[eseethal]

Dear experts!
I have a problem, maybe someone of you has some hints for me. A friend of mine just bought an 03 6.0 f-250 powerstroke, which here in Austria is a quite rare truck. When he checked this car before bying it could be started but was not running fine. So some mechanic of his changed the 3 fuel filters - and now, the rigg does not start at all.
So I was called to check it out. It cranks perfectly, some cylinders fire up (which makes the starter disengage) but refuses to run. With some starter booster fluid we could manage to run the engine for a few seconds, so from the mechanical side, everything should be fine. As it is quite warm glow plug operation cannot be the cause.

I checked the codes (Auto Enginuity Tool), but no major codes stored (one old "water in fuel" code and something total unrelated.
The software triggered injector test said, that everything is o.k.

What I can see is that someone sealed the fuel regulation valve with a lot of sealant, I opend it and also found a lot of sealant inside, so I assume these sealant parts could be washed somewhere where it should´nt be.
I have no possibility to check the fuel pressure yet, but at the fuel pressure test port it seems there ist alot of pressure when trying to hold it shut whith my thumb

As this truck is very rare where I live I cannot swap parts with a similiar truck to narrow down what could be the cause.

Any suggestions what to look for (except fuel pressure)? Any bleeding procedures necessary?

Thanks and greetings from Austria!

Eugen

 

[m-chan68]

First of all, if the intended use of this truck is to live its entire life in Austria, may I suggest that the owner order a whole box of FA-1778, FD-4604 and FL-2016 filters to used as needed. I don't know what the fuel quality is like in Austria, but I will say that the cetane rating of the fuel needs to be in the low to mid 40s for this engine to run at its optimum. That being said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the owner order a whole case of Ford/Motorcraft PM-22-B and PM-23-B additives as well as the Ford/Motorcraft 10W30 CJ-4 rated engine oil. I am certain that any Ford dealer will jump at giving you a huge discount if you order it in bulk quantities.
Now, in answer to your question, you need to install a scan tool that can read live data, and pull up the following information listed below:

FICM_L: should read 11.0 to 12.0 volts at key-on/engine-off and remain steady while you crank the engine.

FICM_M: should read 47.5 to 48.0 volts at key-on/engine-off and remain steady while you crank the engine.

FICM_V: should read 11.0 to 12.0 volts at key-on/engine-off and remain steady while you crank the engine.

ICP V: should read 0.18 to 0.25 volts at key-on/engine-off and climb to minimum 0.8 volts while you crank the engine.

ICP: should read 0 psi at key-on/engine-off and climb to minimum 500 psi while you crank the engine over.

IPR Duty Cycle: should read 14.84% at key-on/engine-off and climb to around 50% as you crank the engine over.

FICM_SYNC: should read "NO" at key-on/engine-off and change to "YES" when you crank the engine over.

SYNC: should read "NO" at key-on/engine-off and change to "YES" when you crank the engine over.

V_PWR: should indicate around 12 volts at key-on/engine-off and drop to no lower than 9.5 volts while cranking the engine over.

RPM: should indicate around 175 to 200 as you crank the engine over. Any slower, and it's not cranking fast enough.

Fuel pressure spec is 56 psi, and no lower than 45 psi under load. This can be measured by connecting a fuel pressure gauge to the secondary fuel filter housing port that requires a 6mm allen key to remove.

EVERYTHING I've listed above, is what is needed to achieve a 6.0L engine that starts. You now need to find out which of the above is missing.

 

[ZMANN]

Your posts amaze me ! and your willingness to help impresses me !

 

[Csolomon]

with the Auto Enginuity Tool you will need the enhanced ford package and it shoudl cover all the spec that m-chan has layed out if you dont have the extra ford package you will need to order t or that tool is useless to the truck

 

[eseethal]

Wow, thank you all for your quick replys! Especially the list with all the correct values of the various sensors is very helpfull! And yes, I do have the Ford Expansion of the Auto Enginuity Scan Tool, which reads all the sensors and values, so I will try to figure out what is wrong when trying to start.

Thanks and greeting from abroad!

Eugen

 

[lifewitlooie]

A Diesel tech came out of nowhere like Superman and saved the day lol

 

[03f250stroke]

Your posts amaze me ! and your willingness to help impresses me !

i couldnt agree with you anymore..hes like a machine..built ford tough machine :hehe:

 

[eseethal]

Well, finally I was able to measure the values in the key on / engine off and in the cranking condition.
These are the values, which are different to the values you stated, everything else (including fuel pressure) is fine:

- ICP V: Off: 0,16 Cranking: 0,57 (instead of 0,8 Volts)
- ICP: 368 PSI (instead of 500 psi)
- RPM: 135 RPM (should be +175 RPM)

These 3 Values are a bit lower than they should - I am not sure, if this will help me find a solution for this problem.

I am still trying to find the FICM-Synch and IPR Duty Cycle values in the Scan tool, as soon as I get that, I will repost them.

Thanks for your help!

Eugen

 

[m-chan68]

- ICP V: Off: 0,16 Cranking: 0,57 (instead of 0,8 Volts)
- ICP: 368 PSI (instead of 500 psi)
- RPM: 135 RPM (should be +175 RPM)

These 3 Values are a bit lower than they should - I am not sure, if this will help me find a solution for this problem.

Okay, first off how are the condition of your batteries? That's not terribly slow, but it would help if you would ensure both batteries are perfectly charged to start. Next, I would order an ICP sensor and connector from Ford. The part numbers are 3C3Z-9F838-EA and 5C3Z-12224-A. The ICP sensor on 2003 model years is a bit of a pain to access, but I can provide more information on that when needed. 9-1/2 out of 10 2003 model years will fail the ICP sensor, so this problem is not uncommon.

 

[eseethal]

Now I also got the values for IPR Duty Cycle: 14,84% key on/engine off, the cranking value is 84,77% (so more than it should be).

The batteries are fully charged, the condition is not really known, but I guess it should be sufficient power to start the engine.

Replacing the ICP sensor + connector is a good suggestion, but I doubt, that this is the cause for the "engine not running" condition - or is this assumption wrong?

Is there anything else that could prevent the engine from starting, anything you can read from my various sensor values?

Greetings from Austria!

Eugen

 

[elibenson]

I believe that M-Chan68 suggested that you change the ICP sensor because he thought that it was not reporting a valid pressure. I have had bad sensors on a 7.3l engine and they reported pressures that were not right. Once I had a functioning sensor in place, I found that I didn't have nearly as much high-pressure oil as I thought.

A sensor is reasonably cheap, and is prone to failure on the early 6.0l engines. I would be a good thing to replace it, even if it is not the problem that is preventing it from starting.

 

[eseethal]

O.k, I know, what you mean, it is just that US parts are not so easy to get here where I live (and shipping takes a while) and what I read the replacement of this icp sensor on 03 models is a real PITA. My "priority" now is to get the engine running, but if this means to change the icp sensor to get an accurate reading of the icp I will have to to this.

thanks a lot!

Eugen

 

[elibenson]

yeah, I imagine that anything that you need is pretty much available only over-seas. Ebay is a good place to find cheap parts by mail-order. I believe the last time I bought them online, they were about $80 for a 6.0l version.

Good luck.

 

[m-chan68]

Now I also got the values for IPR Duty Cycle: 14,84% key on/engine off, the cranking value is 84,77% (so more than it should be).

The batteries are fully charged, the condition is not really known, but I guess it should be sufficient power to start the engine.

Replacing the ICP sensor + connector is a good suggestion, but I doubt, that this is the cause for the "engine not running" condition - or is this assumption wrong?

Is there anything else that could prevent the engine from starting, anything you can read from my various sensor values?

Greetings from Austria!

Eugen

Those readings indicate that IPR valve duty cycle is being commanded fully in an attempt to build sufficient ICP to enable the injectors to be commanded to fire the engine up. If 368 psi of ICP is the maximum it will climb to, that would be the cause of the truck not starting.

2003 to 2004 model year trucks rarely, if ever have any issues with high pressure oil system leaks. The very few that do, usually ends up being the high pressure pump that is faulty. Another test you can perform yourself, is thread in an adapter to the hole where the ICP sensor goes, and connect shop air pressure (about 150 psi give or take), with the key-on/engine-off access your IPR duty cycle, and manually command duty cycle to 100% (or as close to as possible) and listen for an air leak. The area where the leak is heard, would be where the source of your high pressure oil system leak is (if there is one).

 

[eseethal]

Thanks for all your answers! We will try to get the cranking rpms higher up, maybe the 135 rpm are to low) and then read the ICP again. I hope, the high pressure oil pump is not faulty, sounds expensive to me. As far as I can see the previous mechanic working on this rigg was no expert at all, could a "non powerstroke rated" oil lead to these symptoms?

Eugen

 

[EssentialJuice]

uh somewhat random, but there are 3 fuel filters? i only found 2. i had a rough intermittent idle and clean the air filter and replaced 2 filters and runs way better, but still a slight miss so maybe i need to find that third filter?

m-chan68...you are amazing.

 

[WEWILLE]

135 rpm is too slow. Slow cranking will cause the low oil pressure. Take off the serp belt check for a locked up ac compressor. Voltage drop the the starter circuit if need be to find execissive resistance to the starter. Make sure the batteries are good.

 

[WEWILLE]

uh somewhat random, but there are 3 fuel filters? i only found 2. i had a rough intermittent idle and clean the air filter and replaced 2 filters and runs way better, but still a slight miss so maybe i need to find that third filter?

m-chan68...you are amazing.

They are talking about 1 oil filter, and 2 fuel filters. The oil filter is on top of engine and there is a fuel filter on the top of the engine and a fuel filter under the driver side door on the frame rail.

 

[m-chan68]

Thanks for all your answers! We will try to get the cranking rpms higher up, maybe the 135 rpm are to low) and then read the ICP again. I hope, the high pressure oil pump is not faulty, sounds expensive to me. As far as I can see the previous mechanic working on this rigg was no expert at all, could a "non powerstroke rated" oil lead to these symptoms?

Eugen

I don't know what you mean by "non-Powerstroke" rated oil, but what I do know, is that using too thick of a viscosity of engine oil CAN actually slow down engine cranking RPM by as much as 30%.

For what it's worth, on a 6.0L that starts normally, if you look at ICP pressure and crank the engine over, the pressure SHOULD skyrocket to as high as 1200 to 1500 within seconds of the cranking the engine over before IPR duty cycle even reaches close to 50%.

With that in mind, I feel you need to look after your biased ICP sensor first, by replacing the sensor and pigtail connector, and take another look at your readings.

WEWILLE's suggestion is also something I agree with looking at more closely.

 

[EssentialJuice]

They are talking about 1 oil filter, and 2 fuel filters. The oil filter is on top of engine and there is a fuel filter on the top of the engine and a fuel filter under the driver side door on the frame rail.

that makes sense. i was looking all over for the third fuel filter, ha!

as for the fuel pressure, i can climp that high? is that electronically spiked that high or mechanically?