I asked for some help with my PSD a while back and still haven't figured it out, but I have new info.
The symptoms? At about 2200 rpms, the power drops severely and it acts like a gas engine that is missing badly. If I rev it in neutral, it sputers and blows gray/blue smoke. Towing power and acceleration is down across the board. It sometimes sounds/feels like a cylinder isn't firing.
An important factor has come to light. I had loaned the truck to my brother, and he informed me yesterday (2-3 months after the fact) that he had accidentally put some gas in my diesel. We figure he ran about 10 miles on a 50/50 mix of gas and diesel. He immediately filled it with diesel before returning it to me. What could this have done? Could I have a bad injector? Could this be coincidence, or could the gasoline have damaged something that is causing my problem. I hasve tried to get it into the dealer, but they have a 3 day backlog and a $300 minimum diagnosis charge. I can't afford both the delay and the fee. One or the other, but not both right now. Any ideas? No codes at all. No other problems.

 

Since the engine apparently runs ok up to 2200 rpm, the injectors are likely all right. I assume that the gas/diesel mixture is used up or removed, or the percentage of gas left is trivial. If not, figure out a way to pump out the tank.
The performance under load suggests you are fuel-starved maybe.
You'll get more knowledgeable advice from others, but I suggest you change out the fuel filter, on the assumption that the gas, which also no doubt contained ethanol, loosened a bunch of crud that has plugged the filter. Even before you do that, read your manual and drain a cup to a pint out of the filter bowl (park somewhere where you can catch the diesel into something). See if you get diesel, water, or something ugly out of the drain.
After removal, inspect the filter for crud, and be sure and clean the filter bowl. When reinstalling, add a cup or so of Diesel Kleen gray bottle into the filter bowl.
You'll need a tool to get the filter holder top off. Check a parts store. Pay attention to O rings etc. to be sure to get old ones out and new ones in.
Keep in mind that a gas/diesel mixture is just as dangerous as straight gas as far as sparks and flames are concerned. Work around it as if it were a gas engine.
Good Luck,
Warren
P.S.: Get your brother to do this, under strict supervision.

 

OK, do I have to admit this in a public forum in order to relieve the anxiety of a fellow diesel owner? When my truck was fairly new (20K), I accidently put a quarter tank of gas in one of the tanks. It was one of those old pumps with gas on one side and diesel on the other, and I grabbed the wrong one, of course. That's my excuse anyway. My father, who was with me and a retired 35 year 18 wheeler driver, just shook his head. I filled the rest of the tank with diesel. Dad said just drive it back to the house ,about 100 miles, and we'll refill the tank again when we get there. A week later I pulled my 27' 5r RV 1000 miles. I have never had a problem related to that incident, 8 years ago. (And have never done THAT again, but know the anxiety of doing it once) In fact the only problems I've ever had with the truck was one CPS sensor and a broken ignition switch. I would follow warrens250 advice and check the fuel filter. Could be a turbo problem or a injector harness problem, but the fuel filter is easiest and cheapest to check / replace. Good luck.

 

One thing I didn't mention, the missing, sputtering, and smoking clears up after about 25-2700 rpm. It runs a little off the whole rpm band, and a little down on power, but the really bad spot is only at 22-2700rpm. Below 2200 it isn't bad, and above 2700 it seems ok. Not good, mind you, but ok. I have tried playing with the accelerator and it doesn't matter where it is. I just replaced the CPS, fuel and air filters are new. I have run some Stanadyne cetane boost, Lucas upper cylinder lubricant. I guess the dealer gets my truck. I can't keep driving it like this. I don't know if I am doing any additional damage or not. Thanks for trying!!

 

I am having the exact same problem with my 97. Rev's slowly to about 2500, hangs at 2500 and then will rev quickly to limiter. I had an intermittent CMP sensor code and changed that. Changed all filters and cleaned out the regulator and changed the oil. Bogs pretty badly from a stop and then will pickup once it is over 2500 rpm. Let us know what fixes yours.

 

aldridgec,
Does yours smoke when you rev it in neutral/park? Mine smokes gray/blue at the same rpm that the sputtering/bog occurs. Mine actually seems to run fairly well, except for the 22-2700 rpm spot, just not as much power as before.

 

One possibility is the fuel filters inside of the fuel pickup. The only way to access them is to remove the fuel pickup and take it apart. I don't know why the engineers thought it would be a good idea to put filters inside of the fuel tank, but they did.

 

Grey smoke is unburned fuel
Blue smoke is too low of compression and/or crankcase oil getting into the cumbustion chambers. If you've got both like that, I am going to venture a guess at failed injectors, and/or o-rings.

 

Sometimes mine will smoke in neutral, especially off idle if i stomp, then it will clear up. we had another f250 97 PSD with the same problem except it smoked a lot but still hung at the same rpm. I wonder why lack of fuel to the injector would cause smoke? I noticed when I put a fuel guage on the low pressure side it fluctuated rapidly off idle, but was still within the specs even tho it was fluttering.