I have been fighting this problem since the end of March and I'm pulling my hair out.

My truck has 514k miles on it and has been pretty much trouble free until now. I got in my truck one rainy morning and started it. The truck would start but it would act like it was starving for fuel by sputtering within 2 seconds of starting. I tried again and it did the same thing. I had it towed to a dealership. Of course it started right up. They checked the codes and thought that it was the wiring harness under the valve cover on the passenger side. They replaced the harness ans while it was there they did the recall on the CPS. All went well for two weeks when once again it was a rainy morning and the same thing happened. I had it towed to another dealership. This time they said it was the IDM. They replaced that and I was off again. On the way to my next destination it did it again but this time it was at highway speeds. It only sputtered for a few seconds and then it was fine. The next morning it was still raining and it happened again. I had it towed to another dealership. This time, when we got it off the truck it started and would not quit. They ran the codes and came up with these: P0472, P1316, and P0261. They found water in the IDM connector. I drove 350 miles home in the rain with no problems. 2 days later I got the same thing. I looked at the IDM connector myself this time and found no problems. I drained the fuel filter and then it started right up.

On Friday (it had rained that night) it started up and I was heading down the road when it suddenly started doing it again. I pulled off the road and tried to start it again. I drained the fuel filter but still wouldn't stay running. I noticed that the fuel pump was sounding funny. Walked home and called for a tow. Went back to truck to wait on tow. Truck never showed so I kept trying it. Finally it would stay running so I drove it to a local garage and we replaced the fuel pump.

Tried to start it today after a brief rain storm and it did it again. I kept working at it and finally got it to run. I waited a few hours and tried again and it started right up and was fine.

Each time it does this the check engine light comes on. As you can tell I have spent a good chunk of change to no avail. Anyone have any ideas?

The last time it was at a dealership they ran an injector test. #1 injector seemed to buzz longer than the rest. Is this normal? I was told that #1 injector controls the timng and a few other things.

I'm considering buying an Edge tuner so that I can monitor the engine codes. Does anyone recommend a scanner instead?

I don't know which way to turn next. I don't want to take it back to a dealership again unless absolutely necessary. I'm tired of paying to train their mechanics.

Thanks for the help.

 

Welcome to FTE. The scanner that you want is an AE. I'll bump you back to the top.

 

WOW....it rains alot wherever you are from! This definitely is an electrical problem somewhere, and to me it seems like it should be something that is very vulnerable to moisture. Not sure why draining the fuel bowl helped you that time.........maybe coincidence? Investing in the Auto Enginuity scanner is a good thing for you at this point, rather then paying the dealers to take wild guesses. Don't waste your money on the Edge! I'm not at home right now so I can't look those codes up at the moment......but I'm sure somebody else will chime in to help, if not......I'll check em tomorrow for ya! Welcome to FTE

 

Welcome to FTE.

The first thing I would check is your wheel well for any cracks or holes. If the IDM gets wet then it will act up. You said you noticed a wet connector. You need to find how the water is getting in there. You might try some di-electric grease on the connector to help keep things dry. I'd also do the same with the CPS connector since they can act up if water gets in there too.

If you've ever had your windshield replaced check the back of the fuse panel under the steering wheel and make sure you don't have any signs of moisture from a leaking windshield. While there is a chance the new UVCH has come loose or is improperly installed and you now have a chaffed wire, I'd hold off on that check till later. Also try and trace the wiring harness from the valve cover back to the IDM to make sure there's no chaffing or shorts in that harness. The main engine wiring harness has been know to chaff against the drivers valve cover.

 

I agree with F350-6. There is a problem with the windshields where they won't seal all that great. Check the back of the fuse box and the cumputer by the floor. Look for signs of water. I had to replace my Fuse Box and it was very easy (Surprising Enough). Good Luck.

 

It looks like you all hit the nail on the head about the wiring harness. It acted up on me again this morning. It was raining again! Springtime in VA. I let the truck warm up and all was well. I revved it up a little and it started sputtering. Managed to get it to run again and took off. About 2 miles down the road it started again. I pulled off the road and opened up the hood. It was still running. I moved the harness on top of the motor around and no difference. I moved the harness over the valve cover and it changed a little. I turned off the motor and started again. It ran all day even in the pouring ran. 600 miles and no problems. I will be on the road for the next 2 weeks so I'll try messing with the harnesses one at a time.

The winshield has never been replaced but it does have a crack in it that ends low on the drivers side. As I get time I will tear into it.

Thanks very much for all your help. The next purchase will be a scanner.

Kevin

 

Cool.....glad you got it going! Thanks for posting back your results, that way other people can learn from it also! Stick around FTE for awhile.....you'l be amazed what you can learn abour your truck!

 

The leaking windshields were a problem on the 99 models, and some have had issues with the newer ones after having them replaced. If your is still the original I'd put that check on the bottom of your list. Good Luck.

 

Wow Chris........congrats on the 4000 posts!