PLEASE tell me I did NOT cause this!

trisha said:

Well I am giving up, The truck did not start after I had started it, gone to the farm and come back home. I got in it about 1/2 hour later to go get an inspection sticker, NO START. Today, I started it COLD, went to get an inspection sticker, on the way home, only 3 miles from home, hit a small bump in the road, the whole TRUCK started shaking so much I thought I was gonna run off the road. Turned down our gravel road, don't know if it was still doing the shaking, because I was going slow. Thought I had a flat, pulled into garage, no flat. I don't know where to go anymore. The last three times it was at the ford dealer, when they said they checked everything that could be checked, I was NOT charged, not even for the wrecker. If we start over somewhere else, this is probably going to cost an arm and a leg. Buying another one at this point is moot, as I wanted to keep the 7.3 L. It only has 80,000 miles on it, but I cannot have a vehicle I cannot drive or trust. So this is where I sit. Thanks for all the tips.

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Every symptom, everything they've done.. all the mechs ? This WHOLE issue Smacks of a loose or worn ELECTRICAL connection or a heat sensitive sensor that's is sending bogus data to the PCM. Something somewhere is grounding out from being loose.. or Loose to the point that when the truck gets Warm, connectivity is lost or weak.

Has anyone checked or replaced the UVC (Under Valve Cover) connectors ??? or the lead wiring that feed them ???, before and after the connectors ??? If ANY of the pins in the connectors are corroded, burnt or loose... Intermittent Whacko stuff, like you've been dealing with.. Can/Will happen.

Joe

On Edit ? Don't give up Trisha, Hang in there... you've got a GOOD truck.. It just has an Anomaly (NASA speak) that needs to be found. We know you've got that.. Jack Nicholson look.. But Hang Tough.

agreed. My bet would be an electrical gremlin too.

the shake you had sounds like the death wobble. it is easily fixed, caused by loose steering joints, ball joints, suspension.....it should be easy for a mechanic to find the cause of a death wobble.

sensitive sensor is sounding better and better for the dying engine issue. wich one....?

You all know that I DO NOT KNOW DOODLEY about trucks and I so appreciate all these tips. I have talked to the Ford place again today and they told me a Ford Man was comig down sometime next week. I do NOT know what they have checked and what they have NOT checked, so I made a list of everything in these post and will ask the mechanic to check every single one of them and show me where he has checked them all out. I will keep you all informed, Best Regards, Patricia K. in La.

trisha- don't despair! even the best mechanics get stumped by their own cars sometimes. there are some darn good ones here giving you advice! hang in there and your truck will be happy happy again soon!

BIG JOE said:

Every symptom, everything they've done.. all the mechs ? This WHOLE issue Smacks of a loose or worn ELECTRICAL connection or a heat sensitive sensor that's is sending bogus data to the PCM. Something somewhere is grounding out from being loose.. or Loose to the point that when the truck gets Warm, connectivity is lost or weak.

Has anyone checked or replaced the UVC (Under Valve Cover) connectors ??? or the lead wiring that feed them ???, before and after the connectors ??? If ANY of the pins in the connectors are corroded, burnt or loose... Intermittent Whacko stuff, like you've been dealing with.. Can/Will happen.

Joe

On Edit ? Don't give up Trisha, Hang in there... you've got a GOOD truck.. It just has an Anomaly (NASA speak) that needs to be found. We know you've got that.. Jack Nicholson look.. But Hang Tough.

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AND........ On the UVC connectors ? Ask the FORD garage about the Wedges/Clips that Ford & IH came up with that Lock the connectors together, so they don't come loose or apart.

The UVC connectors have been a issue on the 7.3s for some time now.

It would also be a REAL good idea for YOU to be there when the "Guy From Ford" is there... So it's not just another truck with a problem.. the Owner is there Too. A Face to a Truck with a problem thing ????

Joe

Well my hubby was going to take it to work today and leave me his car so I could do some things I need to do, because I don't trust the truck. Don't you know at about 6:45 AM this morning, he called and said it died in the middle of the road on his way to work? He called a wrecker and had it towed back to the dealership. I received a call frm them about 4 PM, but i was not home, so I don't know what this was about. I will be SURE and be there when the 'ford' guy comes. I have also made a list of everything you guys have told me here on the forums. I want to make SURE that each and every thing has been checked. I do so thank you all for these tips. Regards, Patricia K. ps. IF ANYONE knows of someplace within 50 miles of here that could help me, please let me know. I do have a tip on a mechanic in New Orleans, but it has not come to me taking on another dealership right now.

Trish, I really feel for you.

I have only one comment: Has anyone checked the fuel filter. When was the last time it was replaced? Did anyone do what a poster above suggested and look at the fuel tank pickup screen?

Good luck and please keep us informed.

Al

Fuel filter was SUPPOSED to be changed in Nov. with my last oil change, No to the other thing, but it is on my list to be checked, this truck has been giving us trouble since the second week of November. I just don't know what to do anymore We need to go out of town the first week of Feb. pulling the gooseneck, so I hope it is fixed by then. P.K.

whAT happens when it dies going down the road?does it start to loose power or just shut off like you shut it off?any smoke before it dies?when its hot and you try to start it what does it do?just spin over or does it crank and suddenly you hear like a knock or ping than it cranks over again?


my 95 was doing basicly the same thing would fire right up cold and just shut down going down the road.let it cool off and it would fire right back up and go again for a few miles and quit.i needed 2 injectors.had 2 that the metal washer was completely missing and the sides of them were burnt bad.actually started melting the bottom half of the worse one.so i did an injector swap with one i had here that i knew was bad but wanted to see if it would atleast cure the problem.and it did.but i still have that one and the other burnt one thats bad.also every top oring on mine were almost blown out.


have the dealer pop the valve covers off and watch for oil squirting from all the return spouts,watch for oil oozing or squirting up from under the injector hold downs.