Alrighty fellas,

I've been doing a lot of research here and am trying to diagnose what's going on with my step-dad's truck. It's a 2003 F350 with the infamous 6.0. He's had it in the shop countless times, thrown a ton of money at it, and every time he gets it back, either something else seems to be wrong with it or it does the next day. It's causing nothing but problems and putting a hole in the wallet.

So recently he was having trouble getting it started. He asked if I'd take a quick look at it. He replaced both fuel filters and I replaced a fuse that looked a little corroded (I think it was for the fuel pump if my memory serves me right). After that, it fired up no problem. He ran some errands a few days later and left the truck running when he ran into a grocery store. When he came out, it had died and wouldn't start back up. He had it towed back to their house and this is where I came in.

I tried to start it first off and found the batteries were quite low. Strange, I thought, considering he had just had them plugged in for 8 hours a day or two earlier. I load tested both batteries and they looked good.

I think I'm getting ahead of myself though. Let me list what I've done relating to The Big List.


1. Pull diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's) if you can (you can have codes without a Check Engine Light).

I pulled the codes and found a handful of issues
P006A - MAP Sensor Issue
P0263 - Cylinder 1 Fuel Injector Fault
P0266 - Cylinder 2 Fuel Injector Fault
P0401 - EGR Issue
P0674 - Cylinder 4 Glow Plug Circuit Fault
P0678 - Cylinder 8 Glow Plug Circuit Fault
P132B - Turbo Issue where PCM Cycles Turbo between 15% - 85% to break it loose?

I don't know how long these codes have been stored. I know he had a couple fuel injectors replaced previously as well as the turbo rebuilt/replaced. I have no other information on what was done though.

2. Automatic transmission shift lever fully in PARK or NEUTRAL? Try restarting while slightly moving the gearshift lever.

Verified this is not the problem.

4. Battery connections (all including grounds) - all good? Alternator cable connections good?

I unhooked the connections when I load tested the battery. Seemed fine.

7. Is the starter engaging? Verify starter and ignition switch are working properly.

Seems to be fine.

8. Load test BOTH batteries individually and check the charging system (alternator). PCM needs to see 100 rpm minimum to start IIRC.

Appeared good.

10. Could a factory or aftermarket anti-theft device be causing the problem (Passive Active Theft System - PATS)? Disconnect it if possible. Same w/ a remote start system.

No aftermarket anti-theft.

11. Push the reset on the emergency fuel cut-off switch.

I couldn't find this. Any idea where it's located? I read that it's in the passenger foot well but where?

14. Verify that the oil level is correct and the proper oil and filter have been installed. Oil foaming and loss of viscosity (too thick or fuel diluted) can be an issue. Check oil level for fuel dilution, inspect oil condition, maybe even change oil and filter. Definitely make sure you filled w/ the proper oil.

Oil and filter were changed the other day but this was done after I started diagnosing things. I haven't been there since.

17. Change both fuel filters, inspect appearance of the fuel when draining the water separator (you could just have bad fuel).
Make sure that the air is purged on start-up. By following the proper (KOEO) cycling procedure before cranking."

Done.

19. If you have no fuel flow or low pressure, it could be a bad pump (HFCM), OR it could be a plugged fuel filter or plugged lines. You can blow air through the lines to check for plugging. If there is no pluggage, test the pump. First, pull fuse 302 (PCM) and relay 304 (FICM) and then pull the secondary (upper) fuel filter, remove any fuel, and then verify that it is being filled by cranking the engine. As it is being filled, make sure there are no air bubbles. If there are, you have a leak in some connections, the HFCM suction line, or the HFCM o-ring (most likely). Be sure to lube the o-ring w/ oil before re-installing....

I was by myself but I did take the lid off the secondary filter and turned the key to run. It filled the bowl quickly.

20. Pull the oil filter top and have someone crank it while you watch to see if any oil is flowing into the filter housing. If not then it is a LPO problem. Take a long extension and hold down the check valve (round black thing held up by a spring). Have someone crank the engine. The housing should fill within about 10 seconds of cranking.

I didn't have a helper.


I only included the tests that I've done so far in order to save space. One thing I did notice was that if I cranked it for a few seconds and ran to the back of the truck to smell the exhaust, I could not smell any fuel - whether burnt or fresh.


Where should I go from here. Clearly, the codes need attention but I don't know if they are new or old. If I clear them, the truck still won't start so I won't be able to see what comes back. Help!

Thanks in advance as well.

Chris

 

2006 had the Snap to Connect fitting fail on the high pressure pump. Since he has a long history of hard starts by what you are saying, sounds to be the problem. You can clear codes and they will set again if the FICM is bad.

 

Do you have a scan gauge II or edge CS/CTS? They are a must have when trying to diagnose problems with these engines. Were motorcraft filters used when the oil/fuel filters were changed? Using motorcraft filters on these engines is a must and make sure the oil filter cap is OEM, if it is not it can allow oil to bypass the filter completely by allowing the drainback valve to open in the bottom of the filter housing. Also having a scan gauge II or equivalent monitoring device will help the guys here on the forum point you in the right direction, they are very knowledgeable about these engines and will help you get it running right.

 

Interesting. I'll look into this more. I know my way around engines but I've never worked on diesels. This is all new to me.

I'll see if I can find out about the motorcraft filters/filter cap. I do not have a Scan Gauge II though I've seen this gauge mentioned a lot. I do, however, have the Torque App for an Android phone. I've used it in the past for my gas fueled vehicles with quite a bit of luck. I've also downloaded extra PID's for Ford:

FICM Main Power, Logic Power, and Vehicle Power
Injector Control Pressure
Fuel Pump Duty Cycle
VGT Duty Cycle
IAT2
Cylinder Misfire Counts
Injector Timings

...and a lot more that seem more fun/handy than anything.

Is this good enough or should I look into the Scan Gauge II?

 

I heard back that he gets his oil filters from International. As far as I know, he has never changed the oil filter cap. This doesn't necessarily mean someone else hasn't.

 

Im not sure about that torque app someone else will have to chime in on that. As far as the filter housing, some aftermarket oil filters come with a cap already installed on the filter that goes in place of the OEM cap. if you go to Ford 6.0 Liter Turbo Diesel Truck Filters, Air Filters, Oil Filters, Transmission Filters And Glow Plugs - Diesel Filters,Additives,brake rotors, and brake pads for Chevy, Dodge and Ford Diesel Trucks there is a video at the bottom of the page that shows the differences between the aftermarket and OEM filters. From what i understand you can use motorcraft or racor fuel/oil filters as racor makes the filters for motorcraft.

 

We are dealing with a 2006 engine right? Your title says 03 but I can change that

 

I'll check that link out. Thanks!

Sorry it was a typo in the text, not the title. It's an '03 F350 6.0. I fixed it in my text. Thanks for catching that.

 

That makes a huge difference, forget the snap to connect fitting and focus on the FICM. We have a run down to the FICM in the Tech Folder on what to check.

 

Sorry about that. I'm losing my mind today.

I saw the FICM diagnosis. I take it that's the next logical test. Follow up question (and something I probably should have mentioned earlier): Though that batteries passed the load test and have been charged, when cranking the key, they seem to be lacking 'juice'. The starter rolls the engine over quite slow. If the batteries aren't charging properly, that will affect the FICM diagnosis, correct?

 

Low voltage is bad for keeping the electronics alive, do a thorough check of the system.

 

Will do. Are you thinking a short/drain in the charging/starting system?

I'll check/remedy that first then test the FICM. Thanks for the help!

 

Well I did a little more poking around. The batteries are fine. I tested the FICM and have some interesting findings.

The FICM test instructions say 03-04 have 7 screws under the panel. 04 and up have 4. This truck is an 03 so it should have 7 screws, right? It had 4... I went ahead and tested it any way. The key on test was good. 48 volts. The other two tests failed completely. Testing during the buzz test and while cranking gave me 0 volts.

So, it sounds like it's the FICM that's bad. But... Do I have the wrong FICM to begin with?

Thanks in advance!

 

To answer a comment earlier in this thread...if the oil filters he's getting through International/Navistar are p/n 1840752C91; he's good to go. That's the number Navistar assigned to the same filter Racor makes as PFL-2016 and Ford/Motorcraft FL-2016.It's possible the FICM has been replaced once before. I would get in touch with Ed at FICM Repair.com - Your Source for FICM Repair; allot better option (lower price) than buying a new one from Ford. He'll repair the current one, or you can get an exchanged unit from him. You also need to figure out why the batteries are so low. Allot of attempts to start? Bad connections somewhere? Since the truck hasn't run in a couple of days I'm sure they need a charge. But starting on weak batteries will continue to roast FICM's until you address the issue. You don't have to go to an aftermarket alternator to have a good charging system; it just needs to be right.

 

You could have a late build 03, is the ICP under the turbo or on the right hand (passenger) valve cover.