On a short trip this weekend for a few Dr. appointments and getting the 5th wheel worked on. Cruising along and had a double hickup, kinda like I ran over a chunk of tire with the two trailer tires. It happened twice in a about a minute, then not again that night. Today we ran around with and without the trailer for a couple hours without any issues. Late afternoon it stumbled a few times and died. It’s done it several times today since then. I was sure it was the CPS so I changed it in a parking lot. It didn’t help. It’s a very intermittent problem, but I’m sure I have it narrowed down to Fuel delivery. It seems to me like the fuel is being shut off for a split second then back on. If I’m running down the highway, it recovers enough to keep running and the problem goes away for a while. If it’s idling, it’ll sputter a few times then quit. So far, it has started right back up each time it dies.

As usual for me, the only time I seem to have problems is when I forget to bring FORScan with me. I swapped around a few relays, mainly the IDM but the issue is still there.

I’m still leaning towards the CPS being the problem. The spare I had in the glove box was new, but it’s a black one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Try running with the ICP unplugged

 

Sorry I can't help you but I had similar problems about two years ago and I never did figure it out. The symptoms stopped as abruptly as they started and haven't resurfaced since.

 

Have you checked the IPR nut? Chafed wiring? Go through all the usual suspects.

 

Do you have a chip installed on the end of the ECU? Had to reseat mine one time due to a couple of "hiccups" that occurred while underway. Once reseated, truck ran perfectly.

 

The fellas above have some great points of focus for you to look at.

You have a 2002, so the RPM gauge will not move if the CPS has failed or is working properly.

You are confident about nailing the issue down to a fuel delivery problem as you mentioned. Have you checked the positive and negative connections on the fuel pump under the driver seat? I believe the relay for the fuel pump is behind the stereo and it has been known to have problems, not a lot of times, but sometimes.

You had an injector solenoid fail recently, does it seem like that sort of failure except it dies instead of running rough?

Check the areas the fellas mentioned and come back to us.

Lastly, start traveling with FORScan Lite on your phone or tablet. If you have an OBDLink MX or MX+, you can leave it plugged in all the time as it goes to sleep.

 

Thanks guys!

No chip, so at least I know that’s not the issue.

This doesn’t feel at all like the Injector solenoid problem either.

I thought about loss of power at the fuel pump, but I feel like an instant loss and return of power there wouldn’t even be noticed the way this is noticing.

As this is doing its thing, I am getting a bunch of clicking in the relays in the fuse panel under the steering wheel. Some of those relays are very hot to the touch, that doesn’t seem quite right either. I had overdrive turned off and noticed the OFF light flickering along with the relays. That leads me to think I’m dealing with a bad ground somewhere.

I’ll check on the other suggestions this morning and report back.

Sous, I know I should never leave the house without FORScan, and on trips I haven’t since the injector problem, until this time. Seems like if I bring it along, I’ll never have an issue! I’m planning on an iPad mod to the dash that’ll give me the option of having FORScan with me all the time. When I bought it, I didn’t know enough to get the Bluetooth dongle instead of the PC adapter cord, so that’s what I’m using for now.

 

Find and eliminate the cause of this and I believe you will have your truck back.

 

I'm with Kwik on find the cause of the clicking and you will likely eliminate the issue. Sometimes the clicking can be due to a major positive or negative connection. Like the ground point above the PCM on the inner fender, battery connections/terminals, main ground points at the front bottom of the engine, etc...

Since you have a 2002, I am not sure if you have the fuseable links under the air box featured in this recent thread. Check there too!

Link: High current junction box wire brake

Keep us updated sir!

 

We had to get home so we left the trailer at my uncles and went for it.

First hundred miles I could go for a while, then the bronco bucking would start. I held my finger on the relays under the dash and isolated the clicking to the IDM relay. It would buck, spit & spotter for a few seconds, then return to normal. Zero consistency to the issue. It just does it whenever it wants.

The second hundred miles I ran with the ICP unplugged. The problem improved by about 90%. I can still feel some hiccups, but it doesn’t lead to the relays clicking and the bucking bronco ride.

Based on my experience last November, I’m thinking I have another injector solenoid failing intermittently. That causes the ICP to shut off the IDM relay which then will shut the fuel down for a split second, then the solenoid works again and the IDM turns the fuel back on. This causes the bronco ride. With the ICP unplugged, the solenoid miss fires the injector, but the pressure reading isn’t happening to shut off the IDM relay. Does this make sense anywhere else but in my head?

 

The PCM gives instructions to the IDM based on many thing including what the ICP reports to the PCM. With ICP disconnected the PCM uses a default value. A bad solenoid will prevent the injector from firing but that's it.

I'd replace the IDM relay, or at least swap with another nearby. Since it ran better with ICP unplugged I'd get a new ICP on there. OEM Ford there, even if pricey.

 

I did swap the IDM relay with at least 3 others in that panel. I also forgot to mention I replaced the CPS early on in my roadside diagnostics.

I have already ordered a new ICP to try, but being on that not being the problem. With it unplugged, I still get an occasional misfire and hiccup.

I’ll try a few more things and report back in.

 

I would run a dedicated ground wire from the engine management system, straight to the battery post.

 

Finally had a few minutes to run DTC’s. I changed the ICP sensor with zero change. I got a host of bank 2 codes.

2, 4, & 8 all say High to Low Side short.
Injector multiple faults bank 2.
Injector High Side Short To Ground Or Power - Bank 2
Cylinder #8 Injector Circuit Low
CPS circuit failure

I’ll attach pics of all of these. Still runs like garbage with the ICP sensor plugged in, and manageable with it unplugged.

 

Ohm out the wire harness from the IDM connector to see if there are any wiring issues. Disconnect the connector from the IDM then backprobe the connector so you don't spread the contacts. Remember to disconnect battery grounds first.