I got in my 03 6.0 this morning and it was about 55 degrees outside. I let the glow plugs warm up and started it. It ran like crap felt like it was missing for a minute or so then seemed to smooth out quit a bit. I let it run for another minute or so and then went down the road and it felt like it was missing and running rough for the first couple of miles and then all back to normal (I think) no dash lights came on. This can't be normal (I don't think) Could someone tell me what is going on. I know diesels do not like cold weather but I have never heard one run rough like this. I only have 56K on her so it is under warrenty but I really cannot aford the downtime unless it is completly necissary. Please help. Thank-you

 

Mine has been doing this lately, for the past 2 weeks or so...exactly as you describe. I intend on doing some diagnosis in the following week... I will post what I find out. I have my suspicions on a couple of things, but am not sure at this point.

 

If you let me know what are some of your ideas I might give them a try, who knows maybe between the 2 of us we can get it figured out. My knowledge of these new electronic diesels is very limited, my knowledge is in the big marine diesels.

 

Well my first ideas were a failing (not yet failed) injector or a faulty glow plug, but I am leaning more now toward a calibration issue. I will know more after datalogging later this week.

It does not persist long enough or severely enough to trigger the misfire detector (so its not a loss of compression) but it will idle roughly upon intial startup, and then vibrate the truck from a partial misfire on one (or possibly 2) cylinders until partially warmed up, then it goes away and is fine.

 

I thought this was normal?? Last winter I did some ad hoc testing. I drove October - November and parked outside without plugging in (didn't know I had a block heater). It usually started hard and ran rough for about a mile. Then it seemed ok. I also occasionally got white smoke on startup.

Then I began plugging it in on a timer for 3 hours before I leave. It would start as easily as a summer day and ran the same as summer.

This fall I have not plugged in till last night. Again the rough starting began when overnight temps dipped into the 50s. We have only had one night down to the lower 30s so far this year. It had the same rough starting and running issues.
Then when I plugged in last night this morning it started just fine.

However, this year I just had the PCM flashed last Monday. I keep forgetting to look for the sticker to tell me what flash number. Maybe I'll remember at lunch today.
I don't have any hard numbers yet but it seems I have had an increase in highway MPG. I ran to Idaho for Powerball tickets last week and got a solid 18 MPG on the overhead. EDIT: I forgot to add this was with cruise control set at 2000 RPM which equals 77 MPH on my truck. My overhead meter has been within .5 MPG of hand calculations. For my heavy truck this is great MPG!

Although the fluctuating (stumbling?) idle is back. When I stop at a light or put it in park 80% of the time I can feel the idle going up and down. This is very slight and barely registers on the RPM meter. Since it is so slight I don’t know if it falls in the same category as the stumbling problem I have seen posted here? Don't know if I am being picky or if there is something wrong.

After a couple more tanks I'll post my MPG and flash number. That will probably be 4 - 6 weeks since I only fill up every two weeks.

Matt,

I too, am interested in anything you can discover!

 

Well... This can't possibly be normal cold run condition. Here in Washington the morning temperature is seldom more than 55 degrees unless it's June-August. That said, I don't use the block heater until the nightly temps are consistently in the 30's.

So, what other conditions will make a diesel run rough when cold? First thing that comes to mind is poor fuel quality. Is there possibility that the gulf states could have a bit of moisture in the fuel tanks? I don't know how humid it's been down there this year.. (with all the storms passing through) But I think first, I'd drain the hcfm and check the filters. Usually when an injector goes south, It's gone. You'd still experience poor run condition when warm. Glow plug..? Well, while a possibility, I don't know that the one's for the 6.0 are prone to failure. They stay on for about two minutes any time you start the engine. After that, they're off. So if you're still having rough run as it warms up, then you've got other things to look for.

I posted a reply to another thread about my suspected EGR vavle failure. Darn thing runs great when that wart's disconnected! I did have some early indications as it was failing. Some stutter on acceleration on occasion. Major stutter! Otherwise it ran fine.

So... You see where I'm leading? Once you've verified fuel clarity and flow, you might want to experament by disconnecting the EGR valve (electrically).

Also, if you're running dino oil, remember that the injectors are pressured with oil. If your oil isn't of the correct weight for your run environment, then what may be percieved as an injector problem is really a reaction/control issue. I'm having great success with Delo400 15-40, but my environmental temperatures are quite different than yours. Also make sure the oil level is correct.

I'm no expert. But those are the initial things that come to my mine.

With a slight shortage of refining capability, could we be seeing winter diesel already?

-Steve

 

Recali'ed the misfire detection algorithm when I left about a hour ago, and logged the oscilliscopic view of the crank sensor voltage on my laptop when I left....it was misfiring like a turd until it got warm, and also throwing an IAT1/IAT2 correlation error DTC. Upon close inspection the crank sensor reading was fairly erratic in tooth duration across all cylinders sporadically during the misfiring, indicating that it isn't cylinder-specific. After sensitizing the misfire algorithm, it left codes for cylinders 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

Leads me to believe it is an injector timing issue, at least with my truck. I've got tons of extra fuel allocated across pretty much all throttle positions, and I have never calibrated my injection timing based on engine oil temperature or air intake temperature after making the latest changes. It would be very possible for Ford to have made mistakes in some previous calibrations, so a re-flash wouldn't be out of the question for other trucks. My first target will be the injection timing based on air temp tables...

The newest flash that is out is a COMMON flash that is shared by both 2003 AND 2004 MY engines- it is, IMO, the best flash ever released by Ford to date and will fix most, if not all common electronic code issues with the 6.0. The processor code for the newest upgrade is "FSM7"- I will start a new thread shortly containing the calibration code- I STRONGLY RECOMMEND ANYONE WITH AN 03 OR 04 TRUCK TO UPGRADE TO THIS CALIBRATION.

 

PSD 6.0... If the injection timing was off, then wouldn't this be seen any other time. Not just when cold? Or are you suggesting that injection timing would be advanced as the engine warms or as ambient temperatures increase?

Still, would you think that the temperatures in mid fifties and above would have that much affect on run condition with Ford's flashes?

My PCM has never been reflashed. 04\04 build. And last week, temps at hunting camp were well into the thirties in the morning, (truck ran great), and up to low seventies by mid day, (truck still ran great). In fact, the evening I discovered the EGR situation, just miles prior I had taken a stop on the pass, at about 5,500 feet and it was quite chilly. High twenties? Granted, the engine was warm. But the idle was fine. With Zoodad performed, I'd think that PCM would get more of "ambient" temperature, than engine compartment temperature, and adjust fuel/injection timing. Does this make sense?

With my recent experience of drivability through temperature variations, not delving in like you have, (lack of equipment), I was trying to point Fully_Loaded in the direction of the basics first.

-Steve

 

There are adder tables for both low and high altitudes for cold intake air temperature and cold engine oil temperature. Overall, there are 6 available injection timing base and adder tables, based on boost level, intake air temp (IAT1) and EOT. Conditional statements based on the temperature readings decide which one(s) are applicable at a given time. If sufficient injection timing isn't provided at low temperature, the engine will misfire until warm. The more fuel and load present, the worse the condition will be.

 

Altitude is another variable in my situation. I'm running at 4500 feet above sea level 95% of the time the remaining 5% are even higher altitude.

 

Mine has a reflash sticker on it but I am not sure when it was done. So I should (if this is not the one, I bought the truck at the end of july this year) go get it reflashed? About how much is it?

 

Should be free...

And yes, I would definately get it done

 

Going tomorrow to get the flash done. It also ran like crap again this morning

 

Hey PSD where are you from? I go up to Murphy NC on a regular basis.

 

You can find me anywhere between Hendersonville (Asheville area) NC, Knoxville TN, and Blairsville GA (if you go to Murphy you know exactly where thats at). I used to work at Bill Holt Ford in Blue Ridge, GA. (its kind of scary to say that now, that place has went down the drain recently...but they still have a great service department, if your truck ever has any problems in that area stop by there and see Chester Lewis or Jimmy McCray ).