It doesn't have to be an OBS. The newer style 99 - 03 7.3 IDM's are the same so it's still a plug and play. The newer ones are just harder to get to.

Edit: Let me PM someone I know. He's not exactly close, but may know of someone close enough to you. Sorry, but every time I read your thread I have to sing a verse or two in my head of the Eagles song before I can think. That must have made me forget who to ask.

 

Ha ha,, I hate bringing stranded,, but its not worth looseing a sence of humor over... we can still laugh at it..



Is there anything I should have the shop do to the truck tomorrow to help get us on the road earlier on tusesday ? Should we get the vc 's back on? Or should that wait till the idm gets installed?m

I'm still curious about this black alge thing too. I suppose oil would probably not clog the filter.. It would dissolve in the diesel mostly right?

Any how I realy can not thank all of you enough for all the help. I can not imaging being stuck without FTE! Now that would suck!

 

You are correct sir, the oil in the fuel really doesn't hurt anything, but you will see it loosing some oil. If the filter was slimy, I am guessing it was algae in the fuel. You might want to get some algicide and put that in the fuel. As far as the VC's go it's a crap shot as far as I'm concerned. If there is no issue with the injectors, then yes, having the VC's back on would get you on the road sooner, but if there is a wiring issue or a bad injector, then they would have to be pulled again. IMO, leaving them off is probably the best since they really don't take all that long to put on anyway. Sorry you're so far away or I'd be happy to help. LOL, it would take me til Tuesday morning just to get there!

 

Algae can grow in diesel, especially biodiesel. Algae can plug up a fuel filter. Sometimes fuel filters just get old and nasty and look all black when they get plugged up in normal use. Oil will turn a filter all black and nasty looking, but it usually doesn't plug the filter, just makes it all black.

My concern is they went from bad injectors to a bad IDM so quick. I'm almost surprised they haven't said the HPOP is bad.

Here's the short version as I'm seeing it after they change the filter.
Some injectors are bad. Don't know how they determined this, but they apparently pulled the valve covers. Were they looking for injectors spitting oil or were they chasing problems they found with a buzz test or ohm test? Or did they just remember the 7.3 (superduty) had issues with a loose UVCH and they decided to pull the valve covers hoping to find a loose plug (and probably get surprised when they found 2 plugs)

Next, the valve covers are off and the IDM is bad. This is what I don't understand. Valve covers come off so the IDM is bad? It really sounds like they went fishing for a loose UVCH connector and when they didn't find it they just blamed the IDM.

If the valve covers are still off, and they let you look at it. I'd start by checking fuel pressure while cranking and also watch to see if the injectors are spitting oil while cranking.

Since "I read it on the internet" doesn't always work with the professional mechanics, another thing you might consider is calling Dennis at Contact Us You'd probably be better off sending him an email first, but ask him if someone there would be willing to walk the Ford techs through the proper diagnostics for a fee. I wouldn't expect them to do it for free, and if you were closer, I'd just suggest you get the truck towed there. You could tell the Ford guys that this is a performance shop that specializes in the old diesel engines since they probably don't work on too many OBS trucks anymore.

 

If I have algae in the tanks will It just keep clogging up the filter? Some one said on an rv forum that they had to drop the fuel tanks to clean them.. I would hate to have to do that. Any experience with that.


Check the fuel pressure? Is that because you think all these symptoms
could be caused by a bad fuel pump?

Or could the blocked fuel filter damage the fuel pump?


So tomorrow,,
Check fuel pressure while cranking, this will tell me?? Good fuel pump? Psi at what ?

2 look for oil form the spouts on the injectors while cranking,, this will tell me... That the injectors are getting high preside oil? And probably firing?

 

Fuel should be 40 to 60 psi if right?

 

Depending on the algae severity, an algaecide might work. Fuel pressure might point to a clogged screen in the FPR or some fuel restriction. Oil spitting from the injectors means the injectors and the IDM are working.

 

Thanks that is great,,
So let's just say the injectors spit oil and the fuel pressure is at 50.. What then?

".......................

Might they have pulled the vc.s just to look and see if the injector were spitting oil?
If they were not are there other things that would affect one side of the engine and not the other?


Thanks all!!!!!

 

If algaecide dose not work. Will I then have to drop the tanks?

Or should I just keep a bunch of fuel filters on hand?

 

Hypothetical questions are difficult, but I understand your situation. If the injectors are all spitting oil, then the injectors are fine. Then you would need to determine if there is any smoke coming out the tailpipe while cranking. If you had a good RPM signal. If you had any blown fuses. And probably several other things.


Maybe, but probably not since they are a Ford house. If you were a shade tree working on this yourself, that would be the kind of thing you would do.


As mentioned earlier, wiring issues or a bad injector solenoid can cause the IDM to shut down one bank of the engine. An ohm test will often find those issues. If they ohm test it, ask them to give you the specific readings for each pin, not just a pass/fail. A bad solenoid can ohm out in the acceptable range but be different enough to give you a clue.

 

I had smoke from the tail pipe before I had it hauled in.. So I can assume that at least some of the injectors were firing. Dose that tell you any thing? Or not realy?

 

Correction, 40 to 60 PSI is with the engine idling. If it will not start you will never see those numbers. 20 PSI cranking is about what you can expect to see. Algicide should kill whatever algae you have in the tanks. I wouldn't see any reason to have to drop the tanks.

I agree with Chris that any help you can get these guys at the dealership is probably worth your while. Who knows if any of these guys have ever even worked on a 7.3 before? Not that these trucks are that much different than a newer diesel, but there are design changes and some things that make our engines unique and these guys certainly don't have the experience that some on this board (I am not including myself in this "experienced" group) do troubleshooting these types of issues. I'm not sure what troubleshooting steps they could have gone through to determine that it's not your injectors and is instead your IDM, unless they have ohmed out the wiring harnesses and the injector coils. Or else they are just seeing no action on any of the injectors (no oil spurting from any of them) and are assuming that this indicates a bad IDM.

 

Oldbird(?) and I can't be the only ones in AZ... seems like it tho... and both of us are at least 6 hours from Winslow.

Yuma is closest major city from Winslow (I think)

Richard

 

wycowboy,

I am about 90 miles south of Winslow. I will PM you my cell number.

 

Thanks payson. I realy appreciate it..

Well I think it will be a stop at ford and get some algaecide..
Any ideas where I can get it?

Then hopefully help them test some things.

I know they might not be so in to the help.. But I will try..

At least I can treat the tank... Any thoughts on how many extra fuel filters I should travel with?

So 20 psi while cranking is good?