I have a 03 f350 4x4 6.0, this is my problem... Since I have owned the truck it has been great, then along came the reflashes which I could somewhat deal with until the "latest and greatest" came out this summer. I WAS getting 18-20mpg and it had the power and shifting that I wanted to include (and more importantly) the tow haul mode. This last reflash (Aug is when I had it done) has reduced power, turned the shifting into a cadillac, reduce the effectiveness of the tow haul mode, increased starting time, reduced acceleration, and reduce my mpg's down to 11mpg.
I had around 22,000miles prior to the reflash and it was great, now 28,000 and it sucks! Doesnt matter if it is loaded, unloaded or if I keep my foot of the pedal and use cruise control.
Called the ford hotline and they asked if the dealership rechecked, which I said yes and they said they would support the dealers answer , the dealer says they have had several customers come in with same issues and there is nothing they can do about it and to contact Ford .
I have not modified the truck nor do I want to as it drove great and had all the power I needed which is why I bought the truck. I bought it as a work truck, single cab, auto, power nothing, rubber floor, truck. I was not looking for a cadillac type, quad cab, smooth shifting, carpet everwhere, power for the power to the power windows ect...
PLEASE PLEASE do not recommend any aftermarket type additions as I do not want to do this, Ford did a great job then turned around reduced the effectiveness , Maybe Ford needs to have 2 different type of flashes, one for the comfy drive to the grocery store getters and one for the type that use the truck as a truck.

 

Sorry but I am now located in Up-State NY, I am active duty Army and having a great time here.

 

Moreover, that is the problem…Ford will not fix the loss of power, once flashed it is that way until you add aftermarket equipment to get the HP back...there is NO fix from Ford.

 

I'm in the same boat,my early 03 ran great,flash took care of that,seems ford should have only flashed trucks that people had problems with,I'm sure it would have saved alot of aggravation for all.I'm surprised no one sells a tuner that claims to restore original calibration.Ive been told ford reps. can tell if you are running a programmer,IF engine has problem you can expect more aggravation

 

How do we get fords attention towards the reflash issue? It seems there are many with 6.0 that still complain about the noise and shifting to harshly and others that are opposite. I think ford is trying to place one flash for all users and it will not work. If the engineers were smart and the marketing reps had a brain maybe, just maybe, they would think of comming up with a plan to have several flashes and ask the type of use the truck will get and what the owner would like.

Would like to know who agrees to this and of course who would not agree and say it still would not make everyone happy as every owner has their own idea on what they want their truck to be.

 

The idea of different flashes for different drivers is a good idea. I have a 1/23/03 build 6.0 FX4 250 CC now at 39,461 miles. I believe that I have had every flash... The latest in July IMO is the best one: Great throttle response, good mpg and no tow/haul issues.

Truetruck, You did not state the reason for your recent re-flash. Perhaps there is another issue with your truck...Your description certainly sounds like there is a genuine problem. I would welcome comments/feedback especially from others that have had the latest flash: Positive or negative.

 

The reason for the reflash was I had every other flash out there and this one was to be "the flash of all flashes" and fix ALL the problems. For me the factory setting was the best going.
The only reason I had the first flash is a module died on me during a trip in JUL03 and the dealership reflashed, since then I deployed to Afghanistan in AUG03 and returned in MAR04 and had a dealership in NY check all items on the truck for any updates. When they reflashed it caused the smoking and changed the shift points and made them easier. When I read about the the Jul04 flash I figured what the h*ll and had it done, what a mistake!!!

 

I am in the same boat....My truck got its first flash a little over a week ago and I have had it back to the dealer saying nothing is wrong? This latest flash turned off my pilot inection [which came with my truck] so it is much louder, less power [why I bought this truck] and poor mileage [why I sold my V-10] How can I get Ford to bring back the truck I bought 10 months ago?

 

Truetruck and Bikenbob, Sorry to hear about the issues and the fact that you also have poor mpg raises a big red flag. Sometimes keeping the discussion going may help bring in someone with the same problem and the cure. With that said, I am wondering two things:

1) Maybe there was some other issue which you assumed was caused by the previous flash and is still haunting you? I only had the July flash because of hard 2-1 downshifts when in tow/haul pulling a load. No other issues.
2) Does your dealer really have an active interest in your satisfaction? When someone says their dealer is telling them "that's the way it is, tough". That is a good sign to find a different service Dept.

A lot of owners aren't happy about losing the pilot injection. I am more concerned with how the truck pulls my 7,400 lb boat in high altitude mountainous terrain. Thats just me.

Good luck and don't give up- This forum is filled with stories of "problem solved".

 

I just got the newest flash on 9/24 and didn't have any further problems until last night. Driving to town, as I slowed to turn the engine "loped", kind of like I was feathering the throttle just a little at idle while the truck was still rolling, my wife thought I was messing with her b/c we could feel the slight jerk forward. I thought it was just a fluke, but then when driving about 40 mph it did it again and this time more defined. It continued until I held it down full throttle to about 75. Then when I stopped at the first light it was idling fine until I took my foot off of the brake. It jumped just like I had stomped the throttle then let off, a real quick rattle, just enough to see the tach jump about 500 rpm's and to roll forward a few feet real fast, but then my foot did hit the throttle and as it was coming back to idle, I accelerated into traffic. I have had numerous problems with turbo lag and that is why I had the flash done to begin with. Now I'm wondering if this is programming or possibly wire chafing, I do have the adjustable pedals and will be checking this all tomorrow, rain or not. I cannot tell if this problem matches the other problems from wire chafing, but it sounds similar.

 

I personally have had no problems until recently the check engine light came on? The truck still ran fine as usual. The dealer changed out a EBP sensor and flashed my PCM. If I would have known they were going to install a new flash, I would have lived with the check engine light on and paid for a non-warranty change of the EBP. I was not given the chance to make this decision. I had read about problems with some trucks in this forum with recent flashes & did not want to have one of them. I'm just very frustrated with the outcome of this situation. (If it is'nt broken.... don't fix it!)

 

Gentleman, and ladies. If you take your truck in for a specific problem, and you know that a re-flash is your only hope, then you have no option, other than waiting for another cure, than to get it re-flashed.

If you feel that you have a specific problem, AND have a GOOD idea what the the cure is, communicate with your service advisor, AND your mechanic, your concerns. if you are confident a flash is not the answer, write this on your service order:

"Not withstanding anything to the contrary contained herein,
I do not authorize any flashing/reflashing of any of this
Truck's computers; This prohibition is of the essence."

I quote this from somebody else, sorry, but I forget who.

BUT!! Isn't there always a but? More importantly, you must have confidence in your tech. Make sure he's certified. Personally request to see his certification. More so, develop a repoir (sorry, can't spell worth doodoo tonight) with a service advisor/tech/service manager. Don't we all get along and understand each other better when we know each other?

Almost all the problems have been fixed, and most of the fixes are discussed here, somewhere.

Whew, I do need to get back to my cigar.

 

Question for Utahtom.....My 03'f-250 6.0 auto FX4 was built 1/3/03, I had the Oct.flash done last year due to rolling idle problems,and it seemed to be O.K.(except for the loss of pilot injection,about 1-2 mpg,and a little power I think). Now,I was pulling my 20ft.bass boat,and the thing tried to break my neck downshifting from 2nd to first,it is violent,sound like the tranny just fell out or something.It just started all of a sudden. My wife actually screamed the first time,thought I hit something. Did the new flash cure your shifting problems?f MY motor is stock,no tuner yet. Last time to the dealer, before this problem, the service rep recommended no reflash unless something is going wrong.I'm getting about 17mgp now avg.no tow driving,don't want to get one of those flashes that drops to 11 or 12.The thing shifts like a cadillac otherwise. What to do???Any thoughts out there will be appreciated.

 

I have learned quite a bit from this site as I have been reading for almost 2 years and never really had a place to post and keep up, poor communications equipment in a 3rd world country, but this has gotten me pretty angry. The dealership is great as is the tech that is working on my truck. He has taken me through the entire truck and shows me what he is doing and why. He has fowarded the complaint to Ford but he also said he can only do so much. The tech is not the problem it is the flash as I noticed an immediate difference when I drove off the lot after the reflash. This was not something that slowly developed, it was a HUGE difference the day it was reflashed. One tech in Columbus GA, where it was done, wanted nothing to do with it and looked very hard for any modifications to put the blame on.

All I want is the performance and milage of the truck when I bought it. This crazy and very poor on the part of the Ford which has a great truck.

 

I am in the same boat to I have a 02/03 built truck with the early 6.0 in it and I am having bad problems they reflashed it about 5 times due to the rough engine idle and stalling now 45,000 miles later i got no power, no accleration, turbo cuts out, and I am just going to trade mine for a 2005 on Nov. 2nd thats when the rebates an low financeing comes out.