i am new to the diesel world and i bought a 2003 f350 6.0. i have owned the truck for a month and i am having some issues i need help with. i was driving down the hwy while i was driving the truck only wanted to go about 60 mph even if i put it to the floor then the truck died so i got out put some diesel 911 in the tank it fired up and i got it home. after i got home i tried to leave again and the truck will start and idle fine. while the truck is in neutral or park it will rev up just fine but as soon as i put it in reverse or drive it will not drive or even rev up? any feedback would be appreciated thanks.

 

What is your fuel pressure and ficm voltage? Any codes?

 

the only code i have is the water in fuel indicator. i have no idea how to check the fuel pressure. what is ficm?

 

Moved to the 6.0L Powerstroke Diesel forum.

 

Starting with the basics - have you changed the fuel filters? Have you changed the oil and filter? What oil are you using? How healthy are your batteries and alternator?

The WIF light is not necessarily causing the issue, but it could be an indication of a problem with fuel delivery. Usually when the owner does not drain the water out of the plug (or gets bad fuel frequently), it begins to corrode (and grow algae, etc) and the contacts rust. This can cause the WIF elight to be on all of the time. Sometimes bending a Carb cleaner straw and spraying as much in there (in the drain plug) as you can get will fix it. Most of the time, it requires pulling the cover and cleaning. Sometimes HFCM replacement is required. Seems like Ford discontinued the sensor kit part (6C3Z-9C264-C).

 

I did change both fuel filters cause at first I thought it was a gelled fuel issue. The primary on the frame I cut the screen and looked in the pleets and it looked like somone smeared peanutbutter in between the pleets and I did notice the secondary was a wix filter so I was a little nervous about that. I have not changed my oil or filter yet and I think he was running 15w40 rotella I did check the oil and it looked fine. Batteries are both healthy and I believe the alternator is fine also.

 

If the oil filter is an aftermarket filter, it might not fit well enough to completely depress (close) the oil drain valve. That is a FREQUENT cause of a no-start. Your injectors are actuated with oil. ANY LAPSE in proper oil maintenance will ruin injectors. 6.0L owners have proven this over-and-over since 2003. Also 15W40 is not all that good in cold weather. Much below freezing and you can cause injector performance issues with it. Ford does not recommend it below 20 degrees and IMO it is not wise to use it when the temps dip below freezing.

I would change the oil and filter. For the oil filter, use only the OEM which are Racor, International, or Motorcraft. You can get the Motorcraft oil filter at WalMart.

Aftermarket fuel filters are also bad news. Use only the OEM which are Racor, International, or Motorcraft. Order the filters from Riff Raff Diesel or DieselFiltersOnLine for very good prices (fuel and oil).

If you had plugging of the primary fuel filter (which you obviously did with what you described), the truck was almost certainly operated with low fuel pressure. Low fuel pressure can ruin injectors.

In addition to the fluid and filter changing that you need to do, you absolutely need to install a fuel pressure gauge. You also need to install an electronic gauge system. The most common are ScanGaugeII or the Edge CTS. You can also install the DashBoss App for the I-Pad, if you have one; The Torque App is available for Android users. Some people also use the BullyDog Outlook monitor, and I use a DashDaq. Since Ford never installed a fuel pressure sending unit, installing that gauge would be a complete "add-on" (sending unit AND gauge).

As far as the batteries go, be aware that a simple voltage check is not adequate. You need to have each of them individually load tested. Weak batteries and a weak alternator can cause your Fuel Injector Control Module (FICM) to fail. This will cause a no-start. The electronic gauge system described above can help (not 100% though) detect a FICM issue. You can test the FICM with a DVOM (procedure described in the Tech Folder).

All that having been said, it truly sounds like you have a fuel pump issue and might need a new HFCM. I would do all of the other things mentioned first though - just so you are not throwing parts at it. For the sake of your pocketbook, I hope you do not have injector issues, but it sounds like they were not treated very well by the previous owner.

FICM Test Thread:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/8...procedure.html

Our Tech Folder:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/3...ch-folder.html

 

Since you found a Wix filter make sure the filter caps are also OEM. Very important.

 

Good catch Mike! reps when I can ..........

 

ok 69jc since i found the secondary fuel to be a wix could the cap still be the oem cap? the filter seemed to fit and seal fine.

 

Ok so heres the scoop on my issues. I took the truck to a local ford dealer and they said #3 and #7 are bad. #3 was a dead misfire and #7 is stuck open. the egr valve is also stuck open. so they said to replace all 4 injectors on the right bank replace the egr valve and change engine oil and filter. please let me know what u guys think. FYI i plan on getting a egr delete they want $230 for a new valve so on to my next question what would u guys recommend for a egr delete?????? thanks so much for all your input!!!!

 

A waxy fim on the filter shows it was gelling... how cold is it where you are? Unless you somehow had summer fuel your local fuel should be good to 0. Here in Northern Colorado the spec is 10 degrees for October, November, -12 December to February and then 10 for March with April to September being straight Summer fuel.

Gelled filters and 15W40 is no bueno for the 6.0 engine in the cold.

Josh

 

EGR being stuck open is a possibility for the lack of driveability...as for the rest it sounds like they found someone to pay the electric bill for the month.

Josh

 

yeah thats for sure

 

Before getting more advice (on an EGR delete), have you done what was recommended here?

Changed filters to OEM with OEM caps?
Changed oil and filter? You do know that oil is used to actuate the injectors (and cold dirty oil can be a big issue)?
Load tested batteries individually?
Checked FICM
At least looked into gauges - including fuel pressure?

If you have not done these things (all 6.0L owners should do them IMO), then you might as well go with whatever a local dealership recommends. Without information from gauges, how can you get advice over the internet that can equal what a dealership (that has the truck) is telling you?