More trouble for Ford diesels

[john_bud]

Ford does have troubles with diesels right now. I am a long time Ford guy. First 15-20 cars were all Ford or Mercury. Right now I am on my 2nd Chevy truck and the wife is driving an Olds.

While the General has been good to me lately, I do wonder what issues will continue to creep up as diesels are hit with more and more exotic emissions controls. Fords are starting fires and burning people (as stated on dieselstop.com). How long until the regen cycle bites Chevy and Dodge? Anyone's guess. Then again, if it does NOT bite them - it tells you something about Ford's engineering effort... Unfortunately, cleaning the environment is not painless.

Too bad they didn't ask Mr Dyson the vacuum cleaner guy to make a turbine vortex muffler to clean out the soot!

 

[deerefan]

I read in another post how 80% of people who buy diesels really do not need them. I have a 3 horse hitch pull trailer and a 12000# heavy duty pipe trailer I pull w/ a 2005 Z71. Granted, I do not exceed the 8500# capacity of the truck and both trailers are equipped with electric brakes. I had a 2004 F250 with the 6.0 diesel. I can only imagine the power the new diesel has. It was a monster for towing but was costing me about $1000 a month to operate and with the little bit I tow it was unnecessary to have. The prices on these trucks with the diesel engines is beyond ridiculous for the average working man. I will say it was nice having the extra confidence of being able to tow anything on my farm. it will be interesting to watch how these diesel horsepower wars play out w/ the big 3.

 

[archerynut]

I didn't think that flames shooting out of the tailpipe would be another standard accessory on the new Superduty. Those guys at Ford know how to make something look cool! I guess we'll have to settle with the aftermarket version for now.

Exhaust Flame Thrower Kits

 

[ducati996]

[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Just so folks dont start jumping out the window screaming - there is more to the story/fix and its less of a big deal than its played out in the press - IMHO[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Found some more details on this "issue" - keep in mind if the truck shuts down, its a sign of other issues and another failure. This is a safety feature to ensure temps dont rise too high, its not just going to jump into action unless something else triggered it....

Folks like to make a big stink over nothing - so unless you guys are driving a new unit in my opinion - dont think twice about it[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]
[/FONT][FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica]Duc[/FONT]
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PickupTruck.com talked with Ford spokesman Dan Jarvis this morning to learn more about the Super Duty recall and its accompanying software patch to prevent fiery exhaust events from occurring. Here's how it will work and what it could mean to drivers with a leaking engine component that allows combustible fluids to enter the exhaust system and become trapped in the diesel particulate filter.

"This software fix will recalibrate the engine's PCM (power control module) so if it senses that temperatures have climbed too high in the DPF it will begin a gradual reduction of fuel and air flow to the engine to help bring the temperatures back down," says Jarvis.

It should be noted that the software patch WILL NOT fix the root cause of any oil or fuel leak in the motor caused by faulty hardware.

In describing driver awareness and action during a 'powering down' scenario, Jarvis said the following, "(The driver) will see a message on their instrument cluster that they need to pull over to the side of the road. Within five to ten seconds, the engine will begin to lose forward power and the driver will need to pull off and stop to wait until the DPF has cooled down . The vehicle will not lose power steering or power braking during the power-down and it won't stop all together. Drivers should have enough time, if they are on the freeway or a bridge, to pull off to the side and shut the engine off. After the DPF cools down the driver can restart the vehicle, and then we recommend that they take the vehicle to a dealer for service."

When first announced yesterday, it was unclear if the problem occurred only during DPF regeneration (see below, in original story) or at any time while driving. Jarvis states, "the problem could occur at any time, not just during regeneration, because the exhaust temperatures in the DPF are hot enough that any fluids could ignite (during normal driving). Hot weather or normal

DPF operation will not trigger the power down. Only if there are burning hydrocarbons in the DPF is the temperature going to get hot enough to trigger the power down."

Jarvis emphasized that in order for the phenomenon to happen, something in the engine has to be leaking. At least one of the cases was caused by, "a driver in Canada who might not have let the engine warm up when it was about 20-degrees below zero, causing a crack in the turbocharger."

2008 Ford Super Duty owners with Powerstroke engines can receive the flash upgrade to their PCM at their Ford dealer. The operation takes about 3 minutes to modify the engine logic. Letters from Ford will be sent to owners, and dealers are calling to notify recent purchasers of the recall.

"We're moving immediately on this, and we're proactively notifying NHTSA of the recall," says Jarvis, "because we think it's the right thing to do."[/FONT]

 

[radman1]

As stated, the reflash of the PCM does not address the problem of cracked turbo or I have also read due to faulty fuel injector as a problem. The fix is a band aid to stop fires. I have a 1999 F-250 V10 and am looking to upgrade but not until the 6.0 can prove itself. My V10 was one of the earliest production models and I have had nearly zero problems. The V10 spends half of its time pulling a trailer. Some way over rated capacity. If Ford and International can't get a decent production diesel on the road, I may have to look elsewhere.

 

[cp1969]

"This software fix will recalibrate the engine's PCM (power control module) so if it senses that temperatures have climbed too high in the DPF it will begin a gradual reduction of fuel and air flow to the engine to help bring the temperatures back down," says Jarvis.

That sounds like a good feedback loop to have. I wonder what the original one did....nothing if it sensed that things were getting too hot?

 

[Donnyj]

As stated, the reflash of the PCM does not address the problem of cracked turbo or I have also read due to faulty fuel injector as a problem. The fix is a band aid to stop fires. I have a 1999 F-250 V10 and am looking to upgrade but not until the 6.0 can prove itself. My V10 was one of the earliest production models and I have had nearly zero problems. The V10 spends half of its time pulling a trailer. Some way over rated capacity. If Ford and International can't get a decent production diesel on the road, I may have to look elsewhere.

I personally believe you already have a great tow vehicle. The V10 engine does a great job of towing and the maintenance is much cheaper. Durability for that engine has been great. I certainly would not trade that V10 in on a 6.0.

In Fords defense though, I believe there has only been 1 cracked turbo and 1 fuel injector concern for the new 6.4 engine. Hardly a pattern as of yet. When the 7.3 Powerstroke first came out in 1994, they had a high percentage of injector problems. I will say this, the new engine is so much quieter and runs really well. I have not seen any of the 6.4's back in the shop yet.

 

[radman1]

I personally believe you already have a great tow vehicle. The V10 engine does a great job of towing and the maintenance is much cheaper. Durability for that engine has been great. I certainly would not trade that V10 in on a 6.0.

In Fords defense though, I believe there has only been 1 cracked turbo and 1 fuel injector concern for the new 6.4 engine. Hardly a pattern as of yet. When the 7.3 Powerstroke first came out in 1994, they had a high percentage of injector problems. I will say this, the new engine is so much quieter and runs really well. I have not seen any of the 6.4's back in the shop yet.

Oops, I meant trading the V10 in for a 6.4L 2008. The V10 and transmission have been flawless for me. It does like fuel but the new diesels are not what they use to be for mileage. I could possibly get another V10. I hauled 90-100 yards of dirt in my 14,000 dump trailer in the past week and that was kind of hard on the truck. Ground was soft and frequently used 4WD and occassionally low range just to move the trailer. I tend to keep my truck quite a while between new purchases and dependability is important to me. I did test drive a new 6.4 diesel F350 Lariat with duals and it was sweet.

 

[cp1969]

If you use a truck like that, you would probably profit from having a diesel.

The only thing is, Ford's is brand new. Their last one was, apparently, a dud. Let's cross our fingers and hope this one isn't, because if it is, they're going to lose a lot of customers.

Brand loyalty (which I've never understood) can only last so long if you keep breaking it off in the customer. Or so I would think, but maybe some people will never learn.

 

[HGM]

The only thing is, Ford's is brand new.

Just a little FYI to add. They are all brand new, with very similar aftertreatment from all the info I have heard.. '07 emissions effects all light duty diesels, not just Ford's..

BTW, good post Ducati..