Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice » F-Series Trucks

Ford F-150 blows fuse

Rick — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:28:17 +0000

Shops report that 1997-03 Ford F-150 trucks can blow fuse #29 repeatedly. The fuse powers the overdrive cancel switch located in the steering column at the end of the shift lever. The problem is most likely a short in the red/yellow wire that goes up the steering column. To repair, remove the shrouds on the column and check for the short.

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P0500, U1262 codes on Ford F-150 5.4L

Rick — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:24:17 +0000

If you have a Ford F-150 with the 5.4L engine and have a flashing ABS light and a speedometer that stops working intermittently, or a temperature gauge that goes to HOT intermittently, read this article.

Ford has had significant problems with its ignition coils. Occasionally a coil can fail in such a way that it generates a large voltage spike that confuse the computer. That can set off all kinds of weird behavior. If you have the vehicle scanned, chances are you will NOT find any misfire codes, nor will you find any ABS codes. The P0500 code is for loss of vehicle speed sensor input and a U1262 coded indicates a loss of communication between the Hybrid Electronic Cluster and PCM.

Since no misfires codes come up in the OBDII scan, you’ll need a high end scanner capable of reading the raw (uninterpreted) data known as Mode $06. That mode stores raw misfire data and analyzes it until it meets the parameters to set a trouble code. Viewing Mode $06 is the only way to detect which coil is misfiring and spiking. Or, you can start replacing coils until you find the culprit. Just don’t start replacing ABS components or instrument clusters.

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Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

P1211, P1212 Ford Powerstroke Diesel

Rick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:54:23 +0000

Ford Diesels use oil pressure to drive the high pressure fuel injection system. The engine oil pump not only pumps oil to lubricate engine components, but also pumps oil into a reservoir to be used by the high pressure oil pump.

The high pressure oil pump pulls oil from the reservoir and raises the pressure to the point where it can pop open the injectors. The high pressure pump also increases the pressure of the diesel fuel so it can inject into the cylinders and vaporize quickly.

The oil pressure generated by the high pressure oil pump is regulated by an electric solenoid that is pulsed by the PCM. As this Injection Pressure Regulator (IPR) solenoid is powered and de-powered, a small shaft moves back and forth, allowing spurts of oil to flow into the high pressure oil lines The IPR can regulate pressures in excess of 3,000psi. The high pressure oil moves from the pump to the cylinder head through braided steel lines.

The PCM fires the diesel fuel injectors by energizing a solenoid coil in the injector. Unlike gas fuel injectors where the solenoid lifts a pintle off a seat to allow pressurized fuel to flow into the cylinder, the solenoid in Ford diesel fuel injectors allows high pressure oil to flow. Think of this like a doctor’s syringe. The pressurized oil pushes on the plunger of the syringe to “inject” the fuel through the injector and into the cylinder. Since the minimum psi required to open the injectors is 400psi, the PCM monitors the actual pressure of the oil going to the injector with an Injection Control Pressure (ICP) sensor. Using data from the ICP sensor, the PCM can adjust the pulse rate to the IPR.

Since the IPR operates off of a pulsed voltage, the amount of ON time versus OFF time is referred to as “duty cycle.” The high pressure pump can easily achieve pressures in excess of 3,000psi. But it’s up to the IPR to regulate the amount of pressure going to the injectors. The IPR can regulate a 3,000 psi reading with no more than a 12% duty cycle. Yet, the PCM is capable of providing up to a 60% duty cycle to the IPR. However, once it reaches 50%, the PCM sets a trouble code P1211 or P1212 for “ICP above/below normal.

If you receive this code, your first step is to check the oil level in the crankcase. Since the entire high pressure system depends on having enough oil in the reservoir, a drop in oil level of 3 or more quarts can bring the system to a quick stop. Unlike a gasoline engine where the oil pressure sending unit is located in the engine block in an oil gallery, the oil pressure sending unit on a Ford Diesel is located in the top of the high pressure oil reservoir. In other words, Ford wants to make sure the high pressure oil reservoir is getting good oil pressure. If the oil “idiot” light does not go out the high pressure oil reservoir isn’t getting enough pressure. The high pressure pump cannot produce high pressure if it’s not getting enough oil from the engine oil pump. If the oil level checks out and the oil pressure light goes out, move on to the rest of the checks.

The PCM monitors RPM during cranking. As soon as RPMs reach 150, the PCM activates the IPR to begin regulating oil pressure. At the same time, the PCM starts monitoring the ICP sensor to double check oil pressure buildup. As mentioned earlier, the PCM can command up to a 60% duty cycle for the IPR. But if the PCM is providing maximum duty cycle and the ICP reports either less than 400psi or 2,000-2,500psi, and the engine is not running, it concludes there is a problem (a reading of 2,000-2,500 is a programmed “default” reading the PCM provides on the scan tool when it believes there’s a fault in the ICP). If you see 2,000-2,500psi on the ICP scan tool readout AND the engine isn’t running, you should suspect a bad ICP sensor.

If the engine won’t start, you can conclude there’s a problem in the high pressure system. Either the high pressure pump isn’t working, IPR is faulty, or there’s a large leak somewhere in the system that’s preventing pressure buildup. To eliminate a cylinder head leak from the troubleshooting process, remove the high pressure line from the right side head and cap it with a plug that can hold 3,000psi. Then remove the high pressure line from the left side cylinder head and attach a high pressure (3,000psi or more) gauge to the line. Then crank the engine and watch the pressure gauge. If you get a low reading, the problem is either a faulty high pressure pump or a bad IPR. First you must replace the IPR. If the problem still exists, replace the high pressure pump.

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Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

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Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Instrument Cluster and Gauges Dead

Rick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:54:21 +0000

Owners of Ford F-series trucks may experience a total failure of the instrument cluster gauges. This is usually caused by an open condition in the ground wire from the cluster. To diagnose the problem, remove the cluster and check the 20-pin connector that is connected to the rear of the cluster. Using a digital multimeter, connect the meter’s red probe to terminal 20 (red/yellow wire) to confirm the presence of battery voltage (key on, engine off) (black wire to ground). All the warning lights should come on when you turn the key to ON.

Next, move the red probe to terminal 13 (pink/orange). It should read less than 0.1 volt. If it reads higher, the cluster has lost its ground connection. This condition is usually caused by a poor ground located in the driver’s side kick panel. Clean this ground connection and recheck terminal 13. If it still reads high, check for damage in the wiring harness where it wraps around the emergency brake assembly. Often the harness can get cut by the brake mechanism. Repair the harness and re-route it to prevent future damage.

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eautorepair.net

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Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

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ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Cranks but no start on Ford 7.3L diesel, no “Wait to Start” light

Rick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:41:24 +0000

If you run into a situation with your Ford 7.3L diesel where it cranks but will not start and you find you have no communication with your scan tool, chances are good that you have a shorted fuel line heater. The other symptoms of a failed heater are:

1. Blown 30A fuse
2. No “Wait to Start” light when first starting engine
3. Check Engine light.

To test the fuel line heater, first disconnect it. You’ll find the connector at the fuel filter assembly. Look for a two-wire connector with a red/light green wire. Disconnect the connector to the heater, replace the burned out fuse, then start the vehicle. If you can drive if for several cycles and the fuse does not blow, you’ve found the problem. Replace the fuel line heater.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

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Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

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ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

P0340 on Ford 7.3L diesel, Crank but no start, bucking

Rick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:33:14 +0000

Shops are reporting a high failure rate on the camshaft position sensor that generates and OBDII diagnostic trouble P0340. You can test the sensor using an automotive scope. But you cannot test it with a digital multimeter. That's because the sensor puts out a digital square wave. Since this is such a high failure rate item, if you get a code P0340, your best option is to simply replace the sensor.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

No instruments, Fuse blows

Rick — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:19:44 +0000

Shops are reporting a high incidence of fuse blowouts in Ford F-350 Super Duty 7.3L diesel trucks. Fuse 45 in the fuse box keeps blowing. When that happens, you lose the entire instrument cluster. In addition, the engine will not accelerate—it will only idle.

The problem is a shorted wire inside the steering column that goes to the overdrive cancel switch at the end of the shift lever. To check, remove the plastic cover shrouds from the column. Check wires red/yellow, tan/white/ and white/light green on the harness side of the connector. These wires can short due to movement of the shift lever.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Starter Engages by itself or blower stays on with key off – Ford Trucks

Rick — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:05:24 +0000

Owners of Ford trucks may experience a starter motor that engages all by itself. Or, they may discover the blower motor running with the key off. This may sound like a bad ignition switch (and may be), but first check out the interior fuse panel. Any leak in the windshield (which is common) may cause corrosion inside the fuse panel. Locate the fuse panel and look for any signs of moisture or corrosion. If you find any, have the windshield leak repaired (resealed) and then replace the fuse panel. Don't try to clean off the corrosion--it's toast.

FYI, a leaking windshield can also cause a Generic Electronic Module (GEM) to act up.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Grinding noise from dash – Ford F-150 and Lincoln Mark LT pickup

Rick — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:18:33 +0000

Ford has issued a service bulletin to address a noise problem on these vehicles. The noise appears to come from under the dash and happens when you switch modes from heat to defrost or vent. The noise is caused by the mode door motor cam plate and the cam.

To fix the problem, turn the HVAC control to PANEL mode. Leave the mode door connected to the cam plate and remove the four bolts holding the cam plate to the upper plenum. Then remove the motor and cam plate together, as an assembly. Now you can remove the cam plate and the cam. Turn the cam over and wipe awap all the grease. Then apply a special teflon grease (Ford part #XG-8) in the same areas you just cleaned. Put all the components back and test the HVAC by switching between the PANEL and DEFROST modes several times.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

No Horn Engine Running but plenty of Horn With Engine Off—Ford Trucks

Rick — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:30:00 +0000

This may sound like the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard of, but if you look at the electrical diagram it makes a little more sense. Think about it—what controls are on the steering wheel? Cruise Control and the Horn. Ok, if you’ve got a really expensive Ford Truck, you might also have remote radio controls. But for the most part, we’re talking horn and cruise. How does the cruise control know how to behave? Well, it provides power to the switches in the steering wheel. Inside each switch is a resistor. When you operate the switch, power flows through the resistor and then goes to ground. The computer watches to see exactly how much the voltage dropped and by determining that, it figures out what command you’ve just issued to the cruise. Guess what? The horn works the same way. When you press the switch, it completes a path to ground. That activates the horn relay.

My guess is that if your horn isn’t working properly, your cruise isn’t either.

What’s the common thread here? Yup, you guessed it, the ground at the cruise control. In this case you’ll find the “ground” wire from the steering wheel coming into the cruise control servo at pin #6. It’s a dark green/orange wire. The servo is mounted on the driver’s side of the engine compartment. The servo itself gets its ground from the black wire at pin #10. So first check to see if you have good ground at pin #10. If you don’t have good ground there, neither the cruise, nor the horn will work. If you do have good ground, then try placing a jumper wire from pin #6 to pin #10. If your horn now works fine, you can conclude that it’s not getting proper ground from the electronics inside the cruise servo.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use