Multiple Contribution/Balance DTC's

JRD761

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Hello All!
I have a 2011 F-250 with 112k miles.

On 11/25/2016 at approximately 110k miles: my truck was 100% stock. I was about a half hour into a 3 hour drive and I got a Check Engine Light. I stopped to get some food and my truck was idling for about 10 minutes when the light came on. My code reader said it was for P0278 "Cylinder 6 Contribution/Balance". I cleared the code, restarted the truck and drove away.. I drove about another 5 minutes until I started hearing a real bad air leak and the truck just didn't feel like it was driving right. Check engine light never came back on, but it just didn't feel right so I towed it home.
The truck went to the dealer, they said they found the EGR Inlet Tube was cracked, and that explained the air leak sound I heard when I continued driving, and they said the truck was probably running rich from the lack of air and that set the P0278 code. They replaced the tube and everything was fine.

On 12/14/2016 with around 111,500 miles: upset that just one pipe breaking could take down the whole truck with no one having that part in stock to get me back on the road, I "******d" my truck. Removed the ***, installed "block-off" plates for the EGR (which goes in place of the EGR inlet tube), a Cold-Air Intake, and H&S MiniMaxx. (Exact parts can be found in my signature).

On 12/25/2016 with around 112,500 miles: I was getting ready for work and I started my truck using the Ford Factory Remote Start that was original equipment on the truck. The truck ran for about 10 minutes when I hopped in it and took off. As soon as I got in it, The Check Engine Light was on and I had a code for P0278 "Cylinder 6 Contribution/Balance". I erased the code and restarted the truck.. drove to work (around 50 miles) with no problems. Truck ran fine, I never felt any problems, and no smoke or anything like that.
10 hours later I'm getting ready to leave work and let the truck run on remote start for 10 minutes. I hop in the truck and drive away.. there's no check engine light, but, my tuner says there's two DTC's.. P0278 "Cylinder 6 Contribution/Balance" and now P0281 "Cylinder 7 Contribution/Balance"... I cleared the codes, restarted the truck, and drove home with no problems.

12/26/2016 I started the truck on remote start again for 10 minutes. No check engine light, but the tuner says there's one DTC for P0281 "Cylinder 7 Contribution/Balance". Cleared the code, restarted the truck, and drove to work with no problems. Got back in the truck after 12 hours, drove home and didn't get a DTC or Check Engine Light on the drive home.

DTC never came back until 01/16.. and I got a P0270 code during the same cold start warming up scenario as mentioned above.

Anyone have any ideas of where I should start looking to fix this?
 
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sootie

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need to get ids on it and do a power balance test.
 

webb06

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Check for contamination in the fuel. Drain the water separator and see if you have any metal in it.


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You can overnight an OBD 2 bluetooth reader and download the torque app which is like $5 so you can do a cylinder balance on all 8 cylinders. If you see one running out of spec it will show up. Mine usually run at -0.6 to plus 0.6. If one's bad it'll be way out. This represents how much fuel the engine is injecting to steady the engines idle.
 

JRD761

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need to get ids on it and do a power balance test.

Will do, I'm in the process of finding a shop/someone with an IDS to help me out with this.

Check for contamination in the fuel. Drain the water separator and see if you have any metal in it.

Checked.. no contamination. No metal in the fuel filter housing.. nothing at all but fuel.
Since I've had the truck, I've been pretty good about changing my fuel filters every 10,000 miles.. every time I changed it, I've never noticed any kind of debris/contamination in the housing or on the filter.. and what's drained out of it is pretty much fuel; I've never noticed any water.

You can overnight an OBD 2 bluetooth reader and download the torque app which is like $5 so you can do a cylinder balance on all 8 cylinders. If you see one running out of spec it will show up. Mine usually run at -0.6 to plus 0.6. If one's bad it'll be way out. This represents how much fuel the engine is injecting to steady the engines idle.
I just ordered a OBDLink MX Bluetooth Scan Tool, should be arriving in the next couple days. I'm hoping to use the FORScan program on my laptop to check this out.. if that won't do it, I'll check out the TorquePro app you mentioned. Is there an app that'll let me do a "buzz test"? (If that'll even tell me anything)

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I'm guessing this is an (or multiple) injector(s) going out? I never ever have gotten any of the codes once the truck is up to operating temperature.. and even then, it's random when I get the code. Sometimes it'll come back the next time I start the truck; sometimes stay away for weeks and then come back.. but a common thing: it only seems to come up when it's cold and started up.. but the truck always starts & runs just fine and I never feel any kind of misfire or any other problem cold or warm.. so I really don't know.
 
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6.0 Tech

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Early ones had a tsb for hold downs breaking. May want to check them all and see.
 

JRD761

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You can overnight an OBD 2 bluetooth reader and download the torque app which is like $5 so you can do a cylinder balance on all 8 cylinders. If you see one running out of spec it will show up. Mine usually run at -0.6 to plus 0.6. If one's bad it'll be way out. This represents how much fuel the engine is injecting to steady the engines idle.

need to get ids on it and do a power balance test.

So I used FORScan to check the balance, here's videos of the data I saw.
Does this look right?

https://youtu.be/bxY1H4BR1YY
https://youtu.be/pNXUCh7SBdo
https://youtu.be/GK0yWUun4_k

This is the info I saw at idle, after old start (oil temp was 61 degrees):
Cyl 1 was around 1.5mg
Cyl 2 was around -0.2mg
Cyl 3 was around 1.3mg
Cyl 4 was around -1.5mg
Cyl 5 was around 1.5mg
Cyl 6 was around -1.6mg
Cyl 7 was around -1.7mg
Cyl 8 was around 0.7mg
(All the values consistently changed and stayed pretty consistant.. see the video)
 

JRD761

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This was a recording of the data after the truck sat for around 8hrs. Unfortunately, my screen recorder died a couple seconds into it and I didn't notice... so it's really short.
https://youtu.be/XCwq97mig8Q
What the recording doesn't show: I saw Cylinder 7 dip down to -3 consistently for a few seconds, Cylinder 5 dipped up to +3 for about the same time.
 

JRD761

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Anyone know how to report a post/account as spam?
 
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I had my torque app on this morning right after I cranked it and noticed my cyl 7 injector was at 1.3 and then after running for about 10 minutes it read 0 and the rest where also much closer. Is this a sign the injector is having an issue or just normal? It's a 188k mile 2011. The truck runs really good but I do notice right after I start it when it's cold and I try to just go it has a bit of sluggishness and sounds different. Then once it revs up a good time or two it kinda clears up and runs better. I do always use the remote start in the morning but after sitting all day and I get in it in the afternoon I've noticed it making the different sound and performance at first.
screenshot.jpg

screenshot_1_.jpg
 

kingranch2012

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I had my torque app on this morning right after I cranked it and noticed my cyl 7 injector was at 1.3 and then after running for about 10 minutes it read 0 and the rest where also much closer. Is this a sign the injector is having an issue or just normal? It's a 188k mile 2011. The truck runs really good but I do notice right after I start it when it's cold and I try to just go it has a bit of sluggishness and sounds different. Then once it revs up a good time or two it kinda clears up and runs better. I do always use the remote start in the morning but after sitting all day and I get in it in the afternoon I've noticed it making the different sound and performance at first.
View attachment 170385
View attachment 170386
What PIDS are you using for your injector balance on your 6.7L?
 
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