Stopped to top off tank, now no start

The latest from the dealership

My regular trusted diesel guy is out, his wife just had a baby and he is taking time off. Some new guy is taking his place. So far, this is what I have been told after three days in the shop.

Cam Position Sensor not providing data.
Replaced Cam Position Sensor.
No joy.

Dealer called Ford Technical Support and they suggest checking the entire wiring harness, specifically four connectors on the wiring harness. No estimate as to when or if the problem is fixable. Bill so far is over $400 and climbing daily. My wife's business is losing $500 a day for every day the van is down, and we can't meet accounts payable when the van is not making money. The only thing that will keep a roof over our heads is my disability compensation, thank God for that.

Frustrated doesn't begin to describe how I feel right now. I don't think this new tech could find his arse if he used both hands and a map. But at $100 an hour for labor, he sure knows how to pad the bill.

Today's verdict:

Faulty cam position sensor
Faulty crank position sensor
Diesel smell caused by secondary fuel filter cap being cracked and leaking oil under pressure.

Total bill as of Monday evening went from $300 to $700 and climbing. And no, the engine STILL hasn't started! I'm going over there tomorrow, as the business has to pay the accounts payable for LAST month's repairs, two new batteries. I want a full list of thrown codes.

All the money going out, no money coming in. The only bright spot is that the van will probably get better fuel economy without that leak in the fuel filter can. But can a small business get a short term loan to handle temporary expenses? Not if my arse depended on it. I still don't know how I am going to pay for this.

But in today's news, AIG gets better rates and a better term for its bailout loan. But that's just another thing that is pissing me off. The big guys get a blank check, I wonder how I'm going to make the fuel payments, the light bill, and the van payment after we've cancelled four days of appointments.
I don't see Uncle Sam running up to me and trying to help ME and the wife out. And those anal orifices threw a junket for their execs right after they got their first loan. We haven't had a vacation for four years.

The dealer says Wednesday for the repairs to be complete. I'll believe it when I see it.

Final tally:

Verify proper voltages at cam and crank sensor with pin test
Replace cam position sensor
Remove rust at crank position sensor to ensure proper air gap per Ford Technical personnel
Replace crank position sensor
Replace secondary fuel filter cap, install new secondary fuel filter to fix fuel leak
Charge batteries overnight

Total cost: $756

Stopping the fiscal bleeding and making money again with the van: PRICELESS!

Dang, that was rough..........


Tbar

wait......they tossed parts at it and expect you to pay for all of it? what actually fixed the problem?

rray32539 said:

Faulty cam position sensor
Faulty crank position sensor
Diesel smell caused by secondary fuel filter cap being cracked and leaking oil under pressure.
And no, the engine STILL hasn't started!

Click to expand...

rray32539 said:

Charge batteries overnight

Click to expand...

So in the end it was just low battery voltage

rray32539 said:

Remove rust at crank position sensor to ensure proper air gap per Ford Technical personnel

Click to expand...

I feel frustrated for you!

Do I think I was hosed? Slightly.

Does the truck run? Better than it ever has. 129K on the clock and it runs as well as my 2005 F-250 with half the mileage.

The batteries needed charging as they continually cranked the engine to the point the batteries wouldn't turn the starter over.

All my tools and equipment still in boxes and no garage to work in made the dealership the only option.

Maybe I'll scan the repair order and get some input from all of you RE: the codes thrown and what they did. Yes, it cost a bunch of money to fix, but the alternative of NO money coming in while I tried to figure it out by myself was not an option.

Richard, you did the right thing in my opinion. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet, and this appears to be one of those occasions. Had you griped at them while they worked on it, it may have negatively affected the outcome to some degree.

I have a cardinal rule that I live by, and I think it applies here: "Never complain in the drive-thru until after you have your food in your hands". I don't need anybody spitting in my cheeseburger! Unfortunately, by that time I have already paid the bill.

I'd say they probably made a good faith effort, even if it took a little longer than intended. And it sounds like you are giving them the benefit of the doubt, thankful it's fixed, and are moving on. For that you can be proud, and you get to maintain your sanity!