My Dilema:

I need you guys help in a bad way. So let me begin by what I have been through and done up to this point. I have a 2006 Ford F150 Harley Davidson 5.4 3V with 80K miles.

A while ago my truck was missing some under FOT, so I bought a Gryphon thinking it would help my situation or atleast pull codes to identify issues. After I installed the tuner issues got worse, so I took it to my local Ford dealer. When starting the truck the speedo and tach needles would shake then go to normal, and the radio would go back to defult each start. The day I took it in the tranny started acting weird so I drove straight there and dropped it off. Needless to say they recommended to replace the PCM first thinking the tuner caused it, which I doubted. They replaced the PCM and then said the tranny needed a rebuild. So they did both tranny and PCM after 6 weeks in the shop. I got the truck back 5K later and it ran worse that when I dropped it off. They said the Cats were flooded. I decided that I would change the plugs and coil packs myself. Fun job 4 broke, so I had to extract them. Installed new Motorcraft one piece plugs with seize grease on them with Excel super coils, and used electric grease on the connections. The plugs and the coils were in bad shape, so I had no problem replacing both at 80 K. I had to jump it to get it started. Cranked right up off the jump. I went for a test drive and got a check charging system light. Tested the Alternator and it was bad, so I replaced it with a Duralast gold alternator. I still get the shaking speedo needles at start with the radio going to default. I took it out on the highway and the truck still boggs and misses on the highway when FOT. It seems like it wants to take off but it just boggs down and misses some. I have been up and down with this issue for a couple months now and am at a loss on where to go. The tuner has NOT been installed after all this work.

The things I am thinking left are the fuel injectors, fuel rail, fuel filter. I also think there is still an electrical issue obviously due to the issues at start up. I am at about 6K in and I’m tired off throwing parts at it, even though some where needed anyway. What else should I check or look for??? Please help.

Parts replaced so far:

Tranny rebuilt
New PCM that dealer flashed
New Excel Super Coils
New Motorcraft SP-515 one piece plugs
New Duralast Gold Alternator
Duralast Gold battery one year old

Any help would be greatly appreciated from the knowledge base of this forum.

Modifications

S&B Cold Air Intake
Excel Super coils
Leveling kit

 

Accel coils have a poor reliability record, you should have used Motorcraft.

Motorcraft doesn't have a one piece plug for the 3v, SP-515's are 2 piece.

Fuel filter should be changed every 30k.

You are running excessively lean with that intake unless you get CUSTOM tunes for that specific intake.

 

You must work for Motorcraft or Ford, because you always dog any other product.

1) Motorcraft coils fail constantly and Ford dealers replace them on almost every F150 missing.

2) I never said I didn't replace my fuel filter.

3) The truck runs the same with either stock or S&B intake.

People are looking for help here not someone to negetivaly comment on their situations.

Thanks for spending them time though I appreciate it.

 

He is just passing on info that has been learned over the years. Two brands of COPs have had a large number of failures after installation, Granatelli and Accel. just a fact, does not mean that yours are bad, just a possibility. Even the ebay Chinese COPs have as good a record as those. There seems to be very few replacement Motorcrafts that fail.

On the intake, it is a known fact that any aftermarket intake can cause the engine to run lean unless you have a custom tune that incorporates that intake. That is especially true on 2004-2006. However, there have been few complaints with the S and B. It may even be that particular intake has the MAF in the original location and flows no increased air, just removes the silencers.

He was just trying to help, don't be so sensitive when someone posts info you don't want to hear. We are just trying to share what we've learned over the years.

 

Sucks to hear. Especially since the Ford dealer wasn't any help. Any good mechanics in your area you can bring that truck in to get a second look/diagnosis? Or maybe another dealer? Seems like you fixed the easy stuff, this could be a hard to troubleshoot issue. One of my co-workers had an issue with his car just shutting off and dying, no mechanic/dealer could fix it. He troubleshot it for about 6 months and FINALLY found out it was a wire in the PCM harness making an intermittent connection. It would be good 99% of the time.

To me it sounds like a wiring/electrical problem, because of the electrical issues you have with speedo/etc.

Did you inspect all your wiring harnesses?

On another note, I had a car with gremlins once, I sold that to fix the problem.

 

Thanks all for the advice. Just very frustrated at this point. Sorry. The truck is doing the same thing regarding bogging and misfiring with the new COP's as the stock ones. I still have all my old COP's so if that is an issue I can always go back to them. I've heard many say the FPCM can cause issue. I'm going to check it out tomorrow, and go through my fuses and wiring harnesses. I have also read the fuel injectors can cause this issue, and flood the CATS which is what the dealer thought it was. Why would I replace the CATS before determining the fuel injectors are all good. Would that just fry a new CAT if an injector was still bad?

 

Yes, if the injectors are leaking, they will mess up new cats. You can see if the injectors are leaking by pulling a rail, placing a towel underneath and turning the key on. if fuel drips out, there is a leak. You can have the cats checked at a muffler shop.

Has the throttle body ever been cleaned? Probably not the problem, but it probably needs doing regardless and just takes some time, not much money.

 

Not saying it can't be the FPCM, as anything is possible, but usually the symptom is the truck won't start. Also, it is normally a problem where they salt the roads and it develops corrosion. I suppose it could crack or the two different metals could have some corrosion.

 

The electrical issue makes me wonder if there is not something going on there. How old is the battery?

 

The battery is a couple years old. I got it form Autozone it's a Duralast Gold Battery. I am going to take it by there today to have it tested. As mentioned I replaced the Alternator last week, so I know it's not that. Truck will bogg at low RPM's and at FOT and misfire. So what I have done new plugs, COP's, Alternator, Electrical grease on all connections. I will clean the throttle body tonight. Not any corrosion on the FPCM. I live in Dallas so not really any salt around from roads. The FPCM looks dirty but that is about it.

 

Latest: My truck seems to idle fine and run fine with normal acceleration. It bogs on low end acceleration and when FOT it bogs and misses. Even though my fuel filter is only 5K in I replaced it and no difference.

 

My 2005 F150 stutters and hesitates at hard acceleration too. I took it into the dealer and they replaced the Fuel Pump Driver Module. The back side of the housing was so badly corroded that there was a big hole in it. My truck still hesitates a little, but it's a lot better than it was. My next step is going to be replacing the plugs, which I plan on doing myself, since the dealer wants $330 to do it, and that's IF none of the plugs break. I can get OEM plugs and coils on Amazon for $110. I'll be replacing my own fuel filter, too. I can get the filter for $10, and the dealer wants $75 to replace it.

 

For $110 you aren't getting OEM coils, you are getting Chinese replacements.

 

True, they are not OEM, but they come with a lifetime warranty, so to me that makes them worth trying at least. And the plugs are OEM - I'm just not paying the exorbitant dealer price for them.

 

Wrong thread....