I own a 2012 F-350 with less than 6500 miles. The check engine light came on, so I immediately took it directly to my dealer. They got Code P1558, and I'm told that injector #8 has to be replaced. Does anyone here on the forum have experience with this? How frequently does this happen? How difficult is it to replace #8 injector (what is involved in replacement)? How worried should I be about other remaining injectors going bad in the future? Are there anything I should do to avoid or minimize the risk of injector problems? I use this truck to tow my horse trailer, and I'm getting concerned about getting stranded with the horses in the middle of the road somewhere. Thanks for your help!

 

Go read what i posted on your thread on other site. Your engine has 5yr 100,000 miles warranty. Go have dealer repair the injector.

The injectors have codes on them as to their operating capabilities. The code on the new injector has to be programmed into the PCM for proper operation as i understand it.

on Valve cover there is a Injector Quantity Adjustment (IQA) sticker.

Piezo Fuel Injectors
There are eight fuel injectors; four mounted on each cylinder head.
They are serviced without removing the valve covers. The Injector
Quantity Adjustment (IQA) must be programmed into the PCM when a
new injector is installed.

 

I would not worry about it. Since you don't have many miles on the truck, just be sure you are using a good fuel source and change your fuel filters per the owners manual.

 

I've had both my #8 and #6 injector replaced out of warranty. My 2011 has ~150,000 miles on it, and both diesel techs were surprised when replacement became the solution. The first replacement was as a result of a "contribution" issue (can't remember the code), and the second was due to a "fuel compensation maximum" fault. This may be circumstantial, but conditions leading to each involved fueling in Illinios (I live in Alabama) on a long towing trip. Illinios did not offer any petroleum only fuel, all of it being a bio blend of at least 10%. Additionally, both times I had run out of the Power Service I normally run. Again, could be coincidence, or could be the biodiesel or lack of additive had an effect. The injector itself has a core charge, but comes out to around $460, and labor was around $500 for #8 (due to difficult access) and $300 for #6. I ALWAYS buy from what appears to be a high volume dealer when traveling, but I do keep extra bottles of additive with me on trips now, and I avoid biodiesel blends to the greatest extent possible. Could be paranoia, but it makes me feel better. I do also avoid filling up in Illinios! Haven't had an injector failure or fault in 20,000 miles since. I'm glad yours is still under warranty.

 

BTW, I am RELIGIOUS about changing my fuel filters (using Motorcraft filters), and draining my DFCM every month. Frankly I'm fanatic about all my maintenance.

 

Thanks for the posts, guys! I was a little surprised initially to hear that my dealer with two diesel techs could not figure out what P1558 code meant, and they had to call the Ford engineers to find out what to do. My dealer tells me that I'll be covered for the injector replacement under warranty. I also bought an extended warranty when I bought my truck new three years ago, so I'm not too worried about the cost of injector replacement at this time. I do drain DFCM regularly with no water showing in the collecting jar each time. I have not had a chance to replace any fuel filter yet due to low miles on the truck. I only fill my tank at large local truck stops (Pilot, Hess, Sheetz, Loves) where there are high volume of fresh diesel turnover. I do add PM22 with each diesel refills. However, I use my truck to tow my horse trailer only occasionally as a hobby, and I'm a little concerned that I might get stranded in middle of a road somewhere with my horses. I'm wondering if too little miles on the truck over past three years of ownership might be a problem. I usually store my truck with full tank if it's not in use. And, when I use my truck, I tend to drive long distance each time before I refill with at least 30 to 35 gallons of fresh new diesel. Should I consider changing any of my current pattern of truck use?

 

I'd change the fuel filters. Been in there along time.

 

You don't drive too much with only 6500 miles on it, unless you missed a '0'.

 

Yes, 6,500 miles. I suppose I can change the fuel filters out since the truck is three years old.

 

Might not be a bad idea to change them out... And see what they look like in the inside.

 

In my opinion the issue arose due to the truck not being used. When they sit for long periods of time things don't like to get moving again. Valves and injectors both need to be kept "wet" in my opinion.

If I were you I would drive the truck and get the engine good and hot at least twice/month.

 

I have my truck on battery tender, but I've been running my engine for about 15 minutes each weekend ever since I owned my truck to keep fuel and lubes flowing when it's not in use for awhile. Like I said earlier, when it's in use, I drive at least 200 miles towing. Perhaps I should be looking at using the truck much more frequently and use my other vehicles less. Thanks for your advises, guys!

My dealer has my truck ready. I'll monitor closely and see if the check engine light comes on again.

 

I assume you put some sort of fuel conditioner in it. I was thinking about how little miles you have on it. You can't be using a tank of fuel all that often. I wonder if stale fuel clogged the injector?

On my 2011 there were a couple of years I only put 4000-5000 miles on it - But you are driving a lot less than that. Never had any issues and then I started taking it on long vacation drives which put some miles on it. I ended up averaging about 10k miles per year overall.

 

Code P1558 doesn't sound like a clogged injector but an electrical timing problem that the computer is measuring for the proper amount of fuel to be injected. The injectors have performance parameters on each one and appears no two in an engine might have the same parameters. The computer uses the code of the injector to "time" the duration of the injection "cycle".

If it were a fuel problem, one would think it would show up as poor performance or mileage even after the one injector was replaced.

 

Well, I got my truck back and I drove for about 50 miles today without any check engine light on. The diesel techs at the dealer did not have any good idea why the injector #8 failed. For past three years of owning my truck, the average mileage (by the meter on the info dash, not hand calculated) has been around 17.1 mpg since I do mostly highway and interstate driving (at 60 to 65 MPH) with my truck. I really never noticed poor performance or mileage before my CEL came on. I really never noticed poor performance while I drove my truck to the dealer once my CEL came on. I just hope that none of the remaining injectors fail. I suppose only time will tell.

While I left my truck at the dealer for the injector replacement, they also did recall 14E03 and reprogrammed my PCM. I read the other thread on the forum about it, so I'll be keeping a very close eye on the performance of my truck for next several weeks.