Problems in detail.
1. BLUE smoke that will fill up a intersection at idle, usually after being warmed up for 15 minutes or so. The blue smoke is acompanied by a harsh raw diesel fuel smell.
2.8-9mpg??? Not pulling a trailer, no load in bed. No I don't drive like a nut, I havn't had a ticket in over ten years.
3. Turbo is always in boost. On the hwy the other day running around 70 the boost was reading between 10-14. On flat roads, NO LOAD?!?!?!? On the 7.3 I was lucky to see that boost level with a 28' enclosed car trailer on hills!
4. I'm on my second set of locking hubs. 6k miles?
5. Transmission couldn't hold a gear if it's life depended on it. Meaning you give it a little gas or hit a small hill, it downshifts! Again the 7.3 you set the cruise at 70 loaded with a car trailer and it would NEVER downshift on any hill I ran across. I'm just using the 7.3 as a reference because that's what I had before for the last 5.5 years. Please let me know what I can do to correct these problems. Thanks, Andy.

 

Sorry for Hijacking this post but.... I call BS!
Well Andy I have read some of your post. Not 100% of them and you never seem to list the complete problem or problems. You ALWAYS state you want you 7.3 back. The only problems I see that you have is poor fuel mileage and blue smoke but you never go into much more detail. I think you might be a Chevy or Dodge owner and just trying to stir the pot. If not then I appologize right here and now. Please start a new thread and post your problem with details and let work to get them fixed. Did Ford make some Lemons? YES! But so did Lexus, Chrysler, GM, and Mitz. If you are having problem let's hear yours! Not my friends truck is doing this too. Just YOURS!
Just my 2 1/2 cent.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL and you too Andy!!

 

I split the thread so we can answer your problems in further detail.
The blue smoke sounds like it is burning oil... I am only guessing here, but it could be the seals in the injectors putting oil into the combustion chamber.
Are you noticing a drop in your oil level? I know they found a significant quantity of diesel in your oil - this should increase your oil level, so even if you have the same oil level it will be burning oil
Fuel milage can be attributed to many things. Having bad injector seals wouldn't help. This is something that needs to be diagnosed by a dealer. If your current dealer isn't helping - try a different dealer - some people around here might be able to tell you of dealers they have had good experiences in the area.
To me that sounds kind of normal - I would expect a reasonable amount of boost even while cruising witha variable vane turbo - however 10-14lb is on the high side.
What kind of terrain do you drive in?
I will admit the hubs aren't the strongest - I went through 2 sets in my 7.3, however the dust, terrain and conditions it saw would make it understandable.
This I honestly don't know without being there what could be causing it - again you would need to take it to a dealer for diagnosis.

 

OMG, I will give you my Vin # tomorrow! I gave you my phone numbers and address. You can come and see for yourself!
BIGF350 thanks for the input. It's unburnt diesel fuel for sure. I really think it's injectors. I stated before that I'm getting fuel in my oil. I will get the results back from the lab soon. Mileage I have no idea, maybe related to the blue smoke? 4.10 gears? As far as the hubs, the first ones went out the first time used them! No off road, less than 2k miles.
I'm going to get it back to the dealer again, Oakfield Ford in Villa Park, IL. We'll see what happens. BTW, I don't think there is such a thing as a lemon. Just someone who doesn't know how to do there job! I own a outdoor power equiptment dealer and I've never seen a machine that couldn't be repaired! Andy.

 

Wow, Andy! Without even trying to address the mechanical problems, several things come to mind.
1. You're not being entirely honest about your driving habits. A nut to one person may reasonable driving to another. No ticket's may mean you just didn't get caught.
2. You got a truck built by disgruntled employees in several different plants(engine, tranny, hubs). Or one Ford assembly plant employee took out twenty years of anger at Ford by messing with your truck.
3. Mechanical/Electrical devices hate you.
4. You have a secret admirer at the dealership that likes having you around.
5. The truck had a few miles on it when you bought it, put there by the owner of the dealership's delinquent son and his friends.
A couple of engine problems, OK. A transmission problem, OK. One hub going out, OK. But all of these things at once, on a new truck, now that's a lemon or your beating the hell out of it.

 

Guys - lets see if we can genuinely help him...
No need to belittle him

 

Alright, all kidding aside. You may just have a bad PCM, program, or sensor feeding the PCM bad data that the program is trying to use. It doesn't sound like any one particular mechanical malfunction, but a lot of symptoms. From what I've learned about these things. When a lot of symptoms pop-up all at once with several different systems, it's usually electrical in nature. I don't know what to tell you about the hubs. It could be you have a problem in the axles and by changing the hubs they're just treating the symptom and not the cause.

 

What year is your truck?

 

I'd be willing to take my '05 in with you! I'm in Downers Grove! I'm taking it somewhere soon, probably Baker Ford in Plainfield or Freeway Ford in Lyons as they have more than one diesel mechanic (like the dealer I purchased - Willowbrook).

My '05 will turn 63,000 miles today. Over the past few months, my blue smoke has gotten worse. It started smoking blue and running rough sometimes when the water temp was less than 128 degrees (I have a ScanGauge OBD reader). It was very distinctive when the weather was warmer, but with the cold and the amount of white smoke that comes out, it is harder to see. The easy solution was to let it warm up longer. Now, it sometimes, even when warm, will run rough and push out some blue smoke and run rough, but it always seems to clear up at some point.

If I kick up the idle to 1200 (see some of the high idle threads here), within a few minutes it is difficult to breath within 100 feet. No blue smoke, but it seems to be pumping way too much fuel through the engine.

I believe my mileage is down from last winter, but I need to finish entering the last couple of months of fuel receipts into my data base. I've never gotten great mileage as I am almost always pulling my trailer. I can tell you that it seems that it is near impossible for me to get 10 mpg with a load (have to drive 55...). Yesterday, I got 7.4 going up to Neenah, WI from Milwaukee where I fueled and averaged 8.2 for the tank so far (Milwaukee, Neenah, and back to DG - I do have an 40 gal aux tank, btw).

If you read here, you will find that some suggest mileage will be better after the motor is broken in... never happened to me. You will also find some that suggest that using synthetic oil will make fuel mileage better... never happened to me. The only thing which make mileage better is lifting one's right foot... Tough to do on the expressways around here and Wisconsin!

I believe I'm down on power a little, which is causing the frequent shifting. Watching the ScanGauge, it will maintain a 97 LOD (engine load percentage? - max 99) until some rpm/boost point and then downshift - this is with TC enabled. Without TC, I can control the shifting a little better, but you really have to have a light foot. I thought about taking it to Midwest Injectors and having it dyno'd, but unless they have specs on a new 6.0 I would not have anything to judge by.

I think your boost is normal, but my ScanGauge shows different numbers than the dash gauge - it's always perhaps 10-15 higher.

If Dodge had their MegaCab in a long wheelbase dually, I would be there today... Especially, since someone ran into the drivers side of my truck last Thursday...

Oh, for those disbelievers, I can send you my VIN... and a bottle of smoke if you'd like...

Jim

 

Don't be fooled into thinking the Dodges are "all that" I owned one before my current 05 PSD and let's just say I don't have enough time right now to type out all the TSB-related problems alone (stuff they know about), not to mention other problems I had.

 

Hmmm... From a recent article on AutoWeek.com

"Since the engine debuted three years ago, Ford has issued at least 77 technical service bulletins. That is far above average, even for a new engine. These bulletins tell mechanics how to diagnose and fix various problems.

"By comparison, there have been eight service bulletins for GM's Duramax diesel V-8 and none for the diesel engine in the Dodge Ram truck. Both engines debuted at about the same time as the Power Stroke."

Let's see... that's 77 to 8 to 0... Looks like Cummins is a winner to me...

rblomquist , your thoughts?

Jim

 

YES .....

 

Lastls1, Hey Jim,

When my 05 was putting out the blue smoke, they replaced the EGR (I'm running on my 5th), and the exhaust pressure switch. It seemed to fix the blue smoke problem.

I'm still fighting the loss of power problem. I can't even pull 7k now, without it dropping 2 gears on a small hill. This all started after they replaced the turbo at 55k, and it's slowly getting worse.

I also had exhaust fumes in the cab. They put on some manifold gaskets, and so far, it has fixed that problem.

I can only get 10mpg out if the truck. I was getting 12-14 loaded, and 14-16 empty if I slowed down some.

The lastest problem, is that it's started blowing coolant out of the overflow tank.

The truck was running fine before the turbo was replaced. I just want it back that way.

The past couple of times, they've asked how much I'm pulling, so I've started getting weight tickets, to prove I'm not abusing the truck.

I sent in an oil sample for analysis. They said it was suprisingly good for a truck with 75k on it.

I really like this truck, the cab,mirrors,brakes etc....... but I need to stay running, and I need better then 10mpg. I've been test driving the Dodge. I'll take a big hit, but if Ford can't get my truck running like it was before the turbo was replaced, I'll have to find something else.

I'm home for the holidays, and plan to take my truck to a private shop to see what they say. If I find anything, I will post it here.

Happy Holidays!, and good luck with your truck.

Brian

 

Thanks a million!! Let me know if the dealer helps you. The smoke and smell is my biggest complaint! I could live with the rest. PLEASE let me know. When mine was at Oakfield they said they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. They reflashed the computer, I didn't notice any change. Andy. 630-531-5666. Vin#1FTWW33P45ED12318

 

LASTLS1,
My truck had all the same even the trans, replaced EGR valve, back sensor and reflashed...no more problem.
Try unhooking the EGR, unless its stuck open, the blue smoke and driveabilty will disappear.