F350 running problems

[Diamondpilot]

Like I said earlier, trow a $30 cam sensor in it. I am not a throw parts at it guy but on a 7.3 the cam sensor is a better than 50% bet.

Chris

[carmedic310]

Thats what I thought also"if the cam sensor is bad it wont run at all"NOT TRUE my truck ran and would quit wait a while it would start again.sometimes it would go days without bothering and others it would bother 8or 9 miles from home other times not long after start up.very eratic as you i thought fuel filter.Was not the case took it to international they scanned it and couldn't find anything.Afriend of mine told me he thought it was cam sensor.Replaced it no problems since and that was last spring

[Diamondpilot]

Thats what I thought also"if the cam sensor is bad it wont run at all"NOT TRUE my truck ran and would quit wait a while it would start again.sometimes it would go days without bothering and others it would bother 8or 9 miles from home other times not long after start up.very eratic as you i thought fuel filter.Was not the case took it to international they scanned it and couldn't find anything.Afriend of mine told me he thought it was cam sensor.Replaced it no problems since and that was last spring

I have seen the same on a friends 7.3.

I had a similar experiance with a 454 GM. I know its not a diesel but they replaced the entire fuel system first then the entire ignition system. Ended up being a sensor. It would run fine for a month then mess up ten times in a day. Very frustrating.

Chris

[crashz]

Same exact symptoms on my fathers 95 F350. It was the CPS.

[Soundguy]

i carry one in my glove box with a 10mm wrench taped to it..

i have had a sluggish chugging run one time when i got sold a load of water with some fuel in it.

[Turbys_1700]

I was pulling my camper down to the beach years ago and as we crossed a long bridge my 03 with the 7.3...
The truck just stopped dead in it's tracks...
With the help of a friend we put in a cam position sensor...
It did not help...
Blown fuse...
So...
I can say that in 10 years of service my cam position sensor has never given me one bit of trouble...
Perhaps I am in the minority...
But I did have to replace the fuel pump couple years ago...
I would bet either water in your fuel or a fuel pump going out...
Just my 2 cents...

[3930dave]

I'm another "change the CPS" guy..... (I too don't like throwing parts at problems, but it is a strong candidate, doesn't cost that much, and the worst outcome is you'll have a fresh CPS installed, and a still working one as a spare).

7.3 electrical - aside from Glow Plug Relay (obviously not your problem), the main common problems on the 7.3 usually are the fuel bowl heater, and the injector harness itself.

The fuel bowl heater (under the filter) can melt, and short out to the housing - often takes out a fuse, but haven't seen enough to say that it always will.

Injector harness can get intermittent over a long period of time. Buddy of mine just did his, initially because of glow plug problems. Dorman has a great harness replacement kit, that includes the (truck) harness side connectors too. (Glow plugs and injector wiring pass through the same connector).

How many miles on yours ? The factory harness is decent, but high hours of diesel vibration can take its toll.

Rgds, D.

[dmccarty]

CPS.

I have a 2002 7.3 and I have replace the CPS at least 3-4 times over 170,000 miles. This is known issue with this engine and right after I bought the truck, I drove straight to the International dealer to buy a spare CPS. I know when to change mine because I drive quite a bit with the cruise control, and when the CPS starts to go, the engine will drop RPM's just enough to kick off the cruise control. When the cruise control starts to kick off frequently enough I change the CPS. I keep spare CPSes in in the glove box along with a 10mm wrench.

The CPS USED to cost around $100 but after Ford recalled them the price dropped to around $25 or so.

If you have not changed out the CPS, do it anyway, there is nothing like making a turn and having the engine just DIE taking out your hydraulic steering.

Later,
Dan

[Paul1952]

Replaced cam sensor, didn't help problem at all. It seems like it will run until something gets hot in there. It won't completely die, just wont' take the diesel. Can pull over and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then it will run ok. It's like something in there has to cool off. Any other suggestions?

[Diamondpilot]

Check every wire over and that every connector is tight. The cps is usually the go to item on a 7.3.

Chris