I'm helping someone post this information, so please forgive me for not knowing all the right information up front.

1999 F-350 7.3L with 168,000 miles on it. It surges at idle. Up until about a year ago, it was driven almost daily, now, probably once a week or once every two weeks. Had issues with it not running and cutting off about a year ago. Had the tank dropped and cleaned and put a new fuel pump in. Has new fuel filter, cam position sensor installed about a year ago as well.

I have posted some video clips of it running on youtube.

SignShows's Channel - YouTube

is the channel they are all on. Nothing on there but those videos, 4 of them, to demonstrate the issues.

Also, he says that he can't keep oil in it, which apparently has something to do with the fuel injectors, so he's told.

It ran fine on one day, then the next day he started it, it had this issue. Nothing had changed from one day to the next. Last year when the fuel pump went bad, the common line was "We can promise we'll fix it for $8,000". Turns out it was the fuel pump and a dirty tank, so I guess they all would have been happy to work on it for $8000. This time around, he's hearing the same story.

Would like to try an isolate or troubleshoot it instead of writing a blank check to someone to just change parts until they finally change out the right part.

Any help, advice, or direction would be greatly appreciated.

I can get video or anything else needed if asked, just let me know what you need to know and I'll get the information and post it back here.

Thanks for the help!

 

Moved to the 1999 - 2003 7.3L Power Stroke Diesel forum.

 

Do you have oil in the coolant ? Is it leaking oil ? If so where ?

 

He says there's no oil in the coolant, but he does say that it's going through oil since this happened. He's not able to drive it as it is, so it's not as if he's been driving it once the problem appeared overnight.

People have told him the oil is getting used by the injectors, indicating a classic case of the seals of the injectors failing. But it seems odd that when he turned the key off one night, it ran fine, the day day it didn't. How would the seals go bad like that? Rather than a gradual failure of running poorer and poorer?

 

It sounds like the injector O-rings to me. It happens that way sometime

 

Are the injector seals replaceable or do you have to replace the entire injector? I think he mentioned the seals were copper or something.

If it is the seals and the you have to replace the injectors, is there a good source for those, other than Ford?

 

Talk to Clay at Riffraff. I would replace the injectors. Just up to you. Give some of the other guys time to comment, they may have a better idea.

 

I think the part he's trying to avoid is spending $2,500 on injectors only to find out that wasn't the problem and having to spend another $2,500 to move to the next possible solution. Is there a way to verify it's the injectors for sure?

 

Injectors wouldn't be that much, but you could also send them in for testing to see what needed to be done. See the last option, HEUI Flow Testing.

Riffraff Diesel Performance Parts: Diesel fuel injectors | Ford Powerstroke fuel injectors | 7.3L Fuel Injector - Full Force Diesel / Casserly

That being said, did this issue just start happening? Colder weather?
Some of the videos sound like a case of the "Romps" Is the glowplug system in good order?

Also there is an SES light on while this is happening so there are some codes being generated, which would help lean towards a direction of injectors or ICP sensor.

 

Thanks, I'll pass that along. He told me that there were about 8 codes being generated. He's going to send me the codes and I'll post them when I have them.

It's certainly a cold issue too, I think. This just started happening and one comment I've heard him make repeatedly is "This truck doesn't like the cold".

Could it be as simple as the glow plug system?

One video has a very different sound, like a very loud clacking, then he turns it off and restarts it and it sounds completely different, no clacking, running smooth.

 

Great sticky at the top of the page for cold start information. The glowplug relay is a pretty common failure, I would test the GPR and GP's first. https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ky-thread.html

Does the truck only do this when cold?

Does it do the same thing if it is plugged in for a couple hours?

I assume oil being used is 15W-40, if it's really cold 5W-40 can help with the "Romping"

If you disconnect the ICP sensor does it do the same thing?

I heard the differences, the initial video loaded on the channel sounds like the GP system not working, the Cackle sound heard from incomplete combustion.

Then others, sound like "romping" from thick oil, or worn injectors, or possibly Orings.

 

Check ICP

 

Thanks for the info. It does it when it's cold or warm. He let it run for a while, restarted it, same things.

He disconnected the ICP and said it didn't change anything.

The codes it's kicking up are many. He says he's getting the following codes :

P0713, P1281, P0198, P0113, P1119, P0238, P1617, P1316, P0344, P0478, P0470, P1210, P0236, P1211, and P0708.

That's a tall list and we're sure there's one or two that are causing all the problems, but where to start is the issue.

Any other suggestions?

 

First thing you need to do is clear all the codes and then see which ones come back.

 

He has done that, and those are the codes that came back, I think.