My '99 started doing something weird the other day. It started misfiring anytime it was under any load. IE Boost off the bottom of the Gage. Plugged into computer and got no malfunctions. Then after running injector cleaner through I attempted a short hard run but still skipping. My first thought was bad gas ...water or something. Now I noticed fluid coming out at exhaust. I think it is coolant.

I fool around with race cars (late model circle track) but never have messed with a blower or inter cooler. Is it possible that something has cracked or come loose around the inter cooler and is allowing fluid to enter through the intake system. After giving this a great amount of thought this is apparently what is happening. The misfire only occurs when more than 1/8 throttle and under load (acceleration). I have had to refill the inter cooler and got to wondering where the fluid could go. The only answer I can come up with is something is allowing the blower to suck it out and into the fuel system it goes. That would account for the skip and liquid at the tail pipe. Truck runs cool. Never get hot so cracked head or gasket not probable.

Anyone ever had this problem? What will be the probable source of the problem and maybe a place to get info and diagram of the system so that I may understand how it works would be great.

This site is about the only place where anyone has any knowledge on the lightning mechanical aspects and reading the post here I feel lucky to have found it. I only Know one other guy that is a lightning owner and the only thing he knows about his truck is that it is "quick". I love my little red fast mover but I want to understand what makes her tick.

Thanks for any suggestions

 

All 99/00 style intercoolers were replaced at the owners request as many if not all developed leaks. Ford only did this FOC for a set period of time that finished years ago.

You can check to see if this was completed on your truck by giving your local Ford dealer your vin number and requesting they check it.

I suggest you purchase a new intercooler or try to find a 2001 up replacement from a salvage yard. The 2001 up intercoolers have 9 rows. The 99/00 had 8. Dont buy an 8 row.

Good luck with it and dont drive the truck until you get this resolved. If the leak was to suddenly get worse you could hydrolock your motor.

 

Thanks Hilander,

I will call the dealer tomorrow.

 

Does anyone know if there are any diagrams available online of the I/C system and about how much I will have to pay for a new or used parts?

I don't want to trust my lil red truck with just any jack leg, and we have more than our share where I live. So if it's not too time consuming I would like to do it myself. If it's out of my pay grade then I need some idea of what the cost will be

This site is great! I will be a regular visitor because there is a larger knowledge base here that at FMC.

 

Check some of the other sites you will find them used and at a decent price, from my understanding the dealers no longer will honor the warranty on them.
It is a piece of cake to replace, two and your in and out...

 

Do a "search" on here and you'll find all kinds of info on how to get to your intercooler, including step by step procedures, tools used, gaskets, including photos. This is not a real hard job.

 

Thanks guys, this is more progress in 15 hours than I've made in the past week.

 

The saga continues.......I drained the I/C and unplugged the $300 Bosch pump. Truck continued to skip but to a lesser degree so I opened the pit**** again and purged the system with a little air. This got another quart or so of Ainti-freeze out. I assume this was in the I/C itself. I now feel that the I/C is dry. I'm in Vegas and the temps this time of the year are not getting past 70 degrees.... generally highs are 65 or so. As long as I don't run hard it should buy me time to locate a replacement.

Jumped in the truck and took it for a run. Now Skip is worse. I think when I purged the sys I also purged through the leak spot and into the plenum where the antifreeze was injested into the fuel sys. Got a "check engine" light. computer says P0304 = number 4 cylinder missfire. OK this makes sense the antifreeze got into the cylinder and has fouled the plug. I don't think there is any more fluid in the I/C so I will continue to drive the truck to see if the fouled plug will clear itself.

In the meantime my plans are to figure out how much $$ this is going to cost. Hopefully I can find an I/c and when I can afford it will do everything I want to do to bring this puppy up to some decent standard of power. If I have to go into the I/C I may as well put in new injectors, plugs and do the "power" mods. ie chip pully and Air cleaner.

I will continue to update in the sprit of this BB so that anyone with this problem may benifit from my experience regarding the leaking Intercooler.

From what I have learned I feel that I can continue to operate the truck with out the I/C functioning as long as I don't run hard (require boost) and the Outside air temp is reasonable Generally don't put a big load on the engine.

Anyone with a different please jump in and let me know your opinion because I don't want to do any further damage here. I am aware of the potential for hydro-lock. But I feel I have eliminated that by running the inter cooler dry.

Thanks for the input
S

 

You may still have coolant in your intake, it can pool in the bottom (there have been pics of this posted here in the past). It will be getting pulled through the drain at the lower rear of the intake and go back up into the top of the blower. It shouldn't be getting into your cylinders in any significant volume but it sounds like your plugs are now fouled and they won't get better on their own. It could also be a coil. If you try new plugs and have an immediate miss, check the coil(s).

The 2001-2004 intercooler won't work on it's own. You'll need a unique adaptor that was created to make the new intercooler work with the 99/00 intake. Let us know if you have trouble finding one. I have one and others here might also.

Your truck is a 1999 or 2000 right?

 

Where in Plymouth you live..? I used to live up there...

 

Couple blocks south-west of Kellogg Park...

 

Are you sure about that? I have a 2000 that had the 2001 intercooler job completed long ago. I have since bolted my intercooler to a 2000 model Whipple kit. I then took the same intercooler and bolted it to a 2001 up Whipple mid-plate when I upgraded to the newer lower intake.

 

Yes, I'm sure. Like I said, the intercooler is the same but it won't just bolt onto a 99/00.

 

Thanks Lurker,

That's just what I think .... some pooling up in the bottom. Skip is trying to clear up but I haven't driven but about 10 miles. If it starts to bother me too much I will change or at least pull #4 plug and clean it. What are you needing for the intercooler? What sort of adapter for the 2001 I/C to mate to a '99?

S

 

Something is odd then. I have had my replacement intercooler bolt up to both 99/00 and 2001 up Whipple midplates with no issues at all.