i just bought a 2001 ford 250 superduty. i know it has the 4 in ex and a cold air intake.dont know if its chipped.when on cold starts the hole truck shakes and rolles as if its tring to go in gear.that and what tunner ,chip, programmer should i look at. what do u guys and gals,think of the edge evolution with the gauges in the system

 

Have you changed the oil yet? If not you might try Rotella T-6. I assume the truck runs fine after it is warmed up. If that is the case then you are describing what we call the romps on cold startup. There are some other possibilities as well, but that one should help, if you have not changed the oil then make that change today and it should reduce and just maybe eliminate the romps for you.

Next, I would see what codes if any are stored on the truck. Then clean the engine real good with some simple green and a water hose rinse, avoiding the electrical sensors. Before spyaying the engine down, I would cover the alternator, power steering pump and the intake.

After having the engine clean, take it for a drive, then look up on top of the engine and see if there are any signs of any oil or fuel leaks. There is a chance that the ICP, which is the sensor on the front top side of the driver's side head might have an oily connection. If this is the case, you will want to replace that.

Let us know if you have any leaks after cleaning it up and making the oil change and I bet the great people here on FTE will get you rolling along with a smooth reliable truck.

Before chipping, I would make certain that I had all leaks addressed: Air, Oil, Fuel, Transmission, power steering fluid, etc. Then verify all the sensors are operating correctly.

 

Simplifying:

You have the romps. Rotella T6 will help greatly if you live in a cold climate (temps typically get below 40 F).

The most common causes for romps are trying to turn the key too quickly when the engine is cold (this is more of a newbie issue - count to ten after Wait To Start light cycles off with key on), or a problem with the glow plug system. Without spark, the diesel engine compresses air to a much higher ratio than a gas engine, then it simply jams fuel in there and the fuel ignites. If the engine is very cold, the "ignite" step can get skipped one or more times out of 8 (romps). The glow plugs heat things up to start better, but they take a lot of juice and are controlled by the Glow Plug Relay - GPR (California trucks have Glow Plug Control Modules - GPCM). The GPR is directly in front of the turbo/spider and has big honkin' electrical terminals on it... hard to miss. When the key is first switched on, both of those big terminals will have the same voltage in reference to ground.

 

I would suggest that you wait about six months before thinking about getting a chip or tuner (yes, I have a chip). You should get to 'know' your truck and get her up to snuff in every way that you can before throwing in another element that will 'change' how it runs and preforms. If you are looking to get gauges, do that and they will help you find your 'baseline' in what is going on.
The first few months of the 2001 trucks have a Mechanical (metal, not electric)) diode in the transmission that may/will give you problems down the road if you are to rough with it. Find out the build date of the transmission and get back with us. Can not remember off hand where the build date tag is, upper drivers side area, I think .

 

Build date tag is on drivers door by latch or drivers door jam on the white sticker if you need actual build date for truck

 

The tranny should have a build date on it if it is the original.

 

Yeah guess if trans was swapped that could be a problem i keep forgetting these are older trucks

 

Check and see what color the cps(cam position sensor) on the very front of the motor... its best to get at it from underneath...
Laying on your back slide under the front head first and to the right of the crank pulley you will see some wires in a loom(hopefully) ... they go to the cps...

There is also a possibility that a dirty connection at the toppish driver side kinda no hand room vortex area to the tss(transmission speed sensor){see i remembered}
You could try unplugging it... squirting with electrical contacts cleaner... and plugging it back in.
Cured the romps for me once on a 97.

 

first thing first, welcome to fte and congrats on your new to you ride. these guys have givin you some great advice to get started on. as mentioned above , take some time to get to know your new rig and get it serviced as needed with some fresh fluids and filters. you can do all of this yourself. if you need help with anything, we will walk you through it. so dive on in and report back.

 

well i have done all of the above.its a mid year truck brought it to the doc and the doc says.1 bad glow plug and slight leak on the valve covergasket.other than that good clean truck never abused. so i have been looking at the dp infinity.i like the fact it has all the gauges built in and a dignosics. what is the difference between the stock tunes and then the custum tunes or the all truck specific.should i hook up gauges and watch them for a while before i do this.