I hope I am not breaking any rules; but, I decided to post this both here and in Chips & Programming. I really need ideas.

I am open for ideas.

Two weeks ago, my wife and I left for Florida for vacation. We left my heavily modified 2004 F150 with out son and took my wife's 2006 F150. I had scheduled to have a rush spot under the paint on the hood fixed and my son agreed to get it taken care of. A week ago, Thursday, my son picked up the truck and within an hour called to tell me the truck was running very poorly. In fact, the truck completely lays down when it warms up and the RPM's exceed 1600. It throws P300 & P316 CELs. My diagnostic monitor shows misfires on random cylinders. The engine runs just fine under no load in Park or Neutral. Under load, it misfires like crazy and the exhaust is hotter than normal (I think this is due to Air / Fuel problems causing the misfires so likely symptom only)

Following are the tests we have run and the tech at the Ford Garage has run:

1. Relative Compression Test
2. Fuel Injector Test
3. Fuel Delivery including Pump Pressure
4. Replaced the PCM
5. Replaced the Coils
6. Vacuum Check
7. Mass Air Flow Volts Tested
8. Mass Air Flow Sensor replaced
9. Visual looking for any wires rubbed through
10. Fuel extracted and tested

The master tech and I are at wits end. If you have any ideas, look at my list of mods. The latest mods are the Plasma Ignition Booster and the High Flow CATS. Both were done approx 2000 miles before I began experiencing these issues. The last change we did was to remove the headers and reinstall them with new gaskets and copper adhesive sealant and stage 8 locking bolts.

I am completely baffled.

 

Yow! I mean that really sucks. I wonder if they reflashed it while it was in there? If they didn't, I bet your glad you didn't take that truck. I would call Troyer too. Good Luck...

 

Yeh. With the original PCM and the factory tune reloaded, the dealer tried several reflashes, had trouble, and then installed a replacement and flashed it. No joy. Same results. I plan on getting the truck and completely disabling the Plasma Ignition Booster. I don't know how much the master tech has focused on taking that out of the equation.

 

I think you are heading in the right direction. After that, i might consider pulling all the plugs to. You never know if one or more tips broke off or even burnt off if the plasma thing sent to much juice to them. If even that is possible? I don't know how many miles are on the plugs, but i might consider changing them out, just to rule them out as well especially with all the problems of them breaking off.

 

I'd say a/an injector(s) are stuck. Or, try unplugging the ESM and seeing what happens. I've had a few EGR modules and DPFEs short internally, backfeeding voltage throughout and causing all kinds of weird stuff.

 

Get the tech to check mode 6 data to see which cylinders have the highest misfire counts. Injector flow tests won't show a bad/stuck/poor spraying injector unless it's totally wrecked, and relative compression ain't really a help here either. Even though injector flow passes and the injector sounds okay, doesn't mean that it's good. I've replaced a grip of fuel injectors in these motors before for random misfires, most recently was an '05 Screw that got the entire right bank replaced.

 

Wow..

 

tschaid - sorry to hear of your problems.....not to imply anything - but your son didn't do anything to the truck while you were gone (let a friend borrow it, etc? ) Also, was the paint spot fixed by your Ford dealer? I'd suspect a reflash if so - that's almost too much of a coincendence for it to be running poorly after a visit to the dealer....and now that the PCM has been replaced and reflashed by the dealer - you're going to have to have Troyer reprogram for the new module?

Good luck - these are the worst kind of problems to have - where it's really hard to pin down what the problem is.

 

Naw on the reFlash. I had Ford update it to the latest before ordering the XCAL2 from Mike. My son is 24 and a pretty decent mechanic, the most he would have done is run it under load. Also, I don't believe the dealer re-flashed it since they know all about the extensive mod list.

Now, speculation. After repainting the hood did they wash it and get water in on the engine bay. Was a wire or flaw exposed as a result? Could that be causing lots of issues ? Hmm. Plugs could be an issue as well ; but, they were just changed 17K ago.

Thanks for all the contributions. I think I am going to go get my truck and work on it myself this afternoon. At least then I won't be sitting here just talking.

 

Sounds like some water got in there somewhere (if they did wash the engine). Maybe after awhile things will thoroughly dry out. I washed the engine bay out on my truck once and didn't have any problems afterward. I've read some threads on this forum in the past where folks have washed their engines and had misfiring problems.

 

check air meter maybe switch it off with the other truck i have seen silicone from spraying tire black get in the air meter and cause sorta what you are saying on the mustangs with a cold air kit maybe it got some paint dust in it clear coat finds its way every where ? good luck

 

Q,

Please explain "unplugging the ESM". What is the ESM and where do I find it ?

 

Good idea. I had this on another vehicle once. Plug was broken or cracked so it would run ok for awhile, then it would loosen and I could give it no gas without sputter etc.

 

Nevermind, I'm an idiot. With variable cam timing, the 3V has internal EGR, there is no ESM (on cars that have them, the ESM or EGR System Module combines the EGR valve, DPFE, and EVR solenoid into one complete assembly and it uses vacuum instead of exhaust pressure as a pressure reference).

Back to the drawing board...although I still think you have an injector or injectors hanging up.

 

DEFINITELY remove the plasma booster during the troubleshooting, it sounds like a spark problem but I don't know what those codes mean, do you have that info?