I want to make sure I have all the information to make an informed decision. Was doing general maintenance on my ‘05 PSD F250 with manual transmission, oil change, fuel filters. Decided to look at the EGR valve and do a little cleaning. It’s been several years since I removed it. Had the usual fouling, however, the bottom of the intake was damp…..not a puddle, just damp. I cleaned as much as I can reach and put her back together. I will say that I did notice the coolant a tiny bit lower than I remember it, not significantly.

Is the dampness under the EGR valve a good indication that my EGR cooler can be failing? Is it normal for the soot to have a wet appearance?

 

It can look wet with oil if your CCV is still intact.

 

Are you running the OEM (stock) '05 EGR cooler? I'd replace it with a BPD unit since the '05s+ are the ones most known to fail...

 

CCV is still intact, and the EGR cooler is the oem since it was never replaced.

I’ll also note that the most recent oil sample sent to Blackstone reveals no coolant in the oil.

 

You could try cleaning the intake under the valve, and checking it in a couple hundred miles and see what you get.

 

Sounds like a good plan for now. Though with a stock cooler at 155k miles, I feel as though I need to do something at some point.

I have been reading some of the past posts in the forum about the big “D”, and wondering if that is a viable option now that the EGR can’t be programmed out? Is there a power gain, decline in power in a limp state, or negligible for an ‘05. Sounds like ‘03 to ‘04 the big D is a no brainer.

Just looking at options, without advertising too much.

 

General consensus is that you loose 1-2 lbs of boost. Not sure if that varies per model year.

I can't speak to programming on an 05. My first 03 threw a P0401 but no CEL, The current one threw a cell that went away by installing an early 03 tune, still get the P0401 though.

 

Thanks for the reply!! Yeah I’m more worried about a degradation in performance than I am the codes. I know I’ll get the code with really no way of fixing that. I would like to think there would be better performance considering a reduction of hot exhaust being pushed into the intake. But I don’t know for sure. More power or better fuel economy, and longer life expectancy would be good reasons to ignore diag codes IMO…..what is your experience with the D?

 

My last 6.0L (crew cab) got D'd a week after I bought it when I had to replace the oil cooler, and my current one (super cab) was D'd when I bought it, so I don't have much experience without the D.

My boost numbers are inferred via my Edge Evolution. but here's what I can tell you about my experiences (not towing with 300-400 lbs of tools in the bed):

Crew cab - Atlas 40, stock tune with dealer update, Mishi CAC pipes, and EGR valve plugged-in but not mounted in the intake - commonly saw 25 lbs of boost going up mild grades at WOT, occasionally saw 26 lbs depending on weather conditions, and last time I drove it saw 27 lbs once while passing at highway speeds.

Supercab - Atlas 40, stock CAC pipes, CFS charge air cooler, EGR valve installed in intake manifold, new stock turbo - Before taking it to the dealer for a reflash (to get rid of several codes) I normally saw 27 lbs of boost and had no egr codes. After the reflash, never saw more than 23 lbs going ***** to the wall on steep inclines, and a CEL with the P0401, Currently running early 03 tune (VXAM7N2) and I regularly see 24 lbs going up a steep incline and the occasional 25 lbs depending on weather conditions.

It was my experience that pulling the EGR valve out of the intake but keeping it plugged-in gained 1 and sometimes 2 lbs of boost. I covered the valve in heat wrap but didn't fasten it down and after a couple of years I noticed it has been rubbing against the oil filter housing and had worn a disconcertingly deep groove in the side of it. That's the only reason it is mounted in the intake on the supercab.

 

I’ll have to look into those Atlas tunes. I guess I don’t really understand the difference between a FICM tune and an ECU tune. I assumed the Edge CTS2 or any tuner changed how the FICM behaved. My FICM was replaced in 2014 which was the last time the truck saw a Ford dealership.

Thanks for the info on the EGR cooler. I like that I can be in a fact finding state and not necessarily be in a hurry for a fix.

 

Tuners only directly affect the main ECM strategy. Whatever that tune is, it has to play nice with the FICM tune or performance will lag.

Here's a quote from a conversation I had with Toreador Diesel regarding my truck:

"Are you using the latest FICM calibration with VXAM7N2? If you are that's probably why it feels the same. The FICM is the gatekeeper of fuel and no matter what the PCM commands, it will ignore it if it goes beyond its programmed limits. This is why if you can run it with the Atlas 40 or the stock FICM it was meant to be paired with, it runs circles around a truck with a later calibration."

 

Good info. I would definitely have one of the late FICM tunes and have suffered with turbo lag. Always assumed it was due to the truck being manual. I did more research last night on the org and understand the FICM tune much better.

would still like to hear more folks chime in on EGR experiences as well. Been combing FTE and other sites for info. Ive owned this ‘05 since ‘08 and haven’t really thought of or needed to go in this deep.

 

ive got an 03 with the strategy that does the turbo sweep. pulling my camper ive seen 27-28 psi on the sct. the truck was done when i got it and the fan didnt work and the vgt sweep didnt happen. i picked up a used valve off marketplace, dropped it in the factory hole and plugged it in and as soon as the truck warmed up it started sweeping the vgt. caught me totally by suprise and i was worried i broke something. the fan started working too like its supposed to. i dont see any reason to not have the valve in the intake, it cant do anything since the underside is blocked off and it just looks more finished imo.

 

My own testing, up and down the same stretch of road on the same day, said otherwise. Maybe the difference in the tunes. What strategy is that?

 

ill have to check. if its plugged in it shouldnt matter if its laying in the valley or in the hole if the bottom has the plate. it can open and close all it wants but theres nowhere for it to go.