08 F450 6.4L Wrench Light on?

FishOnOne wrote:

rowekmr wrote:
Well I can now honestly I really appreciate Ford dealership service tactics. If it wasn't for their ridiculous inflation of shop hours and mark up of services I would not have done a search and found a shop I used before that is well versed in the powerstrokes.

He actually drove my truck with a smaller scanner to read actual road values and also used the IDS software back at the shop to see the snap shot of the values when the wrench illuminated. Turned out there was a 30F delta (highest) between the oil and coolant temps. To change my oil cooler he didn't raise the cab, checked my valve train and found 3 out of spec that he retorqued, bore scoped my EGR coolers (no significant blockage) and performed the flush before the oil cooler was installed to remove some of the gel that was in my coolant. He used a vacuum process to put in the new Ford Gold so as to eliminate/minimize air pockets. He also checked the computer software and performed a few updates including a dash update that will provide dash notification when in progress. He also said the newer software limits the regen cycles to higher (highway) speeds. He will let the coolant "cold soak" and double check the coolant level tomorrow before and after he drives to insure all is within spec.

I feel much better with his diagnosis and processes and believe the truck will have a good bill of health when I pick it up. All the weak points have been checked incl the front cover, oil/EGR coolers, valvetrain and coolant. It goes to show that while much of the older powerstrokes had issues because of bad design and improper maintenance some of the owner's woes came from dealerships that were not properly trained/staffed that either charged way to much or didn't fix the problem.

Thanks for the follow up... I'm a firm believer that the certified techs are typically better equipped and trained to perform repairs on your vehicle. Yes you will probably pay more, but if the vehicle is fixed correctly that means no more repeat visits and additional repair bills and hassle.

My cousin is a diesel mechanic and works for a Ford/Chrysler dealer since '93 and that dealer has invested hundreds of hours of training in him.

I agree that there are some techs at Ford dealerships that are good and actually care, however they are few and far between. I have had many bad dealer experiences but one of the worst was when I had the coolant changed on my 2003 6.0L and I asked them to change the lower rad hose as well because I noticed it had been rubbing on the steering box. I picked up the truck and we were leaving the next day on vacation. I'm not sure what made me look but I decided to have a look at that hose and I'm sure glad I did. It was installed such that it was right up against the power steering pump pulley; I looked at the situation a bit closer and with it being an OEM hose it was marked RAD and PUMP. It had been installed backwards! If I hadn't looked I wouldn't have made it 50 miles down the road before it rubbed through.

I also had a surging issue with that truck that Ford never could figure out. I was lucky enough to find a local aftermarket diesel shop that knew the 6.0L well and I had them do an EGR delete, install a regulated fuel return system and do a bunch of upgrades for a reasonable price. There have been a bunch more shops open up here in the greater Vancouver, BC area that specialize in Powerstroke repairs and upgrades. So overall I'm in the independent shop camp too.

Please let us know how the truck is when you pick it up.