Huge improvement in mile per gallon - 2005 6.0 PSD 4x4

[pjpvi]

I have found that by attaching my van to a flat bed tow truck I've improved my mileage tremendously from a tank of diesel. I do not recommend this particular modification though!

... or does this posting belong in Towing and Toys?

Phil

[Sam]

Phil:

What was the end result of what happened to your van? It looks so sad on the back of the truck. :-( Hope the repair went well & didn't cost you an arm & leg.

Sam

[BroncoHauler]

You should patent that idea and sell it.

It almost looks like the tow truck is going to tip backwards bringing that load onboard.

How's the van running now?


Herb

[pjpvi]

Problem was the high pressure oil pump. It is critical to fuel delivery in these diesels. The van is running well now, but is not starting as quickly as it use to and / or is taking a few attempts to start. I found the following bulletin that I still need to try.

"Long Cranking Times at Factory Delivery or After HP Oil System Repair:
If a 6.0 cranks for longer than 2.5 seconds in temperatures above 32 degrees it may be due to air trapped in the HP oil system. To purge the air, drive the truck through 12 hard accelerations from 25-50 MPH. Turn off the engine and allow the truck to sit for 5 minutes. Restart the engine to see if crank time has improved. Crank times of 3-5 seconds in cold temperatures should be considered normal.
TSB #05-19-14."

If you interested, found this at:
http://intellidog.com/dieselmann/60bulletin.htm

Anyway, van is running. I'm afraid it has a mixture of synthetic and regular oil after the repair at Ford. I was ready for a change of the two remote filters, so I'll just put a fresh supply of synthetic in at the same time.

As for the tow truck tipping back, I'll say my wife and I were very uneasy driving the 65ish miles with our family of four plus the tow truck driver on the bench seat of the tow truck. No seat belts. The weight of the van on back certainly had control of the tow truck, not the other way around. I was afraid to see what the load rating was on the tow truck!

Phil

[lactic]

Wow. LOVING the bike rack! Searching previous posts now before I start asking stupid questions...

[daveb]

Phil, is that something that could be repaired in the field? I have had the cam sensor go out in my work truck and plan to purchase one for my Van. I had a wire harness come off and punch a hole in my SMB's radiator but was able to get out of the back country being I had 15 gallons of water in the van. Took some time but I got out. Then I got the same great milage you did. What if you were up on a OHV road? That scares the hell out of me. Need to know what can be repaired in the field and have a book to show how. The bad thing is how cramped it is under that hood. When the radiator was leaking I couldn't even see it-yikes!
Dave

[pjpvi]

Hi Dave -

I pulled the doghouse off and could see the HP oil pump. It sits on top of the engine to the left side (as looking at it from inside the van). Some of the exhaust plumbing has to be removed to access it and gaging from the oil mess left behind from the repair, you lose a bit of oil replacing it.

My take is that if you are a technically competent individual and had the replacement parts and tools, it should be field replaceable with a lot of cursing involved. Looks like about $520 - $700 for the HP Oil pump kit with IPR valve. I'd get the filter too as mine was supposedly damaged. I found the parts at:

http://www.dieselspecialists.net/ALLPOWERSTROKE.html

It is certainly a critical component. If it goes out, there is no chance of the engine starting. Not sure I'm going to be stocking one in the van.

Here's another link I found to someone rebuilding the pump. Not really applicable to your question, but gives more information. This guy recommends replacing your HP Oil pump if it is pre-1999.5 build engine. Guess the pump on engines built after 1999.5 offer more displacement. Just repeating what I've read, please don't think I really know what I'm talking about!

http://www.diesel-central.com/News/oil_pump.htm

I ran the 25 - 50 MPH, hard acceleration 12 times in a row exercise to purge any remaining air from the system. My van seems to be starting fine now. It was an odd exercise as I really have never gunned it before. Although my SMB will never win a race (nor would I try), it had more get up and go than I expected. Not a good exercise for your fuel mileage though.

Phil

[jage]

Originally Posted by pjpvi

This guy recommends replacing your HP Oil pump if it is pre-1999.5 build engine. Guess the pump on engines built after 1999.5 offer more displacement. Just repeating what I've read, please don't think I really know what I'm talking about!

I've heard this too about the 7.3 L. My F250 was built January of 99 which is technically the latter half of 99 the way automakers keep time...

[daveb]

Anybody know of any good dummy field repair books for the 6.0? At least I would feel better