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1968-Present E-Series Van/Cutaway/Chassis Econolines. E150, E250, E350, E450 and E550

93 Econoline/transmission affecting engine?

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Old Jul 15, 2015 | 09:22 AM
  #76  
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Laughing Gas
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I will check the wires the next chance I get. The engine has never been rebuilt or anything done to it, it is all original and stock. Thanks.
 
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 02:07 PM
  #77  
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I went ahead and made sure all the Distributor wires were connected to the

correct plugs and they are. I then went ahead and adjusted the timeing

again. Same idle issue, but...... By chance I was walking by the exaust while

it was idling and I hear this noise that sounds like a light saber from star

wars coming from the exaust LOL, just as the engine misses, I put my hand

up the the exhaust and I barely feel anything coming out but when it misses

the exaust pressure increases then it drops back down. Has anyone heard

of this kind of sound before? Bad CAT? or clogged muffler maybe?
 
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 02:32 PM
  #78  
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From: south louisiana
Originally Posted by NICKSAN
I went ahead and made sure all the Distributor wires were connected to the

correct plugs and they are. I then went ahead and adjusted the timeing

again. Same idle issue, but...... By chance I was walking by the exaust while

it was idling and I hear this noise that sounds like a light saber from star

wars coming from the exaust LOL, just as the engine misses, I put my hand

up the the exhaust and I barely feel anything coming out but when it misses

the exaust pressure increases then it drops back down. Has anyone heard

of this kind of sound before? Bad CAT? or clogged muffler maybe?
Sounds like the cat is plugged to me. Cut it off and start it up and see how it runs.
 
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 02:46 PM
  #79  
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It looks like theres 2 cats and they are welded together. Theres nowhere to

cut in front of the first one that will allow me to make a repair with coupling

but the first one is bolted to the bottom of the exaust manifold with a flange, the

nuts and bolts are really rusted. Maybe i can hit them with some PB blaster

and let it sit a while. Would it cause any damage to the valves or engine if

I were to disconnect right at the exhaust manifold and let it idle just for a minute?

Thanks.
 
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Old Jul 26, 2015 | 04:01 PM
  #80  
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Take it to an exhaust shop and have them do it, if you like. You may want to just do a new system if the cats are clogged, depending on the condition of the rest of the pipes.
 
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Old Jul 27, 2015 | 06:13 AM
  #81  
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There is a "Back-Pressure-Tester" tool out there, that you remove the O2 sensor, screw it in, and within 1 minute you know if you have a plugged cat or not. No cutting, No guesting.

Any good general mechanic or exhaust shop should have this for the test.

From what you write about the pressure coming out of the tail pipe, chances are your cat it plugged.

This van is what, a '93? Should only be one catalytic converter on this van, with the square mounting plate at the front - to the Y pipe.

Take 98Econoline150 advice and take it to a exhaust shop first.
 
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Old Jul 27, 2015 | 12:22 PM
  #82  
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Yea, you can run it a few minutes with just the manifolds sitting in the driveway. Be a little noisy, but no harm will come. Use a six point socket on those manifold nuts to unscrew them after spraying them. Cooking oil works great for this too.
 
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Old Jul 27, 2015 | 10:28 PM
  #83  
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Its a late model 93. Theres definately two cats, One up front thats kind of

laying sideways and another laying flat, they both have heat shields, then

the muffler, looks round.


Thanks for the tips and ideas guys.
 
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Old Aug 27, 2015 | 11:54 PM
  #84  
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Ive got one mechanic (my regular one) wanting $200 to diagnose the rough engine/idle/accleration problem, One that will replace both cats for $500 but will not diagnose weather the cats are bad or not and another muffler shop that will charge me $50 to cut the cats open, physically inspect them to see if the cats are bad and weld them back up.

Question: If a cat or both are clogged would it cause the symptoms I have described to appear?
Idling smooth for about a minute then one big rough idle, van shakes and electrical gauge dips along with the dash lights dimming slightly.
If It is in drive then sometimes it will stall, but if I put it in neutral or park when I come to a stop it wont stall but it still does the rough idle and electrical gauge dip thing. I have been driving it for the last week and every red light and stop sighn i come to I have to put it in N or Park so it doesnt stall.
Oh, I forgot to add, when I slam on the pedal and get moving quick It bucks like crazy and I hear some kind of fast paced clicking or ticking noise coming from directly under me, cant tell if its from the engine or under the transmission hump.



Thanks.
 
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Old Aug 28, 2015 | 09:38 AM
  #85  
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You can buy good code reader for about that same $200 your mechanic wants to charge you to use his. Never heard of someone cutting the cats open to inspect them.
 
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Old Aug 28, 2015 | 10:47 PM
  #86  
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I have a code reader but no codes are being thrown for the engine. I dont know if my reader would throw anything about the cats or the O2 sensor, My van is only OBD1.
My mechanic said something about a valve drip/drop test or something I dont remember exactly.
Yea, I never heard that either, I would think they would be damaged enough to render them useless.
 
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Old Sep 29, 2015 | 10:26 PM
  #87  
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Laughing Gas
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Yup.... The saga continues. LOL

I took it to another mechanic and he wants to replace the plugs and wires for $350. but he is not sure that will solve the problem.
I would replace them myself but its a pain to get to some of the plugs and If I remember I think the misfire problem was there before I had them replaced about a year ago, dont remember exactly.
Time is up for smog at the end of this month and doubt its going to pass.

I found a post on another forum stating that the 1993 and 1994 5.8 engines had a defect in the computer that causes a misfire like symptom and replacing the computer fixes the misfire. IIRC this is the thread.
Has anyone else heard of this?

1994 E150 5.8 WIth strange skip in motor - Car Forums and Automotive Chat
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 01:41 PM
  #88  
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Originally Posted by NICKSAN
Oh, I forgot to add, when I slam on the pedal and get moving quick It bucks like crazy and I hear some kind of fast paced clicking or ticking noise coming from directly under me, cant tell if its from the engine or under the transmission hump.



Thanks.
That alone sounds like a Cat has crumbled inside, grab a Rubber Hammer and give the Cat a good hit and see if it sounds like it's full of rocks or gravel.................
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 09:45 PM
  #89  
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Laughing Gas
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Originally Posted by econolinemanor
That alone sounds like a Cat has crumbled inside, grab a Rubber Hammer and give the Cat a good hit and see if it sounds like it's full of rocks or gravel.................
Ive tried. The heat shields prevent me from really doing much hitting. I am thinking of cutting off the heat shields then fabbing up something to remount them.

Has anyone heard of this computer defect in 94 and 95 years?
 
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Old Sep 30, 2015 | 10:55 PM
  #90  
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You can hit it before or after the shields on the pipes and if their bad you'll hear something rattle inside, it won't take to much. Any poor running Engine will cook the Cats pretty quickly and chunks of it can plug up the Muffler too................
 
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