My truck has 15k miles on it, so I decided to change the fuel filters. The 2024 has two filters. The primary filter is in the engine compartment. The secondary filter is mounted on the frame rail near the rear passenger door on a crew cab.
When I removed the secondary filter housing from the frame rail, I found a significant amount of metal debris including shedding and shavings. This debris comes from the CP4 pump where the cam ring contacts the roller. Both parts are steel and operate under high load with only diesel fuel for lubrication. In my case, the pump had to have been manufactured improperly, especially given how early this occurred. I looked up CP4 failure rates and found they run between one and three percent under 30,000 miles.
I took the truck to Ford and they initially denied the claim and told me to come pick it up. They said no codes meant no warranty work. That is when the fight started. I escalated to corporate and requested a field service engineer and a district service manager. They refused everything. I escalated again, demanded all denials in writing, and raised the issue of litigation. Only then did Ford authorize an inspection, which confirmed a nearly destroyed CP4. They are now replacing everything from the tank to the injectors.
For those who do not know, Ford uses the CP4.2 pump. They claim it is better than the CP4 but it is still problematic. GM uses the more reliable and proven CP3. Ram uses the DCR CP8, which is widely considered very reliable.
If I had relied on Ford to perform this service on their own schedule, I would have likely had a catastrophic engine failure soon. I am willing to bet it would have happened while towing and far from home. If you have the ability to change your own fuel filters, I strongly recommend doing it. The filters are cheap. It takes two or three minutes to change the primary filter and about five minutes to change the secondary. Draining the fuel takes longer than the actual filter change. It can save you a lot of pain.
This is what the secondary filter bowl looks like when a CP4 is failing.
Honestly, I am now leaning toward buying a Ram, although I would need a dually.
When I removed the secondary filter housing from the frame rail, I found a significant amount of metal debris including shedding and shavings. This debris comes from the CP4 pump where the cam ring contacts the roller. Both parts are steel and operate under high load with only diesel fuel for lubrication. In my case, the pump had to have been manufactured improperly, especially given how early this occurred. I looked up CP4 failure rates and found they run between one and three percent under 30,000 miles.
I took the truck to Ford and they initially denied the claim and told me to come pick it up. They said no codes meant no warranty work. That is when the fight started. I escalated to corporate and requested a field service engineer and a district service manager. They refused everything. I escalated again, demanded all denials in writing, and raised the issue of litigation. Only then did Ford authorize an inspection, which confirmed a nearly destroyed CP4. They are now replacing everything from the tank to the injectors.
For those who do not know, Ford uses the CP4.2 pump. They claim it is better than the CP4 but it is still problematic. GM uses the more reliable and proven CP3. Ram uses the DCR CP8, which is widely considered very reliable.
If I had relied on Ford to perform this service on their own schedule, I would have likely had a catastrophic engine failure soon. I am willing to bet it would have happened while towing and far from home. If you have the ability to change your own fuel filters, I strongly recommend doing it. The filters are cheap. It takes two or three minutes to change the primary filter and about five minutes to change the secondary. Draining the fuel takes longer than the actual filter change. It can save you a lot of pain.
This is what the secondary filter bowl looks like when a CP4 is failing.
Honestly, I am now leaning toward buying a Ram, although I would need a dually.
I'm not a fan of class actions or frivolous law suits. But these type failures simply should not be happening at this point. Ford should be ashamed of themselves.
