Chugging on acceleration...HELP
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: T-E-X-A-S
Posts: 116
Hey all! GREAT forum!
Here's the problem I'm having, and maybe some of you can help...
My 07 with 180,000 miles on it has had a problem and I don't know where to look.
When I accelerate normally (which is admittedly pretty slow), as the truck nears 45-50 mph it begins to chug like it is starved for fuel. If I held the pedal at a steady rate when this happened, it wouldn't stop. In order to MAKE it stop, I have to either mash the pedal or let off and give it LESS acceleration for a longer period of time to get up to speed. This just started happening within the last month or so, and at first it only happened a few times but now it is constant. I fill up every other day, so I know I don't have old gas in the tank and I rarely let the fuel level get below a quarter tank.
Can anyone point me in a direction where to look? I'm a big believer in checking the simple things first!
Thanks!
Here's the problem I'm having, and maybe some of you can help...
My 07 with 180,000 miles on it has had a problem and I don't know where to look.
When I accelerate normally (which is admittedly pretty slow), as the truck nears 45-50 mph it begins to chug like it is starved for fuel. If I held the pedal at a steady rate when this happened, it wouldn't stop. In order to MAKE it stop, I have to either mash the pedal or let off and give it LESS acceleration for a longer period of time to get up to speed. This just started happening within the last month or so, and at first it only happened a few times but now it is constant. I fill up every other day, so I know I don't have old gas in the tank and I rarely let the fuel level get below a quarter tank.
Can anyone point me in a direction where to look? I'm a big believer in checking the simple things first!
Thanks!
with that many miles, i would immediatley say coils and plugs. mine...my moms and several friends trucks have done the exact same thing. could be the fuel filter, but i doubt it or else it would have been doing it at any speed
#22
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 5
OK so it's been a loonnnnng time since I came on here. I apologize for that. No more than a week after I posted this question, my Torque Converter took a dump on me - DRIVING UP THE EXIT RAMP IN FRONT OF A DEALERSHIP ON MY WAY TO TRADE THE TRUCK IN!!! Yeah. Exactly. Long story short, I couldn't get it serviced at the dealer (they were great people, by the way!) because they were very booked up. One of the techs pulled me aside and recommended a local transmission shop. I took it in, they fixed the torque converter for just shy of $800. It ran like new again for about a week then began chugging just like before once again. I have had several mechanics look at it, and nobody seems to have a clue. At normal speed, everything is just fine. As soon as I go to pass someone and give it a little gas, chug-chug-chug-chug... Any other ideas???
#24
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago
Posts: 18
Sounds to me like a low grade misfire. My '06 had this only happen when cruising in o/d at about 45-55 mph and then giving it just enough throttle as not to kick down to third, it would kick and buck and no CEL. I bought a set of $80 Global cops off eBay and replaced them. Was running perfectly for three days, then one of them crapped out and got a CEL. Replaced it with one of my old ones and its been running perfectly since.
I could have bought one OEM cop and replaced it one by one to see which cop is causing the misfire, but I don't have time for that, and one costs I think around $120 from Ford
Other than that, could be the sparkplugs but my money is on the cops.
I could have bought one OEM cop and replaced it one by one to see which cop is causing the misfire, but I don't have time for that, and one costs I think around $120 from Ford
Other than that, could be the sparkplugs but my money is on the cops.
#25
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 5
No. The sticker shock of two quotes nearing $700 for plugs made me shy away. A couple years ago, I had the money to throw around for guesswork. These days, I can't afford to be wrong. It sucks, but that's my situation.
Nick, thanks for the reply, but you have me lost a little bit. What do you mean by CEL and Global cops??? I'm unfamiliar with both terms.
Sounds to me like a low grade misfire. My '06 had this only happen when cruising in o/d at about 45-55 mph and then giving it just enough throttle as not to kick down to third, it would kick and buck and no CEL. I bought a set of $80 Global cops off eBay and replaced them. Was running perfectly for three days, then one of them crapped out and got a CEL. Replaced it with one of my old ones and its been running perfectly since.
I could have bought one OEM cop and replaced it one by one to see which cop is causing the misfire, but I don't have time for that, and one costs I think around $120 from Ford
Other than that, could be the sparkplugs but my money is on the cops.
I could have bought one OEM cop and replaced it one by one to see which cop is causing the misfire, but I don't have time for that, and one costs I think around $120 from Ford
Other than that, could be the sparkplugs but my money is on the cops.
#26
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Chicago
Posts: 18
CEL is just short for check engine light. Global Automotive is the eBay seller that a number of people on this forum used as replacements with good success. Search on eBay "global dg511" and it should come up, this is for the 5.4 by the way.
Hope this solves your issue.
Hope this solves your issue.
#27
You need to change those plugs or you are just spinning your wheels. You should be able to find someone competent for about half that price. With 180k, if they have never been changed that DEFINITELY IS your problem - even if they were changed at 100k or before, it's time again.
COP = coil on plug. You don't start changing them out unless new plugs don't fix the misfire. When you do, people have been having mixed results with the cheap Ebay cops.
COP = coil on plug. You don't start changing them out unless new plugs don't fix the misfire. When you do, people have been having mixed results with the cheap Ebay cops.
#28
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 5
UPDATE
I'll start this off by saying I'm one of those people who drive all of you nuts. I keep asking questions, but haven't had the time or money to try any of your suggestions. Truck is now up to 200,000 miles. Tonight, just for grins, I took it out of overdrive to see what that would do for the chugging, thinking that maybe the shop I had do the work didn't completely fix the problem with the torque converter.
Magically, I have no more thumping upon acceleration. Reengage overdrive, chug-chug-chug.
Was the torque converter the problem back then, or was this shop guessing? The truck runs just fine at all temps and all speeds EXCEPT for when it's going out of OD during a soft acceleration.
I'll start this off by saying I'm one of those people who drive all of you nuts. I keep asking questions, but haven't had the time or money to try any of your suggestions. Truck is now up to 200,000 miles. Tonight, just for grins, I took it out of overdrive to see what that would do for the chugging, thinking that maybe the shop I had do the work didn't completely fix the problem with the torque converter.
Magically, I have no more thumping upon acceleration. Reengage overdrive, chug-chug-chug.
Was the torque converter the problem back then, or was this shop guessing? The truck runs just fine at all temps and all speeds EXCEPT for when it's going out of OD during a soft acceleration.
#30
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 1
Hey all! GREAT forum!
Here's the problem I'm having, and maybe some of you can help...
My 07 with 180,000 miles on it has had a problem and I don't know where to look.
When I accelerate normally (which is admittedly pretty slow), as the truck nears 45-50 mph it begins to chug like it is starved for fuel. If I held the pedal at a steady rate when this happened, it wouldn't stop. In order to MAKE it stop, I have to either mash the pedal or let off and give it LESS acceleration for a longer period of time to get up to speed. This just started happening within the last month or so, and at first it only happened a few times but now it is constant. I fill up every other day, so I know I don't have old gas in the tank and I rarely let the fuel level get below a quarter tank.
Can anyone point me in a direction where to look? I'm a big believer in checking the simple things first!
Thanks!
Here's the problem I'm having, and maybe some of you can help...
My 07 with 180,000 miles on it has had a problem and I don't know where to look.
When I accelerate normally (which is admittedly pretty slow), as the truck nears 45-50 mph it begins to chug like it is starved for fuel. If I held the pedal at a steady rate when this happened, it wouldn't stop. In order to MAKE it stop, I have to either mash the pedal or let off and give it LESS acceleration for a longer period of time to get up to speed. This just started happening within the last month or so, and at first it only happened a few times but now it is constant. I fill up every other day, so I know I don't have old gas in the tank and I rarely let the fuel level get below a quarter tank.
Can anyone point me in a direction where to look? I'm a big believer in checking the simple things first!
Thanks!
If I floored it BEFORE it would backfire and puke all over itself before changing the MAF Sensor and Plugs...BUT NOT NOW...IT RUNS GREAT AND WHEN I FLOOR IT...THE SCALDED APE SHOWS UP! VERY HAPPY CAMPER...NOW!
HOPE THIS HELPS YOU...I NEVER GOT THE AIT CODE FOR TWO YEARS...CLEANED THE MAF SENSOR HOPING FOR A FIX...CHANGED IT AND THE PLUGS...ITS FIXED NOW.