I will try to give as much information as possible on this issue as far as what has happened and what I have done so far. I have been reading the help on this forum this week to get me corrected I had hoped and to a degree it helped.

I have a 1996 F-350 Crew Cab 4x4 that I bought new in January of 1996. I have added a Banks power pack with the downpipe, chip, and trans-command. I also installed the new open element filter described on this site and have had the CCV mod done as well. I have straight-piped the exhaust and when I did the cat was emptied as well. Aside from the canopy, radio and 285/75's it has remained pretty much stock and has been a great truck. I now have 172K on it and do not plan on getting rid of it any time soon. I tow a 31 foot travel trailer and between the weight of the trailer and the gear on the bed I am probably towing an extra 10,000 lbs give or take.

I had classic symptoms of a bad CPS based on some internet searches. While running down the road it would suddenly die and then restart once I released the pedal and depressed it again. This was while driving empty in traffic on a 65-70 degree evening on flat ground. So I changed it out with an aftermarket unit. I had the transmisssion serviced and inspected after a slight hesitation while pulling the pass over Memorial day weekend but now I think it may have just been a quick glimpse of the CPS issue that raised its' head later.

When I left this last weekend I was towing our trailer along fine for the first 100 miles when it did it again, died and restarted after the pedal was released and depressed. Sometimes once and then a long gap, other times two or three times in succession. It was shorter to continue to my destination plus I had the benefit of a buddy at our campsite to ponder my problem with so I continued on.

More research on-line on the fourth left me with a plan of action for Friday. I drove to Moses Lake and picked up two of the newly manufactured CPS units (March of 2012). I also replaced my air filter from NAPA (I will be buying them off the link you guys have for the $30 savings from what I paid) as well as the fuel filter just in case. My power and MPG had been deteriorating over time but it was very obvious during this tow over the pass on the 4th.

The new CPS fit great, much better than the struggle I had getting the after market unit to fit. I might add that the last unit that was installed for me looked the same. Nothing like finding out you got taken by the local mechanic for such a simple repair. I know better now.

New equipment on board and off we go continuing east towards our second destination for the weekend, northern Idaho. It ran great there other than it seemed a little hot. It was upper 80's to low 90's but not excessive. I drove pretty hard for about 75 miles to see how it was running. Appeared to have some venting from the oil dipstick so we slowed down to 65 and ran the last 125 miles easy. very happy with the way it ran.

We filled up in Idaho today and started the trip back with full tanks and a bottle of STP injector cleaner for diesels in each tank. I was looking for Kleen but that is all they had. Ran at 65 in OD at about 2100 RPM and 6-700 EGT with 16-18 LBS of boost if I was trying to accelerate. What took 29 gallons to get there, only took 18 to return and the 10 mile long 7% grade at the end of that leg in 100 degree weather had her running like a champ. Pulled 60 MPH up the hill with 20lbs of boost, 8-10 EGT (x100) and 195 - 205 on the xmsn temp with the idiot gauge on the right side of M.

This is where I don't understand it. It ran just like it was supposed to up until we started down the hill. After about 10 minutes of time having gone by down the hill, I had to mention how happy I was with the way it was running. not 2 minutes later it did the shut off "Wait To Start" light issue again. We filled up at the bottom of the hill in Ellensburg (the 18gal I mentioned earlier) and it continued to go off and on all the way home. Fortunately I had chase vehicles with me so we took it easy and limped her back.

I tried to give as much as I could to help someone help me. I read a bunch of posts this weekend trying to figure out what my issue was and thought I had it until that last 100 miles. I have another trip to head out on this weekend for 2 weeks. One drive over and then sit for 10 days on the lake. The kids will be devastated if we can't make it. Any help you can provide would be great. I was trying to look into the brwon and white wire under the dash from the steering column this evening but I am not sure if I have the right one. Is there a better description of where it comes from and where it goes? One other thing I forgot to mention. Until I started reading these posts I didnt think they were related. When I run down the road with the cruise control on and then turn on the right turn signel, the cruise control shuts off. I also have felt sometimes that when running at a steady throttle if I turn on the right blinker it has that same type of hesitation as the WTS light but without the light and pedal issue.

Thanks in advance,
John

 

I belive i would be looking for the turnsignal shutting off cruise problem first.sure sounds like the cps problem was fixed but u had compound issues.just my .002 worth but if it were mine that is where i would be at.

And congrats for buying such an awesome truck and still having it.not many that i have heard of.

 

That is my next place to start. That issue was so intermittent that until I read there could be a connection with the wire in that harness, I never even thought about it. I don't use the cruise much as I don't drive it on long trips without the trailer. The problem is I don't even know where to start with an issue like that or where the cause could lie other than what I read on-line to look for a kinked or chaffed brown and white wire.

 

If you pull the plastic covers off the column i believe you will find it pretty easy.i could be wrong but that is first.do you use the tilt very much?

 

Only when I am trying to get the column uncovered and get to the wires.

 

Check all your tail light bulbs, including the one for the third brake light (on the back of the cab). It really sounds to me like a bad brake light lamp is causing your issue with the cruise control and blinkers, and believe it or not, I have heard of that causing issues that resemble the CPS failure as well.

Another think I would try would be to unplug the fuel bowl heater. If the fuel bowl heater shorts out against the housing of the bowl, it can kill power to the PCM just long enough to cause the symptoms you describe. It should be the middle wire connector on the driver side of the fuel bowl. Just unplug it and then tape it up good so it doesn't touch against something and short out. Only other thing I can think of would be to swap the PCM relay (in the under hood power distribution box) with another one in case it is crapping out on you. The relays are all the same, so swap it with any one of them (horn relay is a good one).

Welcome to the site, and congratulations on being the one owner of a really nice truck. I can only wish that I was the only owner of mine and that it had been taken better care of.

 

Thats egg on my face.i completly forgot about the tail lights.i was just rereading that the other day.good call

 

I'm pretty sure I had the bulb removed when I installed the canopy top on it years ago. I will double check though. Could the same problem happen if there was an issue with the led third brake light in the canopy?
I will also check the fuelbowl heater and the relay when I get back home this afternoon.

What about the chip? It was removed for a diagnostic by the mechanic when my truck died on my wife while I was out of town. Turned out to be a bad alternator. If it is not taped in tight could that be a cause? It didn't start doing this until after that.

 

I would look closely at ALL the brake light connections and lamps, even the LED's on the canopy. The issue is that the PCM uses the ground path of that circuit as a signal path for functions like the brake switch to cancel the cruise control, unlock the transmission torque converter, etc. So if any of the lamps are shorted to ground (the filament burns off and touches to ground inside the lamp) the ground path is interrupted.

And yes, the chip being loose could cause that issue you're describing too. Make sure it is plugged in securely and taped down tight. If it is loose, it will cause the truck to stall when it wiggles loose from the contacts.

 

here is a thread also that is what i was talking about and led tail lights are an issue and there is a fix mentioned also

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...1&d=1272854331

we will see if that will work or someone smarter than me can fix it?

it works! see what you think about that.

 

OK guys, you pointed me int he right direction and hopefully I found everything. I did not do the relay or fuel filter yet, I will save that in case it still happens. I found the wire exposed at the connector for the brake light on the canopy and it could easily rub in the stake pocket where it went to connect with the brake lights. I also discovered that the Banks Ottomind chip was not taped down. I will crawl underneath and carefully examine the other exposed wires leading to the brake lights once dinner is over. I ran it for about 20 miles after the first two discoveries and could not get it to shut down. But then again, it ran for 350 before it happened last time.

I will let you know if anything else shows up or it continues again the rest of this week. Thanks again for your rapid responses and great guidance.

John

 

I'm glad to hear you seem to have found the problem. Let us know if it returns.