Well… as new owner of E-350 Cargo Van w/ 7.3L diesel (purchased used – 128K miles) I am once again dumb-founded. I picked this vehicle in Paducah, KY and drove it home to Austin, TX. I noticed some odd sounds from the engine. I am hoping someone can steer me in the right direction. I took van to ford dealer for diagnoses… this is what they found:<O</O

1. Crossed-wiring between two relays that sit on-top the engine – one relay controls glow plugs & the other ‘something else’. Any way, I had the dealer correct this.<O</O

2. Dealer said that my hi-pressure oil pump (sits below fuel filter) and IPR was border-line. They determined this using their ‘plug-in hand-held analyser’... not gauges like I have done on my gas engines. They said the IPR was putting out over 50% and should be something like 30-35% meaning the pump is not putting out the pressure it should be (3000PSI)??? Dealer indicated that these components should be replaced. Dealer wanted $1,750.00. Man… the pump is expensive… and, I don’t really have $$$ to buy… Any suggestions? I am capable of doing the work but dealer said I would need ‘special tool’ for something related to the pump. What is the tool… where could I obtain it???<O</O

3. Assuming these two components are on their last legs, would this explain why my engine light is coming on –and- a bunch of white smoke out of the tail pipe… has happened several times so far when I put the engine under hard acceleration… as when passing someone on the freeway?<O</O

4. If I do need to replace the pump and IPR… where should I buy… Dealer @ $950 for both and the components are ‘new’… not re-manufactured. Or, I have found some re-manufactured pumps (I do not know anything about the IPR yet) for around $400 –plus- $300 core charge. I think I found the pump @ Oregon Diesel Performance via Internet. Suggestions??? Should I refrain from an Internet purchase and buy locally (should I have a problem)???<O</O

5. The other issue the dealer found is that something called a resonator was removed from the air intake boot (tract)… the tract that exits the air-cleaner housing and affixes to the intake throat leading into the turbo’s. The hole in the intake tract boot was ‘plugged’ w/ a cap from a spray paint can and silicone. Do I need the resonator??? I understand all it serves is to reduce ‘noise’ from air-rush thru the intake tract??? In any case, I need to address the jury-rigged plugging of the whole. Any suggestions here?<O</O

I appreciate any / all help and advice. I am pretty bummed rite now. Seems I bought a basket case.

 

The other relay is the AIH, a heater coil that sits in the y-pipe just before the intake manifolds. It heats incoming air, but only under very specific conditions (air temp, oil temp, and glow plug circuit).

Ugggg, this is when a dealership is looking for more parts to replace than necessary. It may be true that your HPOP is not putting out the proper pressure, but it's extremely rare that the pump itself is at fault. The more likely culprit is the IPR itself, which regulates the oil pressure. Failing IPR's are way more common, and much cheaper to fix. There are even rebuild kits for the IPR if you want to save even more money. Also the "special tool" they are referring to is the HPOP line tool to remove the quick disconnects. All you really need are two screwdrivers to pop them off.

It would be great if the dealership could give you the list of codes they retrieved from the PCM. If you posted them here, we could help you fix your van much easier. The white smoke is a concern, since the HPOP provides the injection pressure, you should see black smoke from low oil pressure to the injectors, not white. Sounds like you may have a different issue going on. I wonder if your turbo is leaking oil through the shaft seals, or the injector o-rings are leaking. Have you checked oil consumption?

Don't replace the HPOP. Replace or rebuild the IPR first. A new IPR can be purchased for ~$225, or click the link on the left for Dfuser and find the IPR o-ring kit to rebuild it yourself for $35.

There is no such thing as a resonator in the intake on the 7.3L's. That area you describe is where the CCV (crank case vent) line is connected to the intake. Sounds like someone did a very slopply job on the homemade CCV mod. Look on the top rear of the driver's side valve cover, just under the intake pipe you'll see a little "doghouse" cap mounted on the cover. That's where the CCV gasses exit from. More than likely there is a hose that is routed away from there and probably somewhere towards the back of the van. If you want more info on the CCV mod, just search for it on this site, or go to www.7point3.com.

If you can, try to get the codes that the dealer retrieved from your van and post them here. We can help you much faster that way and hopefully save you lots of money on repairs.