Ford 6.0L Power Stroke Diesel :: Truck Hard To Start Every Time - Code P0284

Earlier this week the truck was hard starting every time. Tested the batteries: 12v engine off, 14v engine running, all good.

The next day it threw a P0284 – Cylinder #8 contribution/balance, and was clearly missing on a cylinder. Despite the lack of a puff of smoke at start-up, I was pretty sure it was an injector. So I ordered one from White Bear Lake, and a fuel pressure test adapter from Strictly Diesel. Then I decided to do some testing with AutoEnginuity. Tried the injector buzz test first and got a note that the truck was not capable of performing the test. Tried starting truck and gauges swept and wouldn’t turn over. Tested batteries again: main battery 11volts, aux 12volts.

I got the batteries in and the stupid thing runs like new. Only codes are P1000 and P0603. Truck passed the injector buzz test, and cylinder contribution test graph is almost a flat line.

Take-aways:
1. Bad batteries can cause all sorts of havoc.
2. Always use a voltmeter that displays tenths of a volt, because if it’s only showing whole volts, it could be rounding up. The 12 volts from my first test was probably more like 11.6 volts.
3. Always do as much testing as possible before buying parts.
4. Costco does not sell Kirkland batteries anymore. They only stock Interstate, and the Interstate warranty has dropped from 36 months free replacement to 30 months.
5. The Walmart and Autozone batteries with the five year free replacement are “out of stock” and I’m guessing they won’t be back with Interstate dropping their replacement dates.
6. Most of the car batteries in the US are made by Johnson Controls.
7. Motorcraft batteries did not get very good reviews.
8. Interstate said that AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries stand-up better to the additional vibration and heat experienced under the hood of a diesel, but they are significantly more expensive, and not all the brands offer an AGM with a better warranty than their best lead-acid offering. Also, the guy at Sears said AGMs are only beneficial for newer cars that continue performing electronic functions after the ignition is turned off. He said he’s seen lead-acid batteries outlast AGMs, but didn’t specify if those were out of diesels or not.

Questions:
1. Can I expect the P0603 to go away after the drive cycle is complete?
2. What should I do with the new injector? If I return it there’s probably a restocking fee. If I wait for a complete injector failure I don’t get the core charge back until then. With the FICM compensation, I don’t know of any way to identify weak injectors without IDS.