a failed IPR. Since replacing that, everything was pretty smooth until the winter. In the winter, while it was cold, if it went into overdrive before warming up it would stutter/shudder (like a very light miss in a gas engine). Went away completely when warmed up. Once the weather got better, it pretty much went away completely.
A few months ago, we started noticing it coming back. Keep in mind that in general, this "stutter" is nearly imperceptible on anything but a smooth road. In the past few weeks it has taken a turn for the worse and taken to occasionally have a single "miss" that is far more significant.
I have been following along in the Tech folder for things to do, monitoring in the order I thought was the most likely (of course trying to deny the fact that it could be injectors lol). Here are my results so far:
I have autoenginuity. No codes other than a transfer case solenoid that cleared and hasn't come back since I scanned initially. I had to upgrade AE to get the proper power balance charts (annoying, but oh well), once I did that test I saw no real change from any injector (with slight miss feel detectable during test). Buzz test comes back positive. No water in fuel light (although I haven't drained/checked yet). FICM shows 48v. I decided to pull off the intake tubing and check everything out (some pics attached). I did find a little oily reside along the intact tract, and at the junction up by the intercooler - inlet elbow I apparently had been dripping/leaking some oil/residue, since there is a bunch of gunk buildup on two sensor wires there (could they be the cause?). Since I didn't have any indication it was the injectors I decided to check out the EGR for being stuck open, and then check the EBP tube.
After pulling the EGR, I'm not quite sure what to think. For starters, I have some weird mid-04 build, as I have the ICP in the valve cover on the passenger side, but still have the EGR throttle plate (should I remove the plate)? Looking at the EGR, it looks fairly caked up, but I see no signs that it is stuck open... not sure if I should just clean up and put back in, or replace with a new one. Either way, I planned on just unplugging the EGR. I saw no evidence of coolant leaking either.
I also checked out the turbo vanes on the "inlet" side.... they were a little carboned up, but didn't look that bad (not sure which vanes I should look at exactly, should I unbolt from exhaust and check that side?). The intake manifold looks a little dirty looking down the EGR hole, but from the EGR throttle plate side it actually looks pretty clean.
So... directions to go from here?
Pics here:
Ford....tough?? | Facebook

 

Since repairs are expensive, if you are leaning toward injectors, a good Ford Tech can check injector imbalance. Might be worth it in the long run.

 

It could also be very possible you have injector stiction...

Since everything is checking out...


Then again it might be worth it like stated to have it looked at by Ford.

 

You can't really see the vanes on the turbo without disassembly. You can see the blades of the compressor (air inlet) and the blades of the turbine (pull the downpipe). The vanes are on the turbine side inlet (ie they direct the flow of exhaust gas onto the turbine blades at a variable pitch - depending on power requirements).

http://www.fordtechservice.dealercon...6lvgtguide.pdf

 

I know that slight studder well... Just after O/D kicks in, barely perceptible, then O/D would kick off. Always at 50 - 55 mph. Ford dealer diagnosed driver's bank bad - I replaced all 4, plus standpipe and dummy plug on that side. No more studder. Injectors would also "chatter" at very light throttle (mostly noticed using cruise and on a slight decline) before the repair. Both issues gone now. Truck runs like a top.

 

My immediate thoughts were injectors as well. I was told to run the power balance and that a bad injector or injectors would show up on it in autoenginuity, but I had NOTHING (after all the run around of doing the upgrade, and install). I DO think I might have some o-rings problems as the oil smells slightly of fuel.

 

O-rings and copper washers are much cheaper than injectors! Hope that does it for you. Probably a Saturday and your done. Worth trying for sure... Don't forget your stand pipes and dummy plugs... If you smell diesel in the oil - you're probably on the right track.

 

will the local parts store stock those, or do I need to order through the dealer?

 

All dealer stuff... partsguyed.com will have good prices There's several threads with PN's.

 

Yep, I would usually use my Ford dealership for this.

I think I paid about $35.00 for all 8 injector o ring kits.
I paid about $100.00 for the dummy plugs and stand pipes.

When you do change out the o rings, make sure the injectors get torqued down properly.

Then unless you plan on pulling the heads, you should never have to take off the valve covers again.

 

I was one of the lucky guys with the studder. I bought the truck with 206K in late June with the studder or stumble some have called it. I've gone through a few things since I've brought it home, namely an IPR replacement, updated stand pipes and dummy plugs, blue spring to name a few. My next repair will be injector o-rings as I am noticing an increase in my oil level over time. My stumble is gone, thankfully, from a dose of rev-x. My idle is all smooth now too, no more "big cam" lope.

 

I think I need to get the AE out and watch some parameters while I drive. I'm someone who can't stand just throwing parts at something. The whole reason I have the AE is my no-start last year after I bought it. I had to confirm it was the IPR before I was going to just start buying parts. AE showed me that the IPR wasn't moving/responding to any inputs...

So looking now at all the posts, I could have bad injectors, stiction/sticking injectors, failed injector o-rings, failed injector seals/check valves, turbo issues, EBP issues, EGR issues.... I just feel lost to a point.

I really wish I could place my faith in Rev-x or something to work for me. On another note/piece of information: I did a complete oil change to see if new oil would help at all. In fact, while it started better (not that it was bad before), and seemed to idle smoother/quieter, it was far WORSE at all driving conditions: far more pronounced at cruise, and now present during light acceleration in all gears.

I'm willing to go through injector replacement, but only if I can be sure that one (or some or all) are bad...

Jon

 

So.. Um.... WOW...

After reading a TON of information on Rev-X, I went ahead and bought it thinking I can afford to waste $70 on snake oil on the chance that it worked...

Not only did it work, it worked FAST.....
After putting it in, I idled the truck for about 10 minutes, then went for a road test. COMPLETELY normal running, cruising, idling. Power was back, no hesitation or bogging, ZERO stutter... and this is with the 15w40 rotella. I plan on short cycling the oil change this time, as I imagine the Rev-X is cleaning out a bit of gunk...

Over on the Diesel Garage forum, they are investigating products that are supposedly similar but more advanced tech, AND cheaper than Rev-X to use.... but so far I'll pony up the $70/oil change if it keeps the truck running like new!

 

That's awesome stuff... I tried Rev-X to no avail, but did notice small improvement in smoothness when cold. I still wound up replacing 4 injectors. Hope it lasts a while for you, but eventually it will rear its ugly head again... Many folks have had great results with it, and others, like me, not so much. Probably depends on how bad the stiction is, or if there's a mechanical issue with the injectors in question.

The following is Soapbox talk - not worth a nickel

Snake oil - I like the terminology. The new politically correct term is placebo. I wonder if we did a nationwide launch on a placebo oil additive (placing regular ole 15W-40 in a fancy container) and said "This is the best ever! It'll cure oil leaks, repair your injectors, reline your rod bearings and increase your MPG by 10%!" how many, and for how long, would it sell for $49.99 a pint. Don't get me wrong, there's some serious engineering in most of these products. I just think we tend to believe what we read too much. But on the other hand, you can't argue with results that Rev-X has on so many trucks in this forum. But what if...

 

The biggest test will be tomorrow morning. I'm eager to see how she performs in the cold. But just the running in general, compared to the last time, was night and day. She has always been weak in the morning, I'm very curious to see if this has solved that.

I agree on your placebo idea - but it seems anymore that when something like that is around, a lot of people are edgy and unwilling to jump on it until someone reports good experiences. It also looks like more and more people are getting good at recognizing the bogus "good reports" - or at least suspecting them as such and waiting for bona fide reports. I probably read 20+ good reports from forum users with over 1000 posts before I felt comfortable enough to spend $70 on this stuff... but I sure am glad that I did!