hey man thanks I was actually putting in a quarter when I saw your reply!

I am thinking of just folding in the 65 bucks and trying a new valve cover gasket...

I am going to do a few more tests.. I have two extra valve cover gaskets... I should be able to get a good one outa these!

It Was the Outside Female connector that connects to the male UVCH OUTSIDE the valve cover gasket! I used a quarter to shim and now the ohms went from 110.00 to 3.0!

I hope that was it! I will reassemble and test!!

 

Great news! I hope that was your problem.

To clarify...the UVCH is just the wiring harness that connects the injector solenoids to the valve cover gasket inside plug. The entire thing is under the valve cover.

The valve cover gasket or anything outside the valve cover itself is not described as UVCH, it is just the main engine wiring harness at that point.

If you decide to change the valve cover gasket then I recommend OEM since the Dorman after market parts have been known to cause problems right out of the box. Here is a link to a good parts vendor.
Engine and Under Valve Cover Parts and Electrical for the Ford 7.3 Diesel Engine

 

Yup! Thanks for the clarity!

But the problem is not fixed just yet... but it is located!
I had a friend sit in the truck as I wiggled the main harness and the truck ran noticably better and he said that the check engine light went off!

I put one quarter as a shim on the inside of the UVCH to the valve cover and put one quarter on the outside engine valve cover gasket to the female main wiring harness...

But it is still loose. Not sure what to do from here.. I would hate to replace that pigtail... I am using a used valve cover gasket... but it is in good shape.

I searched the forums and found out that ford carries an outside engine valve cover gasket to main wiring harness shim... should I invest in that?

Any ideas?

 

I have heard of the plastic clip that Ford released for under the valve cover but I am not aware of a clip for outside the valve cover so I am not sure how effective that might be.

If you inspected the UVCH as well as the valve cover gasket and the pins and terminals look nice and clean.....and you ohmed the UVCH and have a good reading then your issue is in the valve cover gasket or the engine harness itself.

To eliminate the engine harness from suspicion, check for continuity between the female connector that plugs into the outside of the valve cover gasket and the 42 pin connector. You will probably need a helper to watch the meter while you wiggle the harness. If you get an open circuit when wiggling then you found your problem and will need a pigtail kit from Ford or IH. Compare the plug to the other side...is the plastic retaining tab broken off?

Testing the valve cover gasket is pretty hard to do because it can test fine on your bench and cause problems once it's installed and the bolts are tightened. The circuitry is molded into the gasket so there may be a break in the wire that can't be repaired. If the engine harness passes the wiggle test then I think a new valve cover gasket is the only logical thing left to replace.

 

I think I gotta replace the pigtail... the main wiring harness female plug that plugs into the male valve cover gasket outside of the engine...

i took it a part to inspect it and the tabs look good but bent. and one of the inner tabs broke off...

really not looking forward to it!!

 

Yeah, not a glamorous job to say the least. However, the pigtail kit does come with some great shrink tube and good crimp connectors. You will need a high quality pair of crimpers though....the normal ones won't work very well. Or you can just solder the splices for a long lasting repair...

On the bright side, you found your problem and it's not a terribly expensive fix. Most other guys would have thrown parts at the problem and still not solved the issue. I've seen quite a few injectors and IDMs replaced and still didn't fix the issue. It's always worthwhile to check the wiring because it can fail just as easily as a mechanical component does.

 

Cool thanks Shake and BAke!

I will let you know the results tomorrow.. I am getting the pigtail from the dealership.. about 55 bucks...

I may or may not replace the valve cover gasket.. prob not right away.. I will put a quarter in there tho!

I am so grateful for the guidence on this. I have learned so much... Awesome!

Thanks big time!!

 

Hey Shake and Bake!!

The new pigtail clipped in real snug and tight! I ended up soldering all the new connections and using that really nice high quality shrink tube that comes with the OEM pigtail... real quality part! Kinda glad I went with OEM.. it was a lot nicer than the after market one that failed...

Check engine light went away right away!! Oh and I have a quarter under the UVCH and a retainer clip for the outside pigtail main wire harness. So I am confident in a good connection!!

I cant thank you enough for the guidance! I too was about to start throwing parts at it. I noticed that the fear of not being able to do something can stop me from learning. This project has taught me to be patient and follow steps. I have learned so much!!!

Off to Cape Cod with my girl!! Fueling up the veg tank, loading up the motorcycle! Thanks for helping make this happen!!!

 

Greg you have posted some GREAT info & photos here on this thread that have been very helpful. I am getting ready to do some work to my truck. I don't have any problems other then just knowing I need gp's and no DTC but I wanted to ohm everything and write down injector ohms and gp's ohms before and after. I have 2 spare outside vc plugs (Just in case) and I am going to use one as a test plug. I'll also do the pin test on the main wiring harness too.

Thanks to all on this one !! It might be an oldie but well worth the reread.

 

Ya i totally agree... I have been sharing what I learned through this process with other friends who are not internet savvy...

Thanks for all your help everyone!