F-350 limp mode. Vacation in limbo.

evanhix · 07-19-2017, 05:59 PM

So my family and I are off to a bad start on our annual vacation. We were towing through St George Utah when our 2017 F-350 super duty with 5000 miles shuttered and went into power reduction mode restricting us to about 20 mph uphill. Called local Ford dealer and they said it would be a week before they could look at it. With no other options besides limping 60 miles to the next town with a dealer, we decided to go to the dealer in St George anyway. At first they told us there was nothing they could do for days but the service writer softened up after hearing our situation(wife, father, son, and inlaws following us in a separate rental coach) and decided to try and squeeze us in. In the meantime we had to deal with a 40ft fifth wheel so we checked into an rv park across the street. All set to stay the night when the dealer calls and said that they worked a miracle and fixed it. We were so happy, ran over picked the truck up, rv park was nice enough to refund our money, we hooked up and back on the road. Got back on the 15 north and everything was good until the truck shuttered and went into limp mode again at the exact same location as the first time.

So here we are back at the Rv park with the truck at the dealer and absolutely no idea if we will be back on the road anytime soon.

I'm sure this pales in comparison to things others have experienced but it sure is an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach. Oh and by the way it is my wife's birthday today.

Anyway, just looking for some words of encouragement while we are patiently waiting to find out if we will get to enjoy the rest of our vacation.

Thanks,
Evan

**chuckster57** · 07-19-2017, 06:13 PM

Happy birthday to your wife

Hang in there, I'm sure the dealership will figure it out fairly quickly. It is under warranty so at least you shouldn't be out of pocket for that.

If you look on either "The Diesel Stop" or "Powerstroke nation" you'll probably find what is the most common reason and fix.

Alpine · 07-19-2017, 06:15 PM

Oh my, good grief!!! So very sorry for your truck issues, this even gives me a pit in my stomach. Did they say what the "codes" read! Hope you will be on the road sooner that later!

ctbruce · 07-19-2017, 06:23 PM

Hang in there! It'll get better. At least you're not alone. Happy birthday to your DW.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

**sourdough** · 07-19-2017, 06:40 PM

I'm sorry to hear of the problems and hope for the very quickest resolution. It is no fun to have everything turned upside down by a vehicle failure....and you took a new one!! I'm glad someone took the time to hear your situation and try to get you in; I've never understood a dealership that would not do that for a person in trouble. Hopefully they figure it out and get you fixed up and on the road....and by the way; Happy Birthday to your wife!! I'm sure things will look up tomorrow.

**JRTJH** · 07-19-2017, 06:56 PM

Hopefully you'll be back on the road tomorrow. Happy Birthday to your DW. Enjoy (yeah I know, easy for me to say, I'm not the one stranded) and make the best of the situation.

As for the vehicle, at least it's a warranty problem and won't cost the price of your vacation to get repaired.... With all the sensors and computers on today's trucks, if it goes into limp mode, it's usually not a "life threatening" failure, just an "information abnormality" Hopefully you'll be on the road in the morning....

Oh, and since you had two failures at the same spot on the highway, maybe a detour around that part of the highway ????

Enjoy your evening and try to smile......

wowchad · 07-19-2017, 07:04 PM

9 times out of 10 it's exhaust sensors. Pisser is they only replace the 1 bad one and there are 4 total.
I now carry a cheap code reader, spare exhaust sensor & 13mm (-I think 13mm) so I can swap them out on our 6.7L
They did a recall on them, but only on emergency vehicles.
Sure sucks when you drop 60k + on a new truck! but they'll get you up & rolling soon I'm sure.
Please post back what the issue was.

bsmith0404 · 07-19-2017, 07:45 PM

Exhaust sensors or turbo sensor. If it's the turbo sensor, the computer will fully open the turbo vains which basically shuts the turbo down and gives u no power/boost when climbing hills. That might explain what you're experiencing.

Desert185 · 07-19-2017, 07:52 PM

And this is one reason I drive an older truck.

A happy birthday to the DW and condolences on the issues.

theallde · 07-19-2017, 07:53 PM

Live in Hurricane, Utah - just outside St. George. Ken Graff Ford is a great dealer and never had any problems with them.

Check your private messages ..... Don

xcntrk · 07-20-2017, 03:37 AM

Terrible situation and I feel your pain. With only 5k on the truck, did you even shake this thing down for heavy duty towing? What's the break-in cycle before towing a load, I thought the rear diff was several thousand miles? With only 5k, I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't even gone through a regen cycle yet, or still on the break in oil change. These factors could all lead to the error. Not trying to kick you while you're down, just making the point that you can't drive a truck off the lot and immediately start towing with it.

the sodfather · 07-20-2017, 04:30 AM

Is there a Chevy dealer close so you can trade that thing in?

. Just kidding. Well, maybe... I imagine how frustrations that would be. Make the best of it and take your wife to a little dive restaurant and get away from it all. Hopefully you'll be on the road soon.

notanlines · 07-20-2017, 05:37 AM

500 miles until you tow with a Superduty. I'm assuming Chevy and Dodge are probably the same. I couldn't imagine anyone with truck experience waiting for the 5000 mile mark to tow.

Tbos · 07-20-2017, 05:51 AM

Hope you get back on the road soon. Please let us know what you find as the cause.

2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

larry337 · 07-20-2017, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wowchad

9 times out of 10 it's exhaust sensors. Pisser is they only replace the 1 bad one and there are 4 total.
I now carry a cheap code reader, spare exhaust sensor & 13mm (-I think 13mm) so I can swap them out on our 6.7L
They did a recall on them, but only on emergency vehicles.
Sure sucks when you drop 60k + on a new truck! but they'll get you up & rolling soon I'm sure.
Please post back what the issue was.

Ford has a computer re- flash that's been out for 2 or 3 years now. It's free and when its done the exhaust sensors will no longer put the truck in limp mode. Now it's just a check engine light and the motor runs normal. Plus they extended the warranty on the sensors so they replace them for free.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

larry337 · 07-20-2017, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xcntrk

Terrible situation and I feel your pain. With only 5k on the truck, did you even shake this thing down for heavy duty towing? What's the break-in cycle before towing a load, I thought the rear diff was several thousand miles? With only 5k, I wouldn't be surprised if it hasn't even gone through a regen cycle yet, or still on the break in oil change. These factors could all lead to the error. Not trying to kick you while you're down, just making the point that you can't drive a truck off the lot and immediately start towing with it.

Regens occur more like every 500 miles. The rear diff break in is 1000 miles. No one should have to wait 5000 miles to tow. Its probably something simple and just bad luck, nothing more. The new Chevrolet L5P is throwing tons of check engine lights. Unfortunately this is life with a modern diesel thanks to the EPA.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

dcg9381 · 07-20-2017, 12:10 PM

I hope you're on the road too. After so many troubles with motorhomes, I became rather adapt at using an OBD-II dongle and a smartphone to figure out issues.... Or at least reset the codes and head home (if appropriate).

If you're a little bit car/truck savvy, might be something to consider.

captcolour · 07-20-2017, 05:27 PM

Sorry to hear. Sounds like what the truck would do if the DEF was low. Wonder if that sensor is bad thinking it is almost out.

bsmith0404 · 07-20-2017, 06:25 PM

Trucks go into limp mode for many reasons all designed to protect the engine. Mine went into limp mode once because of a bad EGT sensor. I used my Edge CTS to determine that it was a bad sensor, cleared the codes and then went to the nearest Chevy dealership and told them to change the sensor. Also told them not to do any diagnostic because I already knew what it was. It's most likely a sensor, the question is which one.

Desert185 · 07-20-2017, 07:28 PM

My reader (and the simplicity of my rig) has saved me a fortune. Everyone should have a code reader and gain some knowledge to use it.

You may also like: