I have a lot of issues that have popped up in the last 2-3 weeks. First, a bit about the truck!

2004 F-250. Date on the Valve Cover is 2003. Maintenance is done on time or early. I run Rotella 15/40 in it.
Bought it 11/2010 with 78k now it's slightly over 105k
It has a K&N intake...I know, garbage, it's on a long list of things to do.
SCT ITSX, that has only been used for towing. I didn't want to blow it up!
Other than that, it is stock. The truck is used to haul, and for road trips. It really isn't driven daily and often I do oil changes long before the mileage gets there.

About a month ago, the water separator light came on. I changed both fuel filters, the one on top, was brown, the one underneath, wasn't quite as bad. A week later, she started starting real rough. It had a nasty Lope, lots of black smoke. It'd smooth out, and she'd be fine. Another week passes, and it's running rough enough that now I need to wait for it to hit running temp to drive or it has zero power and sounds like crap. 3 days ago, I was towing my boat, every time I'd hit a hill or need to increase speed, it'd billow black smoke, i'd have to let off the accelerator entirely and than step on it again to get any power. The next day it almost didn't start, lots of black smoke, had to wait about 10 minutes for it to smooth out. Currently I should be picking up a load of horse bedding and instead she decided she isn't going to start. It tries to kick over, couple times has started up and died right away.

So I checked both fuel filters, no leaks, fuel is getting up top. While I was underneath, I noticed the back of the block has lots of oil on it...can't say it was or wasn't there a month ago. While up top, I noticed the degas bottle is bone dry. No white smoke, no coolant in the oil.

I love this truck, and taking it to a shop to be diagnosed, probably isn't in the cards at the moment. I consider my biggest mechanical limitation, the lack of tools after being robbed some years ago, and am more than willing to undertake anything needed to get it back on the road. Level with me...I know it's ugly, I am kind of figuring injector issues and probably either a leaking egr or bad head gaskets. I could really use some info on how to pinpoint issues, test stuff, etc.

Thanks guys!

 

Check the icp sensor for the oil leak, they usually leak out of the connector end. Checking for codes may help to see what all is actually going on. You can pull the egr valve and check for coolant sitting in the intake. Usually you would have some very noticeable white smoke if cooler is leaking. Do you notice any leaks around the water pump or even radiator tanks? There are a lot of diff things that could be goin on. Checking codes is really best place to start if possible.

 

There are no codes showing up, and there are no visible coolant leaks. I had to charge the batteries, tried starting it again. It really seems to want to start.... I'll take a look at the ICP.

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The oil doesn't seem to be coming from the ICP. After looking a bit further it appears to be coming from the valve cover on the passenger side.

 

ok then. can you check ficm voltage?

 

I would double check the ICP sensor, the early ones are notorious for failing and leaking oil, when that happens it can cause hard starts and stalling. Yes, check the FICM for correct voltage, and the egr valve as it might be stuck causing loss of boost and poor performance. I would also check the silicone boots on the cooler tubes to make sure none of them have popped off or are torn.
NOTE: you can just unplug the ICP sensor to see if it starts and runs better..
Also with trucks aren't run enough the turbo can get sticky and not work right, they can be taken apart and cleaned which can be done by most people.

 

Update:

I just got your posts now, so I haven't had a chance to check the FICM voltage yet. I will check it tomorrow, and I will get an inspection mirror and double check the ICP, but I got my fingers back there and they came back clean. Didn't feel any oil, but who knows.

Being as though the fuel filters were the last thing I did, I opted to tear both filters out, and there was a ton of grit in the cap of the one underneath the truck. Not sure what's up with that, but I opted to do both again. It took a couple tried and charging up the battery (it died from cranking) but I got her started. Thank goodness it's off the street at least, I can see the look from Triple A when I asked them to come tow it around the block to get it by the garage in the alley!

Anyhow, I ordered some REV-X in the event I have some sticky injectors. I'm going to change the oil early to make sure there's no water in it. I did get a couple belches of white smoke once I got it running...not anything that looked head gasket-esque from my experience with plenty of gasoline head gaskets, but thought it was worth a mention.

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm really hoping this is minor.

BTW, I'll check boost tomorrow when I get home from work. I don't have a boost gauge, but last I checked on my phone (Saturday) it was boosting fine.