Hello everyone. I have a '99 F250 7.3 that is an awesome truck. I'm the original owner and love and depend on this truck. I was laid off of my job a few weeks ago and of course now is the time for this always dependable truck to have the SES light up.

An acquaintance of my daughter who works at a repair shop offered to take it in and run a scan on it for me so I wouldn't have to pay the dealer $200 to do it. Well he called me tonight and said there are a "bunch" of codes that came up and that they would need to crack the engine open to fix it. He told me I should plan to spend several thousand $ in labor + parts to repair and they won't really know how extensive the issues are until they crack it open. (he said to expect around $7K-10K.)

I've asked him to send me the codes and explanations of what the scan found so I could do some research on my own. I've been up all night doing searches here and on the powerstroke.org site and it sounds like my symptoms could indicate a UVCH issue (anything from loose connectors to damaged harness?) Originally the problem started with the SES light coming on as soon as I started the truck, it would run rough but after a few minutes the light would turn off and the truck would run fine. After a few days it changed to the light coming on after the truck had run for a short time (5-10 minutes) and would run rough for a few miles and then turn off and run fine. Now the light is turning on when I start the engine and stays on and runs rough the entire time (last couple of drives.) I've noticed a marked loss of power. The truck always starts right up.

Is there anyone in the Portland Oregon area that would be willing to help me troubleshoot and fix this thing? I feel like his shop is assuming the worst and I fear I will be taken advantage of at a time when I simply don't have thousands of dollars to spend. I own this truck outright and really don't want and can't afford to go buy another one.

If it is as simple as cracking open the valve covers and inspecting the UVCHs and the connectors and replacing them, I am hoping someone could help me do this. I'd like to learn how to do repair work so I can take care of more things myself! I've never done anything like opening up parts of the engine before. From reading this forum tonight, it sounds like it there could be issues with the glow plugs or injectors, but it starts fine hot or cold, just this darn SES light and rough idle/lack of power during operation. So I'm hoping the injectors are ok, or mostly ok.

I hope to get the list of the error codes tomorrow and I can post them up here and maybe some of you could help me understand more about the possible issues based on that. Anyone in the Portland area that would be willing to help me do the needed repairs?

 

1. Pay no attention to "all those error codes". Zero. Ignore it. Many people buy scan tools or apps and find a train wreck in there, but our first instruction is to clear them all and get a fresh read. Many things happen to these trucks over the years, and the memory of the event lingers until the errors are cleared. You have 16 years of chatter stored in there.

2. Click the BEST link in my signature, you may find someone willing to lend a hand to a sister with a luck gauge pegged to the left.


3. It sounds like the UVCH to me, but there are other things (like the CPS) that can cause your symptoms. Clearing the codes and getting a fresh reading is one way to look for this - but the other is free and you can do right after you read this... if you own an Ohm meter: Click the UVCH link in my signature.

My wife's coworker had a leak on his 7.3L. The shop told him over $1000 to fix the leak, and they listed all kinds of stuff on the bid - including the UVCH and CPS. I saw absolutely nothing on the bid sheet that had anything to do with leaks of any type. This sounded to me like someone was getting ready to pull the ol' penny-pound maneuver on the guy. I looked where the leak was coming from with the engine running - it was fuel falling in the front. $75 and a Saturday afternoon in my driveway later... we rebuilt his fuel bowl, replaced the fuel filter (with OEM), and put the OEM cap on his fuel bowl.

 

He texted me a copy of the report. P1277, along with a P0470. His shop apparently can't reset so said he can't clear it.

 

Listen to Tugly very closely and check the link he provided. I doubt that it should take several thousand dollars to fix it. based off of 2 codes.

 

P0470 is an exhaust back pressure code-usually not a big deal, could be the sensor being clogged with carbon, worst case $160 sensor and 20 minutes wrench time.

P1277 #7 cylinder high to low side open. Could be the UVCH plug is loose which on the older 7.3's the clips are prone to coming loose. Search 50cent mod to fix, or wore case, new UVCH and a couple-4 hours taking your time pulling the valve cover (the first time you ever do it) and replacing. Harness is maybe $125 guessing.

 

$125 for both sides, $125 per side if you do UVCHs and gaskets (gaskets rarely fail, so don't buy those unless you discover a failed unit). [LINK]

 

Deb, you are a wise woman to come here and post your situation!

First, the above advice is all EXCELLENT advice

Second, if the "shop" cannot clear codes on these OBD-I systems, it should be a concern. If he means they cannot keep them from coming back, different story.

These 7.3L's are unique in a lot of areas and their maintenance and wear/fail items are well known and well documented- especially here.

These are not usually SES Code driven repairs, though the codes to help point to suspect areas. Unlike many modern cars where a Pxxxx code means replace part Y, these trucks usually point to problem areas and symptoms, then the collective knowledge base is used to figure out what to do about it

If EBP is a failure, it's simply a tube and a sensor. The sensor has wiring, the tube can be cleaned or replaced (<$50 for tube). That's pretty much it.

EBP has a lot to do with your truck's computer sensing the load and adjusting everything to know when and how much power to make, etc. If it is bad, things can be way out of sync/balance and even appear to be in its last moments in extreme cases

The UVCH and gaskets are a simple and normal repair for these beasts. Not overly expensive. Go ahead and replace the glow plugs while you are there, about $10 each and everything is already apart. Literally about 2 minutes each if you are already doing the Under Valve Cover Harness.

There are other things that are good to check and maintain, but let's see you get these really Urgent items handled first to avoid the $7k-$10k bill.

Now, if you have a $7k-$10k budget for your truck, there are many other things to do that can substantially upgrade your truck both in longevity and performance. There are many folks here who can help guide you to spend wisely and get the most bang for your buck

 

Alot of the time the tube just gets plugged up with carbon as well.

I have found some free scan programs that would allow you to remove the codes. Forscan if you have a obd link of some sort.

 

2 minor codes like this is not a "bunch" of codes. Are there more? If not, you are about to get taken for a ride by that shop. Period.

 

Welcome aboard.

Looks like the guys have you on the right track. I would be willing to help out but I'm about a 1000 miles to far away.

 

Thank you everyone for your help. It was in fact the UVC Harness and I found a very nice diesel mechanic who installed it for $100 plus the cost of parts. One glowplug was bad so he replaced that along with the harness. I really appreciate all of you guys responding to me. You rock!https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/images/smilies2/party0005.gif

 

Great to hear. Thanks for letting us know how it turned out.

 

Thanks for reporting back your results! Good luck on your job search but enjoy the time off- and please come back by if you have any other issues!

 

Awesome

 

Might want to check up on who your daughters hanging out with. You were on the path to the dark side