? on Ford PS Van

[CWebster]

I have a cousin in TN that has some problems with his Powerstroke van. I wanted to see if anyone on here can help or steer him to a reputable dealer or mechanic in the Nashville area. This is his work van that supports his business and his family. Recently his van has been sputtering and blowing white smoke at startup and until about 20 mp. h. After that it clears up and runs fine. He took it to his local dealer and their scanner said bad injector #4, mechanic went to replace it and saw that it was newer than the other injectrors, decided to do a compression check. He is saying that his compression on #4 is 180 something as opposed to 260 something where it oughta be... . "You need a new motor" !!! My first statement was "BULL@#$T, Run from there as fast as you can!" I am a firm believer in "Rebuild" not "Re-buy",especially with the money their gonna charge... but not having (or wanting) any experience with the PS, if anyone has any troubleshooting tips, suggestions on repair, or a mechanic in the area you would endorse, plese let me know so I can pass it on. Thanks.



Chris Webster

 

[HoleshotHolset]

I did a LOT of work on '94. 5-'02 F*rd cut-vans (Ambulances) all with PowerStrokes... .



I never once had any issues with the injectors or poor compression...



I fiddle-farted around with exhaust backpressure sensors and tubes more than I care to admit... .



High pressure oil pumps and their associated plumbing is a different story... we had a lot of problems with the '98+ or so trucks... . $1600 each for the pump... and the high pressure oil lines and so forth nickled and dimed us for several hundred bucks at a whack...



I replaced waterpumps (RMP pumps right from F*rd... ) like they were candy on a few trucks... $350 each



I also had an injector driver controller go bad on one of 'em... $1200 each



I hate to think what is involved in removing a valve cover in a van chassis... they're tight enough as it is. Yanking the engine would be a HUGE job... .



Matt

 

[CWebster]

I was thinking either the injector was bad, as the scan picked up, or maybe head gasket, rings, or valves. I would not assume "junk motor". Even if labor was more to repair than replace, the parts bill (engine$ vs. parts$)oughta make up for it... . BUT Iv'e never worked on a Powerstroke, much less one shoehorned into a van. Its a 99' E350 160,000miles. If you have any suggestions on what to check, I'd appreciate it.

 

[CWebster]

What is the "Injector Driver Controller"? If it fails does it effect all injectors, or could it only effect one?

 

[HoleshotHolset]

The injector driver controller provided the signal/voltage for each injector to fire. It uses some pretty nasty high-voltage to fire off each injector in conjunction with high pressure engine oil to create the injection pressure.



I didn't work on the truck that had the bad injector driver controller... . but, I could call my buddy that replaced it and ask if he had any codes, etc.



I don't think the truck ran at all when it had the bad controller. I would tend to think that if it was bad... . none of the cylinders would fire... . who knows... anything is possible.



I'd be curious to know the exact codes from the van you're talking about... and what made them firmly believe it's an injector.



I used to do the 'injector buzz test' every now and then... . that was a simple "Key On Engine Off / KOEO" test on the scan tool... and would help you verify that the ECM could command the injector driver controller to fire each injector individually. You might want to see what that test does for him... .



Matt

 

[CWebster]

Thanks, I'll pass it on to him. I'll see if he got the codes from the tech, too. He has taken it from the first dealer and is taking it to a "better" dealer for a second opinion.

 

[HoleshotHolset]

The fact that the smoke clears up and so forth almost sounds like a bad glow plug... not a bad injector.



At least it runs... . that's the good part.



Matt

 

[CWebster]

Second dealer says "New Motor"!! $9200. 00 to R&R ($7000. 00 for engine + $2200. 00 labor) Anyone wanna buy a used E-350? Dealers explanation of problem was a little vague... something about losing crankcase pressure and bypassing the crankcase (I'm getting 2nd hand info). I'm thinking that if there is a cylinder down on pressure (#4) and all of the others are fine... . rings, or head gasket, or valves would be the main culprits. And if it was rings wouldn't that increase crankcase pressure and start pushin that oil mist out some crevices and such? I just don't see any correlation from what the dealers are diagnosing and there final recommendation. He is very distraught now with the realization that regardless of what it turns out to be: 1) it's gonna cost thousands of dollars to fix no matter what, 2) He can't get anybody to shoot him straight about the cause of the problem... which is costing hundreds of dollars. If anybody has any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks

Chris

 

[HoleshotHolset]

Doesn't the smoke clear up once it runs a little while?



Did he get any codes?



Matt