Hello folks,...I have a '97 F150 V6 4.2L that many have laughed at me for purchasing a few years ago. OK,..so I have a lemon,..but now I need help!

The ruck has 210,000 miles on it and the check engine light is on yet again. I have had countless things done to it and feel as though it may be time to dump it. It seems to miss and shake a tad while stopped at red lights. It drives me nuts. I was told that I need a new catalytic convertor because signals were not reaching my O2 sensors???

For grins, I took it to Autozone where the guy laughed at me and said that it had 8 codes showing of which he only showed me one. Some kind of Intake Manifold Runner Control stuck open on bank 1. I asked him what that meant to me in English and he said to go ask a mechanic....

I purchased a product called SeaFoam that someone else had recommended I try....

Any ideas? I mean am I in for a nice hefty bill as one mechanic told me that my truck had 4 convertors at 180 bucks a piece plus labor???

Is needing a new convertor the same as replacing my exhaust sytem? I was told by another mechanic that my problem was an exhaust leak and that would trigger many false readings....

My head is spinning....

td

 

Hmm, sounds like your in quite the pile up...

Seafoam, ahh yes seafoam..Check this thread out that was in the 4.2 forum quite awhile back-i Actually saved it to my favorites, you should do the same.
post #15 by our Mod-Brian shows exactly how to use it..

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...light=seafoam+

I would definetly try that first and then see what happens with your code deal, whether or not they go away. And if they don't go away I'd take it in to get it looked at and find out whether or not it is worth replacing all 210K miles you got, your truck is up there man..

 

The IMRC is a set of vacuum controlled butterfly valves that open and close the short runners in the intake manifold to optimize performance at both higher and lower RPM ranges. The valves may be stuck in one position from dirt-oil-carbon buildup, the actuator may not be functioning properly, or you could have a vacuum leak that prevents the system from working. If it is simply stuck, using Sea Foam may solve the problem. The stuff works very well! If not, removing the intake and cleaning and/or fixing the valves should not be too difficult of a task.

As for the Catalytic Converters, if you really need them you can buy four aftermarket converters for the price of one Ford unit. Shop around at a couple of muffler shops and see what kind of price they will give you.

Lastly, if you had eight codes showing when Autozone read it, make them or another store give you all eight. If you know anyone who has a Superchips, SCT, or Diablo programmer for a Ford car or truck they can read the codes for you.

 

Thanks for the tips!!! I tried SeaFoam last night,..but I was limited by my lack of technical knowledge to only apply it via the gas tank and then the oil tank under the hood. It seemed to help some, but the product recommends highly to also apply it via a vacuum hose...Great,..now where in the blazes is a suitable and attainable hose for a technical idiot like me!?

If I send someone an e-mail with a photo of my engine in a Powerpoint slide, (I took some photos last night) could someone place an arrow at the hose that might be OK for me to use????

I can be reached @ todd.dolce@fedex.com

I can then reply with a Powerpoint slide and some arrows already there to be placed wherever you might think is OK for a rookie like me. Hey,..I want to learn this stuff. I do realize that it will take a couple people (one to start the truck and then cut it off after the 1/3 of seafoam is ingested by the hose.)

 

TP,
Welcome to FTE and the 4.2 forum! Hope we can help you.

First suggestion: buy yourself a Haynes or Chiltons manual. They are very valuable for a novice: lots of pics and some good info.

There are many things to discuss here:
First on the SeaFoam, reference the link above and look at post 15 in that thread. It gives pretty simple instructions on how to get Seafoam into the intake.
To help you a little...look at the black "pipe" that goes from your air filter box and hooks to the intake manifold. Right behind where it attaches to the intake is an assembly that has the throttle cable attached to one side of it.This assembly is the Throttle Body. Look just past that, on the under/bottom/lower side of the intake pipe and you will see a vacuum line attached to a nipple that sticks out of the intake. This is the vacuum line that you can use to suck the Seafoam into the intake. Follow that line to the firewall near the brake boost assembly (driver's side of the fire wall). Post 15 in the thread linked above gives the details.


The IMRC problem...actually the IMRC system is operated by electrical solenoids and not vacuum lines. They get a signal from the computer to tell them to switch. Accordingly several different problems could lead to the fault you are seeing. The first step is to locate them on your engine and then try to figure out why it/they are not working. Mechanical bind? Broken linkage? Electrical problem? Do a Google search on Ford IMRC. You'll find lots of info on the IMRC on various Ford engines and some of the problems folks have had.

The deal with the Cat converters seems fishy. Signal's "not reaching" your O2 sensor?? That has me . The signal originates from the O2 sensors and goes to the computer. The O2 sensors generate the signal that tells the computer how efficiently it is burning the fuel. IMHO, you need more info and/or a second opinion on that one.

Do you know anything about recent service to the truck? Have the plugs and wires been changed? Fuel filter ever changed? etc.

If you are TRULY "non mechanic", that is to say "ignorant" (and I do NOT mean stupid, I mean ignorant,as in you just don't know) then BE CAREFUL about what you pay to have done. Get opinions from a few different credible local shops. Bounce stuff off us. There is a lot of knowledge here at FTE and if we can't answer your questions here in the 4.2 forum, I'll go bug a few guys in the other forums to stop by and offer their two cents.

I'd guess the gasket issue occured long ago and was addressed, or it is not likely to occur.

Best of luck and hope we can help you get it all straightened out.

 

Hey thanks for the warm welcome...

I perused through a Haynes book and saw where the IMRC's were. Also you helped me in locating the manifold (duh,..how could I miss that?) Now I'm still wondering if I can access them IMRC's without disconnecting my battery and the like as the book has so many warnings about disconnecting the "negative" cable from the battery before doing anything...now I'm scared to touch anything which is NOT a good way to learn!

I think if I can access it I will spray some "Deep Creep" on them to see if that helps.

As far as the exhaust leak,...yeah, I think I will bite the bullet and spend the money at Advance Muffler to get it fixed. He told me that it would cost either 180 bucks or 360 depending on the layout....Hmmm. OK...I think.

I may try and see if I can find the spark plugs too and try and check them one by one. I will assume as with most newer engines, that I will need to be a contortionist or skinny long armed freak to get in there and reach them. Seeing that I'm a big guy with monster sized hands as my wife says...I do not look forward to this venture.

td

 

Go forth and learn!

The plugs are easy to find and easy to replace. You should have no problems (even with monster hands).