sparatic engine problems
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Joined: Nov 2000
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sparatic engine problems
I have a 1997 ;F-150; 2 wheel drive; extended cab; with approx. 60,000 mi.
OK, here's the problem. I hope someone can help me because this problem has been occuring for the last two months.
In a seemingly random manor, the engine will start shaking whenever i give it gas. This problem is especially prevelent on the highway and seems to start when i am going up hills or accelerating on the highway. The engine feels like it is misfiring and incresingly shakes the more gas i give it. One day it will start shaking so bad i have to park it wherever it breaks down and later it will drive perfectly fine. I alrdady changed the fuel filter and replaced some wires that went to the spark plugs but nothing worked so far. I even took my truck the the ford dealership and had them drive it around for a few weeks but of course with my luck it didn't act up for them. The day after i got my truck back it acted up again... I finially got it to a mechanic while the problem was occuring and their diagnostics said it was a misfire in the #3 cylinder. Still not sure what is causing the problem though.
UPDATE: I got it fixed and the problem ended up being the spark plugs! There was more than one that went bad. The gap in them was unusually large and the one started to melt.
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[This message has been edited by cypher (edited 11-12-2000).]
[This message has been edited by cypher (edited 11-13-2000).]
[This message has been edited by cypher (edited 11-23-2000).]
OK, here's the problem. I hope someone can help me because this problem has been occuring for the last two months.
In a seemingly random manor, the engine will start shaking whenever i give it gas. This problem is especially prevelent on the highway and seems to start when i am going up hills or accelerating on the highway. The engine feels like it is misfiring and incresingly shakes the more gas i give it. One day it will start shaking so bad i have to park it wherever it breaks down and later it will drive perfectly fine. I alrdady changed the fuel filter and replaced some wires that went to the spark plugs but nothing worked so far. I even took my truck the the ford dealership and had them drive it around for a few weeks but of course with my luck it didn't act up for them. The day after i got my truck back it acted up again... I finially got it to a mechanic while the problem was occuring and their diagnostics said it was a misfire in the #3 cylinder. Still not sure what is causing the problem though.
UPDATE: I got it fixed and the problem ended up being the spark plugs! There was more than one that went bad. The gap in them was unusually large and the one started to melt.
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[This message has been edited by cypher (edited 11-12-2000).]
[This message has been edited by cypher (edited 11-13-2000).]
[This message has been edited by cypher (edited 11-23-2000).]
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 411
Likes: 0
From: Pa
cypher
Had the exact same thing a couple years ago. The dealer changed a lot of engine parts & the shake came back. Finally they drained & flushed the trans. & filled with MERCON5 fluid. It's a 4r70 tranny. It's been ok ever since 25K miles. I don't know if that will fix your's but it did mine.
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97 Lariet-sc-4.6-4x off road-auto-3.55 LS-
superchip-K&N-3"
pvc air box mod-Granetelli MAF
Had the exact same thing a couple years ago. The dealer changed a lot of engine parts & the shake came back. Finally they drained & flushed the trans. & filled with MERCON5 fluid. It's a 4r70 tranny. It's been ok ever since 25K miles. I don't know if that will fix your's but it did mine.
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97 Lariet-sc-4.6-4x off road-auto-3.55 LS-
superchip-K&N-3"
pvc air box mod-Granetelli MAF
Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: Kuna,ID,USA
Hi cypher,
These engines are so complicated its difficult to say. I have had to replace MAF, clean the throttle body, and just got done putting a new head on the passenger side because the head was cracked between cyl 2 and 3. Dont get worried; these engines are usually more sturdy than that. Mine was well used. There is a test you can do on your coil packs to see if they need replacing. You can find this procedure in any good service manual. You can also test your fuel injectors and wiring by using a probe and a 12V source to make sure the injector clicks. Maybe you have clogged injectors - carbon buildup. If you have pinging this may be the case. You can try getting a scanner (www.autotap.com) to see if you can capture what is going on as it happens. I realize the scanner is not cheap but in my opinion nothing is for these trucks. I think the dealer has a black box they can install that will capture events as they happen. They may install it at your request.
I hope this helps and keep us updated when you find something out.
F-250 LD 4.6L Superchip/Flipchip 85K miles.
These engines are so complicated its difficult to say. I have had to replace MAF, clean the throttle body, and just got done putting a new head on the passenger side because the head was cracked between cyl 2 and 3. Dont get worried; these engines are usually more sturdy than that. Mine was well used. There is a test you can do on your coil packs to see if they need replacing. You can find this procedure in any good service manual. You can also test your fuel injectors and wiring by using a probe and a 12V source to make sure the injector clicks. Maybe you have clogged injectors - carbon buildup. If you have pinging this may be the case. You can try getting a scanner (www.autotap.com) to see if you can capture what is going on as it happens. I realize the scanner is not cheap but in my opinion nothing is for these trucks. I think the dealer has a black box they can install that will capture events as they happen. They may install it at your request.
I hope this helps and keep us updated when you find something out.
F-250 LD 4.6L Superchip/Flipchip 85K miles.