So I’m pulling a hill with a load, and suddenly there is a suddenly a kind of woofing sound, almost like a tire is rubbing on the inner fender well. After this happened a few times, I realize that there is a performance element, in that the truck surges in unison with the sound. Now when it happens the surging is serious and there a large clouds of black smoke pouring out at the same time as the surge and the woofing sound.
Anyone have an idea of what’s happening?
To help us diagnose this problem, please tell us the year of this F250 and if it is carburated by chance.
This is a 2004 F-250 with the 6.0 liter Diesel
From Wikipedia, looks like early builds of this engine had issues. Black smoke usually means too much fuel for the amount of air in the cylinder, so it might be not enough turbo boost.
“The 7.3 L (444 CID) Power Stroke was replaced by the 6.0 L (365 CID) for the 2003 model year. This version was built until mid December 2006 (2007 model year). So many 6.0 L Power Stroke engines were proven to be unreliable,[2] and may have cost Ford hundreds of millions of dollars in warranty repairs and leading to a recall and repurchase of at least 500 trucks. There were initial quality challenges which Ford and Navistar have mostly rectified. The reliability of the later 6.0 L engines, after the dealership technicians were fully trained on the product, has been very good. Many early problems were disastrous, requiring total engine replacement. There were also minor problems resulting from the unreliable variable-vane turbocharger solenoid, EGR valve carbon deposit clogging or sticking, defective Exhaust Back Pressure (EBP) sensor/connector, numerous PCM (Powetrain Control Module) recalibrations, fuel injector harness chafing/crushing and other minor driveability and QC issues. Many problems were related to Ford’s software. There were many running changes to the engine and in the 2006 year model the 6.0 had the lowest rate of warranty claims across the board for Ford Motor Company when compared to all of Ford’s gas and diesel engines”
Is it turbocharged? How many miles on it? Perhaps it’s time for a “Major Tune-Up” at a shop the specializes in Diesels…
Well it has been awhile since it was tuned, but the problem has intermitantly appeared all the way fromm 40,000-miles to the current 95,000-miles, except now its worse.
Again, is it turbocharged??
If it IS, and I’m just guessing here, turbochargers have a spring loaded “waste gate” that opens to prevent “over-boosting” the engine. That MAY be the sound you hear. When this happens, there will be a big power loss and the black smoke, because without the boost, way too much fuel is being injected…But it could be MANY other things…You should be able to “reset” the waste gate by momentarily closing the throttle then slowly getting back into it…
Agreed, and, if this has been happening more and more frequently, soot build-up could be making the sticky waste gate progressively worse. Assuming this is a turbo-diesel, of course.
Don’t forget a cheap and obvious check. Is the air cleaner clean or clogged? This could lead to loss of power and black soot smock.
Well yes it is a turbo. A mechanic felt it could be the actuator rod sticking on the variable vain turbo blades (a problem associated with 6.0 Liter diesels). Might I add that this is the first time I have ever used a forum feature on a website. I thank all of you who participate. The air cleaner will be replaced, although the vacuum gauge shows life still in it.
“Well yes it is a turbo. A mechanic felt it could be the actuator rod sticking on the variable vain turbo blades (a problem associated with 6.0 Liter diesels).”
Wow…You learn something new everyday…Variable Vain Turbo Blades…Amazing…