my 98 f-150 with a 4.6/auto seems to have a slight hesitation when you accelerate from a stop. Also when I accelerate at 3/4 to full throttle(which is not all the time) there's some hesitation until you get to 3rd gear and then all of the sudden theres a surge of power. Under heavy acceleration you can hear a gurgle sound as if the truck wasn't gettin enough fuel when you first step on the accelerator. This sound only lasts for a second and doesn't occur all the time. This is the first v-8 I have ever owned and I was wondering if everything I just mentioned was normal for this engine. I've wondered if a superchip would fix this problem.

 

JDvern it could be the fuel filter getting
dirty? slowing the amount of fuel getting to
your engine. have you ever replaced it? if
not it is located on the inside of the drivers side frame rail. also i think there
is some kind of a inexpensive kit required
to do this to relieve the fuel preesure you
can get at any auto store! BE CAREFUL and
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!

 

It sounds like everything normal for a 4.6 with the exception of the hesitation from a stop. I get that gurgling sound here and there. I've been told it is "exhaust expansion" but nobody has been able to tell me what's expanding. It's a sick sound though. I'm not chipped (yet) but I'll bet you will like your truck better with it

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99 F150 5.4 4x4 ORP 3.73 styleside deep wedgewood blue ..no mods (yet)

 

And I forgot what I was planning on saying..

If you have not tryed different brands of gas you might give that a shot for the hesitation or try 89 if you are using 87. When I had my 4.6, it was real sensitive to brands of gas

 

Triton-
It's just that the truck ran better on some brand than others. On that particuliar truck it liked Amoco and Texaco. Other brands would often make the truck sluggish (more than usual). Yes I agree about the 93 octane. I never checked the MPG but the truck had much better throttle response with 93 especially in OD; the same is true on my current 5.4. The dealer swares up and down it's all in my head but IT'S NOT.

 

Dondo7

And I thought it was just me.

I think the truck runs better on 93 octane too. Ive tried 92 Brand X gas and it does feel sluggish after awhile.

Ive heard that these engines cant make use of the high octane and wont burn it completely, but if that were true the mpg would be worse the higher the octane. Thanks for the response!

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The Truck: 1997 Black F-150 Flareside. Regular Cab ORP and Towing Package
The Mods: K&N Filter, Eurolid Hard Tonneau and Ford Bug Deflector.
The Site:
Triton's 4.6 Liter Web Page
www.mindspring.com/~acbradley/index.html

 

Dondo7,

Could you explain your 4.6 being sensitive to brands? I have a 4.6 which I have ran on 93 octane. The mpg and power is better than on 87.

Thanks!!!

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The Truck: 1997 Black F-150 Flareside. Regular Cab ORP and Towing Package
The Mods: K&N Filter, Eurolid Hard Tonneau and Ford Bug Deflector.
The Site:
Triton's 4.6 Liter Web Page
www.mindspring.com/~acbradley/index.html