Hey all. I hope I'm posting this in the right place. If not - shuffle me around.
First off, I'm the girl who drives the truck in this house. I also work on it when I can, but I'm no mechanic (yet). I've gotten as far as changing the fuel filter and replacing a gasket (?) on the fuel line.
We've taken the truck to our local performance shop (PowerShop here in WA) and I have a list of things to be done. While I trust Chuck and his knowledge, I have a Nordstrom shop and a Target budget. So first off - are there any other good shops around who can do great work at a good price? AND would they be open to me watching and learning from what they're doing?
So, without repeating all 8 pages of notes from the initial inspection, here's what they recommend for "Phase I":
1) Replace Injection Pressure Sensor (the part is the spendy part of this line item)
2) Replace Torque Converter (recommend BD Performance)
3) Delete trans cooler bypass (this is cheap)
4) Upgrade Ford Radiator
Grand total for this work: $2902 + tax.
Now, to top it off. The A/C is working intermittently. We added coolant, but that didn't solve our issue. So I'm probably looking at work to be done there.
Then there's the ongoing chime which we're trying to track down. I'll post that another day.
Then there's "Phase II" which is $5200+, which includes exhaust, turbo, air brake, gauges, and some other little items. All for another day.
YIKES! My head is about to explode.
So, if it was your truck, what would you do? Last I checked, I didn't win the lottery, so I don't have an open-ended check..... And then again - I know the difference between "price" and "cost" (you do get what you pay for).
Thanks again-

 

run, run far away. fast. is there any abnormal functions with the truck such as a rough idle or intermittent power "stumble", problems getting the power to the ground (slipping feeling, TC) and are there any codes to justify this massive spendage of cash?

the ICP sensor is around $100 i think, a PI Stallion (same one that BTS uses) is about $1000, and the rest you dont really need i dont think. i believe they make the most profit on those parts, so naturally, your truck has those problems.

if i were you, go to your international dealer and get an ICP sensor, or off ebay. super easy to get to, on the driver's side-front cylinder head.

 

It would be most helpful if we knew a little more about the truck in question.

Did you recently purchase the truck, or are you original owner? Why are you taking it to the shop? Like Kris said, what are the symptoms here to warrant a visit to a mech? Please describe.

 

Yeah I agree with Kris. They're just trying to take you on a little trip down bankruptcy lane. For $8102 dollars you should be able to have everything you could possibly ever need. That's crazy! RUN while you still can!

 

I think you should look around this site for quite some time and become educated before you make any moves. Did those guys have guns or offer to give you a kiss with those quotes?

 

You asked for some history....
We bought the truck in October '05. We are pulling a 5th wheel 4-5 times a year, and upgraded to this truck as our F250 (with 3.55's) wasn't cutting it.
The truck was in question as we knew it had some front end body work done, so we took it to the most thorough folks we knew to pick it apart. I have 8 pages of notes. I won't re-type it all here, but I'll be happy to provide as much info as you'd like. The radiator is the old-type (no tranny cooler) so they recommended the upgrade for our towing needs, and there is a rattle in the TC (both dealer and PowerShop heard it I guess).
Here's a new ?? - I've read that the TC rattle sounds like rocks in a can. I'm not hearing that. What I hear is a buzz like a bumble bee - ususally at slow speeds and when turning. I don't think that's the TC - is it? But if two different shops say they hear the TC rattle then I must not be hearing it....
Does this help? If I run - who do I get to look at it?
THANKS!!

 

Just get a tru-cool or some other quality tranny cooler and put in yourself. Not rocket science. Just ask how to do it right here. It comes with instructions. As for the TC, somebody will be along shortly to tell you about that.

 

Yes, I agree with what these guys said. Also the buzz you hear could posibly be somthing in the exaust or a heat shield thats loose. Start it up and crawl under it and see if you can pinpoint the noise, wear heavy gloves so you don't burn your self on the exaust pipe.

 

That buzz that you are hearing is more than likely that "Danged Better Idea" that Ford had of using a fiberglass heat shield. Look at the front mount and make sure that the bolts are tight and not broken through. I found this "Bumblebee Buzz in a Can" when I upgraded to a four inch exhaust. It almost drove me crazy until I found it.

Apparently I broke the shield putting the exhaust in. A few flat washers, some zinc coating (rust preventative) and flipping the bolts (adding nuts) the opposite direction did the trick.

As for the radiator upgrade, use an aftermarket cooler and keep the additional heat out of the radiator. put the cooler in front of the A/C condensor, but low, behind the bumper in front of one of the bumper openings. be sure to 'Rock Protect" it with a screen. A good cooler will cost around $150.00.

Before you replace the cooler, do a good transmission flush. NOT A POWER FLUSH (A power flush will blow Ford Seals -- Been there, done that). Drain it, fill it, run it a few miles to get it warm, drain and on the second refill, replace the filter. This may solve your TC problem. The previous owner may not have serviced the trans. How many miles?

You will have to get into the "Other Minds" here about the IPS. I have not been into mine yet. Really don't know the first thing about it. The brain is already contaminated with the PMS disease that this site has infected me with!

 

In defence of the Powerstrokeshop, guys, they have a business to run and mechanics to pay to do the work, taxes to pay, etc.
Just about everyone here does thier own work and we are able to save a ton of money.
But I've had customers pay me $13,000.00 to upgrade thier Vanagon Wesfalia Camper vans with new engines, fuel injectors, transmissions, radiator, hoses, plumbing, etc. all at once because they love the lifestyle that the Westfalia offers and it's still less than half what it costs to buy a new one. The bodies are still good but the motors and transmissions are all worn out.
It all depends on where your priorities, wants, abilities are. There are some people that simply should not lift a hood on a car and there are others, like me, who simply should not be accountants!

 

Hey all!
First off, I feel I should defend the PowerShop a little bit. They are good folks, and have always been straight forward about what to do, and what can wait. They are always busy, very knowledgeable, and overall do good work. The upside is they know what they're doing, and are good at it. The downside is that you PAY for it....
My questions stem from just the sheer cost to do these recommendations. Do I suck it up, put it on the credit card, and go with it - paying the Nordstrom prices, or do I shop around or see about doing it myself? My knowledge is limited, although I'm willing to give it a shot - it doesn't help to have the questioning DH asking "Can you make the belt too tight? How do you know? What else could you have affected? It was running fine until you got in there...." ugh!
As we do use this truck (for the 5th wheel and everyday farm/property use) I need to be aware of down time.
I will have someone do the TC, I'm not about to start messing with transmissions - and I want someone who knows what they're looking at when they do. But- does it need to be done NOW, or can we wait and put the money into other systems?
So, my main question was/is, would you be willing to pay for the shop reputation, or would you do something different?

 

Unless you are financially comfortable enough to say just fix it and then write them a check, then I would not go the nordstrom route.

My advice for what it's worth is to get a beverage, get yourself comfortable and immerse yourself in this site. I started sponging up info here months before I bought my truck and knew more about them than some of the people I would talk to in parking lots who were driving them. I'm certainly no expert but I feel like I have a good base knowledge about my truck which helps me decide just what nifty new mods I do or do not need. I'd love to be able to drop my truck off at some power shop and say do it up, call me when it's ready. But life is expensive and silly things like rent and bills always seem to get in the way.
I like to try to do most things myself if I can cause it saves me some bucks that i can spend on other mods, plus the satisfaction level of doing your own stuff is definately there. This site is a great resource and full of helpful types many of whom are do it yourselfers. All you need to do is ask and sooner or later someone will answer your question and help you out.

good luck
Chris-

 

Osborn how confident are you at turning wrenches?
There are a lot of the simple things that you could be doing yourself, such as converting your existing exhaust back pressure valve into an exhaust brake that works just as good as the aftermarket ones that command hundreds of $$$ to put in.
Do it yourself and pay at the most $20.00 and an afternoon working on the truck.

I did it myself. If you want to read how it's done, it's IMO one of the simpler things to do when it comes to making your truck more suitable for towing big trailers.
BTW the exhaust brake makes a HUGE difference on the down side of a large mountain pass.
Here's a link to my exhaust brake mod.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=268610

.

 

Ha, I have read no further than your original post (will read rest in a minute) but I have a question anyway...."Will you marry me?"

 

Powershop and PowerStrokeShop are 2 different businesses and not related. PowerStrokeShop always appreciates defense but I believe there has been a Typo.
Thanks, Bob