Hey guys, I'm stumped here and need a little help. I have a '96 F250 with a 7.3L powerstroke. The engine temp, water in fuel and fuel filter light are all on together and the motor has a hiccup. Engine temp is good by the guage, I've drained the water separator several times and have installed a new fuel filter, but the lights are still on. Every now and then they will dim or even go off until I let off the accellerator, then they all 3 light up again. The motor's hiccup is a lot like when there is water in the separator. It jerks as if the fuel is off for about a half second, then drives on as usual, but it's happening a lot more frequent and if it happens when I'm stopped, it will kill the motor. I've put a bottle of SeaFoam in the tank hoping it might help the injectors or take care of any moisture issues, but the fuel is fresh. Like I said, draining the fuel/water separator has no affect. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Brad

 

Brad , it sounds like you have a poor connection somewhere. Suggest checking all the ground connections ,then the positive feeds, especially at the fuse panel . Corrosion problems have been found behind the fuse panel itself. Usually when non involved lights become activated it's because some other system is using those lights for a ground circuit.

 

So what would cause the truck to "jerk" as if you killed the power for a split second, then continue on to drive fine for the next several minutes? Could a short on the dummy lights cause that? Seems more mechanical to me.