Am I asking for pain?

[blackjudas]

Hello everyone, this is my first post to the forums, so I'll have to introduce myself and my truck as well as some questions about the engine and Ford's apparent lacking willingness to assist owners of their product in making it right.

I recently picked up a used 2004 Ford F350 Super Duty FX4 from an auction house and for the price I got it I was quite excited with my new "baby". The excitement to be honest, was over the diesel engine, it was a large improvement over what I had for a truck then (GM 3500 gasser). The Ford had 112,800km's (70,090mi) and to me should have been relatively trouble-free.

- The day that I picked it up, when I got in to start it, I noticed that the truck took an excruciatingly long time to start, it was the beginning of September and the temp outside was hovering around 30C (86F), so no issue there with cold starting, the glow plug light had gone out before I even turned the key .. etc so I was curious as to what it could be.

- Next I noticed on the drive home that it was hot, the check gages light came on and it was close to the red (Hot), I laid off the accelerator and didn't allow it to overheat. I noticed that when I wasn't pushing it hard, it would cool off. So immediate thoughts about a failing water pump, thermostat and/or radiator/fan came to mind.

- Then, I noticed the air conditioning worked fine, it blew cold, but when I tried to cool off the engine with the cab heater (heater core) it wasn't pumping heat into the cab at all, not even warm air.

- On acceleration it shuddered hard and felt like low power, which I knew from past experience that U-joints needed replacement. The low power on the other hand, no idea.

- Power steering was busted and it would chatter and groan when turning at low speeds, the brakes would grind and make the same noise. So it was either the pump or the hydro-boost.

- After letting it sit overnight I noticed a small pool of oil on the driveway, got into the engine compartment, and under the truck to try to identify the source. (I'm no diesel mechanic but I do know engines and how they go together), I figured that when I found the source, I'd let the shop know where I saw it coming from. Anyway, that was fruitless because as I later found out, these things like to leak in the strangest of places.

- The ABS light was on from the get-go, and dealing with this stuff on another vehicle, I assumed that it's usually a simple fix, but hard to diagnose unless you have the right tools.

- The tow/haul light on the dash doesn't light up when pressed, and the shifter on the column was quite loose (Auto tranny).

- And the very last thing was that the key in the dash to turn the passenger air bag on or off was missing.

So now that I had "assessed" all the issues on this truck, I took it in to the local stealership and gave the Service Advisor my sob story, I wanted a diagnostic on all of these issues and an estimate on the repairs.

So here I am $400.00 poorer from just the diagnostics and after hours upon hours upon hours of browsing this forum and learning through everyone else's experiences, I feel much more well informed than the next "idiot to buy a 6.0L"

2 weeks ago, I handed the truck over to the dealership for diagnostics, I asked for the mandatory oasis report, he said that he wasn't sure what I was talking about, but he'd check any records he may have on it. The paper he produced showed two simple pieces of information, build date and in service date. The build date was the 20 something of April 2004, and that's all I basically have to go on for records on this vehicle. Can I ask for anything else? Or can I ask here for someone to do a lookup for me?

Here's what the dealer had to pass on:

- Overheating due to a fan clutch being bad (the fan spun while cold), apparently not normal, covered by warranty.

- Hard start due to the glow plug module being faulty?... Anyway, covered by warranty. (Would the truck even run with the glow-plug module not working?)

- Low power due to a MAF sensor being fried in the air intake housing, I had to pay for a whole new wiring harness due to damage. Not covered by warranty. $384.00 for the part and 2 hours of work at $110.00. (BS I say... wouldn't the CEL light up?)

- Power steering pump was bad, $364.00 for the part and $330.00 labour (3 hours of work). I ended up getting a pump from NAPA instead, at $113.00 and had them install that one. Not under warranty.

- Heater core is plugged (he says) but who's heard of a heater core going on a 2004 vehicle? As I've read around here, I'm suspecting that it's the HG's. Anyway, $344 for the part and 2 hours of labor, $564. Not under warranty.

- Oil leak due to CAC tube o-rings. Does the CAC tube have o-rings? Anyway, that's under warranty.

- The turbo was all gunked up and needed to be cleaned thoroughly, under warranty.

- EGR valve needed cleaning. Under warranty.

- ABS system with a diagnostic would run me at $935.00 including labor. So I thought to myself that it must be the module. Nope. 2 speed sensors on the diff (I thought the truck only has one) were shorted, and the harnesses needed to be replaced because they were "pinched". What? Not covered under warranty.

- The shudder at low speeds is the carrier bearing (or as he calls it, the steady bearing), $900.00 for a new part and labor. Wyatt quoted $67.29 for a carrier bearing. (dealer claims 2 hours of work, which would make the part $680.00)

At this point, it's still in the shop, just talked to the stealership, and they said it also needed a new water pump (under warranty). The power steering pump, MAF sensor, CAC tube, Glow plug module, fan clutch, water pump are all replaced, the EGR is cleaned and so is the Turbo at this point.

The heater core, carrier bearing and the ABS system are still in limbo as I feel that the heater core is probably not plugged and the heating system is faulty due to something else... HG's?

The ABS system, they want way too much for and I figure I can replace a sensor (he says two) by myself for a $17.00 part they sure want a lot of money.

The carrier bearing I can do myself as well, amd I'd do the u-joints at the same time.

Are there any tips to any of the above situations I'm dealing with?

What do I do? Try to offload it on some unsuspecting idiot who has never heard the "quip" that Ford stands for "Found on road dead"? And let the poor sap eat Kraft Dinner for years to come as this "diesel" eats his pocketbook?

I'm losing money and my sanity on this POS truck, I haven't had the chance to baby it. I wanted to add a coolant filter, an oil bypass system etc... but I'm weary and tired of this thing already, I haven't even taken it 4x4'ing yet .

Wow I'm sure I could've made this post a little more readable guys, sorry for the rants/raves.

I appreciate any tips and input on the above.

Thanks!

NOTE: I did post this on another site's forums, sorry to those who frequent both sites

[DryHeatDude03]

Holy homework assignment,,,, I'm sorry I'm too lazy to read all that,, but welcome to the org anyway,,,

[DunesRunner08]

Originally Posted by DryHeatDude03

Holy homework assignment,,,, I'm sorry I'm too lazy to read all that,, but welcome to the org anyway,,,

it was a long read, but I did it..... Welcome to the org .... I hope you got a smoking deal on this truck.....

[Rob]

i would have everything that is covered under warranty fixed and see what it is liek then. if things arent fixed yet then try to do the small things like the speed sensors to see if it gets fixed. dont let them screw you out of any money. let the factory pay for what it has to then get the rest yourself. there is a whole lot of info to be read here and im sure alot of people would be willing to help if they are close to you. dont give up, it just sounds like you bought a project truck to me, without knowing it. good luck and welcome to the site!!!

[twhouse]

I would not expect warranty from a auction house buy, I thought those were pay your money and takes your chances. Warranty coverage would be great!!

[Fantom]

Originally Posted by twhouse

I would not expect warranty from a auction house buy, I thought those were pay your money and takes your chances. Warranty coverage would be great!!

But he's still under Ford's 100k engine warranty.

[POWERED SPARKLESS]

Originally Posted by Rwalker

there is a whole lot of info to be read here and im sure alot of people would be willing to help if they are close to you. dont give up, it just sounds like you bought a project truck to me, without knowing it. good luck and welcome to the site!!!

I know how the auction house thing goes, but maybe you should have put a little more effort into looking at it before making the finial purchase.

Fill out the rest of your USER CP so we know where you are located and mybe one of our techie's are in you local area. I had to break down and make a 3 hour drive to get mine fixed, because the local dealers around me couldn't give a no B.S. answer. Scuff828 just saved me a couple thousand buck. The ORG is a great place and everyone that I have talked to is willing to help.

[szyd]

Have them do all the warrenty work and do the rest youreself or find a shop other than a stealership. Fill out the rest of you sig so people around you can point you in right direction. It sounds to me its not the truck it is thr care it was given.

[2006PSDSD]

I agree with the others, have Ford fix what they will, and do the rest yourself.

The heater issue sounds more like a mixing valve issue, not HG's (I'm assuming from reading your post that the air is just cold?).

The airbag light problem doesn't make sense to me, the key to turn it on and off should be the ignition key, not a special key.

Carrier bearings are easy to change with some tools and know how

The ABS thing could be a different story. It can get expensive if your planning on throwing parts at it to fix it. Get a Chilton or Haynes manual (I prefer the manufacturers repair manual, but they are usually over 100 bucks). That way you could try and diagnose the problem yourself, and save some money.

That's my .02 cents

PS the truck was probably at the auction because the person that had it before knew that he's never sell it if someone was able to drive it. The 6.0 is a great motor, but like anything, it should/needs to be taken care of.

[DKR]

A lot of auction houses are buy as-is for whatever reason. That is quite an extensive list of warranty work completed. As for the non-warranty work, I would start putting the wrench time in myself if you have the capability. See what you can get done and start conversations with the techs on here and see if any are local to you or any local reputable shops near you.

Good luck in your project, but don't let this one truck get you down, EVERY make has a bad apple here and there. And remember, you did buy it from an auction with no clue on the previous owner/owners history, care of, or abuse of that truck.