Hey guys

Although i know i can't get for sure answers i just want to make sure I'm on the right track.

So for the past 3 or 4 mornings on the way to work i noticed what seems to be a bit of a jumpy throttle. Holding steady at 40mph tc locked not in od yet the truck seems real jumpy. Its hard to hold at a steady rpm. Almost like a surge feeling and the pedal seams real sensitive.
So then from a stop when accelerating i get the same symptom when taking off. Shifts to 2nd then it surges and gets a bit jumpy till it hits 3rd then as i push harder on the skinny pedal it goes away.

Truck make great power and seems to drive fine other than these two situations.

I immediately thought TPS on the pedal but i replaced the entire assy back in march with a brand new oem one.
I took it out today to see if it were dirty or dusty and it was clean as a whistle.

So under the hood i go. HPOP level is good, dip stick is spot on, tranny smells good and is nice and read with no burnt smell.

So i dig around a bit more and notice a very small amount of dust build up around the ICP plug. UMMMMMM So i pull the connector apart and its got oil on it.

I normally check that when i change my oil just as good primitive maintenance. And 2 months ago she was dry.

So i had read that a failing ICP can cause ALL types of funny issues like rough idle, shaking and jumpy throttle.

So seeing as the problem just arose and the plug was dry a month or two back and is now wet, could this be the culprit to the jumpy throttle I'm getting ?

 

Sorry to hijack the thread but I just bought a new ICP sensor but the male end was covered in oil and I'm not able to get that part tonight. Do I risk damaging my new female ICP by plugging in an oily make end? I will clean it as best I can

 

Regardless of whether it is or isn't the root cause of your problems, oil in the ICP plug means that it IS bad, period. They are supposed to be dry.Its only going to get worse. Remember, that sensor, and the seal in it, see up to 3,000psi on a regular basis. That oil desperately wants to escape its oil rail prison, and its slowly digging its way through the wall of its ICP "cell".

So, replace the ICP (with a Motorcraft part- as aftermarket one are known to be unreliable), as well as the wiring pigtail.

Once that is fixed, hopefully it will cure your other issues. But if it doesn't at least you have eliminated one possibility, and fixed something that needed to be addressed.

 

Question: Why can't the pigtail be cleaned with electrical cleaner and reused?

 

Because:
1.) it has many teeny tiny crevices you probably won't get fully clean.
2.) any kind of cleaner that will remove the oil will probably also damage the plastic, or at least the rubber seal that keeps water,etc out.
3.) the plastic of the plug body, and the rubber seal, have been soaking in hot oil. They weren't meant to do that. The plug body may be weakened, eventually compromising the electrical connection.
4.) these trucks are known to eat engine/under hood wiring (heat, abrasion, vibration.) If its the original, the wires/plug are years and many miles old. Changing is good preventative maintenance

 

I used my old pigtail, but that means I'm taking a risk because that connector is 15 years old and has been subjected to weather, oil, and radical temperature swings.

 

I also used my old connector after cleaning it out with Simple Green 100k ago but have a spare in the glove box just in case it becomes an issue.

While it is a good idea to replace the connector preemptively it is not always necessary.

Simple Green should address the degradation of the plastics and rubber...

If you decide to replace the connector, be sure to solder the new one in. I have seen issues with intermittent contact when they are spliced in and then taped only.