yes and a good mech can hook it to his laptop while running and get real time data

in the meantime,a can of diesel injector cleaner and check that wiring harness like anp said

Always expect electrical connector issues.

The presence of Dielectric grease in an electrical connector seems to make the owner of the eyeballs that see it, decide that the connection/connector is fine. This is unwise in the extreme. Dielectric grease does not conduct electricity, it is designed to prevent corrosion/ moisture intrusion, but it cannot stop a poor/weak/ mariginal spring loaded electrical connection from having micro arcing occur which will form an insulative barrier between the mating conductors.

Stuffing a connector with dielectric grease then joining it can also spread the electrical contacts so they do not make contact.

So its presence is not a sign al lis well, that so many seem to think.

Eliminating a suspected electrical connector requires flushing the connector of Dielectric grease, using some of the contact cleaners like CRC QED oe similar, and perhaps some mechanical agitation from the mini bottle brushes like Dentek sticks



Contact cleaner like CRC QED does not do anything for oxidation build up on the conductive surfaces. A cleaned connector should have som Caig Deoxit d5 or d100 applied to the contacts, and if the bottle brushs and precision swabs are also employed they eill likely come out black or grey, and the copper or tinned copper contact surfaces will then look like oiled gold or silver.

Even then there is no guarantee that the contactsin he connector are actually touching each other. sometimes a sewing neele can be inserted to bend the contacts slightly so they make better and firmer contact.

If ll these ministrations do nothing for any specific issue, at least they are eliminated as culprits. I use Deoxit shield s5 spray on contacts before joining then try and force dielectric grease into the joints/ wire ends afterwards.

I've seen old dielectric grease come out of connectors as if it were scotch tape left in an 250 degree oven for a week.

Hope you can get the issue sorted soon with little expendture.

If you want to do some more elimination of possible current or future culprits, clean( remove and polish and retighten) the battery connections and the firewall and engine grounds.

Pretty sure you'd have to drop the 50 gal tank to get at pump...

I've got an appt. with supposedly a good diesel guy Mon. am just to attempt diagnostics...says he has a bi-directional OBD computer. He doesn't think he'd have time to fix anything anytime soon, but honestly I kinda feel like someone being paid just for diagnostics might be good since there's no motivation to be less than honest. And maybe with some direction it'll be something I can tackle. I'll update after the appointment!

Brad, There are many Ford Powerstroke forums on the net. I highly suggest them. If you just type into your search bar what your problem is and vehicle it will come up with forums in the list of results. This way it takes you straight to the forum where its being discussed. Keep me posted please. Like I said I have 2 of those engines and need all the info/knowledge I can get. Thank you for sharing your problem with us!

scan showed low injector oil pressure was the code, but the tests didn't reveal any problems with cylinders or injectors. Oil was a little low, so I did an oil change and kept driving. Problem recurred quickly. For the second time now someone has said they were sure it's a problem with the fuel tank filters being partially clogged, which is why symptoms only appear when going wide open up steep grades. Seems reasonable, so I'm calling around tomorrow to try get someone to drop the tank. Can anyone tell me: 1) what parts should I get replaced in the tank, 2) does it make sense to replace pump while tank is dropped even if working fine, and 3) how much should I expect to pay, just ballpark? thanks!

IN GENERAL,

tanks aren't difficult to drop. I have Zero idea on your particular vehicle. Crawl under and see if it's DIYable.

I wouldn't go replacing anything that isn't necessary, unless there's a known fault with the particular item.
Old mechanics creed: 'New is new, and good is good'

IOW, that component that on there, working right now works, that new component everyone assures you is top quality, might only last 20k. Again and again people 'preemptively' replace items with reman stuff just to have it fail.

If you do replace something, make sure it actually is of top quality.

Definitely gaskets, I recall using a hairdryer to get the pump module rubber gasket to stretch enough to get it back in ... Taking my creedo a bit far, LoL

as with everything else in the world,it depends,if the tank is out in the open,4 bolts,3 fuel lines,a wire and filler tube,it's that easy
tucked up under the rear end and exhaust system,it can be a royal pain

i would drop it and inspect,the sock should be removable and cleanable,if it has surface rust inside there are diy cleaning/coating kits

(05-15-2018, 06:26 PM)BradKW Wrote: scan showed low injector oil pressure was the code, but the tests didn't reveal any problems with cylinders or injectors. Oil was a little low, so I did an oil change and kept driving. Problem recurred quickly. For the second time now someone has said they were sure it's a problem with the fuel tank filters being partially clogged, which is why symptoms only appear when going wide open up steep grades. Seems reasonable, so I'm calling around tomorrow to try get someone to drop the tank. Can anyone tell me: 1) what parts should I get replaced in the tank, 2) does it make sense to replace pump while tank is dropped even if working fine, and 3) how much should I expect to pay, just ballpark? thanks!

Read this on from a Ford Forum about your problem with the 7.3.  
http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/99-03-7...boost.html
I also highly recommend using some cleaner in your tank(s) called Diesel Kleen. This was recommended to me by a fellow travceller that was retired from the Ford Motor Company research and development department. So I'll take his word as golden.

Brad...Do you have any oil leaks ?

I remember talking to a fella some time back about his big truck engine. Said it would cough and sputter and die. Then after it sat for a few minutes it would fire up like nothing happened. It only did it when the fuel was low. Turns out someone had put a plastic sandwich bag in his fuel tank and as the fuel got low it would migrate to the pickup tube and stop the fuel flow around the sock. Then when it sat for a bit the bag would float away only to do it again when it drifted towards the sock again. Full tank the bag was up top so it couldn't reach the tube. They found it using a flexible scope down in the tank and was able to fish it out without having to drop the tank. Maybe some ideas there.....