You are right, there are so many transmission and throttle related threads I get confused on which one I am reading. Wasn't trying to be an a$$ hole

 

I hope it didn't sound like I was implying that you were. It just seems like a lot of these issues are somehow tied to the brake and accelerator. For example DCinVA stated:

"My issue is simple. At a stop, or rolling slowly, foot off the brake, push the go-pedal, no response (no-go). It acts like a bad connection between the pedal and the throttle body."

This morning I used a different tactic to induce the condition. As I approached a stop sign, I let off the accelerator, but not quite all the way. I'd be surprised if I was holding the engine speed more than 50 RPM above idle. While holding the accelerator at that position, I applied the brake to come to a complete stop. I remained stopped for a few seconds. I then let off the brake and depressed the accelerator further to go. Nothing happened for at least 2 seconds. I tried this several times, using differing amounts of accelerator pedal both before and while stopped, then also to accelerate from the stop. I found the delay varied quite a bit, with the worst outcome caused by really laying into the accelerator while it didn't want to go. That caused a lurch then a sudden reduction in engine power.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not insinuating that this condition is always caused by 2 foot driving. Could the throttle position sensor (TPS) be set to close to the end of travel of the accelerator's mechanical linkage? Or is it a mechanical problem with the linkage? I don't know. A lot of folks have stated "It's not a 2-foot driving problem!" but they didn't actually come out and say that they weren't 2-foot drivers. It's winter. With big heavy boots you may never realize that you're depressing the accelerator ever so slightly.

My belief is that some of this info can be used to help troubleshoot the condition.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

Driving in Manual mode - Interesting idea. I tried this, just for grins, and found it to be awkward as the shifter button is on the shift stalk. I did try if for a while, and I don't think I learned anything from it.

In terms of driving two footed - Following the guidance from Romeo Scorpien I was able to duplicate the no throttle response issue by lightly pressing the brake and the throttle at the same time. This has given me cause to pause, and wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, I may have had my foot on the brake. I really cant say for sure, but it has made me keenly aware of this feature (brake override) on these powerful trucks. It has been three weeks since I got it back from the dealer, and I have not had the problem, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Now if I could just get that annoying buzzing noise that occurs on windy days fixed.

 

I also have a 2011 F350 DRW build, not sure how to get build date. I also experience the same issues addressed in previous posts. I took it to dealer in 10/11 and they reflashed engine but it did not help. Have appt to take it in again this week but I may hold off and try some of the 2 footed tests since I am a 2 footed driver. I really appreciate all the posts and info.

 

It has been a month since I last posted on this thread, so I thought I would give everyone an update. Since my last post I have still not experienced a recurrence of the dead throttle issue. However I have discovered that under certain driving conditions I have found myself with right foot on the throttle, and left foot on the brake. Holy Cr@p! I would have bet money that I was not a 2 footed driver, and under normal conditions I am not. To my dismay, I discovered that sometimes, when sitting at an intersection waiting to pull out into traffic, I use my left foot on the brake and the right on the throttle. I believe I do this subconsciously as a way to have a faster reaction time for either throttle or brake if needed.
So... I think I have concluded (although I am not 100% sure) that I may have been causing the unresponsive throttle by my own driving habits. I will keep monitoring this, and report back when/if I draw a final conclusion.

As a side note, I had a discussion with a friend a friend of mine and we speculated that perhaps the engineers designed the brake override "feature" into the software in reaction to the Toyota fiasco several years ago where claims were made that the cars would accelerate on their own. I was never convinced that the Toyotas sudden acceleration was as bad as some claimed, but from a liability perspective adding this "feature" to the software was a simple and cost effective way to help prevent runaway cars or trucks.

 

I have an '11 F450 built in the Fall of '10. Mine has done this about half a dozen times, but only in the last year or so. To the best of my knowledge, I drive using only one foot (unless I'm doing a powerbrake with the traction control off).
Dealer says they've never heard anyone else complain about a dead stick, but it could be related to changes I made to the truck (different size tires, shocks, tuner, deletes, new stereo, toolbox, air springs...blah, blah).

Since there are never any codes generated when this happens, they won't take me too seriously. I'm hesitant to leave my truck with them (again). See, I've had it at the dealer for months on end (for other issues), and it's always "one step forward, and two steps backwards". I can honestly say that they've never ever figured anything out on the first try. Multiple trips are always required! I don't have a dealer nearby, so losing the use of my truck for long periods of time is expensive for me (not to mention the lost time). Dealer is a last resort for me, though I agree this is potentially a dangerous situation.
I wish I could somehow retrofit a REAL throttle cable!
Unlike others here, I can not duplicate conditions for this strange "dead stick" issue, but it's not something that happens a lot, so we'll see if it gets any better/worse. I will try some of the things mentioned in this thread to see if I can get it to act up.

Not to get sidetracked, but I did have one similar issue that I blamed on Ford, but turned out to be my fault. My truck had this unnerving habit of turning the engine off during high speed passing of other cars. It would naturally do this around 70-80 MPH, and the engine would then not restart unless I erased the codes that were generated each time this occurred (something related to high and low fuel rail pressures). I mentioned those incidents to the dealer, as well as calling my tuner's manufacturer. Both acted surprised to hear about this condition, so I've had to live with that dangerous situation for several years. Well I finally called the tuner company again in case the issue had been reported by others, and they actually admitted it was a software glitch caused by them! A simple software update resolved that. I did have to eat crow on that one, as I leaned toward the problem being with Ford.
Complicated trucks for sure, but overall I'm still happy with mine...

 

I started this thread in June, 2011 and have followed the comments closely. Thanks for everyone's postings.

I also have talked with a number of mechanics about the problem. The consensus is, for me, the condition is built it in--perhaps for safety purposes.

I also have watched my driving habits to see if I had been initiating the problem. Perhaps I was. So now, I try not to drive "two-footed" and, instead, I drive "separate footed." That is, I use my left foot on the brake but do not touch
the brake pedal while my right foot is touching the accelerator. I use this approach because there seems to be a time-lag when using only the right foot. Moving the right foot from accelerator to brake is clumsy and slower, as far as I can observe.

I still wonder why this condition or design is used in the 6.7 when it is not present in my 2014 Explorer. If it is a safety issue or there for error prevention, aren't those same possibilities present in all vehicles? Whatever the reason, I would prefer this obstacle did not exist and I wish a "two-footed" approach would be possible. I believe it is more convenient and a quicker way to make foot movements.

I hope comments and suggestions keep appearing. Thanks

 

Hopefully you found a solution to your problem that meets your needs. And it sounds as if it won't cost you anything, which is a plus.

I grew up driving a standard transmission, and still do. I guess the two-footed driving style never took hold on me except for one foot for the clutch pedal and the other for the accelerator and the brake. I never have used the left foot for the braking so I can't relate to your situation, except for pulling up onto ramps or really close quarters. My mother was a heavy left footed and heavy right footed driver. She would sit at a traffic light with the engine racing while she was mashing on the brake. She went thru brakes and gas alot.

 

I learned to drive on a stick truck as well so I've never done the two-foot method unless it's for burnouts.

The only accelerator issue I've noticed often is turning right from a stop sign after coming to almost a full stop, about halfway through the trun the engine seems to fall flat on it's face. I haven't watch the shift indicator to see if its shifting at this point though. I do notice that shifts are very lazy in the truck.

 

I agree that the shifting qwerks with this tranny are annoying. The best time this thing shifts is when I'm at 1/2 throttle and above and just letting it run up thru the gears. Any light throttle or on and off and back on the throttle results in a herky jerky, hiccup, stumble, or whatever you want to call it type of shift. Definitly not the smoothest shifts. But when I put my foot in the pump it never misses or stumbles one bit. I've had the flashes and the solenoids changed and new tranny fluid. All temporary fixes at best.

 

I had never paid much attention to my driving style until reading this thread a while back, so a few days ago I decided to make a conscious effort to see how my feet operated. I too grew up driving a manual and for a good portion of my adult life as well. Perhaps because of that, my observation was that my left foot stays planted flat on the floorboard in front of the seat most of the time, and isn't even near the peddles. On occasion, I stretch my left leg into the wheel well, but it is actually underneath the parking brake peddle even then. I guess we can thank the Prius drivers for our inability to powerbrake our trucks. I would love to try a boosted launch, but it appears that is not possible thanks to BOA programming it out.

 

I haven't read this thread till now, because the title didn't apply to me, but EO- I saw your "cliffs notes" reply on my phone App, and had to chime in. But first lemme go back through some recent replies.

Casey- forgive me if these comments are totally off base, but I've got quite a few years of driving familiarity with gas-burner turbo cars, so "turbo lag" is no stranger to me. Is the explorer just more responsive because it's a naturally aspirated motor? Even compared to my old Supra, this diesel has very noticeable "lag" before it gets moving, but I don't attribute that to any pedal or transmission problem, it's just a by-product of the design, as far as I can tell.

I will say this:

Try driving around in tow/haul mode for a few days, and see how your transmission behaves. I've been doing this for a couple/few months now, and I LOVE IT. It's minimized turbo lag, gear changes are much more crisp, and the throttle response is noticeably quicker. The truck drives soooooo much better, for my wants, at least.

Z- is it possible you're lifting that RR wheel and the traction control is intervening? I got tired of all the computer controls on this thing interfering, causing those kinds of drivability annoyances, so I've gotten in the habit of turning off the traction control after I put the key in and before selecting a gear.

Lol! EO, this is really why I started typing.... Powerbrake launches are ABSOLUTELY do-able on these truck, so are smoky burnouts. Just to re-affirm, I did a couple on the way in to work this morning.

I wouldn't make a habit of it, but if you were ever just in "show-off" mode, come to a stop, disable the traction control, lock the rear diff, engage tow/haul (this step might not be necessary), left foot heavy on the brake pedal, then stomp the skinny pedal to the floor. In about a second both rears will start rolling

My 35's put up a fight, but 800 ft-lbs got the upper advantage, lol. At about 25mph, I started getting some wheel hop/axle wrap/bad shocks, so I rolled it on out and away she went

Now, for the powerbrake launch, same thing as above, but this time, engage 4hi as well. Again, the torque will overpower the brakes, so when you feel it starting to creep, let off the brakes. No wheel spin and the damn truck comes out the hole like a raped ape, lol

Anyway, completely useless info, and sorry OP for the , just thought to offer my 2 cents

Motor on....

 

I can confirm Chuck's report on powerbrake launches is spot on

 

LOL!

Andre- I was just thinking... I bet Matt's truck with the 18's and the tune/delete oughta REALLY be a hoot to slide around in Where y'at, Tofan?

****... total thread de-rail...

 

I bet he can lay some nice strips...
sorry OP