I recently bought an 03 F350. I've noticed on cold starts that it has no power. After about 5 minutes it runs very well. I have not noticed any misfires or smoke and there are no codes thrown. Based on what I have read here, I assumed it was a FICM issue. I just got done testing it and it was at a solid 48v with 1 dip to 46 on engine crank. I'm baffled at this point. The truck literally has no other issues except low power for the first 5 minutes. Any help for a newbie?

Thanks

 

Being you used the noob word i'll break it down just a bit, dont mean to be insulting if you know this stuff already .
A diesel doesn't use an ignition system to ignite the fuel mixture in the cylinder, instead it uses heat and pressure. Take away the heat and it simply doesn't run as well. To get past this issue glow plugs are used, the tips get very and help the engine start and get up to operating temp where they shut off and normal engine heat takes over. A diesel isn't going to crank n go like a gasser and 5min doesn't sound like an unusual ammount of time for it to straighten out depending on outside temp. If it a significant issue, as in the truck barely gets up to speed then there may be a problem. I don't go past 2,000 rpm's on my truck until its coolant temp is over 120* or so. I'll put the peddle to the metal sometimes also but only when it fully warmed up.

The 6.0 also has an issue with sticking injectors when cold, commonly referred to as stiction. Over time deposits from the oil and wear on the moving parts cause drag that results in incorrect fuel delivery.

I suspect stiction is your issue. The glow plug system is pretty good about turning on the check engine light, so it's probably ok.
Stiction can be addressed with oil additives like Rev-x but be aware they don't really fix anything and are pretty expensive. They will cover it up for a while and if it works it kinda confirms stiction as an issue.

There are some other possibilities like a sticking EGR valve or low fuel pressure, dirty filters etc. But if the truck is serviced well, I'd try the oil additive, if it helps check the Tech folder for info on injector spool valve cleaning and the blue spring for the fuel pressure regulator.

 

Thanks for the reply. I came in to it thinking that I would just need to clean the vanes of the turbo or possibly replace the FICM. Now I'm a little nervous bc I have no idea what it could be. I may give the Rev-X a try and see if that helps any.

 

From everything I have read on stiction, it seems like it causes misfires and a very rough idle. I'm not experiencing either of those. It idles smoothly, however, has no power. It's as if there is zero boost. I have struggled to make it up the hill outside my neighborhood.

 

Somehow I missed that idle was smooth when cold. Yup checking FICM is a good idea. Do you have an OBDII device? Does it not boost at all when cold?

 

I have one at work that just pulls codes. FICM showed 48v solid. If I leave my house and start up that hill with the pedal floored, it will reach a certain RPM level and not shift. After about 15 seconds, it will gain a little power and then progressively get better.

 

So no boost gauge? Would be good to know next if it's boosting and how much. I guess there are no new noises to indicate CAC or exhaust leaks?

 

No boost gauge. I'm fairly certain there are no leaks. I wonder if the turbo vanes sticking could cause this. I went ahead and ordered Rev-x just in case.

 

It could but it would be nice to verify before pulling it. It's interesting that there are no issues with it after just 5min of running.

 

That's where I'm at. I'm trying to check everything else before going through the hassle of pulling the turbo.

 

BTW what are you seeing for EOT and ECT when you first start?
I find that if I am below 100F on that at start I am not seeing
the full potential that I will see when I reach at least 120F or 5 minutes down the road.
It may only be a cold engine. If FICM voltage is right and the fuel pressure
in in the happy range I would say that your just taking off too early.

Sean

 

On these later model computer controlled engines it's hard to do much without getting somthing to read live data with.
Like
A phone app
A monitor like Scangauge or DashDaq
A hand held scanner that displays live data
A computer based elm adapter and software and a laptop

Taking it to a shop with diag tools or dealership is the only other option, test, verify, repair. Even a blind hog can find an acorn every once in awhile but doing work and replacing parts on a guess is time consuming, aggravating, and gets expensive fast.

 

I don't have a VMS but short of that I do have a Snap-on Solus scanner.
Very handy for reading all the systems in the truck.



Sean

 

If you are using dino oil 15w-40 try switching to full synthetic, i run rotella t6. If you live in cold weather area full syn is also better.

 

Hi just popping in, mine is doing the same thing. Mine has 120k on it. Any fix for it?