I think it has something to do with the air conditioner but you guys can tell me better Im sure.

Ok, when I get in my truck and try to start it (either morning or right after 8 hours of being at work) it fires up and then sputters out. This will happen over and over unless I give it some gas and keep the revs up.
Now, yesterday I turned off my air as it was sputtering out and it jumped to life like it should. This morning however the air trick didnt work, I had turned it off prior to starting her up and it didnt help. I had to gas it untill I was out of my drive way before it would settle down. I feel like Im murdering my truck when this happens and dont want to cause any damage. One of the times I reved it it made a scarey clunk sound before it leveld off. Any ideas guys?

 

sounds like a fuel system problem. Either that or it can;t breathe. Is your Check Engine light on when the truck is sputtering????, if so what you can do is go down to a local Autozone if you have one in town and have them pull the codes for you for free and that will pin point the problem. Maybe the fuel filter might be clogged or the fuel pump is going out. Or it just could be a clogged injector. This problem exactly as you described it happned to my sisters truck and we had the fuel system checked, turns out the injectors on the truck were clogged all to hell. This helped it out and solved the problem. On the other side of the coin, so to speak, your truck might not be getting enough air. Could be choking itself to death when the A/C is on. Maybe the air filter is kind of bogged up with junk or the exhaust system might be restrictive. If I was in your shoes, I would have the truck checked out to see what's causing the problem. Again, IF your check engine light is on, have someone pull the codes for you. If it's not on, take it down to your dealer or a good mechanic that you know and have them check it out for you. Hope this helps you out.


91

 

I think I have the answer now, I found a thread that discussed my exact problem. The air conditioner doesnt seem to have much to do with it. There is a part that is responsible for the air flow while in idle, this can be removed and cleaned with carb cleaner and is supposed to do the job. I will try it this after noon, and no the check engine light isnt on...weird crap ..hopefully this will work

 

There was also a thread about the PCV elbow on the back of the intake being rotted out. It was causing the same issue in a couple of trucks. Worth checking it out!!,,,,98

 

Cleaning the AIC worked perfect. I couldnt even get it to start when I tried to leave work, took off the AIC and sprayed some carb cleaner in there. Blasted the excess out with an air compressor and re-installed. She fired right up like she was brand new.

 

Sweet!! Good news, man!!,,,,98

 

You might want to also start putting STP fuel injector and carb cleaner in your tank every other time you fill it. I had a 92 Ranger with 120k miles that started doing exactly what you described. I started adding the fuel injector cleaner every other tank, and the truck ran great from then on. It's only 2 or 3 bucks and sold at almost every gas station.

 

I use injector cleaner every time I change my oil. I only use premium so Im not too worried about clogging them. I think using injector cleaner every other tank isnt such a good idea. The cleaning chemicals in it are pretty strong and shouldnt need to be used every other tank. The gas you buy contains some of this chemical as it is. I think youd be running a chance of eating away fittings or hoses if you used it that often....but IMO

 

Are you sure you don't use the 5 dollar bottle of injector cleaner? There are 2 different kinds. The one is 1.99 and is recommended for use every other tank. It's called Carb and Injector Cleaner. And the other bottle is 4.99 and is recommended for use every oil change and it's just called Fuel Injector Cleaner. Also, the 1.99 bottle is white, and the 4.99 bottle is black. The cheap bottle never hurt my ranger, in fact I used to put it in every tank at one point. Maybe it's different with newer trucks, but the cheap bottle worked great for me.

 

I have never bought anything from the gas station. I usually pic up my injector cleaner at napa or some auto store. Im really not concerd much with deposits from the fuel I use. I also only have 46k miles on my truck so its still pretty young. I did have a 93 bronco with 160k that I had the injection system flushed out and it improved dramaticaly. I bought that truck used with 120k on it ,so who kows what the guy filled her up with every week.