Hello,

I have a 2005 F350 with the 6.0. I bought it in January. A few months ago occasionally, after a cold start it would chug, lurch, and blow bluish smoke until warmed up.

It has been getting progressively worse, and is present at about 95% of cold starts.

This is what I have done so far, based on searches and feedback on this site.

1. Change oil/ filter.
2. Change Fuel filters.
3. Clean EGR Valve.
4. Add RevX to oil.
5. Check FICM (48 volts at KOEO, 49 volts at KOER)
6. Auto zone scan shows no codes present.


This has also taken place on several tanks of fuel, from different suppliers.

Any thoughts as to where to go next? Stopped at the dealer and their reply was, "with 149,000 miles, it's probably injectors, want to schedule replacement of all 8?..."

What do you think?

MK

 

Did you notice any change when you added the REV-X? I had the same problems, cold starts were a bear. REV-X helped smooth them out, but I went ahead and finally did the #1 injector and that solved my issue. Depending on the service history of the vehicle, extended drains on oil or poor maintenance can lead to the injector stiction issues.
you can also "plug it in" and if having the oil and engine warm the starts are better, then you might have some stiction issues. Before I would go for replacing all 8 injectors I would have Ford identify the injector (s) causing the issue and only go with them. At over 200 per pop, replacing injectors that are not bad seems like a waste. Also make sure that the FICM maintains your voltage. Just because it shows 48 with KOEO, KOER make sure it maintains that and doesnt drop off. Also check batteries, as they can cause problems for FICM and that can do injectors up quickly from low voltages.

 

Do a bubble test. Dont remember what all you have to do but you will be taking the secondary filter out and pulling some fuses and relays. Cranking the engine and look for bubbles. If you see some means need to replace injector seals.

 

Thanks for the replies. I forgot to add that it starts fine, every time. There are no hard start issues.

Honestly, I noticed no change, at all, after the revX.

Both batteries are brand new, replaced at the time I bought the truck...

I'll search for the bubble test.

Thanks,

mk

 

Like others have said it's probably an injector or two. Switching to a 5w-40 oil might help as well. Mine seems to be getting a little better by adding ashless two stroke oil to the fuel on a regular basis (been doing it the last 6 months) it could just be the warmer weather too though.

 

Sounds like a FICM or injector stiction. When you did the FICM test, did the V stay at 48V after you started the engine or did it drop and then build back up?

What oil are you running? Rotella T6, 5W-40 is recommended to help injector stiction as well as the aforementioned Rev-X.

A stop at the dealer for an injector contribution test might be in order.

I had similar symptoms when I purchased my truck and 2 doses of Rev-X along with 2 T6 oil changes have cleaned mine up completely. I have also read about Archoil as a substitute to Rev-X as it's supposed to do the same thing and is quite a bit cheaper.

 

Thanks. As soon as I started the truck the voltage went up to 49 volts. There was no dip.

I am using Rotella T6, 5W-40 and Rev-X.

I might try a different dealer, and see about having them do the test. My local dealer was sure in a hurry to sell me 8 injectors.

Thanks for the help so far.

MK

 

Just an update. I happened to find myself driving by an International garage not to far away from the city that I live in. I decided to stop in just to see if they could tell me anything.

I described the problem to the tech and he told me to not put injectors in it just yet. He told me to change the oil and put in two bottles of CD-2 Oil Detergent in it, run it for a few thousand miles, and repeat if necessary.

I put the two bottles in, drove it about a hundred miles, and I swear, the next day the problem was gone.

The CD-2 was about $2.89 each at Farm and Fleet.

Just thought I would share.

 

Awesome! It's great when a fix is that easy. If it keeps running right be sure to hunt this thread up in a month or so and keep us up to date with a post. I'm not a big fan of "mechanic in a can" but there are sometimes when the right chemicals can be useful. Sounds like this stuff may be one of them. Good luck!

 

sounds like an injector concern.

 

Try sea foam. My 6.0 did the same thing and I tried alot of things and Sea-foam cured my problems. Bought at Auto Zone

 

Yeah, I've never been a fan of any "wrench in a bottle" snake oil products, but I figured that since people claim REV-X fixes their problems, and it didn't work for me, and I'm facing injector replacement anyway, I may as well try what the International guy told me.

It worked. I've started it and run it right away the past two days. No smoking, bucking, and, although never really "hard" to start, it starts much faster (used to take about 4 seconds of cranking, now takes 2-3 to fire up.).

I'll monitor it to see what it does. This is not my daily driver,

MK