Ive posted several threads over the course of the last few days but ive gotten no reply

i need some help my truck has a slight miss at idle you can hear a popping in the exhaust ive recently done a ton of work and im not sure where to look next
ive replaced the coil, wires, and plugs, ive checked for vacuum leaks the EGR valve is operating properly my CEL is off, the only codes im getting are 44 and 52, being that ive replaced my powersteering pressure switch i think the pump is giving up and the thermactor system has been removed NOTE: i removed the thermactor pump long before this started, and no problems came of it
what would cause a miss like this? i was thinking it could be intake manifold gaskets or a bad lifter i suspect the manifold gaskets because it sounds like i have an exhaust leak on the right bank but i dont know i played with the distributor a lil today and there was no change so i dont suspect timing, especially because the chain is new i know i set it right the marks lined up really nice i also suspect the plugs, one was machined wrong and wouldnt screw into the block at all, they are e-3 diamond fire plugs, im beggining to think the set i got were dropped or mistreated in shipping i didnt see any cracked insulators but who knows maybe now that they've gotten hot a fine crack will show up now, im just at a loss here its not a really bad miss, sounds like it might only be one cylinder i just wanna know what could cause this sort of thing after all ive done

 

I think the first thing I would look at are them plugs, make sure they aren't broken. I know on my 78 one time I put brand new plugs on and it ran really rough. Well I had a tech at the shop I worked at do a short test where he shorted each plug wire at the dizzy and which ever one didn't change the engine RPM was the messed up one. Long story short when I put them in I must have broken one and not noticed. It was broken right at the hex nut head at the top of the meta body. Is it a constant miss or intermittent?

 

intermittent ...pop....pop pop...............pop pop pop pop........pop

 

another thing i noticed this morning, it was smooth until it warmed up, after driving it THEN the miss started back up again also my power brakes werent working the pedal felt a little more firm than usual the brakes were working but my stopping power was less, i know ive plugged all vacuum leaks which is why i think it might be the intake manifold gaskets im gonna try the plugs first though

i know its not my booster, its not exhibiting the symptoms of a bad booster, you'll hear a hissing inside the cab, my dodge van did that

 

Yeah I've heard the booster hiss on other vehicles before. Um, shoot I honestly don't know what else to suggest. The plugs are a good place to start for the popping sound but for the brakes and steering, I don't know.

 

Fix what you know is wrong such as a potential exhaust leak, crappy plugs, etc. Also pay attention to the spark plug wire routing. There was a Technical Bulletin issued by Ford to address the very common cross-firing issue these vehicles are susceptible to.

From Steve83: 1983 Ford Bronco TSBs & FSAs (Recalls) for '83-96 Broncos & F150s picture | SuperMotors.net

 

I had a similar situation, "only when the engine was warm"---turned out to be plug wire routing---cross fire from plug wires
good luck

 

okay silly question how far apart should they be?

 

The two wires that fire in sequence (depends on the firing order) should be separated and run as the outer two wires clipped in the wire looms.

 

ive got the wires seperated today still no change, i noticed a sound today, sounds like a ticking clock under the hood, as i listened closer i noticed it was coming from the front of the motor, i put my hand on the two front most injectors and i could feel them clicking hard cylinders 5 and 1, it also smells rather rich, when i went to change the plugs the other day (went from the E3's to the motorcraft platinums) when i re started it with the new plugs it smelt like it was exhaling pure fuel, rich beyond all rational belief only when i first started it though wondering if i could have a bad injector or injectors

 

I don't know how the rich/lean mixture works for efi but the ticking might be a valve? Maybe it's time to pull the valve covers and make sure all your rockers are nice n proper.

 

Have you checked the FPR? If the diaphram in the fuel pressure regulator is leaking it would run rich. After running, kill it and pull the vacuum hose off the FPR and see if gas is in the vacuum hose. If so, replace the FPR.

 

FPR is brand new maybe 4 months old, even at that ive checked the line several times since .......no gas

 

nah i know what a bad lifter sounds like, granted i did think i might have a collapsed lifter but if i did when i accelerated itd sound like machine gun fire i can tell its those 2 injectors i felt em whilst it was running i can feel the ticking is coming from them

 

Oh ok, well that would explain the popping. also you mentioned in one of your other threads that the exhaust was a bit loose on the side that was popping. That could also cause it.