E550...same o same o problem

[~CrazyDiesel~]

AMEN!

I swear man, burns me up...

[howardtm]

Tracy "said" he drove it after replacing the PCM...said it ran fine, didn't throw any codes at all. I'm looking at this chip they "removed" from the old PCM and it doesn't have a 2 sided plug...in that it couldn't possibly be plugged in line with, only in place of, another chip. Its 6:30 AM here now and in about half an hour I'm heading over to get the truck and take it for a hard run. Gonna load it with 4-5000lbs of scrap steel at one of my customers shops and run the grade out of Altoona (Pa) a couple of times. Trust me on this...I'm gonna lay real heavy on the foot so if this isn't fixed, I'm gonna know REAL quick. I'm wondering though, why...after 2 days, Tracy still had this thing in his pocket, and why...if this really was the cause of all the problems, it took 5 trips and just over 3 grand to find it (excluding greed and incompetence)? And they wonder why people don't trust dealers and mechanics. However, being the Devil's Advocate here, I have in fact heard of a preformance chip that you had to actually open the computer to install it then reseal it back, so I would assume that it IS a possibility.
One a different note here, but still on a semi-related topic, I know that everyone here seems to sing the praises of a 4" exhaust system, and a better (than stock) intake. Problem is, being a 20 box truck, finding a shop that can actually put this thing on a rack to do the work in near impossible. Any input on the possible comparison of a standard DUAL exhaust in lieu of a single 4"er? And...other than installing a couple of K&N air filters, there isn't anything I can find for the intake that will fit in the tight space under the hood. Maybe in the spring I can jerry-rig something up but not sure. Anyway, I'll be back later with an update and report.

[lanny251]

Did they point out to you which computer they actually replaced??

just curious
lanny

[~CrazyDiesel~]

It doesnt really show anything that I hoped it would, apparently it didnt visit the dealer much...

But all. was the original seller of the vehicle.

OASIS RESULT:
1FDAE55F53HA62897
01/26/2007
17:00:33
FCXWS45
© Copyright 2002-2006 Ford Motor Company. All rights reserved.

VEHICLE INFORMATION
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
2003 E-SERIES BODY STYLE
E-550 COMM CUTAWAY ENGINE
7.3L TURBO - DI
TRANSMISSION
4R100 4SP (DIESEL) AXLE CODE
84 ENGINE CALIBRATION

NO WARNING MESSAGES FOUND FOR THIS VIN
ARN MESSAGES
ATTENTION TECHNICIANS AND SERVICE MANAGERS:
BEFORE REPLACING DIESEL HIGH PRESSURE PUMP (-9A543-) SEE TSB 04-04-04
BEFORE REPLACING 7.3L DIESEL TURBO PEDESTALS (-6N639-) SEE TSB 04-20-02
GENERAL WARRANTY INFORMATION
WARRANTY START DATE
06/10/2003 BUILD DATE
01/07/2003 SALE MILEAGE

OUTSTANDING FIELD SERVICE ACTIONS
04N03
ADDITIONAL WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM MODULE
EXTENDED COVERAGES
NO ESP INFORMATION AVAILABLE
REPAIR HISTORY

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

05/15/2006

DEALER: Allegheny Ford Truck Sales, In
WARRANTY CLAIM NUMBER: 040311 ODOMETER: 199000M
PART NUMBER PART DESCRIPTION QUANTITY
LABOR OP
CONDITION CODE
CONDITION DESC
3C2Z 2K021AA KIT-FRT BRK PAD REP 001 04S22C
PERFORMED RECALL 04S22
Click Here for Full Warranty History

END OF OASIS REPORT FOR 1FDAE55F53HA62897

[howardtm]

Thanks crazy for the assist. Although I wasn't able to load it up with some weight yesterday, I did take it for a run over to Hollidaysburg and back, about 190 miles and up a long steep grade. While it still dogs on the hills it didn't lose power, the SES light didn't come on and it seemed, for the most part, to downshift semi properly. I guess (knocking on wood here) that at least for the time being, its fixed (knocking on LOTS of wood!) I'm probably pretty much stuck with poor performance and mileage just due to the nature of the beast. At 13,350 lbs empty weight (GVWR 19,000) I don't expect I'll see 16MPG...although 15 would be a major cause for celebration and the erection of a Temple dedicated to the Great Diesel God (as well as to all you Guys, and Gals, here at Powerstroke.org) I'm trying to come up with ways to lighten the empty weight but thats gonna take some cash...which right now I have little of..thank you Allegheny Ford. I am going to assume that the next thing I should/could do is get some K&N air filters, which should help insrease both power and mileage a little. Financially, a better exhaust system is out of reach right now, so too is any kind of chip unless anyone knows how to adapt a potato chip to do the job..
PS.... Lanny
Stacy said it was the computer that is mounted through the firewall.

[lanny251]

ok wait a couple of months and save up some cash about $300.00 and go to e-bay and type in (ford idm or 7.3 idm).There is a guy in florida with new and reman idm's that are cheap compared to FORD and they are good units.I buy them all the time from them(2 a year) and none of my customers have complained and all the programming has already been done.maybe this will save you some money because a bad IDM can affect many things and for what he sells these for its worth a try in a few months.the last one i put in the truck wasn't running just right and had poor fuel mileage and the idm fixed the problem.If you know anyone with an 03 with a 7.3(truck or van)see if they will let you try theirs on your truck to see if it helps any.

hope you have no more problems
lanny

[~CrazyDiesel~]

Yeah, Howard, glad to see you got it back functioning at the very least somewhat "normal"

If you're ever coming to the Raleigh/Durham area with the rig, I want to take a listen, and a ride in it, just for S&G factor.

[howardtm]

careful what you wish for Crazy...ya might just get it..LOL I actually get down that area about twice a month..was just down west of Durham last week but took the car since truck was still down. Only thing I like about the car is the 35 MPG. Have been reading post after post....after post in the performance section. I'm thinking about calling DP tuners monday regarding a PCM reflash. I really need to get the power and mileage up some. On the test run yesterday, I averaged 10MPG on the button...and that was empty. Granted there was a lot of hills to climb, and I know it'll never hit 17 or 18 MPG like some pickups out there, but I gotta get it to do better. Diesel is just too high priced and the more I can save there means more I can put in the bank. I'm also trying to figure out if a dual exhaust (basic standard size) would be more efficent than the large single thats on it now. Looks as though I'll probably have to design and fabricate my own intake system since no one makes one for the E-Series...which is understandable since theres barely enough room to spit under the hood. As soon as I can get to that, I'll doc and photo it and post it somewhere here cause I'm sure theres others out there looking for one. Same goes for a guage "pod". About the only place I can see to put guages in on the dash, slightly right of center and angled toward the driver seat...gonna have to make a model, mold and do it in fiberglass(or perhaps carbon fiber.
BTW...for "road running" it's pretty well decked out. Satellite TV, Sirius Sat Radio, Rear view Cam, computer with GPS mapping, Mobile internet and fax capability, refer, microwave, air conditioner, 17" LCD HD tv, sink, stove, furnace...just about everything except a brunette and a hot tub (and the wife won't let me have the brunette) and the best part...I own the Title Baby!!!

[~CrazyDiesel~]

a few tid-bits to help your truck perform better for you.


After driving, especially considering how heavy you are, let the engine idle for 1 minute after around town driving (40 mph and lower)

If you have been on the interstate for any length of time, running with traffic, 55+ mph, and you get off of the interstate, and need to stop for whatever reason, fuel.. etc.. Let the engine idle for 1.5-2.5 minutes, increasing time with your speed you were driving.

If you just pulled a long grade, and you get off, and you need to stop,
let it idle for 4-5 minutes. If you pulled a long grade, but did some around town driving (more than a minute or two) after driving in heavy conditions as above, you can reduce the amount of time you let it idle.

The purpose of Idle time, is to cool the turbocharger down, if you say... pull that long steep grade, and shut off, the EGTs, were still way on up there, and the oil, basically fries onto the shaft of the turbo, coking the bearing surface, there-by increasing wear on the turbo, it also seems to affect spool-ability, why I don't know, but I would bet, it has to do with the deposits the oil coking leaves behind.

After you get yourself a pyrometer on the engine (preferably pre-turbo) you can shut the engine down by the pyro., when it reads 300~ give or take 50 degrees, you shut er down.

Ever notice, after running really hard, and then you go back to start it later, it seems really doggy right after starting? Like , after it starts it seems like it takes a couple extra seconds longer than it should to come to full idle? That is caused (my opinion only) by the turbo being a little bit sticky from the coking deposits, and not wanting to spin up to the normal idle rpm (i think it's around 2,000 rpm??) and causing excessive back-pressure on the engine for those couple of seconds. Again that's my opinion...



btw, depending on your gear ratios, you may want to run out of OD below a constant speed of 45 and under -engine is most efficient between 1600-1800 RPM, but you really can't tell that in this case- without a tachometer.

[howardtm]

well...looks like I may have celebrated a bit too early. Day after I got it back, took it on a test run..ran great, considering it still doesn't have the power I'd like, no SES light, no loss of power. This morning however...totally different story. Fired it up, after a bit of cranking (been into low teens here and no place to plug it in). I let it run until temp guage came up about all the way where it usually sits because it won't pull itsa shadow until it reaches full temp...typical with diesels??? Left the parking lot and headed across town...got about 3 miles! Lost power 4 times...the last INSIDE the Squirrel Hill Tunnel..dead stop, engine would idle like a old John Deere tractor, not enough power to turn the wheels. Tunnel traffic crew pushed me on thru the tunnel and called Allegheny Ford (again), who promptly (after an hour or so) sent a wreaker. Towed it to their shop where they pulled codes and took it for an extended drive with me along. Don't recall the codes exactly but both had to do with Exhaust back pressure and back pressure sensor. During the drive, as per Murphy's Law, it ran perfectly!
Drove it back home a bit ago and again, drive just fine, took off the "Dog Hatch" and looked about..could see nothing amiss. There's a butterfly valve on the exit side of the turbo, exhaust end, up close, connected to an actuating rod. Checked it and although plenty of "spring power, it moves easily and doesn't appear to be sticking (at least right now). I staated it up and high reved the engine (no too high though) but could see no movement of the rod...not sure if it was even supposed to but... Couldn't get the turbo air intake hose off to check the wheel and right now way too frustrated to mess with it...my luck I'd break something. This thing is not only driving me insane but into bankruptcy as well. ANY help with this would earn you my worship and praise, and I'd even throw in my First Born.
PS. While on the dealers test run this afternoon they had their laptop hooked into the data port. EBP was running about 22-23 at ilde, said it should be around 15, also, MBP (or such) that Tracy said was the boost pressure was only reading between 3 and 5 under idle and not much more under hard acceleration. Shouldn't it read MUCH higher than that???Also, with the "dog hatch" off and engine running, I still couldn't hear any turbo noise.