Two weeks ago, when my truck was at the dealer's, they took it to a carwash. It died, and they had to push it out. They replaced the battery and delivered the truck. I drove 10 miles and it died without warning while I was driving at 70mph on the freeway. I had it towed back to the dealer ($220 for 60 miles--[still waiting for reimbursement]). They replaced the alternator and delivered it to me again. Today at lunchtime, it died again while rolling at 40mph.

Symptoms are the same both times--radio squawks like I broke the antennae off. All gauges drop to zero and don't register. Radio light dims, and there's a beep coming from under the glovebox somewhere--5 beeps on, one off, 5 on, etc., about 4 times. Then the truck dies. It's being towed back again. I'm trying to figure out how I'm getting home tonight. 35 miles to my house, in the middle of nowhere. Starting tomorrow, I'll be gone on vacation for 2 weeks. But I wonder what could cause this.

I guess I won't fret over it until I come back. But I'd appreciate your best ideas.

Thanks, fish.

 

Well, if these trucks had a distributor type ignition system I would say to first check the ignition module, but these trucks are of the distribiorless type so here goes. First there is a powertrain control module (PCM) located under the passenger side dashboard, I believe this is what may be making the beeping sound. These vehicles (4.6 and 5.4) run with two coil packs that are fed by a crank and cam sensor that send a signal to the PCM which controls all timing aspects of the engine. My guess would be that either one of the coil packs is bad, the PCM is bad, or one of the sensors is shot. I personally had a similar experience which I would of never diagnosed as what it was until I took it to the dealer. Here was my situatuion: I was travling up a slight incline and the vehicle lost almost all power I then pushed the gas pedal down and the truck started to hesitate ans sputter and the check engine light started flashing. At the top of the hill it cleared up and I drove for another mile and it did it again. When I took it to the delaer here is what I found out. THe #4 spark plug wire was arcing around the top of the #4 sparkplug and was throwing a trouble code. My point being in all of this is that the computers are very sophisticate in these trucks and can pickup very small details. Hope this helps.

------------------
97 Ford F150 XLT 4wd 4.6L auto, Std cab/Long bed, PW,PL, and PM, captian chairs w/arm rests
Sylvania Cool Blue Bulbs, Ford logo hitch and license plate, tinted windows, blackouts front and rear(w/ford logos on front blackouts),ventvisors all around, painted logos on door sills and under hood, 55w backup lights, K&N Filter, custom 4x4 emblems,and much more to come


thomaswright5714@hotmail.com

 

Thanks, Freak for the idea. Your stall sounds exactly like mine. I`m out of the country, with no update on the truck but I`ll be curious to know what the problem is.

 

I beleive the 5.4L has a coil on top of each spark plug.

------------------
97 F-150 Flareside
S/C
4x4 5.4L auto 3.55 LS.

Mods so far:
K&N Air Filter
SUPERCHIP!
Westin Grille Guard
JVC 12 disc CD Changer
4 (and growing) 165 watt KC Daylighters
This KC thing is getting expensive


Future Plans
Hidden winch
Lift
Roll Bar

http://www.f150world.com/sprhck/

 

Hi Gofish

Didnt say what year your truck is. But, sounds like its under warranty??????

Anyhow, RED FLAG. When parts are thrown at a suspected problem, pay attention, Did they say battery & alt. were bad?

KY Fordfreak make good comments.

Sounds like they hosed engine down or water got into something or maybe not. Did it die before or after carwash?

Good luck. OT

 

sprhck
I belive only the Expedition and the Navigator have the COP (coil over plug)system.

gofish
Old timer has a good question. If it died after the wash they probably sprayed the engine and something did get soaked and heres a point on that, the way these engines are made it would be very easy to have water settle in the spark plug hole and splash up into the plug wire cuasing it to arc (since you said that your problem sort of sounded like mine). Another point is that I read more in depth of this and the PCM does have the cabability to beep. See if the dealer will run a diagnostic test on it, maybe that might turn up something.

 

Hi Guys!

Back in the USA! been on vacation for the last two weeks. Checked with the dealer; they were gonna deliver the truck today, but as a final inspection they checked out the electrical system this morning. The mechanic says there's a wire from the fusebox (to the wiring harness that is dead somewhere before it exits the cab) that should be running current to the alternator. Hence, the alternator is not charging. He said he can't find the wire inside under the dash as it goes through firewall from the engine compartment, and has a call into Ford tech support. If they can tell him where the wire goes (he showed me a schematic--the wire's route is not detailed except to say that it's from the computer to fusebox to the alternator) he says he can track the problem down. I'll keep you all up to date. Thanks for all your suggestions. fish

by the way, it's a 4.6 in a '97 f150

 

Hey Fish how goes the battle?

------------------
The Vitals

• 2001.5 SuperCrew XLT 4X4 (Gen III) 5.4L V8
• Silver Clearcoat Metallic With Deep Wedgewood Blue (accent)
• Chrome Tubular Step Bars (Ford)
• Captains Chairs
• Power Moonroof
• 3.55 LS
• Class III Towing Package (radiator, what radiator? I can't even see it)

The Mods

• WMS Velocity Tube
• Harley Davidson Exhaust
• '01 Lightning Head/Tail Lamps
• Boston Acoustic Components & 5X7s
• Duraliner, Splashguards, Bug Defector

Future Plans

 

The F150 5.4's also have COP, I had to replace my #6 last week.

 

Hello everyone, it has been a long time.
This post confirms what I have spent 2 days trying to figure out. I have the same problem with my truck dying. The short version is I ruled out the battery, then the alternator, then a fuse, I had tracked it down to the power wire from dash to alsternator tonight before I froze out. Tomorrow will be the time to dig a little deeper. But now I am sure I am on the right track. Somewhere over near the main fusible links for the batter the wire goes through the firewall and presumable the to the PCM or ECm or whatever. Somewhere in there is the problem.

 

Sorry to get back to this sooo late. Haven't visited this forum in at least a year. The solution the dealership came up with was to replace the wiring harness. They never did find the exact site of the wiring problem, but a new harness took care of it.