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My 2007 F-350 RIP

7K views 44 replies 12 participants last post by  Keanoknick 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi All,

I'm new to this forum. Last month I bought a gorgeous red 2007 F-350 SRW, crew cab, Lariat, FX4 from a Ford dealer in Salida Colorado. I traded in my '99 F-250 7.3. )c:

I drove my pretty new truck for 500 miles around Colorado, then hooked up my Airstream and pulled for 300 miles when a glow plug broke, fell into a piston and destroyed the engine.

The truck was towed to the Ford dealer in Dalhart, TX almost 2 weeks ago, and here I sit waiting for them to finish putting in a new motor, injectors and EGR cooler..... Ford refuses to help me out because although the truck has less than 100,000 miles on it... its a month over the time warranty. The repair is costing me $14,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Imagine my joy.

All I ever did on the 7.3 was change the oil every 3,000 miles, at Walmarts, Rotella T. That truck pulled my trailer to 48 states, for 180,000 miles.

I joined this forum and saw two long posts about what all I have to do to hope this brand new 6.0 engine will last a while...... all that wore me out.

I don't want to spend another fortune making mods so my new 14,000.00 engine will keep running.... seriously, what's up with that? I already have almost 40,000.00 in a 2007.

I'm a woman, who is a fulltime RVer..... I don't want to have to constantly screw around with this truck while I'm on the road, babying it hoping it won't break down again.

I'm going to take a huge loss on it, but I don't trust it to keep running... am I crazy? Should I keep it or sell it and get either a V10 or a Dodge?
 
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#2 ·
Well, you're still into it for a whole lot less than a new truck. You're maybe into it a little deeper than most for a used '07 but you have a new engine. How many miles on the rest of the truck? If you really like the truck and it pulls your rig well, its a hard way to start off the relationship, but you can get something out of it in return.

I have an '05, I'm just shy of 122k, and I have probably towed between 50k-60k of that. We drug our 30' 5th wheel through 11 states and nearly 10k miles this summer, we have gone from sea level to 10,000ft crossing the continental divide several times along our journeys, most of the while running around 21,000lbs combined.

Coming from a 7.3L you probably never had many issues, and 6.0Ls are a little more high maintenance. 6.0L trucks were also more tempting to modify to their owners. Now that you have a 6.0L here's some solid advice: Keep up on the maintenance. Invest in gauges, and avoid electronic tuners or "chips", you don't need more power. An aftermarket exhaust takes a bit of heat out of the equation and extends the life of all the hot parts. And an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure on these trucks. Learn from those of us who have made the mistakes, done the repairs and are still happy with our trucks.

You've got a really good truck, same as mine except you've got Lariat trim and probably an automatic transmission. These are damned good trucks. They ride good for an F-350, they drive great for a 7800lb 4-wheel drive. You might get better fuel mileage from a similarly equipped Dodge, and a Chevy or GMC has a softer ride and squishy seats, but they both have their faults too, and you can land yourself right back where you are now with either of them. Also, the 07.5 and newer trucks all have more emissions controls that hurt the fuel consumption until you get into the even more complex 2011+ trucks. You'd do well to keep it and invest in the maintenance and preventative items that will afford you a long happy relationship.
 
#3 · (Edited)
I would ask for a Ford service rep. Also get a oasis report on the truck. For every day ford had it for service adds another day to your warranty. Did some one work on the glow plugs or anything related to them lately? If Ford was in that area of the engine I believe you have a 12 month warranty on that work. Good luck. If you can, post your oasis report so we may help. I wonder if your truck sitting on a Ford lot (the one you bought it from) can add to your warranty? Ford really should be able to help.
 
#4 ·
I would ask for a Ford service rep. Also get a oasis report on the truck. For every day ford had it for service adds another day to your warranty. Did some one work on the glow plugs or anything related to them lately? If Ford was in that area of the engine I believe you have a 12 month warranty on that work. Good luck. If you can, post your oasis report so we may help. I wonder if your truck sitting on a Ford lot (the one you bought it from) can add to your warranty? Ford really should be able to help.
Excellent question! And if they did, please get the part numbers of any repair parts and post them.
 
#7 ·
Actually, I asked the dealer that's putting the new engine in my truck and the service mgr told me I needed a subpoena to get it.

So, I asked a friend, at another dealer, who got it for me.
Now that I have it, I'm not sure what to do with it.

____________________
2007 F-350 SRW, CC, FX4 No engine
Century Cap
Bedslide
 
#8 ·
I also posted this on the other forum (where you posted this same thread) ...........

In 2004, the combustion chamber on the piston has been modified (updated bowl design). Due to the design change of the piston, the glow plug has been made shorter by 1.2 mm. If the longer glow plugs are installed into an engine with updated pistons, glow plug to piston contact will result, ending in potential catostrophic engine failure.

I would seriously investigate if a prior shop replaced a glow plug.
 
#11 ·
Unfortunately, the work may not have been done by a Ford dealer. It's going to require a lot more work on your part. Will the selling dealer provide the name of the previous owner to you?
 
#17 ·
The report you have is the warranty history for the vehicle. This is how they look if there has not been any recent warranty repairs. Just to let you know, getting out of warranty assistance from Ford is at the dealer's discretion. The dealer/Ford pay a portion of the repair cost. Each dealer is given an "allowance" that they spend to help their good customers however they decide. The repairing dealer probably doesn't have any left or is not going to help you because you are not one of there "regular" good customers. Sorry for your troubles.
 
#19 ·
If it helps any, one of the Techs I have talked to feels that excessive use of starting fluids (ie ether) and or even a run-away engine in the trucks past history might be possible since this occurrence is so rare. The severed fan clutch wires indicate the posibility of some "excessive movement or vibration" in the past.
 
#20 ·
That's interesting. Funny you should mention the "runaway" engine. When the thing blew, and I got it off the road all of a sudden the engine accelerated as if I had floored it... I thought about all those runaway Toyotas and quickly threw it into neutral and turned off the key....

Hunter
 
#26 ·
A good running 6.0L really is a joy to drive.

Before I bought my truck I was familiar with 7.3s in friends trucks but I had never owned anything but 460/7.5L gas trucks myself. Back before '94 during the IDI days of Ford diesel pickups, my 460 trucks typically out pulled the diesels, but that changed when the first Powerstrokes hit the road.

Currently I have both a 6.0L Powerstroke in my F-350 and a 6.8L V10 in our Excursion. In the past I really wanted to put a diesel in the Excursion, but I have since changed my mind, because I really don't mind the V10. I may add an overdrive or re-gear it for a few more miles per gallon. My 6.0L is much the same, with the bugs worked out of it, I'm content to leave it alone and eventually, when the engine needs to be rebuilt, I'll consider major changes like an engine swap to a Cummins as an alternative to a rebuild.

It's unfortunate that your experience started off like it did. It's even possible that the previous owner knew something was wrong and traded in the truck to avoid the very expense you just incurred. But the fact is you now have a great truck and hopefully you can enjoy it.
 
#24 ·
This is definately a poor dealer, I have one right up the road from me that wouldnt ever do anything for me, thats why I actually drive 45 min to another one in a different city for them to do my work. This is unfortunate. If the post above is right about the days it was in for warranty extends the warranty each day after, I would look into that also. I have a ford, it has had problems, but very few were in the engine. Love my truck though, wouldnt get another brand if you paid me. Love the dealer in the other city too, buy all my parts there and everything, they have done me well there, out of warranty now but would send anyone to them.
 
#25 ·
International350 -
I agree. Sounds more like a poor dealership than a Ford issue. There should be SOME warranty period from the dealership it was bought from (independent of Ford).
 
#28 ·
Frequently a loud engine noise is actually coming from the operation of the fan. It can roar for sure.
 
#30 ·
Hi Mark, I know the fan noise, the first time I heard it on my '99 F-250 was on the Eisenhower Pass in Colorado... scared me half to death... I thought the engine was blowing up :D

The noise this truck makes sounds more like a 60s muscle car.... I feel like its exhaust related. It's much louder in tow/haul than not. I do know there were some mods to the exhaust system.


Hunter
 
#34 ·
So, yesterday morning I left a campground and drove about 10 miles to a Walmart. I went in bought stuff, and restarted the truck... drove maybe 100 feet and it went dead. I started it and it was fine and I pulled the trailer to a campground about 100 miles away.

This morning, I pulled out of the campground, drove about a mile, stopped to turn left and it died again.

I restarted it and pulled about 140 miles just fine.

Why is it dying?

Hunter
 
#35 ·
Is it just cutting out, or is it more of a stall and dying out? Mine just cut out for a while and found out it was a broken main wire in the harness to the FICM. This dealership needs to come forward and get you repaired properly, with that kind of money they should be doing everything possible. Maybe even check the lemon laws, not sure what they are there.

Ford trucks are great trucks, I hope they work something with you so that you get to keep a Ford.
 
#36 ·
Make sure the battery terminals are tight on both batteries first. Get truck to a dealer or reputable repair facility and have them check it over for any loose ground or wiring connections. I also remember reading in your new engine repair job that the tech had to zip tie on the FICM connectors to the FICM(Fuel Injector Control Module), may want to point that out. But definitely have it looked at before you get stuck somewhere. It's more than likely a simple fix due to a bad electrical contact from something thats loose.

Harry
 
#38 ·
I've decided to sell my truck, with the brand new 6.0 in it... it just sounds like I'll have to do too much maintenance to keep it happy.....

I figure it'll never be worth more than it is right now, with 500 miles on the new engine and everything running fine.

Any idea what kind of premium the new diesel engine should price for?

It's a 2007 F-350 SRW, crew cab Lariat, FX4 Bight red, chrome accents, perfect condition... 500 miles on engine. Auto transmission. Has a red Century cap ($1500.00).

It's just south of Ft Worth right now.

Hunter

Lots of toys, heated leather seats, winter plug.... zero rust.
 
#39 ·
You're probably sick of hearing me whining about the *new* 2007 F-350, that I had to put a new 6.0 engine in...

Today, I was driving toward town and it stalled again, in traffic....... I got them all to pass, then got it started.

Turned of off and on a few times when running errands, then it wouldn't start. It took 6 tries.

When it did finally start I came back to my campsite, and called the place that put in the engine....the Ford dealer in Dalhart, TX.

The service manager said he knows what the problem is....

Get ready.... he says its the "wiring harness". Seems when the truck got there the wiring harness was "glued" (I don't know that that means)

He thinks one of the wires is loose and causing the problems. Says I should have them all tightened then .... I forget.... maybe he said to silicone them down tight.

I paid almost $15,000.00 and I have a loose wiring harness. I'm beside myself. He said they didn't fix it because it would have cost me thousands more....

What does that mean?

Does any of this make any sense to anyone?

Hunter
 
#40 ·
Need to get the truck looked at. Could be a faulty harness, but more likely its a loose connection. When an engine is exchanged, they have to transfer over the old wiring harness to the new engine. In a car dealership, you get a variety of technicians, some are very good and have pride in workmanship, and some only care about how fast they can get the job done, with no cares to the quality of the work, as long as they get the vehicle done and down the road. Sounds like you got latter of the two. Any decent technician should have presented the issue of finding the wiring harness in question and had the service advisor notify the client. That leaves the decision up to the client to decide to go forward and fix it right, or take the chance. But obviously they didn't do this. Your issue sounds to me it's something simple that could be remedied with an easy or at the very least a temporary fix. If I were you in your shoes, this is what I would do. Go to the nearest authorized Ford dealer and have them look it over. Usually, if there is a descrepency in the work you just had done, they can contact the dealer who installed your engine with their findings, and work out an agrreement for the cost of repairing the stalling truck that never stalled before the new engine. This agrrement can consist of (a)nothing at all, (b)backflagging the technician and the original dealership absorbing some of the cost of the repair, (c)a percentage split of some sorts, where as the client and dealership pay portions of the repair. But first before any decisions are made, need to find out the exact cause. But make sure to tell them this is a new problem that was never happening until they installed the new engine. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted.

Harry
 
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