I bought an 08 f350 longbed last nov. With 108000mi. For 25000 I had it 3 weeks and blew a valve, took it to a shop recomended by my neighbor w 08 f450 towtruck that they worked on. They were supposed to put in a rebuilt short block, billett turbo, h&s minimax 60hp injectors hamiltom pushrods bd headstuds, aswellnas lift it 6inches (suspension) 5000 lb helper bags wireless system and a 12500lb warn winch, I own a tree service and logging company so I need the clearance but I also tow a 20ft bumper pull trailer daily. This truck needs to work daily. Fast foward 3 months the guy ripped me off 15000 bucks, and i had tp have the cops help me get truck back.Having no choice I took it to dealership and bought a a new short block and had them put it in 10000 however the used the h&s , injectors s and turbo from old block. The lift is dangerous and getting replaced. But when I put my trailer on ,it learches and shifts wierd and feels like its grabbing. I m quicly runing out of money. What direction do I go

 

go back down to stock power. Sounds like there is an issue with the programmer and your tranny.

 

Yeah i just set the programmer back to its default status probably I don't know anything about these things and I don't want to screw it up or whatever cuz it was when I started messing with it that I noticed it was not doing that well I thought it was kind of idiot proof I thought you had to have something special program too change its settings.thanks for the advice I'll see if it works

 

could it be axle wrap? 6.4 with power adders and lifts should have some sort of traction bars i think

 

What a ****ty situation. Sorry for your troubles.

What did the shop do or not do to take your money that lead to these issues

 

What a ****ty situation. Sorry for your troubles.

What did the shop do or not do to take your money that lead to these issues

 

The shop "Modern Dieseln Legion" as it turns out seems untouchable, they basically canibalized my truck. I have to replace practically everything on it. The list is too long to even list. From the gear box to the rear end. Im at the end end of a long line of guys going to court . I cant even find anyone too program this minimax . Ironic how you will go to jail for stealing a candy bar but a repair shopcan take u for thousands and go on vacation

 

Any mode that the minimax is in causes the truck to jerk and u can feel the trnny kind of shake under you. No codes and h&s was worthless on the phone. I mean come on is there any thing that works. I need the lift cause of my job, I tow a 20ft trailer daily cause of my job. Surley there must be a setup that works

 

As stated above it might be the lift that's causing what you feel, they might have something out of line.

 

yeah thanks Bubba actually getting a holy live put on it over the next couple days by shop it knows what they're doing but I think it could also be the transmission is not actually learned what its supposed to from what I understand learning type transmission I don't know I just need it working

 

Well, when I retune which isn't often it sometimes takes a week to relearn, how to tell for sure doing it over the internet.

 

Hey I appreciate all the advice, I learn a little more every day. The truth is I just want a reliable truck I had an 02 duramax that literally coasted onto the lot where I bought ford. I refuse to tell anymore customersmim broke down, minstead injust tell them im booked three weeks out!

 

Once you get that part of it figured out try to go through this write up, very through.

Key 6.4 maintenance items:

* Oil changes every 5,000 miles, with quality oil (synthetic recommended), used oil analysis (Blackstone) for every change. Use only Motorcraft oil filters or the Racor (OEM) equivalent.

* Fuel filter changes every 10,000 miles. Use only Motorcraft FD4617 or the Racor (OEM) equivalent filters.

* Coolant nitrite testing at least every 15,000 miles. I recommend every 5,000 miles at the same time you do the oil change for simplicity, the test strips are inexpensive. Do not be confused by the test directions warning not to sample from an overflow tank, the 6.4 does not have an overflow tank it has a degas bottle. The degas bottle is part of the coolant loop with constant circulation so it is a valid testing point. I do not bother "taking a sample", I simply clip the test strip on the end of a long hemostat and dunk it in the degas bottle to test. If the test is below 800ppm and above 300ppm add two bottles of VC-8 additive. If below 300ppm the entire coolant system must be flushed with VC-9 cleaner, rinsed well and refilled with new coolant.

* Cooling system flush with VC-9 and refill with Ford Gold coolant every 60,000 miles, sooner if you have neglected testing and the nitrite is under 300ppm.

* Use a quality fuel conditioner such as the Ford PM-22a/23a conditioners at every fueling. They add lubricity to the fuel, something that ULSD is lacking in which helps protect the high pressure (up to 26,000 PSI) fuel pump. They also help to reduce soot production which results in less frequent DPF regens and less fuel dilution in the engine oil.

* Drain the HFCM water separator monthly. The fuel drained can be poured back into the tank carefully leaving behind any water at the bottom of the collection jar (normally very little). If the water separator drain does not flow well or at all, it may be clogged with either parafin blobs or with bacterial growth. In either case at a minimum the drain valve cover needs to be removed and the clog cleared. If the clog is significant the HFCM cover needs to be removed for full cleaning. If the clog is white and waxy it's parafin and not a significant issue. If the clog is brown or similar and more slimy it is bacterial growth and the fuel tank should be "shocked" with a biocide such as Power Service Bio-Kleen which should not be confused with their Diesel-Kleen.

* The truck should not be used for all short trips and stop and go traffic. The 6.4 and other emissions controlled diesels need regular longer periods at highway speeds to allow proper DPF regeneration and to get to proper operating temperature to help reduce fuel contamination in the engine oil.

* The latest PCM flash (11B23) does not provide continuous indication of when a DPF regen is taking place, it does however add much improved engine monitoring for developing issues. Over time you will get to recognize the subtle changes, but I recommend adding something like the ScanGauge II which will allow you to monitor the DPF temperature which is a clear indication that a regen is in progress when over ~600F.

* Avoid shutting the truck down with a regen in progress. If you have to, run the engine at high idle for a few minutes in park before shutting down to allow the turbos to cool down to normal temperatures before shutdown. If you are interrupting the regens you will see it in your Blackstone report, otherwise you should see very little fuel dilution, <1%.

You should also absolutely get the Ford ESP extended warranty, any repairs to the 6.4 are expensive and a single big repair can easily cover the cost of the ESP warranty. The coolant nitrite testing that many people overlook *is* in the owner's manual diesel supplement, so if you neglect it Ford can deny warranty coverage for resulting damage.

Other Super Duty maintenance items:

* Batteries - The batteries in these trucks are not the maintanence free / unmaintainable type, pop the caps to check and top up with distilled water periodically.

* Change transfer case fluid every 60,000 miles.

* Change rear differential fluid every 50,000 miles on DANA axles (F350 DRW and up).

* Change transmission fluid and filter every 60,000 miles on Torqshift transmissions (100k on manual transmissions). If you have the early Torqshift with the external filter the interval is much shorter.

Resources:

Coolant test strips - Buy the 4pk, not the bottle of 50, the strips have expiration dates and you'll only need <10 per year. Most dealer parts counters should have the test strips, NAPA has them, or order direct from Acustrip.
Ford Rotunda 328-2050

Used oil testing - Blackstone Labs, get the pre-paid 6pk of test kits to save a few bucks. You don't need the TBN option:
Order Now

Ford ESP extended warrantys - You can buy them online from real dealers, or use the online price from a real dealer to negotiate a better price from your local dealer. You absolutely want the ESP, while the 6.4 is not problematic as some claim as long as you maintain it properly, nearly any repair is big $ and one good one will cover the ESP cost:
Ford Extended Warranty | Genuine Ford ESP | Discounted Pricing

DPF, oil, coolant temp monitoring - ScangaugeII, you will need to program the X-gauge commands for the 6.4:
ScanGauge - Trip Computer + Digitial Gauges + ScanTools
Ford/Lincoln/Mercury Specific : Linear Logic : Home of the ScanGauge

 

Awesome Info but man that seems like way more work then its worth to own one if these trucks.

 

I take it doesn't have the dpf on it any longer since your running an H&S, therefore the drive to clean you don't have to worry about. The nitrite testing is impor r ant but since you have a new short block, no doubts you have new antifreeze so your good there for 20, 000 miles or so. MOST important and the easiest to do is use a good fuel conditioner and draining the water seperator. Conditioner every fill up, I drain my seperator every 3 to 4 weeks into a Mason jar to see how much water I get, lots of water means chappy fuel, try to get fuel at stations that get used a lot.
The rest is common sense maintenance stuff, but don't monkey around with the filters, that matters, racor or ford, they are the only ones that fit coorrectly. Since you just had a motor put in you will want to check the degaus bottle, chances are you will have to add some antifreeze over the next couple of weeks, use only what they used at the dealer which should be Ford antifreeze, don't mix, it will end up plugging the oil cooler, in a pinch if you have to use distilled water.
Once your comfortable once a week before you start the truck pop the hood, check the oil and antifreeze level. Antifreeze is straight forward, oil level should be consistent, if you gain oil, drain some out and recheck in a couple of days, making oil is not good.
I know it's seems like a lot especially since you've been through so much but once you get in your weekly groove it only takes a few minutes to make sure everything is good.