Aftermarket Parts Don’t Work in a Powerstroke!
Today I want to talk to you about aftermarket parts. Don’t put aftermarket parts in your truck. Go to Ford and buy your parts. Let me show you why…
This particular truck has an aftermarket ICP sensor. The customer changed his ICP sensor because the truck had an intermittent skip. This aftermarket sensor just created a different kind of intermittent skip.
This is what a correct sensor looks like. I don’t know where they got their sensor. They used a ’03 sensor and shouldn’t be on this truck. Not only did they put in an aftermarket sensor, they didn’t even put in the right aftermarket sensor. Unfortunately, people think they can save a buck and do their own work, and often you can; but when it comes to this kind of thing, go to Ford Motor Company with your VIN and get the correct part.
Another common problematic aftermarket part is gaskets, like this little rubber gasket that goes on the oil cooler. There is nothing wrong with aftermarket oil coolers themselves, the gaskets look the same, but they leak within a very short time (usually within a year). If you are buying a used truck and they say “we just installed an oil cooler”, ask them what kind. If they say Dorman or something they bought at Auto Zone, then you can expect this gasket to start leaking. It is one of the most common leaks.
I don’t use anything but factory Ford gaskets on trucks that I work on because of our connection with the ambulance business and with emergency response. We can’t have failure. Every gasket that goes back on these engines is a factory Ford gasket. That includes the front cover gaskets, the bed plate gaskets, the oil pan gaskets, the back plate gaskets, all the head gaskets, the intake gaskets. Everything is factory Ford. It just has to be that way or you will be dealing with leaks all the time.
If you are serious about keeping your truck and about doing it the correct way, my advice is to use factory Ford parts for the engine. You have to install the right parts on your trucks or they are never going to work right. ~Bill Hewitt
