Wastegate Sticking
 

Hello all. I am new to the site and am impressed with the knowledge others have to offer. I drive a '99 F250 crewcab PSD 6 speed 4X4 with only 52K miles on it. The only problem is what I have been told is the waste gate sticking after it gets warm pulling a trailer (9,000 lbs.). The PSD loses power and has little response to the throttle. Ford won't fix it or offer any help. Has anyone had this happen and what can I do about it? Thanks for your help. I really like the pickup and only have this problem when pulling a load. The family doesn't want to travel in anything but this truck.

In stock form the wastegate is open anytime you are above 5 psi anyways, so you would hardly notice it aside from it being a little sluggish on the bottom end. It sounds to me like the exhaust backpressure valve could be sticking closed. Is this happening during cold weather?

Shouldn't the truck be under warranty still?

cookie88 - This seems to happen more in warm weather after a few hours of highway driving. I have not been able to recreate it for the dealer. It is very sporadic, but power loss is huge when it occurs. Dealer claims no codes are showing up. Is there more information I can give the dealer regarding having them check the exhuast backpressure valve?

They should be able to simply disconnect the actuator rod from the valve and actuate the valve by hand to determine if it sticks.

The fact that it happens only when towing and with a warm engine suggests that the valve is not the problem, but it's about the only thing that can rob that much power, unless it's an electrical problem like a cam sensor or the injector driver module.

When the power loss happens what are the specific circumstances? Under full load climbing hills, or just driving down the road?

This happens while cruising down the road in high gear. It has happened a few times when running with no load. There is a distinct sound similar to a loud vacuum leak (swooshing sound) coming from the engine compartment when it happens. It is not the same sound that the Exhaust Backpressure Valve makes on a cold morning. - Thanks for your help .