Another 7.3 that lost all power. This is our SAR Team command post. 3 weeks ago we were on a event and on the way home going up hills it would loose all power. If the driver babied the truck it would clear up and be fine. On flat grounds it appeared fine. We took it to a local shop who has done our work and had him change the fuel filter as it had been 5 years since a change. Also threw a bottle of DK in the tank. Seemed to run fine home from fuel filter. Fast forward 2 weeks and took it to get a inspection and oil change. It sputtered once on the way (about 30 miles). Didn't seem to have issues in the hills this time. On the way back after nice fresh oil and filter again on the hills it sputtered all over. The longer it ran the worse it got to the point he barely got off the road. Letting it sit in a parking lot for 15 minutes it started up and with low power was able to get it down the road to a local EMS agency.

Had a mechanic we used to use take a peak at it that weekend and he got these codes on his tool. Not really sure where to go here. Truck has 108K on it and was maintained well. Most all highway miles. WE have owned it for about 6 years and lucky to put 500 miles a year on it. Parked inside. Oil changes every 12 months. Looking for a direction. None of the dealerships want to touch it as its an E Series. On top of that we are on limited funds so trying to fix on our own if we can.

When it does die it will start back up. No engine lights until it quits. Touching the gas pedal will cause it to quit. Will idle pretty well.

Could the filter change caused it to run worse ? As said seemed to run fine after the change. It appears letting it sit will let it run fine for a while. Maybe when it warms up.

 

I'd check fuel flow and pressure and fuel intakes. Is it a plastic or steel tank in that? Also check the IPR and make sure that the tinnerman nut on the back of it is on and tight. Your Intake air temp could cause some issues but I don't know that it could cause serious issues. Either way, you should find out where that sensor is and ensure that it is connected and in place. On the F models it's in the back of the air box.

 

How much fuel in the tank during struggling?
Don't let it pass 1/4 tank.

 

Thanks guys. I need to ask about the tank. I know its a 100 gallon so assume its steel.

Fuel was full at the time. It sat idling for 6 hours on the event prior to leaving.

I'll work on checking out the plug. Thanks guys

 

simple things to check some even free ipr tinnerman nut , make sure it’s there and tight, maybe rebuild the ipr, icp check to see if it’s got oil under the connector if so replace , also cps same with ipr icp check the wiring your look for heat related cracking! Many of these things you can look at and evaluate accordingly

From riff raff
ipr 130ish bucks rebuild kit is 15
ipr 180 ish bucks no rebuild for it
cps 140 ish
I say ish cause in these times everything is changing

 

I would check fuel pressure. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/a...4&d=1592859516

Possibly clogged tank screens? Time for the Hutch mod? https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post19216921

Also could be IPR related. You may want to invest in an OBD dongle and the forscan app. Folks around here are pretty good at diagnosing from the forscan logs.

 

Agreed with the others, sounds like clogged fuel tank screens. Assuming the aftermarket tank still has screens in there.

 

I would address the p1211 code. Low icp. It could likely be caused by either the icp sensor or ipr and can cause sluggish performance.
The icp is super easy to unplug on the trucks. Its not as easy on the van. You will want to get at it from the hood side. Its mounted on the drivers side head. Same spot as the trucks just tougher to get to. If unplugging it help its performance then get a new one and replace it. Only by motorcraft for sensors on your 7.3 motor. If this isn't the problem then i would check the ipr. The ipr is going to be a bit tougher to replace on the van. I haven't done this on my van but like the icp i think you will want to get at it from the hood side. I welded a socket to a short paddle bit for this. You won't be able to see it at all. Id suggest watching a few videos on it. Familiarize yourself with removing the ipr. It's easy on the trucks. You might get lucky and find the timmerman nut is off and laying in the valley. This can cause your problems. It can also be so dirty and covered in a thick layer (again van specific noone washes the van motor) i can imagine the coil not doing its thing on the ipr.

It was asked above. The cab chassis and e450s used a steel fuel tank. A coating ford used can delaminate and can cause fuel problems. I thought at some yr? They changed this. SSJ would be your expert here.

 

OK. Well had a few folks play with it. Today when they looked over plugs the oil pressure is now in the mud. Just barley above L when running. It drove fine to a shop about 5 miles away. Think its more than we can fix now. I'll update what they say. I was all about fuel issues until the oil light and low pressure on the guage. My hopes are maybe that is a bad sensor. Time will tell.

 

You'll have a tough time finding a shop that knows how to fix a 7.3 and they're likely to charge you $$$$$$$$$$ to play with it while they're not fixing it. You'd be best served to follow a well known procedure and go through the suspects on your own.

 

I'd love to do that but not many folks on our team are mechanically inclined. We normally do our own oil changes and other small items ourselves. Im away for work 6 states away for quite some time and need to get it back on the road so its available for call outs. We found a local shop who fixes ambulances and other fleet vehicles. He was recommended by a couple agencies that use them They hope to get it in the shop this week. I think the first item is getting a mechanical oil pressure gauges on it and make sure the dash gauges are correct. All the codes were cleared in the computer and by the time it got to the shop all were back.

 

Please let us know any and all specifics they find. Exact codes etc.

We can help, but only if we have solid data.

 

Will do. As reference the rig has 108,000 miles on it. I did reach out to the agency we got this from and other than normal maintenance (oil changes, etc) they never had any work done (was an ambulance for them and around 100 miles each way to a hospital so that is why miles are higher). Since we got it in 2015 we have only put 3000 miles on it. Change oil every 12 months. Last year only had 600 miles on it since last oil change. All the codes above are what it still threw Friday. Not sure if they have the same scanner computer as the one used so will know more when they get it inside the shop this week. Our biggest concern is an oil pump or something requiring engine to bet pulled. While the truck is clean not many like E Series and to remove the engine would most likely bankrupt our team. Hopefully some of the items above others mentioned will be the fix.

 

Well good and bad news. Shop finally got it in Friday. All codes still there and no oil pressure on gauges and oil light on. They drained the oil and replaced it with 15-40 Rotella. Started up and all codes gone, oil pressure at middle and light off. We suspect the shop that did the oil change did not use 15-40 or it was bad/old oil. No clue. We are picking it up this week and going to drive it. The shop wants us to get some miles on it and bring it back. Seems like a good shop. We plan to pick it up this week.

Also digging thru info it looks like we filled this in December of 2020 with fuel. Our plan is to try to get it used up and get fresh fuel in it. We normally fill when 3/4 but with last year we didn't use it hardly at all. (good cause people didnt' get lost, but bad cause donations were way down). We are hoping new fuel filter that was put in a few weeks ago and some new fuel fixed it but then got masked with bad oil. Time will tell. I will update.

 

"Fresh fuel" does not apply do #2 Diesel unless it has algae growing in it.