Injector and Glow Plug Replacement tips for a 7.3 PowerStroke Diesel E350 Van

[@darrylvohs5526]

I remove the seats when I work on my 7.3 vans. Thanks for making this video.

[@alvatenebrae8622]

Thanks for the heads up lol

[@Hood.Housekeeping]

Bro that black smoke cut to Greta is going to give me a laugh alll week. Friggin hilarious

[@andrewfearing-nelson8410]

The way this video Is filmed and edited is perfect dude! Wish you had a video on just the Glow plug relay!

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Thanks man! I appreciate the compliment. I haven’t done anyone with the glow plug relay yet, but probably will at some point because I have really bad luck with this van.

[@BryanPeterson-c2d]

Thank you. Ive got an old ambulance and all of the videos i could find (for any of the repairs on this thing) were truck only and one sided, without dog house.. and that, like you said only gives you an idea not a how. After watching this again, there is SO much more room than what ive got haha. Theres a half dozen wire bundles and other crap in the way. But this helped me a ton to make sure i wasnt disconnecting anything with fluid in it without knowing.

[@theboonboxers]

Came here for #3 removal... Wish you would have showed a little more! But heck, it's hard enough as it is just working on these vans, at least you filmed a little! Thanks, best of luck to ya

[@infotoons212]

I had to work on my injectors over the summer when I originally found this video. I was just checking back to see if he got it running. You have to take the solenoid off the top of the number 3 injector and then you'll have room to get it out. You'll need a short Torx bit in a small pair of vice grips to get at it. Put a lot of downward pressure above the Torx bit, pushing it into the head of the screw with one hand while turning the vise grips with the other. Be careful not to strip out the heads of the screws. Somebody had already stripped those screws out in my E450 Shortbus skoolie before I got to it. I was only able to get one out with the Torx bit. The other three I had to carve a slot in the screw head with the Dremel and a diamond cut off wheel and then use a flat head bit with the vice grips to get them out instead. The next time I have to work in there I'm going to get a cheap borescope attachment for my phone so I can see what I'm doing. Hope that helps and if you've already done the work maybe it'll help somebody else.

[@theboonboxers]

@@infotoons212 Thanks for the reply! I did end up removing the solenoid, ALMOST stripped the last bolt... had to use a rubberband to help grip it out. Not easy! Sounds like you really had trouble with it. Driver side is a breeze compared to passenger.

[@noworneverlife5933]

This is awesome, please make more videos! I’m trying to fix my prison bus now🙌🚌✨

[@copethehagen]

I did this job on my 7.3 excursion a few years back and it was hard, but how tight the injectors are to your firewall in the van look like a nighmare .

[@roybranham22]

Thanks for the tips on how to remove injector #3👍🏻

[@MDC2020]

Easiest way to do injector work on a e250 E350 with a 7.3 powerstroke is to completely Jack the whole body off of the chassis so if you know somebody with a lift trust me it's a game changer

[@alvatenebrae8622]

I wish

[@GlennInLaguna]

Could this be done with a E350 school bus modification?

[@ktraglin]

I recall two other things that could contribute to this problem: Fuel pressure & MAP Sensor... 1. Fuel that flows through these injectors also acts as lubricant, and a coolant for some of the internal parts of the injector. Each time a spring loaded plunger inside the injector is pushed down via the high pressure oil, it pushes a shot of fuel through the injector nozzle. During the return stroke, some fresh fuel is able to refill the plunger cavity through a check-ball. When the engine is working hard, if the fuel pump pressure is too low, the plunger cavity doesn't get refilled properly. This causes the engine to perform poorly, but there's more... Continuing to operate the engine under such conditions, can lead to failure of some of the injector's internal parts, due to inadequate lubrication/cooling. Although initially Ford had specified 40 p.s.i. (at idle) as the minimum fuel pressure, abnormally frequent injector failures led them to increase that number to about 55 p.s.i (at idle), then some other 7.3 enthusiasts concluded that they run better at 60-70 p.s.i (at idle). I recommend connecting a fuel injection pressure tester to eliminate low fuel pressure as a possibility. 2. If the MAP Sensor is providing inaccurate data, the PCM will be unable to calculate the appropriate injection delivery amount and injector timing. The braided rubber hose that connects the MAP Sensor to the intake manifold deteriorates, over time. I recommend using your OBD2 tools to check the Manifold Absolute Pressure, and replace the hose, if it's old/leaky/etc. It should read about 14.7 p.s.i. (if you are at sea level) with the key on, engine off.

[@911sareforever]

Great video, now I know I should be paying someone but I’m also broke

[@whiskeythrottl]

A mini air ratchet comes in real handy if you have access to shop air. You got the right idea with the battery powered ratchet, but the air guy I haver is even smaller than that. I had to do both valve cover harnesses on separate occasions while on the road. Ended up having to redo one when I got back home because I pinched one of the wires for a glow plug with the valve cover. Doing it at home with an air ratchet was a hell of a lot easier and saved way more time then trying to find the right combo of extensions, wrenches, u joints and sockets from my tool kit I keep in the van. Also something I would recommend is a solid scan tool/engine monitor. DP tuner makes one you can load tunes on as well, but it came in handy when diagnosing the harness issues I had. If the van suddenly sounds like a subaru, loses power, and blows a lot of smoke its probably just the harness and not the injectors themselves. The way I found out is by running a few tests with the programmer and finding the whole entire bank of cylinders was shut down by the IDM. The test that showed this was the cylinder contribution test. When an injector goes bad, its not going to cause the other ones to misfire as well, so a good educated guess is the UVCH failed. Alot less expensive than replacing all injectors and GPs. Although replacing everything is good insurance on a high mileage 7.3 anyways.

[@OmarCasta-x1d]

Loosening the body bolts n lifting the body away from chasis a few inches makes this job a piece of cake😂

[@ColinAdventures]

I have an e-350 bus with the same engine. I have a leaky valve cover gasket and need to replace the glow plugs and probably wiring harness anyways. I was hoping I could save money and do this myself but after watching this video, I think I’ll just take it back to my mechanic. If I had all the time in the world I might try this myself but this is a bit ridiculous.

[@roybranham22]

Maybe you should change the pigtail that came with the valve cover gasgets ,mine were very sensitive, mine ran just like that until I did the 50 cent fix ,good luck 👍🏻

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Thanks for the tip! Might do it this weekend. I’ve been taking a break from it, and messing with other projects. I really need it soon to move some car parts.

[@ADDvanced]

Any updates on this????

[@David-xc1mn]

Have you checked the exhaust sensor

[@clownpocket]

Thanks for making the video. Us 7.3 van owners are f*cked when we need to work on them. I’m only trying to do my glow plug relay in my ‘03.

[@Gavin_May]

I’m in the same boat on my 03. There’s a relay on top of the pass.side valve cover but some come with a aih relay I can’t find any other relays. already had the turbo out so it was a lot easier to access. I just got my factory shop manuals so I’ll be looking it up in there.

[@clownpocket]

@@Gavin_May I pulled my resonator off through the doghouse. Seems that rats ate my wiring so the glow plug relay wasn’t the issue. Now I gotta solder or butt splice some new wiring in. It wasn’t so bad once I started pulling stuff apart but of course I busted the heat shield studs taking the nuts off, and the plastic air filter housing is brittle like glass and cracking, and expensive/rare to replace.

[@Gavin_May]

@@clownpocket yeah mines tore down right now too dealing with the same issues with cooked wires. Also found out mine is out of California and doesn’t have a glow plug relay it has a glow plug control module. Now I have a spare stancor relay and it won’t go on my excursion either because it has the same setup. Whatever it’s all good. I had the same issue with my air box luckily it was salvageable. hopefully I can get it back on the road tomorrow and enjoy many more miles in her.

[@Monkmandan]

remove alternator and relay is easy to reach

[@kennytissus2271]

@@Monkmandan seeing this comment just confirmed what I was thinking to do deff taking the alternator off

[@fishmetz]

Great video. I'd like to buy you a beer or 6 for doing it! Thanks

[@pops9190]

What exactly did you need to do to remove the right side valve cover? I'm just about ready to start this whole project myself with my 98 E350. Did I hear you went up through the right side fender well also? Thanks for your video.

[@patrickpatterson3239]

How long did that battery last as the bad one will constantly try and fail to charge off the good one causing failure of good battery lol

[@donwaun457]

Thanks for the video and the laughs! After watching this I'm either A) going to junk the van, or B) Going to hire it out ! (-;

[@victorperez1908]

Is Bad icp air control pressure

[@johnnicholas7783]

Did you get into any accidents? There is a fuel kill switch on the passenger side cabin that can flip....yes it can be that easy as you flip a little red switch forward and get more fuel pressure......

[@gonefishing557]

did you replace all your injectors? if so you have to make sure you top off your hpop cause all the oil drained out its going to run rough for 50 to 100 miles till it gets all the air out! and if it doesnt get better its either the none motor craft gasket harness or you got sold a bad injector or different code injector.... always get oem its worth the extra $

[@chrissantos3415]

Did you fix it?

[@roybranham22]

Have you dropped the fuel tank and cleaned the screens, when mine was clogged it would limit the rpms, good luck

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Thanks! I’ll look into that.

[@clownpocket]

Did you pull the ECU and do a visual? I’ve seen videos where apparently the ECU is subject to getting filled up with water, due to where it is in the engine compartment.

[@MegaToddr]

Its the idm that gets the water. Injection drive module. Likely the problem with this guys van

[@ktraglin]

@@MegaToddr Had to replace mine, about a year ago. I was really lucky to have found a "rebuilt" one for about $100, with a lifetime warranty (with exchange). I found it via eBay from a company in Florida that claims to rebuild them, in-house. When it arrived in the mail, It looked like all they did was a bad paint job on one from a junk yard, but, it's working.

[@APOffroad]

Unplug the icp sensor and see if it changes. If it does replace icp with ford

[@xXFallout2]

That looked more painful than my poor attempt at trying to add tint to my tail lights this weekend lol

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Oh Lawd!! Lol. This was pretty bad though. Might sell it because it made me mad.

[@gonefishing557]

@@RobRabonPhotog where do u live ill buy it

[@justinbossert3810]

what tuner do you have on this van? i have same van and just bought a bad tuner.

[@rgraham775]

That’s a bad IPR valve. Just had the same issue. Check the connector and wires also. It’s a pain to change.

[@RobRabonPhotog]

I changed the ipr already and it didn’t help. 😕 That thing was such a pain. Wire/connector looked fine on it too.

[@rgraham775]

Did you change it with an aftermarket one or one from dealer. I had to do it twice because I trued to cheap out and bought after market and didn’t fix my issue. I bought one from dealer on a recommendation from my buddy that’s a cord Tech and my issue was resolved

[@RobRabonPhotog]

It’s been a while and I can’t even remember but I’m getting ready to finally get back to this thing. Most of the parts were All Ford because I’ve read some horror stories with the cps and icp sensors. I really can’t remember with the ipr though, so I might check my old emails and see what I ordered. Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated.

[@ktraglin]

There actually are a number of things (other than a malfunctioning IPR valve) that can cause symptoms like what's shown in the video. A defective IPR valve can be eliminated with the appropriate OBD2 device and software. I use Torque Pro for this, because I can set up the gauges I want for the parameters I'm looking for, and monitor them while driving. If the Injection Control Pressure, and IPR Duty Cycle are within the proper range (parked, and driving), that would be an indication the all the parts of the High Pressure Oil System are likely functioning properly. So, in such a case, the IPR valve, ICP sensor, HPOP, and HP Oil Lines could all be eliminated as possible causes.

[@dax313xab]

My van ran like that when it was 7deg F. Outside without the plugging it in. I think in your case it's the cam position sensor.

[@JoelCortez-i7b]

It's mine now, and I fixed🎉

[@Rumilus]

What was the problem?

[@the_wandering_brute]

I gave you thumbs on the Greta clip alone. 😂😂😂 but great video.

[@ktraglin]

Have you done an "injector buzz test"?

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Yea. Used Forscan and it said it passed.

[@ktraglin]

@@RobRabonPhotog Not familiar with Forscan. Has it provided you with any error codes/messages?

[@RobRabonPhotog]

It had a p0603 code which is the “keep alive memory code”. Searching that on google said that it’s usually from a recently dead battery, but I did see a few results saying that it could mean a bad pcm.

[@ktraglin]

@@RobRabonPhotog That's kinda what I was thinking (the PCM). After watching your other video about when you purchased the van, I was concerned about the "service engine soon" indicator. That's not "normal". Mine has 348,000 miles, and that light never comes on unless there's a problem. Was Forscan able to successfully clear the p0603 code, and if, did it the same code re-appear?

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Yea. I really should’ve invested in some sorta scanner before shopping. Lol. Was hoping that light was just like an oil change light and not a check engine light. I did clear the code last time and it came back. I found a place that checks pcms and idms that I can mail them too. That was going to be my next step I think.

[@drivingmylifeaway7149]

Hey! I have a 2003 e450! Looking to do the same thing! Ever figure this out?

[@RobRabonPhotog]

I changed the icp, ipr, and cps after doing the injectors and it still does the high revving start up thing. I’m pretty sure it’s an idm or ecu issue but haven’t gotten back to it because of messing with other project cars. I did find a company that will test them though, so I might be doing that shortly. I also bought an obdii reader that works through Bluetooth to try to get some numbers on ipr, and icp values but couldn’t find much info on what they should be.

[@tatapscott]

@@RobRabonPhotog mine ran just like yours til i replaced the ECU. That solved it.

[@JamesDavis-rz2cq]

​@@RobRabonPhotog idk if you still have this thing or not but at its lowest icp should be 450 psi at idle and all the way up to 3500 at WOT. 1pr seems to sit at 15 at idle and factory tune limits it at 45% WOT

[@crawdaddy019]

How much were all the parts?

[@RobRabonPhotog]

I found a clean-ish set of injectors locally on marketplace for $250. The gaskets/harness were around $60 on Amazon and the glow plugs were around $50 I think off of Amazon. The cheapest I could find a set of rebuilt injectors was $800-ish with an $800 core charge on top.

[@JeffCorcelius]

van life bro

[@MrMctheking]

How did you get the passenger valve cover out? I can’t figure out the angle. I feel like I may have to remove the wires on glow plug relay. But it didn’t look like you did.

[@mikethezipper]

in case you haven't figured this out - its a lot of wiggling and jiggling. Is it hitting the inside of the engine bay? I had to loosen my engine mount nuts and jack up the engine a lil bit and push it to the side. what a pita

[@alvatenebrae8622]

@@mikethezipper jfc i hate vans

[@turboflush]

Lol.. on the trucks, you can't get to the back. Common and quicker to pull the cab off. On the van it's the other way around. Still sucky. I wonder if pulling the engine would be quicker? It slides out the front.

[@kylefolsom8681]

I take a hammer and beat the firewall back to get number 3 out

[@michaelmcgrath2380]

Old 90s Camaro trick

[@reidcrosby6241]

Cant do that ...its actually the plastic airbox against that one (i believe)

[@chrissergi6337]

Still haven’t fixed it?

[@RobRabonPhotog]

Nah. I’ve done all he major sensors since then and even another idm, and it’s still running rough. I did buy a Bluetooth obdII reader recently that will run forscan, so I’m going to mess with that a bit. I’m thinking it’s the ecu, but I need to run a few test with that scanner.

[@gonefishing557]

@@RobRabonPhotog its not the idm or computer the only two sensors you would have to worry about is the icp and ipr...was it running that rough before

[@TheBadSeed3094]

Any update? I'm looking to replace my glow plugs soon and may do injectors while I'm there. Thanks for making this video.

[@johnpavon799]

Sounds like the injectors are plugged You need to purchase an meter make sure the connections are good.

[@MrFern410]

Ipr isn’t that bad to do. Going to need a 29mm axle or valve socket.

[@nickgibb4687]

and thats why i pay the dealer because I am cheap but money is time with a body off with a lift

[@Fin-gj2th]

You should of replaced BOTH batteries, the other one under the van! It requires (2) 720's bro, otherwise your just killing your alternator, if ya gonna all in, go all in in, your engine sounds like sht. Diagnosis is key bro dog. I got a e350 woth 250,000 miles she needed some love bro, new high pressure oil pump, new water pump, new low-pressure oil pump, new radiator, new injectors, new vacuum pump, new oil gaskets, new fuel tank, new alternator, running like a top yo, so you sell it for a couple thousand, and somebody who has money gets a brand new truck after they dump some money into it, diesel vans are rare, hard to come by, so good parts are becoming scare, but dude, the thing's you can do with them, like live in them, lol, but she gave me 14 years of service, do her right bro, thing with these engines is they last way too long, but if you work the kinks out you WILL have a truck that will last 500,000+ miles

[@failranch9542]

Yeah but, up-pipes are so much easier on a van. LOL

[@jorgesantoine24]

This looks ideal a complicated job....

[@misaelvarela9471]

oil dripped into your glow plugs