Hi all, my new to me 2004 6.0L (automatic) started acting like it's hitting a rev limiter at 2200rpm. The first time it happened I was accelerating slowly and backed off the throttle before accelerating through again. On my way home it was constant rather than intermittent. As this happens there is white smoke (not steam) coming out the exhaust.

https://youtu.be/O03PWLCbjZs So, when it is stalling out the boost is at about 7PSI. At idle it's at .5PSI and at 3000 RPM in park it's 5PSI.

FICM voltage is 47.5 while cranking and 48-48.5 while running
ICV is .86 at idle and 1.5-1.8 while driving
ECT and EOT are within 4-8 degrees at 65mph


The engine has about 120k miles on it with about 2k mi on:

Head studs,
HPOP,
Stand pipes and dummy plugs,
Bullet proof EGR cooler,
Injectors,
Rear engine cover and main seal.

It'll be a couple days before I can look into things. Does this seem like a stuck VGT? The boost numbers seem to indicate there is a turbo issue

 

Welcome to FTE.
Boost numbers at idle don't really mean much

How long have you owned the truck?
Any trouble codes that you have seen?

Also curious, do you have receipts for the work that was done?
I'm wondering if the injectors were OEM Ford remans.
It sounds like it's starving for fuel in that video clip but hard to tell. Do you have a way to check the fuel pressure?

 

appreciate the quick response. I've put about 150 miles on it since Wednesday when I bought the truck and the only thing I've done was fill up the tank. After the first incident I put 1/3 bottle seafoam and 1/4 quart of clean ATF in it and topped off the tank and was going to give it some good highway pulls on it but never made it that far.

There are no codes being thrown at all. I should be able to rent a gauge set from the parts house down the street. I don't know if the blue spring mod has been done.

I don't have receipts, I visually verified the studs and egr cooler but bought the truck with the expectation it would need some love to be a reliable towing vehicle, especially given the low price I paid. Fortunately I have a stable of vehicles to drive while I wrench on it

 

Not sure if it's worth noting but when I topped off I calculated about 10.7 mpg which seems low for a lot for cruising at 30-60mph.

 

I would start by checking the fuel pressure. You should be seeing at least 50 psi at WOT but likely more if the blue spring is installed.
Change both fuel filters as well since you don't know for sure when they were last done.

White smoke is typically a coolant issue, does it smell at all like coolant?
Is there any residue around the degas bottle tank?
I would also pull the EGR valve to see if it's dry or seems wet or gummy.
For boost issues, I would start by pulling the MAP hose off to inspect the nipple on the intake. Take a bit of weed trimmer line and clean it out, also inspect the hose for cracks.

 

Maye get a copy of Forscan to get some detail that your Scangauge doesn't show.

 

doing a FP test and changing filters sounds like a good plan. Guess I should decide if I want to go ahead and order a gauge pod and FP gauge since I will probably want to monitor it anyways.

There wasn't a noticable residue buildup on the degas bottle, the EGR is definitely worth investigating if it's clogged or stuck open.

I don't think the smoke is coolant, it is a lot hazier and really hits you in the lungs; I blew a head gasket in my gas truck and it was blowing steam that was a lot sweeter smelling.

 

My truck behaved this way when the EGR got really dirty. I got a new one to use as a replacement while cleaning the old one and rotate them now periodically. I like to clean things at my own leisure when possible. Never threw a code and the rest of the truck was unaffected. Besides, pulling the EGR is an easy way to get a health check on how the cooler is. Pain to get out but there are tips found on here. I cannot delete (inspection area) and am bullet-proofed anyway. However I am not a member of the brain trust and only have humble shade-tree talents, so don't put much stock in this fix!

I learned after these checks that I needed to run a cetane enhancer/fuel additive and it made a huge difference in how clean things were. Most of the mess I've had to deal with on my 6.0 was the results of poor/sloppy repair work by dealership shops. I now know where the good techs are. This forum is the first place I go for answers. And Diesel Tech Ron's pages. I don't post here but I owe a huge debt to those who do. Reading these threads is a lot of fun -- it seems to satisfy some primal need to commune with others while working on some mechanical problem AWAY FROM WORK.

 

I cleaned the EGR, which was pretty sooted and seemed to be stuck partially open but it didn't solve the issue on a short drive after warming up.

I am going to try checking the fuel pressure next.

 

Was the truck sitting for months before you bought it ? If so, moisture could have formed in the fuel tank. When the moisture comes in contact with a super heated injector tip it will crack it . A simple no cost bubble test will tell you if your injectors tips are in good shape. Do you know how to do a bubble test ? It only taks 30 min.

 

off topic, but can forscan do the cylinder contribution test yet?

 

The truck wasn't sitting but it could have gotten a bad tank of fuel somewhere along the way. I will try doing the bubble test this evening if I have time

 

when mine cracked i was blowing lots of smoke at the curb also, I don't want to send you down the wrong path

 

How cold is it where you are? Any chance of fuel gelling? Are you running a good anti-gel additive in case it gets cold? Just trying to think of easy stuff. It is that time of year again when diesels can be cold natured. Here in Idaho it will gel up overnight at the drop of a hat.

 

It's been 30 and below the last week. I did add some of the winter Diesel Kleen before to the tank before I topped it off but maybe I didn't agitate the tank enough.

The water in fuel light is not on but I should still drain the separator as Willie G suggested (on the other forum where I asked )