I just got back from a two week 1,700 mile camping trip pulling my 7,000 lb. RV trailer. My 2003 Ford F250 7.3 Power Stroke worked great until the last 300 miles. While towing I kept the Overdrive off which worked fine until today when we noticed two strange sounds coming from the trans or motor. The first sounded like a ticking or sensor sound and the second sounded more like a roaring sound. Both noise would come and go but became more frequent. All guages were in normal ranges. Both sounds would stop when I activated the over drive? When I got home I checked the oil which showed the level to be just below the range area. Not sure if I am have one problem or several. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I have 8,000.0 miles on my truck.

I changed the oil prior to the trip and was puzzled that I only had 12 quarts out of 15 drain out of the pain. I just chalked it up as that when I put the used oil back into the 5 gallon bottles (Shell) that I must have filled them to the top.

 

I would say the motor is fine, as I use alot of oil in my stroker when I am towing, no big deal, but I have come across the new torque converters getting screwed up really easy. If you have only 8,000 miles on the truck, take it in and get it fixed under warranty and not worry about it

 

I just think thats a lot of oil to burn. I towed 5000 miles during last summer's trip through the "Bad Lands" with my 99 F250 V8 Triton with 130k and didn't burn a drop. OK this is a diesel but I am not comfortable with it. I have an appointment for serves, I was just looking to become more informed when dealing with the dealership. BTW not to knock Ford (its my 4th truck) but my neighbors Dodge Diesel doesn't do this?

Thanks George

 

Diesels tend to burn a lot more oil than the gasoline engines you are probably used to running. Some burn a lot, others will go 20,000 miles and not burn a drop, and most will burn a lot more under load than under commuting usage. I have heard on other forums that 1 quart in 1000 miles is considered acceptable by the factories. If you keep track of oil usage and find it to run more than this, take it to the dealer and insist that it be checked out.

Our Diesels are great engines, but they are not the turnkey units that come in most cars. They require a level of commitment from us. the operators. Part of this is just simple maintenance, like checking and topping off fluids. Another part is in letting them idle to cool the turbo before we shut the key off, to keep the bearings from coking. It's not hard, but it is necessary. The more we know about our engines, the better it is for both them and us.

 

How long should you run the motor to cool off the turbo?

Thanks George

 

That depends on how you use it. After towing and high ambient temps it will take longer to cool than just driving residential streets. You really need a pyrometer to know for sure. You should not shut down until you reach 300* or lower.

 

This has nothing to do with this topic, but I was wondering George if you ever found that 40/20/40 gray seat you were looking for. I am looking for gray bucket seats and wanting to get rid of mine. Maybe if you have buckets, we can make a trade.

 

Sorry I sold the truck and now have the 2003. Thanks for asking