Yes. The truck happened to die down the street from the shop, so the mechanic came down and we took it back there.

The thing with the oil is that it hasn't turned black. I don't think the truck has any mods done to it at all - more of a grandpa's truck. But I would think if it has the wrong oil in it, I would have had some problems within the 31 days prior to the first time it died.

<table style="border-top-width: 0px;" class="tborder" border="0" cellSpacing="1" cellPadding="6" width="100%" align="center"><tbody><tr title="Post 13059784" vAlign="top"><td class="alt1">Turbo spins up fine - I find myself listening to it more often than the radio!

I did notice this time - maybe because it hadn't cooled down quite as long as other times - that it ran almost like it wanted to die again, like it wouldn't have had the power had I given it more gas. Again, I didn't want to put my foot into it for fear of being stuck in traffic again.

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Modern oils have a detergent package that makes them pull all the deposits and sludge off of the surfaces they lubricate and suspend them in the oil. Oil usually turns black really fast these days and it is a good thing when it does. How many miles are on the oil you have in the truck now?

 

There's only about 400 miles on the oil change. Maybe, that's why it's so clean still?

On a brighter note, I just called the shop to get an update on the truck. I talked to the mechanic (an F450 owner himself) that's been working on it. He ran a CCT and found the #8 cylinder to be 5.4 while the rest of them were between 2.0 and 2.4. He swapped out the CPS (again) and that brought the #8 back in line with the others. He's working on a back pressure issue right now. The other tests ran OK. He did mention that neither of these were probably the problems with the truck dying and that it likely is the IPR. He wanted to run a test on the IPR solenoid to determine if it's the solenoid or the valve part (I have a friend that just replaced his leaky IPR and has the solenoid part still). Even though he hasn't tracked down the stalling problem yet, it does sound like I have the right man looking at it.

 

The #8 will almost always fail a CCT test because it is a different injector than the other 7. Number 8 is the last in line to receive oil (or is it fuel... hmm) and this causes it to crackle. Ford fixed this by placing an older injector model to quiet the operation.

The CCT can be made worse or better with different CPS models, however it usally comes back. The best CPS in my opinion is the grey. The original black was prone to failure, although it produced the best results, and the grey fails less, but yields worse results. Regardless of color, DO NOT - I repeat - DO NOT pay him for an aftermarket CPS. It will fail in a timely manner. A new Motorcraft CPS would be just fine for diagnostic process of elimination purposes because they are cheap enough, however aftermarket CPSs have a track record more spotted than a twister game mat.

All that said, I hope you get your truck back! I dont fault the shop, they are doing what they know to be best, however when they dont deal with one specific engine all day every day like some of us do, they have a rule set to follow, and that means fixing everything to eliminate everything. Sounds like he (or she) is on the right track.

 

You could have saved yourself both time and money if you would have replaced the IPR yourself. Only would have taken about an hour or less.

 

Some people arent comfortable doing it themselves. Taking it to a shop has a level of guarantee. I have taken my truck to dealers for simple things sometimes simply because I do not have the time and they can do it faster.

 

Pretty much what the mechanic told me, plus the closest cylinder to the driver. Not sure if that was part of Ford's motivation to quiet it down, but that's was what I was told. So far, he hasn't gotten it to die on him, but he isn't driving it as far as he needs to. I told him to try 10 miles with a little aggression. Plus, we're having them do a good once over on the engine. So far, it's just a back pressure sensor. He says the EBP regulator is a little out of spec, but nothing to worry about, now. Everything else looks good with the exception of the IPR which he says is still suspect if it dies.

I really do think this guy really does know what he's talking about. Some of what he was saying mimicked what I have read here on this forum. So, he can't be all bad, huh?

Well, I could have saved a boat load of money and a whole lot of time if I hadn't married my first wife, either.

Here's how I see it - people pay me ridiculous amounts of money to work on their computers and/or software for what I perceive to be relatively simple things (things that sometimes take me an hour or less to rectify ). Why? Because they don't have the knowledge in that area to even attempt the fixes themselves. I know two things with a high degree of confidence - IT related issues and home construction/remodels (grew up with a GC). Diesels? Not too much. I don't have the knowledge or time to try to "experiment" on my truck, yet. I will soon enough, though. Now, if it were a gasser, I would feel quite a bit more confident. Until then, I'll leave it to the guys in the shops with the right tools. Hey, it's only money, huh?

 

Oh I totally understand where you're coming from. Just so sick and tired if hearing about how people get taken advantage of by stealerships. And most people don't even know it. The thing I hate the most paying the ridiculously high labor rates for something I can do myself.

 

Curious, has anyone ever checked the HPOP reservoir when the truck dies?

 

I totally understand where you're coming from. We've had one of our vehicles in the shop once (1 time!). Ever. And that was a friend doing the work at a Ford dealership - blew up a pinion bearing in my F150. Total cost for the fix - labor: free, parts: $165. Not bad! Thank God for good friends. I've only paid for the A/C unit to be replaced in our house. Everything else (windows, roofs, 2 room additions, decks, etc), we've built. I hate paying labor with a passion; especially, certain professions that know they can take advantage of people. So, needless to say, this is killing me. Funny thing is, I do a lot of PC work for friends of friends and I always cut them a break on the cost. Most of them question the rate because they think it's too low. I even had one customer triple my quote when they wrote out the check. Hey, if it makes them feel better...

But, having just bought this truck and having it die on the first day of camping with a 26' trailer in tow, we decided we wanted the shop to do a once over on the engine with all the scan tools we don't own. So far, the shop has been pretty fair - 3, possibly 4, sensors replaced. Said the back pressure regulator is a bit out of spec, but nothing to worry about (Thank God!). Everything else looks good, they say. Now the labor rates and the mark-ups, eh...

I, personally, haven't - I'm a diesel rook, so I might as well be looking at a nuclear sub for now. The mechanic is trying to get it to die on him so he can run some checks at "the time of death." So far, he just isn't driving it far enough. I think he just doesn't want to be stranded 10 miles from the shop. I think I'm going to have then replace the IPR anyway. The shop manager said I can buy parts and they'll install them if I wanted to save a few bucks on their parts price. Anybody have suggestions for a reasonably priced decent IPR (FPR as most places refer to them)? I know, you get what you pay for, but I've seen the BWD FPR priced from $170 up to $322 on the net - quite the difference for the same part.

 

Here ya go. Clay has the best prices and customer support and is also a vender on here.

Riffraff Diesel: IPR Injection Pressure Regulator 96-03

 

Boy, you could devote a thread on this subject!!!! And I'm still on my first wife!

 

If you or your mechanic have the chance, next time it dies, before turning it over or anything run out the check the oil level in the hpop reservoir by taking the plug out the top.

 

Found mine on ebay, 125 buks std..(oem). May want to stay away from places like that, if they intrepet IPR being FPR..

IPR= injection pressure regulator
FPR= Fuel pressure regulator

 

Bought mine at the dealership and thought it was weird that they referred to it as an FPR too. Thought I was buying the wrong part but that's how they have it marked in their system I guess.