(Not a Ford bashing thread please.. Thanks y'all) As I'm sure most of you have heard/seen by now, the new '08 6.4 Super Duty Fords have a bit of a problem with flames shooting out the exhaust. There has been a recall of more than 37,000 trucks. Well I was sitting in the office today and my boss came in and we started talking about the new 08 Dodges and he starts talking about a friend of his who has a Ford and got tired of his steering box going out (replaced 3 different times already). So he was just going to trade it in and upgrade to an 08. After mentioning it to one of the FORD mechanics at the dealership, the mechanic proceded to advise him that quite possibly be a bad idea. He said besides all the recalls Ford is doing on the 08s, the ones that recalled and replaced just get a little chip in them to fix the problem.

"The software upgrade resets the Super Duty powertrain control module on the Ford trucks to recognize improper levels of heat in the exhaust system. If heat is detected the system will power down the truck so the driver can pull to the side of the road and allow the truck to cool off."

So they're basically saying you just paid 50 grand for this truck and when it starts to get overheated, instead of setting someone else's car on fire, the truck chip shuts off most your power and forces you to the side of the road to let it "cool off". Now I'm not a Ford owner myself (my husband is but I try not to hold that against him ) but I'd be ******. Anyone else here own a Ford and had this fire problem or anyone else heard about Ford's so-called "fix"?

Site where I pulled all this from..
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ipe_fires.html

Aw crap, I didn't see the Fords Flaming exhaust discussion already posted.. Could someone maybe move this thread over there, thanks?.. Sorry 'bout that.

 

i would rather have my truck shut down than blow up, 98.5-02 dodges do the same thing, it shuts off full fuel to the injection pump, had a friends do it when it got to 260*, GM does it with limp mode, the temperature is probably set around 240*-260* in the fords, why would anyone be dumb enough to even run their truck that high, about like that idiot that posted the video of his LLY duramax oveheating when he was pulling a U-Haul van backwards up the side of a mountain on a bumper hitch trailer in 115* weather with his A/C on, some people dont deserve nice trucks.

 

No I wasn't saying it was bad thing that the chip shuts off the truck when it's getting over heated. I'm saying its a bad thing when you pay that much money for a piece of equipment that has a problem and to fix it they put a band aid on it instead of just replacing the faulty parts.. (although I may have all this mixed up but that's how it appeared to me) I agree on the some people don't deserve nice trucks comment though.

 

Sometimes there isnt a place to stop and cool down. I think Ford made a really bad boo-boo with that exhaust routing behind the motor. I think they need to adopt a new standard of "diesel engine" and drop their foolish pride of "having to have a v-8". They shouldve got the point with the 6.0.

 

I do believe you've coined a new phrase my man!!!

Such as: Great Flaming Fords, did you see that 6.7 liter Cummins flash by Or
Great Flaming Fords Batman!!!

 

Been beaten to death here...but I do see where you are coming from

 

K, well I know this thread is a little old, but I found a video of a "Ford Flamin"
That littl' problem they have coulda really hurt someone, letalone the truck!!!
http://www.break.com/index/ford_recalls_trucks.html

 

Ya that has been posted a few times.

 

The truck uses the EGT sensors in the exhaust to power down so you can pull over if your EGT's are getting out of hand. What a terrible idea for a truck manufacturer to try to keep the motor in check.

I have run my truck pretty hard unloaded up some pretty steep stuff and have yet to have any troubles. The 08 fords are doing great now that they got the BBQ exhaust fixed.

 

Could you describe more in detail what you're talking about here? The Ford system is for exhaust temperature not engine coolant temperature. If it was really an exahust temp indicator that cut off at 260 it would baely get past idle.

Also, it's the first time I've ever heard of such a device on a 24V truck. No I don't have one, I've just never heard of this shutdown feature...

 

that chip is a great idea so that the truck doesn't blow up but doesn't that create another problem you drive down the road in get into construction and it shuts off while your in the cattle chutes....then what will you do?

 

It's quite common for newer vehicles to employ some kind of engine-saving programming to prevent damage from overheating. Some will shut down injectors and take turns pumping air through each cylinder to cool them. Some such as the 24 valve Dodge will defuel and lose power if it gets too warm. These safety devices are not foolproof, but with today's technology it makes no sense to not try to safeguard an engine.

Also, apart from the new Powerstrokes needing some preprogramming, they seem to be holding up well so far. Much better than the six litres.

 

I'm not much of a v8 diesel fan, but apparently it's not the v8 that's holding Powerstrokes down, it's just Ford... Duramax is doing well.

 

The 6.4 is doing well too. The only problems so far have all been fixed. The first was the flames which was fixed. Second was an injector issue that was a production line issue, that was fixed before a dealer was supposed to sell the trucks....

The ford can regen at idle which is amazing for city drivers who want a new diesel but dont want to have to go on the highway for 35 minutes a week for the 6.7l

 

What happens if the 6.7 does not go on teh highway 35 miles per week?