powerstroke saga update........

ok here is the latest on the 2001 powerstroke in our 450 s/d wrecker (5spd 140k miles) it has been having intermittent power losses. truck will run fine and then just loose power. will barely run 40 mph. has already been to 2 different diesel shops. many thousands of dollars have been spent to correct this problem. sensors, fuel filters, oil changes, air filters ect. never threw a code. so out of desperation, dropped the fuel tank and found a little goo in the filters in the pickup. and the pickup was sucking air. replaced that and also changed the cam sensor with a napa one. didnt help. had another diesel mechanic work on the truck over the weekend. check all the wiring harnesses, all good. so he decided that the napa cam sensor was at fault. new ford sensor. the he changed the oil pressure/fuel sensor (above left valve cover. nope. then he changed the temp sensor. nope, then the temp sender. nope. then he changed the pcm. nope. now it misses bad and backfires. finally threw a code, he said injector synchronization. but he is at a loss. now we are in worse shape than before. arrrhhhhhh....another couple grand down the toilet. i wonder if i can put an old 1150 cat in this truck......or an old detroit.....i plan on re-scanning thetruck tomoorow and see if i can pull any new codes with our modis scanner. he was using an otc.

Has anyone checked power and ground to and from the injector driver module? Its in the drivers side fender, you have to pull the plastic inner fender down to access it.

Also, has anybody had the valve covers off of it? There can be connection/intermittent high resistance problems in the valve cover harnesses that feed the injectors and glow plugs.

+1 on the IDM.


Usually those trucks will run like dog dirt when that thing fouls up. If it is the IDM, generally it will cut 2 cylinders on either bank or 4 on one side. You can pull the plugs from the valve cover one at the time to see which ones it is cutting.

I think the IDM is about $800. If you have another truck, maybe you can swap them to see if that fixes it.

Not sure at this point what all was checked. So far the shops that worked on it knew exactly what was wrong with it, and after throwing buckets of parts and labor at it, its still not fixed.

That is a shame.

Has the fuel pressure regulator at the secondary filter been R&R with the upgraded one like International uses? It was supposed to bump the fuel pressure up to 100 PSI in the housing, but rarely got higher than 80-85 PSI. It would always improve the 444 engine's performance. There was also a turbo wastegate that could hang open at times. I worked for an IH dealership for 11 1/2 years up until Sep. "12, and have forgotten a lot of what I learned. If I was still there, I'd be able to get their troubleshooting charts and maybe help you more! Also, has the High Pressure Oil Pump that fires the injectors been dead head tested and checked to make sure that the drive gear is getting loose on the pump shaft? Another item to check is the Injection Pressure Regulator Valve that controls the HPOP, along with making sure you have good connections on your harnesses to sensors. Any loose/intermittent connections can throw codes, cause your problems. Sorry for the long reply, but these are all thing that need to be checked. Hope this helps, I've never been a good one to fix something over the phone/internet!

Im sure you can do this yourself. There is a connector in the center of each valve cover, facing the center of the engine. unplug both of them, (without the engine running) and if anything looks burned or melted, replace it. Dorman makes kits to replace the valve cover gasket, inner harness that connects to the glow plugs and injectors, and the outer pigtail from the main engine harness. with the injector sync? code you talked about, id check under the valve covers first.

Take it to the Ford dealer. One you know that is a good one and has a mechanic in the back that gives a crap.

Not trying to be a smart butt or say that independents shops aren't good. Most are better then some of the other guys i work with in the GM shop---and care 10X more than most dealership monkeys.

I deal with this all the time. I work as a GM tech. Truck bounces around a couple of independents and then shows up outside with the keys in the overnight drop box.

Most of the time i have seen the problem before or have it pin pointed within an hour (at that time i m loosing money as a flat rate tech as warranty pays you .3 of an hour to diagnose) due to the fact that i see Duramax after Duramax after Duramax. You bring a Ford 7.3 to us, i m as good as past experience (not too many fords there but some people cant read the Bowtie out front) or as Good as my Snap on scanner is.

There isn't a GM product that we cant figure out pretty quick. I m sure Ford has a technical assistance line like we do that is 9 times outta 10 helpful and if the tech talking to the help line has a brain in his head he will know if the "expert" knows what the heck he is talking about or has been in the field long enough before getting this desk jockey job in michigan.

My 2 cents----take it to a Ford dealer.

And the IDM will set codes. Or a loss of communication code in the ECM if it drops out.

i m sure the other mechanics have run the injector buzz test on the scan tool. pulses each injector and if the circuit has high resistance will set a code for that cylinder and default the 4 of 8 injectors.

buzz test also will "sound funny" if an injector isn't up to snuff but passes circuits tests.

If your valve cover connections are burnt (2001 connections are better that older models but still have issues) that will set codes. Most 2 connectors per valve cover gasket design melts. You have the 1 connector valve cover design. I always see those come unplugged most of the time. And again, that sets a code for most guys to get pointed in that direction.

I agree with luv2wrench. Find a reputable ford dealer; one that sells and services s lot of diesels; and let them fix it. They are issued bulletins on problems that a non-dealer will not get or know of. I recently had a Taurus that would not idle. After spending $500 in parts; I took it to Ford. It was a vacuum leak in a line under the intake manifold. Cost $167 to fix INCLUDING reprograming the computers I messed up trying to avoid the dealer. I have gotten to the point of believing I will SAVE money paying a dealer over a local shop. NOT degrading the independents; they simply do not have the information resources the dealer has.

Go to ford-trucks.com there is some powerstroke experts over there just waiting for a challenge.

Sounds exactly like the problems I had with my 2000 7.3 F350, I had another truck here same motor that had been wrecked so parts wasn't a problem, after changing everything like you did it finally turned out to be the high pressure oil pump had gone bad, it would run but kept losing power and finally stopped running, was pulling my hair out trying to get it fixed, never did throw a code.

And about scanners. Our shop has a snap on modis. On a scale, it is a 7 outta 10.

NOTHING I MEAN NOTHING can replace a Factory scan tool.

GM uses a Tech2 and GDS for gobal A vehicles. (Don't know what a Gobal architecture vehicle is? Neither does the independent.) Has countless functions that other scan tools don't have and shows data that others don't.

Nothing can replace a Ford scan tool. Trust me. I have lost a lot of time and money to finally accept that.

Customer with several Duramax that has 1 6.0 ford came in the other day. Told him to take it to Ford. Looked at me funny when i told him he would be in better hands. Not to proud to tell him that and i make more money sticking to GM.

I do all the Diesel and Trans work. Most jobs i know whats wrong with the truck or trans by just reading the description on the ticket before i even go outside to get the vehicle. NOT because i m the greatest thing since sliced bread. REPETITION IS THE KEY.

What makes me a good mechanic is that i can fix my daily screw ups before anybody knows.

(quoted from post at 22:45:08 02/02/14) And about scanners. Our shop has a snap on modis. On a scale, it is a 7 outta 10.

NOTHING I MEAN NOTHING can replace a Factory scan tool.

GM uses a Tech2 and GDS for gobal A vehicles. (Don't know what a Gobal architecture vehicle is? Neither does the independent.) Has countless functions that other scan tools don't have and shows data that others don't.

Nothing can replace a Ford scan tool. Trust me. I have lost a lot of time and money to finally accept that.

Customer with several Duramax that has 1 6.0 ford came in the other day. Told him to take it to Ford. Looked at me funny when i told him he would be in better hands. Not to proud to tell him that and i make more money sticking to GM.

I do all the Diesel and Trans work. Most jobs i know whats wrong with the truck or trans by just reading the description on the ticket before i even go outside to get the vehicle. NOT because i m the greatest thing since sliced bread. REPETITION IS THE KEY.

What makes me a good mechanic is that i can fix my daily screw ups before anybody knows.

Click to expand...

Does ford still call it an New Generation Star? NGS?


It's been since 1999 when I last worked for Ford.

You have a wiring problem.

First: Is there still a harness connection below the oil cooler on the driver's side of the engine? If that connection is still there, cut it out and replace it with quality crimped and shrink-tubed connectors. It's a nasty job, but that harness connection is a huge pain in the a$$.

Next: check the computer power leads and relays for function and corrosion.

Next: Check the harness going to the cam position sensor. It's a royal pain but unbolt the brackets holding it on and strip off the loom. Check it over 100% for any insulation wear.

Next: check the wiring harness under those valve covers and make sure you do not have any burned connectors.


The last thing I would do is: when it starts messing up, unplug the ipr sensor (stack of quarters looking thing with wires on the end, sticking out of the hpop pointed right at the drivers seat). If it runs better, you ipr is sticking or bad.

I do not think you have a sensor problem, it sounds like they have all been changed anyway. I do not think you have a problem with the IDM, etc. to be honest, those don't go bad too often. Your main problem is, your 7.3 is a generation removed from the mechanics that are working on diesels now. I'd call the local school district bus barn and see if one of their mechanics wants a weekend cash job. That navistar engine is still running in thousands of buses in this country and those poor bus mechanics KNOW how to fix them.

I had one that did that, needed new injector O rings. also need to have crankcase full of oil. some of the other ideas are worthy ones too. I don't think bad injector O rings throw a code.

I agree with luv2wrench! Back in the "good old days" almost any service station grease monkey could repair a vehicle but diesels are a different animal,and with the newer designs and electronic controls a factory trained technician is almost a necessity, as he said, if you can find one that gives a darn. When I worked at a Ford dealership, I saw many 7.3s give problems, and mostly from the injector system. The wires under the valve cover, or the injectors themselves, or the hi pressure oil pump. Most of these were the early units,they got most of the bugs worked after a year or so, but you never know when a problem will show up. JMHO.

Call me crazy, but my 02 F250 7.3 was doing ABOUT the same thing. More pulling a grade. But I thought is was more the Fan kicking in. had a tractor on a trailer and got on I70 in the mountains. Each hill it would do it, but each hill got less. So I started pushing it on the hills. Finally started running normal. I hadn't been pushing in enough for a few months to kick that fan clutch in. Two months later the High Pressure oil pump started leaking, but it ran good. ???

Reading all of this makes me glad I do not own a diesel pickup. They are way to complicated for their own good.

Any of the mechanics check the oil pressure on the high pressure side to make sure it is within spec?