ok it is a 1992 f150 2 whl drive with the 4.9 and automatic overdrive tranny


this has happened about 3 times since i got the truck which isnt a lot ,but it worries me...

when i am driving and going through many big puddles and it is downpouring out i will go to accelerate the truck will surge and then bog down like someone is going on/off with a light switch this will happen 2 or 3 times with the on/off pattern and then out of nowhere something will click and it will be as normal as can be when accelerating after that...

this will happen again when accalerating away from the next stop light or just speeding up a little after i let her coast ...but the minute the rain lets up it gives me no more problems

i considered the possibility that i may have had water in my tank so i pulled over and switched to the front tank and it did the same thing (just from my personal observation i dont think the problem lies in the motor itself i think it is in the driveline from the tranny back,but i cant be sure of anything)

for the record the truck had new ujoints and carrier bearing put in just before i got it ...i just recently changed the rear diff oil and also trans fluid and filter..

 

Rain and rough running makes me think ELECRICAL SYSTEM. I would take a hard look at the distributor cap for cracks and also check/replace the sparkplug wires if they are old. You should also check the electrical connections to the transmission and differential. If you get water in them it could send false signals to the computer.

 

well bubba you may be right about electrical,but the dist cap rotor,plugs and wires were replaced just about 3000mi ago so i hope theyre ok but ill make sure all connections are tight anyway

 

Just had this problem (the first time it finally stalled for good, and I thought that it must be that the fuel guage was off, so I spent the time to go get fuel and put it in it). After the fuel it ran again, with a little hesitation, but I think the problem was something else...

Fast forward to one week ago during, again, heavy rains. The truck bogs, then dies on a turn. Dead.

Spend a bunch of time diagnosing, buy starting fluid, check cap/rotor/wires, pull a plug, etc. Finally got it running - quite poorly with no top-end - and made it home.

Took one more look while it was running and heard a ticking. Found a spark arcing across the top of my coil.

New coil and everything is A-O.K.

Best,

 

It definitely sounds like an ignition issue - test the coil, ignition module, & plug wires. Next time it happens, pull over under an awning and see if there's any moisture inside the distributor cap. If so, track down a distributor boot from a '77-94 V-8 car and install it.

 

thanks for all the help...


it hasnt happened since last week so when it starts to happen again ill check for the moisture in the cap... and what is a distributor boot???

 

Don't know for sure, but sounds like it would be a rubber do hicky that would fit over your distributor thang a ma gig that would keep moisture off of it. Sort of like the boots that go over the sparkplugs, but much much bigger.

 

you are probably right bubba...
i have never seen one though not on a distributor

and just out of curiosity how did you make out on the transmission issues with youire truck??

 

If it happens again, spray some WD40 or silicon based spray over your distrib cap, then each ignition wire to displace any existing water. If it starts to run smoother, then you've got an electrical 'leak' somewhere.

 

Hi pancake. I was supposed to leave early on a Wednesday for a trip to IL. I was going to pick up the truck at Mr. Transmission on Tues afternoon, but unfortunately I had to make a mad dash to Tallahassee (90 miles west of here) and coudn't get it, so we got up early Wed morning and went to Valdosta, GA (50 miles north of here), brought the truck back. It still had a little trouble shifting on the way back, but it didn't slip or make any noise. As soon as we parked the truck we hopped in the van and took off for IL.

When we got back from IL I pulled the pan off and put on a new filter and gasket and about 5 qts of mercon. It still don't shift right when it's cold, but once it warms up it shifts okay.

We just got back from a trip to Lantana, FL, 300 miles south of here. We almost got to meet with Carlene in West Palm beach, but we had a schedule conflict. We took the truck and it did fine. Once it warmed up it shifted pretty good. It still won't downshift out of OD when going up a steep hill.

I have been looking for something that could clean the varnish, etc off the inside of the transmission. I finally found some stuff at NAPA called Sea Foam Trans Tune. This is not a sealer, it's a cleaner. I'm going to try that and drain and refill the transmission again to see if that helps.

Oh yeah, when we got back from IL we discovered that someone had drained the gas out of both the tanks on the truck. We now have locking gas caps.

 

Hey Bubba, I just moved down to FLA.

I'm in Pompano Beach.

Hey - where'd my hills and trees go?!

 

i have the same problem and have talked to TONS of people and have come to the conclusion that it is asbolutly no question the distributor cap. it happens to me almost every time i wash my truck.

just my 2 cents

 

I know we got Zepher Hills and Howy in the Hills and if you come up this way we got all sorts of pine trees.

Welcome to Florida

Check out the Florida Chapter Forum if you haven't already.

 

2000 foot hills would be nice...

But I miss those 8000 - 10000 ones out in northern Idaho! I'm goin' back there soon.

Hey, for some reason I couldn't find bubba's e-mail link, so I used this thread - sorry about that guys.

Later!

dsh167(NoSpAm)@(NoSpAm)psu.edu

and I still think the coil, even if it seems good, might be the culprit.

Best,