Ford PS 6.0 issue

[RancherSam]

I was at my barn today, got in my truck to head back home and it started at a low very rpm ( it usually idles around a 1000 rpm, I was at around 200). It seemed like the engine was barely running. and when I pressed on the gas pedal there was no response in rpm, no response at all. It was late and I just wanted to get home, so the first thing I tried was disconnecting the batteries and then connecting them again. That worked until I got home slowly couple of hundred feet. I parked the truck and started it again. Same thing., very low rpm and no throttle response. I am thinking it may be a fuel problem, but I really have no clue. I am thinking first thing tomorrow I'll drain the water from the fuel water separator, and then go and buy a new fuel filter and replace the fuel filter. Any ideas? All responses greatly appreciated.

 

[Builder]

Similar thing just happened to my plumber contractor's 6L. He needed new injectors at $280/each + installation.
That happened after he lost his Dana 80 rear, that was $900. Posi locked together and wouldn't unlock.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have 2 6.0L Fords, a 2004 F-250 and a 2006 F-350. First question is what year is it? Second is do you have any chips or other modifications? Third is how many miles and when was the last time you changed the filters in question?

As you may or may not know the VT365 or Ford Powerstroke 6.0L uses a hydraulic injector. What that means is it uses oil pressure to activate the injectors. Did you do anything like change the oil why at the barn? Also its a throttle by wire system but I seriously doubt that it would have anything to do with low idle.

Chris

 

[RancherSam]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the response. My truck is an '04 PS 6.0, no mods, 67k miles, all maintenance is done at the dealer and on schedule, and I didn't work on the truck at the barn. I did buy diesel from a place I usually don't go to only because I was almost empty.

 

[Diamondpilot]

As you may or may not know you have a fuel drain under the drivers door inside the frame rail. It has a screw that can be removed with a Allen Wrench, 6MM I believe. Check your manual for info. I have 2 manuals I believe. One is for the Super Duty Trucks and is generic to all engines and the other is for the Diesel Engine. I think all the info you need is in the Engine Manual.

Allow it to drain for a few minutes in a catch pan then inspect for water, ect. Then change the filter down there. You also have a filter on the top of the engine that is located next to the oil filter canister. Its the smaller one, the oil filter is the bigger one. It takes a socket to remove both filter tops but I use one of those rubber strap wrenches on mine. You can get the socket at Auto Zone but I am too cheap to buy it even though I have 2 6.0L's. I believe its 35MM but some say its 36MM so check.

Here is a link that will tell you everything you need to know about the filters:
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/general-diesel-discussion/35920-fuel-filter-change-6-0-a.html

Just out of curiosity check your oil level. If low for some reason this could affect the injectors but I would guess you would have other problems.

Chris

 

[Eagleview]

It seems strange to me that it just suddenly did it . The ICP sensor (Injection Control Pressure Sensor) behind the Turbo would be my guess . It's behind the Turbo towards the firewall and has a silver insulator and has 3 wires coming out of it , the IPR sensor beside it has two . The ICP is the culprit for many idling/surging/stalling problems , the connector plug also gives trouble , try giving it a wriggle and a spray .

 

[Dargo]

I'm relatively new to the 6.0 PSD, after having a 12v 5.9 Cummins in a Dodge for 10 years, but the only quirk I've noticed is directly related to the drive by wire setup. With the traditional linkage on my Dodge I could pat the throttle to get a quick snap of power when I needed it. With the drive by wire setup the computer prevents a quick snap to the throttle. After having Ford fix some rather minor (but annoying) oil leaks I've been pleasantly surprised with my 6.0 PSD. I thought it would be a dog after so many years of using a 5.9 Cummins on steroids, but it has performed extremely well; much, much better than the '99 7.3 PSD I had. Even with a chip in the 7.3 PSD the completely stock 6.0 PSD has way more power.

I'd look at what the other guys familiar with the 6.0 PSD said and possibly even the drive by wire system. Before I bought this truck earlier this year I looked at the new Dodges and the newer Duramax pickups. I felt the front end on the 4X4 was light years ahead on durability when compared to the GM offerings and had overall far better axles and suspension systems. Maybe I'm old school, but with the Fords and Dodges offering the traditional solid axles and proven heavy Dana axles front and rear I felt far more comfortable. Of the two, the Dodge and Ford, that made it to my final cut, I rather strongly preferred the ride, drive, styling, and interior quality of the Ford better this time. With the wide variety of early problems with the 6.0 PSD I did hedge my bet some by buying Ford's 7 year and 200k mile warranty on the truck for a little over a grand. From speaking with GM, Dodge and Ford dealers, I found that Ford was the only manufacturer to offer a 7 year 200k mile warranty on their diesel pickups.

It sounds like something relatively minor from your description but I know nothing is minor if your truck isn't running. Good luck!

 

[Ryan03]

The icp sensor is a good guess. However I do not recomend throwing parts at it beyond the fuel filters in an attempt to fix it. Get it scanned by somebody who knows diesels. A skilled Tech who has diesel exp can go into the data stream on a good scanner and quickly isolate your problem. The low idle is a little strange, however when the engine comp. sees something it does not like, many times it will either partialy disable or entirely disable the throttle. Your type of inj system is also very sensitive to oil quality and condition, buy good oil; like rotella and change it regularly. I just had a DT 570 do something similar, it was a bad ipr in the high pressure pump, but again, I recomend getting it scanned before you start buying 100+ dollar components

 

[RancherSam]

an update: today I got the new fuel filters from autozone, $50 for the pair. I drained the water from the fuel / water separator, looked at the top filter and it looked new, then looked at the bottom filter and it was dirty. Changed the bottom filter. The truck started up, I restarted it a few times and drove it around. So far so good, it's idling and running normal. Hopefully this is it, and it was just some bad fuel. If not I will have the ford dealer scan it to see if it's the ipc sensor. Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.

 

[Diamondpilot]

The same thing happened to me in the late 90's with a Toyota truck. I got fuel at a small, and a I mean small mom and pop store. It was pumping slowly and the owner came out and said he was down to his last 50 gallons. Anyway I got about 30 miles down the road, I70, and was doing about 75mph and she died. Got it started and it ran rough.

Long story short a few filter changes of the next few weeks and some gas additive to remove the water and all was good. Learned a valuable lesson.


From what I read you did not change the top filter. I would since you got it. I always change both at the same time. Hope the link I inserted to the earlier post helped with identifying the filters and doing the change.

Chris

 

[GreatWhitehunter]

I know the fuel filters aren't cheap but my diesel tech at the dealer recommends changing every other oil change. I run syn oil so I go about 5k at least before changes so it averages about 4 times per year. I don't often find the filters dirty but I feel like it's cheap insurance for the engine.

Matt T.

 

[john_bud]

an update: today I got the new fuel filters from autozone, $50 for the pair. I drained the water from the fuel / water separator, looked at the top filter and it looked new, then looked at the bottom filter and it was dirty. Changed the bottom filter. The truck started up, I restarted it a few times and drove it around. So far so good, it's idling and running normal. Hopefully this is it, and it was just some bad fuel. If not I will have the ford dealer scan it to see if it's the ipc sensor. Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.

You may want to get an extra bottom filter and keep it in the truck. There may still be bad stuff in the tank ready to clog up again.

jb