here's a little backstory. i have an 04 fx4 with 190k. the motor spit out a rocker arm and had a hard life, so i got a good deal on a reman that was shipped from the factory with a bad cam phaser. i replaced the cam phaser, but i didn't have the ford timing tool. so i had to do it by hand, lining up the colored links with the proper marks.

i get it all together, breaking a lead off the starter and finding a crack in my passenger exhaust manifold in the process. after putting the motor in, it still runs terribly with codes indicating everything from bank 1 rich to cylinder misfires. so i replaced all the injectors and cops. at this point the only original parts on the motor are the wiring harness, the intake and throttle body, and the fuel rail.

after replacing these parts it ran better, but still not well. still getting a bank 1 rich code. when i pull the plugs off the passenger side coils while running, there is no difference in how the motor sounds. if i pull a plug on the drivers side, it has immediate effect. i'm getting power to the injectors and the cops, and the cops are sparking.

so, my question is, what could i be missing? i'm thinking i might have made an error setting up the timing, but that's alot to tear down just to see. does anybody have any ideas what i should be looking at? it's a fresh reman with 0 miles with new plugs, cops and tested used injectors.

 

A camshaft retard code? Any codes ? UR probably OK and just need a set of injectors for that bank.

 

no cam retard codes. the only thing i am getting right now is a bank 1 rich code. would a failing o2 sensor cause this? i'm not a mechanic by trade and the garage i am using to work on the truck is 45 minutes away.

 

No I don't think it's the 02, it is reporting the problem.

Go back over all of the electrical plug ins, one may not be seated all the way. Also check every fuse with a meter to be sure none are burned.

I vaguely remember a thread on here about someone with a simular issue (minus the motor swap). He only had one bank that had fire and chased it down to a bad fuse. Sorry I can't remember more.

Maybe somebody else can help you out.

If you suspect a bad 02 then switch right to left and see if the issue follows.

Good luck

 

Power to the injectors is good, but not conclusive. You need to have injector pulse. The PCM grounds the injector to make it spray. On one of my engine replacements I routed the harness incorrectly and melted some wires on the passenger exhaust manifold. It threw transmission codes, but it's something to look at.

I would definitely start off with a close examination of the passenger side wiring harness. I know it's really difficult to mix up injector and COP plugs because of wire length, but if the harness came untaped, it's possible.

How did you confirm spark?

My guess is that the valve timing is off.

I have only had 2v Fords, so I may be talking out my rear here.

 

I would do what ishootstuff suggested regarding the wire harness because that can cause a problem such as yours. However if that fails I would perform a compression test on both banks and compare readings. I think you may have put the right bank (bank one) out of time and possibly bent valves on that bank during the timing process. I could very well be wrong but just a gut feeling. Good luck.

 

Did you SLOWLY turn it over by hand after setting the valve timing?

 

crap i posted an update and was coming to look for replies. guess my update didn't post.

so, i was finally able to get some time under the hood. to answer a few of the questions first:

yes i turned the motor through 2 full revolutions by hand before i put the timing cover on.

I checked spark by pulling the cop and using a test plug. I have done it before using the spark plug with the same results.

I checked ground pulse with a test light today and got a faint pulse using the test light between the ground and the battery+. I pulled the plug and it looks like it's been sparking, smells like fuel, but shows no signs of combustion. Is it somehow possible that my bank 1 is firing on the exhaust/intake stroke instead of the combustion stroke?

I haven't traced every wire in the wiring harness, but the wiring harness was completely off the motor for the swap. i unplugged it from the computer and pulled it when i pulled the intake.

is it possible i'm missing a ground wire? My next logical step is to tear down the front of the motor and check my timing again. Before i do that i'm going to go over the fuses again, but i'm getting spark for sure and 80% sure i'm getting fuel. at least i'm getting good hot and a ground pulse. i'm just not sure they are being introduced at the right time.

 

So when you're checking for injector pulse, you put one side of the test light to the positive terminal of the battery and the other side to the unpowered lead of the injector plug? There should be no light when the key is on and the engine is not rotating, and the bulb should flicker when cranking the engine. Are those the results you got?

 

yes, those are the results i get.

in my mind, the only "logical" answer is that the plug is not firing on the compression stroke. the plug does fire, and it seems we're getting fuel, and no combustion. no misfiring either, which is strange.

my question is, could there be a bad cam phaser or vct causing this? how would i test those? can i just swap vct's from side to side?