I will definitely update you. Thank you very much. My truck is out of commission. Running terribly. I have researched other problems here, like vacuum leaks, hubs, etc.. and everything you guys have to say has been right on and great help. This came on suddenly one day. It lasted for a day or two and then ran good again. Then without warning ran terrible again, as described by others. I also felt like it was running on less that all 8. I will be pulling the 9 pins and testing them. I'll get back to you with more questions I'm sure.

Thanks again....Ron.

 

Well I just got done messing with my truck. I checked the 9 pin connectors and found all the injectors to be with-in spec although I will need to replace a couple glow plugs. I changed the fuel filter, but found that the bowl didn't have much fuel in it. I poured some fresh diesel in it when I put the new one in, but still a no go. I removed the fuel filter again after a couple of starts to find it still kind of low in the bowl. I did not check fuel pressure, however, I got under the truck and checked that there is battery voltage at the pump, which there was with the key on but no sound coming from the pump. Sound like it went bad? Ther was some rust coloration in my fuel filter bowl, which means its been seeing some water, so I guess the fuel pump can start doing the same thing.
Thoughts?
and thanks
Jason

 

Why don't you start a new thread with your issues Jason, so we don't get too confused, since you've got a different issue. Your possibilities sound like either a bad pump or restriction inside the tank. We'll cover how to check things in your new thread.

 

Sure wish this thread was up about a month ago.... Here's what they found in mine and what it cost me.... Needless to say, it put a pretty good dent in Christmas....

 

Good job on the pictures and help, Chris.
I tried to rep you but I have to spread it around first.

 

Wow !! That is alot of green.. I wonder if it was just a loose connector under the valve cover .. I guess we will never know..

 

Supposedly, the failure of the sensor & module was caused by a short in the harness under the valve cover.

 

Sorry to hear that. You know for $20 a year, you can become a supporter of this site. It's not required, but it helps keep things going. And think of the money you can save by learning how to do these things yourself.

 

Chris,

I finally got in from working on my truck. Not a great day to work on the truck (34 degrees with a nice wind, who would have thought in Texas right?). Anyways, everything is back together. I used the quarter as you suggested and it holds the connector nice and snug in there. Thanks for that tip. I would strongly recommend this method for anyone else who is having this problem.

When I had the passenger valve cover off (and by the way Chris, I think you're on your own when you say the passenger side is easier, i had a hell of a time ), I took some video of what the problem looks like and how the quarter is used to fix the problem. I will post this video on YouTube within the next couple of days so that people with similar problems can see how the connector was loose and how the quarter helps keep it snug.

I haven't taken her out for a spin yet because it's 1:30 in the morning, but I will first thing in the morning. All I know is the "Service Engine Soon" light didn't come on as it was idling in my driveway. I hope the test drive turns out well tomorrow.

Here is a picture of my quarter in the connector (a Texas quarter by the way ). Hey, what can I say, I love Texas!



I will post my driving results tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the great advice!

Darren

 

Hello, i just finished doing this same fix yesterday. Yes, there are alot of things to get out of the way first and i did the quarter trick and it seemed to work well. I will agree that the passenger side seems to be the easiest but you will need to take the fender well off (its not hard at all). When you take the fender well off, you can get to the valve cover bolts real easy. Before you pull both of the valve covers, take a air hose and blow off all of the dirt that will fall in the heads,i didnt do that and i spent alot of extra time cleaning dirt out of the heads. Hope this helps

 

I dont know if this really helped but while i had every thing apart,i went ahead and cleaned the little black box that is on top of the drivers side valve cover( i think it is like the pcv valve). I soaked it in a bucket of heavy duty cleaner and washed it out real well and let it dry. There was alot of stuff that came out of it. It looks to be filled with some type of steel wool or something.

 

Here is the YouTube video I promised showing the UVCH and the quarter shim. Enjoy!

YouTube - 2001 F350 7.3L Turbo Diesel, UVCH

Darren

 

Update:

The truck drives beautifully now! Lots of power and it seems to run better than I remember after this fix. And no "Service Engine Soon" light. Thanks to everyone for their support and great advice, especially Chris. I am definitely a FTE junkie now.

Did anyone get a chance to check out the YouTube video I posted?

Thanks again,
Darren

 

Hey Darron.. great job on the video... I am sure that will help someone with fixing those connectors.. I also used a shim but just made it from a piece of 1/16" thick alum.. you get rep points for your effort.. I bet there are thousands of 7.3L's with the same problem, just about to dis-connect..

 

Good video. Reps to you. If you had gone to the dealer Lord only knows what that would have done and charged you for before they got to the loose UVCH connectors. You saved a BIG bundle of money.