TRUCK STALLING OUT - Montana Owners Club

jackel1959 · 05-31-2009, 11:59 AM

Today while backing our 5th wheel into the driveway, the truck kept dying on me. I finally got the trailer parked and immediately changed the CPS thinking that was the culprit. But the truck continues to die when it is under a load and only seems to be doing it in reverse I can duplicate the problem by standing on the brake, putting the transmission in reverse and when I hit 15-1800 RPM, the engine just dies out. It will start right up again and run fine. There are no codes being thrown so at this point I am looking for any suggestions as to what the problem might be. This is a 2002 7.3L with Auto transmission. Thanks in advance.
Jack

steves · 05-31-2009, 12:57 PM

You need to get the error code read from the computer. That's the only way you will know you are replacing the correct part. I understand some auto parts store have the tool and will do it free.

Larry · 05-31-2009, 04:04 PM

Senior, there are two forums I use for truck info:
1. ford-trucks.com
2. thedieselstop.com

Both of them have a bunch of professional mechs hanging out there, with a wealth of information.

Good luck.

FLSTS03 · 05-31-2009, 04:15 PM

Jack try this link,

http://www.dieseldoctor.com/messageboard/data/308.html

Steve

jackel1959 · 05-31-2009, 05:40 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I have posted on several of the diesel forums and am checking for responses but nothing yet. Unfortunately the truck is not giving any codes. I was not familiar with the Diesel Doctor Forum and have added it to my list. I will call the Ford dealer in the morning and see if they can diagnose the problem. Thankfully I still have a couple of months left on the extended warranty

jackel1959 · 06-01-2009, 05:07 PM

The truck spent the day at the Ford dealer today and they could not find anything wrong so far. Also, I could not duplicate the problem today when I took the truck into the dealer (of course). Tomorrow, at my request, they will drop the transmission pan, check for debris and perform a power flush. There is a wiring harness I will take a look at when I get the truck back as suggested from one of the diesel forums. Other than that I guess I will wait to see if it happens again.

jackel1959 · 06-02-2009, 05:42 PM

6/2/09 UPDATE: When I dropped off the truck yesterday the problem could not be duplicated. They spent most of yesterday trying to duplicate the problem and get the computer to throw a code. Never happened. I asked them to drop the transmission pan and check for debris then power flush and refill. Everything looked good from the fluid to no debris in the pan

I picked up the truck this afternoon, checked it at the dealer and it seemed fine. Got it home 45 minutes later, threw it in reverse and power braked it and at 1300 RPM it stalled out

Right back to the dealer I went where the senior diesel tech met me when I arrived. After scanning for codes (there were none) he was able to duplicate the problem several different times and he is pretty certain it is not a tranny problem. He is convinced it is a chafed wire somewhere grounding when the engine is torquing over. He did grab and wiggle a few harnesses on the driver's side in the engine compartment and the shock tower and the problem did go away. He will try to locate the bad wire or harness tomorrow and replace it. Right now I guess I can drive the truck as long as I don't have to back the trailer

More to follow.
Jack

Waynem · 06-03-2009, 03:16 PM

Ah! The invention of pull through sites!!!!!!

Good luck.

jackel1959 · 06-03-2009, 05:41 PM

6/3/09 UPDATE/CONCLUSION: And now, for the rest of the story; I got the truck back from the dealer today and it turns out it was a chafed wire in the main engine wiring harness. The wire had chafed on a bolt under the air intake tube and actually polished the bolt pretty good where it had been rubbing. Once he located the bad wire he could pretty much make the truck stall at will. He explained that particular wire carries voltage to a number of relays for the entire engine so when it shorted out it just shut down. He repaired the wire, re-wrapped the harness and placed wire shielding to prevent it from occurring again. So far so good The other good news is that the repair was covered under my extended warranty.

Thanks to all for your inputs, suggestions and support. And yes, pull-through sites are the best thing since sliced bread

Jack

skypilot · 06-04-2009, 06:30 AM

Great to hear that the problem was solved! This is also one of those examples we read (and write) about when people ask if extended warranties are worth the money. I'm a believer in them and this just goes to show that they do pay off at times. Like any insurance, hope you never need to use them but when you do, they are worth the money.

Jack - not sure how many miles you have on your truck but may be worth extending the warranty if one is available -- just for these unforeseen issues.

jackel1959 · 06-04-2009, 07:57 AM

Quote:

quote:Jack - not sure how many miles you have on your truck but may be worth extending the warranty if one is available -- just for these unforeseen issues.

I'm with you on the extended warranty. I have used it a few times for some major items: rear main seal, anti-lock brake system, alternator and two brake calipers. I bought it for the coverage on the tranny because of the loads we tow. I figured if I had to replace a transmission the warranty would easily pay for itself. I have gotten my monies worth out of it just with the afore mentioned repairs and it has given me peace of mind too. I currently have 89K on the the truck and the ESP I now have expires next month. The truck is an 02 and I have been considering shopping for another plan when this one runs out. Any suggestions?

Jack

Phyllen · 06-05-2009, 02:31 AM

How are like your new 3455? We have been living in ours since March when we got it. LOVE IT!

Phyllis

skypilot · 06-05-2009, 04:10 AM

Jack: I'm not sure on Ford as I currently have a Dodge but I figure they have much the same plans -- I'd check with your dealer and ask them first -- in the case of Dodge they had service (extended warranties) that went all the way to 150K miles as long as it was still under a warranty of some sort. I don't know what they have currently - this was about 5 months ago now.

Also, I seem to remember reading something from Good Sams on their Extended Warranty service plan that covered tow vehicles, you might check there.

I know there are others out there but I have no experience with any of them so I'd be afraid to recommend any myself. Ah - something else I just thought of -- seeing that your are USN retired, your might try your military credit union -- I know that Pentagon Federal Credit Union has a service plan that they deal with as well.

Wish you the best and safe camping out there.

Frankenstien · 06-05-2009, 03:57 PM

HOWDY JACKAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fellow NW fella here... may want to check us out too, http://nwforddiesels.com Most every one on the board is a Puget Sounder... a few in Ore, Spokane but most right in your back yard.

jackel1959 · 06-08-2009, 06:11 AM

Frankenstien,
Thanks for the point in the direction of the North West PS website. I will be checking it out 4 sure.
Jack

skypilot · 06-08-2009, 11:18 AM

Jack: Spoke to local Ford General Manager on Saturday and asked him about extended warranties for trucks -- said Ford has come out with an extended warrenty to 200K miles on the Engine (you need to get in for paperwork, etc -- I didn't ask him cost though

)... also they do have extended warranties that cover everything else and portions there of all the way to 150K miles; in this case you have to be under your extended warranty at the time of writing or they have to do an inspection to ensure nothing is wrong with the vehicle at that time.

In any case, they do have stuff available if you are interested -- that engine deal caught my attention right off.

Once again, hope this helps and wish you great camping!!

jackel1959 · 06-10-2009, 06:08 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by skypilot

Jack: Spoke to local Ford General Manager on Saturday and asked him about extended warranties for trucks -- said Ford has come out with an extended warrenty to 200K miles on the Engine (you need to get in for paperwork, etc -- I didn't ask him cost though

)... also they do have extended warranties that cover everything else and portions there of all the way to 150K miles; in this case you have to be under your extended warranty at the time of writing or they have to do an inspection to ensure nothing is wrong with the vehicle at that time.

In any case, they do have stuff available if you are interested -- that engine deal caught my attention right off.

Once again, hope this helps and wish you great camping!!

skypilot,
Wow, thanks for doing the leg work for me. I will check into it with our local dealer tomorrow. We just returned from the rally at Seven Feathers last night so this is one more item to add to my "TO DO" list. Once again, THANKS

skypilot · 06-11-2009, 11:15 AM

No problem at all - enjoy being able to help when I can.

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