Requiem for a pickup

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

UPDATE:

Curiouser and curiouser. I took the truck to a local diesel shop, Gorham Diesel, and they say there's nothing wrong with the EGR cooler, just a nick in a coolant hose and a loose clamp. Theoretically, it will be fixed and tested by this afternoon.

Now, if this fixes the problem, what in hell is going on with Fomoco, Quirk Ford, and/or the QF mechanic (who subsequently offered to buy the truck)?

Reminds me of a story...

1976. My brother and his family live in some apartments about 10 miles from where I lived with my parents. One of his neighbors had a '66 VW bug that was running poorly, no power. The dealer told him that it needed a $400 valve job. So he mentions to my brother that he wants to sell it for $100.

My dad commuted about 20 miles each way at that time. When we first moved to that house, he made his commute in a '55 Nash Metropolitan. After a couple years (due to tapered cylinders, the car needed rings about once a year), he traded it in on a Ford Econoline camper van. He was looking for a commuter car which got better mileage than the van, however. 10 year old VW bugs back then brought the better part of $1000, so he reasoned that, worst case, this VW would cost him $500, (100 for the car, 400 for the valve job) so he'd still be ahead of the game.

Limping the car home, he came to a hill. He started out on the hill barely moving. As he got about half way up the hill, suddenly the car started running normally. Further investigation showed that the problem was a sticking automatic choke. A couple squirts of Gumout and the problem was fixed.

[spotaneagle]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

UPDATE:

Curiouser and curiouser. I took the truck to a local diesel shop, Gorham Diesel, and they say there's nothing wrong with the EGR cooler, just a nick in a coolant hose and a loose clamp. Theoretically, it will be fixed and tested by this afternoon.

Now, if this fixes the problem, what in hell is going on with Fomoco, Quirk Ford, and/or the QF mechanic (who subsequently offered to buy the truck)?

this is what happens when you have the youngins/big service places inspect your car, everything is broken, hell they're usually not sure how you drove it there usually, I have one mechanic I talk to who knows everything, works for my family and wont lie. I bring my problems to him,

this is why i do not trust chain mechanics, pepboys, midas ect

theyre usually charging you 75 an hour

i like places like Joes Garage, way more honest..

[Sludgy]

Another update:

I used a diesel programmer to clear the diagnostic trouble codes. The codes say that the EGR control valve is out of range, and that the Fuel Injection Control Module iout of range. Not sure whether they are interrelated.

The check engine light keeps coming on after I clear the codes. But the truck runs like a top. Should I just ignore the light?

[red91sit]

Originally Posted by Sludgy

Another update:

I used a diesel programmer to clear the diagnostic trouble codes. The codes say that the EGR control valve is out of range, and that the Fuel Injection Control Module iout of range. Not sure whether they are interrelated.

The check engine light keeps coming on after I clear the codes. But the truck runs like a top. Should I just ignore the light?

You might want to snoop around some ford truck forums to see if these problems are common, and if so, what are some simple fixes for them. You could also try clearing the memory by removing battery and leaving a light on for some time. Sometimes this makes mysteriuos codes go away.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by red91sit

You might want to snoop around some ford truck forums to see if these problems are common, and if so, what are some simple fixes for them. You could also try clearing the memory by removing battery and leaving a light on for some time. Sometimes this makes mysteriuos codes go away.

Worked on the 1994 S10 I just got...I didn't even want to clear the codes, I just forgot that pre-OBDII vehicles lose their codes when you disconnect the battery for a while.

[RedAccord02]

The stealership is always gona try to hustle you out of your money. A second opinion is def a must. Well hope Gorham is right theyll save you some big money.

[Sludgy]

Just got the Blue Beast back from Gorham's shop. A new throttle position sensor has done the trick, it accelerates smooothly now..... The Blue Beast lives to terrorize ungulates once more!

[Sludgy]

New tires today. Truck tires are expensive! $903 for 4. ouch.

[theholycow]

Ouch! What model of tires did you buy?

235/85-16 is probably tough to find inexpensively, I think they're mostly used on small dumptrucks and institutional pickups...individuals with pickups tend to get wider tires.

[Sludgy]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Ouch! What model of tires did you buy?

235/85-16 is probably tough to find inexpensively, I think they're mostly used on small dumptrucks and institutional pickups...individuals with pickups tend to get wider tires.

Bought a house brand at Town Fair Tire...Salesman said they were made by Cooper, OEM size, 265-75/16