Hi from McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

My name is Chris Fett. Here is my introduction thread: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post13835391

I am currently working on one of our 2005 F550SD Fire Apparatus trucks. I inherited the job from another technician that did the diagnostics on it and discovered it had no oil pressure. Management decided to install a new engine. I am not sure what happened to the old engine, I was just the lucky guy that got to install the new one.

We had an $11,000 Ford Reman engine in stock that had been in a crate in a warehouse since 2007 or so. After getting everything back together and cranking the engine, it was knocking loudly like a bad injector or something. It cleared up a little after running for a bit but it still has a very rough idle. We changed the fuel filters and drained the water seperator and it improved slightly. It keeps throwing the P0284 code so we started looking into it. We have the Ford IDS scan tool. It suggested bad injector, low compression or valve issue on that cylinder. I made a tool to check the compression through the glow plug hole. It had 350 psi cold so I figured the valve train must be ok or the compression would have been much lower. We installed a new injector in that cylinder but no improvement. We even swapped injectors around to eliminate a possible bad new injector. I read this forum for hours looking for ideas. We have changed the IPR valve, the ICP sensor, checked fuel pressure (45-50 at idle and 1500 rpm). We basically have done everything we can think of to correct it but it still runs like it is only on 7 cylinders. I have 35 years experience as an automotive technician, but I am not a Ford expert so I figured maybe you guys could help. I am sure I am forgetting to mention some of the things we did, so ask questions and I will let you know if I have tried that. I have been working on it for days so my mind is fried trying to fix this beast.

Thanks for any help you can give. Iceman.

 

Check your wireing for #8 cylinders injector. Possible chafe or broken wire.
You have changed injector and moved others around same hole has a problem, either wire issue or ficm circuit for #8.

 

I checked the wiring very carefully today. It appeared that the wires to number 8 were melted a little so I disconnected the left injector harness and pulled it out to get a better view. It turns out the wires were NOT melted, just stuck together and discolored. I checked #8 injector wires for continuity to FICM and got .2 to .3 ohms on each wire. The connector pins and the FICM pins all look good with not corrosion or any visible damage. Fortunately we have a lot of good literature to go by. We have a the Ford Service, Parts, Wiring and Power-train/Emissions manuals. They have been a blessing. The work bench looks like a library right now.

 

Check as stated above, and also check connector at FICM.

It could also be the FICM itself. Do you have another 6.0l in the fleet to swap the FICM and see if it makes a difference?

.

 

I knew I was forgetting something.

I have checked the High Pressure Oil Pump and the pressure is well within specs, as it should be on a brand new engine. The engine came as a long block with all of the sensors and the high pressure pump installed already. The only sensors it did not have were the intake air (because it is on the intake manifold which did not come with the new engine) and any sensors not mounted to the block or heads.

I read on here about the upgraded blue spring fuel pressure regulator. This truck has the original one on the fuel filter housing. We have ordered the replacement because the little plastic bleed orifice is broken. The fuel pressure is only 45psi at idle which I read is not really sufficient for full load high rpm driving. Parts take forever to get down here because of all the gub-mental red tape involved in procuring supplies. We do have a large inventory of parts but not everything I needed for this truck.

 

I suspect the FICM myself. I looked at the pin connections on the FICM and the connector blocks and they are nice and clean with no corrosion or bent pins. They look fine to me.

Yes, we do have several more F550's in the fleet. I think the others may be 2006 models come to think of it. I read that the FICM has to be flashed to the VIN of the truck. If that is the case, then I would assume they can not be swapped from one truck to another. At least that is the case with Mercedes. Most of my background is Mercedes so I am a little out of my league. We do have a few Mercedes powered track vehicles here so I get to work on all them.

 

I used to have a 1999 F250 SD but mine had the 7.3 Diesel which in my opinion is a much better engine. I absolutely loved the truck but unfortunately I had a fight with a tree on a curve pulling a loaded car trailer and the tree won big time.

 

You can swap FICM's around with no issue, especially 05+.

Josh

 

45 PSI for fuel pressure is minimum spec @ WOT, idle should be in the mid 50's. One thing to consider is the F550 and up have steel tanks that are known to delaminate and plug the fuel pickup inside the tank.

 

Thanks Bullitt, I will talk to the boss and see if we can arrange that. The problem is, the Fire Apparatus trucks are busy this time of year on the Pegasus Permanent Ice Runway. Not that we have any crashes, but just in case.

 

Check out photos of some of the trucks we have here. My album is located at: Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums - Iceman Antarctica's Album: Super Duty's in Antarctica

 

Hell yeah!

Josh

PS Apparently iPhone and the FTE album do not place nice together...

 

You might pull the valve cover and check if the valves are opening and closing. Sitting that long, its possible that a valve is stuck, or a pushrod is bent.

 

Very cool Iceman! (I'll try to post one up from iPad Josh)

 

That is some nice equipment. Have y'all done anything with the 6.0 to make it more reliable in the fire and rescue field. We have a 06 f550 rescue truck and it needs some stuff sone to it due to all the idleing it does. It has high idle switch on the console but most the guys don't use it. I try to tell then to use it but in one ear and out the other. They will be sorry when we are riding in the 94 Nissan UW rescue truck while the f550 is in the shop again.

Sorry for the high jack

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