2002 F150 5.4L random engine “stutter” while driving
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Trailering
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 20
Likes: 5
From: Athens, GA
2002 F150 5.4L random engine “stutter” while driving
Man I got a doozy here, so bear with me…
2002 F150 FX4 5.4L - 267,000 miles
I love these trucks, I’ve owned several, and a few Crown Vics, so I’m pretty familiar with the modular 2V V8 and all their quirks and typical problems. That being said, this truck has me scratching my head.
I bought this truck, which ran great, did a bunch of brake work and immediately started putting 120 miles a day on it. One day it threw a check engine light for cylinder 3 misfire and random misfire. Found out why… pulled the cylinder 3 plug, it was barely screwed in. That cylinder (at least that one, maybe more) had been heli-coiled, I know because the sleeve insert came out with the plug. I noticed that the intake manifold was leaking, as they all do, so I ordered a Dorman one. Did the intake manifold, new spark plugs and coil packs. I used Motorcraft platinum spark plugs, but I bought Amazon coil packs.
I know if you use anything other than Motorcraft coil packs you’re asking for problems. I’ve bought so many coil packs in my wrenching career, and I don’t even know what’s a genuine Motorcraft coil pack anymore. I’ve bought ones on eBay that were sealed in Motorcraft bags with Ford part numbers stamped on the top, and paid $120 for 8 of them. Those can’t be real, right? Ford wants $120 for 1 of em! And Rockauto sells em for like $35… what’s real?!
When it was all back together, it drove fine for awhile, then would start doing this thing… when I’m driving, it’ll kinda stumble like it’s about to die, but it doesn’t. Like it stops getting fuel and/or air for just a second, then runs like normal. Just a jerk… a stutter… it’s hard to describe. No particular driving conditions. Sometimes it happens after 5 mins of driving, sometimes after and hour of driving. Sometimes it’ll happen 3 times in a row, sometimes it will drive fine the whole ride. NEVER THREW A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, so I had no starting point to go from.
Thought it might be a vacuum issue, or a bad sensor, or a carbon build up issue, so like any impatient dummy who doesn’t have the knowledge or tools to do proper diagnostics, I started throwing parts at it. It now has a new MAF sensor, TPS, IAC valve, and EGR valve. After all of that, the random issue is still there.
Finally, a couple of days ago, the CEL came back on. P0156 code. Driver side downstream O2 sensor. I bought one and haven’t installed yet. Good thing these parts are cheap and probably needed to be replaced anyway.
Can y’all think of something I’m missing? Or has it been the cheap coil packs haunting me this whole time? I know for these trucks to run right, everything has to be perfect, lol. Thanks in advance.
2002 F150 FX4 5.4L - 267,000 miles
I love these trucks, I’ve owned several, and a few Crown Vics, so I’m pretty familiar with the modular 2V V8 and all their quirks and typical problems. That being said, this truck has me scratching my head.
I bought this truck, which ran great, did a bunch of brake work and immediately started putting 120 miles a day on it. One day it threw a check engine light for cylinder 3 misfire and random misfire. Found out why… pulled the cylinder 3 plug, it was barely screwed in. That cylinder (at least that one, maybe more) had been heli-coiled, I know because the sleeve insert came out with the plug. I noticed that the intake manifold was leaking, as they all do, so I ordered a Dorman one. Did the intake manifold, new spark plugs and coil packs. I used Motorcraft platinum spark plugs, but I bought Amazon coil packs.
I know if you use anything other than Motorcraft coil packs you’re asking for problems. I’ve bought so many coil packs in my wrenching career, and I don’t even know what’s a genuine Motorcraft coil pack anymore. I’ve bought ones on eBay that were sealed in Motorcraft bags with Ford part numbers stamped on the top, and paid $120 for 8 of them. Those can’t be real, right? Ford wants $120 for 1 of em! And Rockauto sells em for like $35… what’s real?!
When it was all back together, it drove fine for awhile, then would start doing this thing… when I’m driving, it’ll kinda stumble like it’s about to die, but it doesn’t. Like it stops getting fuel and/or air for just a second, then runs like normal. Just a jerk… a stutter… it’s hard to describe. No particular driving conditions. Sometimes it happens after 5 mins of driving, sometimes after and hour of driving. Sometimes it’ll happen 3 times in a row, sometimes it will drive fine the whole ride. NEVER THREW A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, so I had no starting point to go from.
Thought it might be a vacuum issue, or a bad sensor, or a carbon build up issue, so like any impatient dummy who doesn’t have the knowledge or tools to do proper diagnostics, I started throwing parts at it. It now has a new MAF sensor, TPS, IAC valve, and EGR valve. After all of that, the random issue is still there.
Finally, a couple of days ago, the CEL came back on. P0156 code. Driver side downstream O2 sensor. I bought one and haven’t installed yet. Good thing these parts are cheap and probably needed to be replaced anyway.
Can y’all think of something I’m missing? Or has it been the cheap coil packs haunting me this whole time? I know for these trucks to run right, everything has to be perfect, lol. Thanks in advance.
More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 532
Likes: 92
Man I got a doozy here, so bear with me…
2002 F150 FX4 5.4L - 267,000 miles
I love these trucks, I’ve owned several, and a few Crown Vics, so I’m pretty familiar with the modular 2V V8 and all their quirks and typical problems. That being said, this truck has me scratching my head.
I bought this truck, which ran great, did a bunch of brake work and immediately started putting 120 miles a day on it. One day it threw a check engine light for cylinder 3 misfire and random misfire. Found out why… pulled the cylinder 3 plug, it was barely screwed in. That cylinder (at least that one, maybe more) had been heli-coiled, I know because the sleeve insert came out with the plug. I noticed that the intake manifold was leaking, as they all do, so I ordered a Dorman one. Did the intake manifold, new spark plugs and coil packs. I used Motorcraft platinum spark plugs, but I bought Amazon coil packs.
I know if you use anything other than Motorcraft coil packs you’re asking for problems. I’ve bought so many coil packs in my wrenching career, and I don’t even know what’s a genuine Motorcraft coil pack anymore. I’ve bought ones on eBay that were sealed in Motorcraft bags with Ford part numbers stamped on the top, and paid $120 for 8 of them. Those can’t be real, right? Ford wants $120 for 1 of em! And Rockauto sells em for like $35… what’s real?!
When it was all back together, it drove fine for awhile, then would start doing this thing… when I’m driving, it’ll kinda stumble like it’s about to die, but it doesn’t. Like it stops getting fuel and/or air for just a second, then runs like normal. Just a jerk… a stutter… it’s hard to describe. No particular driving conditions. Sometimes it happens after 5 mins of driving, sometimes after and hour of driving. Sometimes it’ll happen 3 times in a row, sometimes it will drive fine the whole ride. NEVER THREW A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, so I had no starting point to go from.
Thought it might be a vacuum issue, or a bad sensor, or a carbon build up issue, so like any impatient dummy who doesn’t have the knowledge or tools to do proper diagnostics, I started throwing parts at it. It now has a new MAF sensor, TPS, IAC valve, and EGR valve. After all of that, the random issue is still there.
Finally, a couple of days ago, the CEL came back on. P0156 code. Driver side downstream O2 sensor. I bought one and haven’t installed yet. Good thing these parts are cheap and probably needed to be replaced anyway.
Can y’all think of something I’m missing? Or has it been the cheap coil packs haunting me this whole time? I know for these trucks to run right, everything has to be perfect, lol. Thanks in advance.
2002 F150 FX4 5.4L - 267,000 miles
I love these trucks, I’ve owned several, and a few Crown Vics, so I’m pretty familiar with the modular 2V V8 and all their quirks and typical problems. That being said, this truck has me scratching my head.
I bought this truck, which ran great, did a bunch of brake work and immediately started putting 120 miles a day on it. One day it threw a check engine light for cylinder 3 misfire and random misfire. Found out why… pulled the cylinder 3 plug, it was barely screwed in. That cylinder (at least that one, maybe more) had been heli-coiled, I know because the sleeve insert came out with the plug. I noticed that the intake manifold was leaking, as they all do, so I ordered a Dorman one. Did the intake manifold, new spark plugs and coil packs. I used Motorcraft platinum spark plugs, but I bought Amazon coil packs.
I know if you use anything other than Motorcraft coil packs you’re asking for problems. I’ve bought so many coil packs in my wrenching career, and I don’t even know what’s a genuine Motorcraft coil pack anymore. I’ve bought ones on eBay that were sealed in Motorcraft bags with Ford part numbers stamped on the top, and paid $120 for 8 of them. Those can’t be real, right? Ford wants $120 for 1 of em! And Rockauto sells em for like $35… what’s real?!
When it was all back together, it drove fine for awhile, then would start doing this thing… when I’m driving, it’ll kinda stumble like it’s about to die, but it doesn’t. Like it stops getting fuel and/or air for just a second, then runs like normal. Just a jerk… a stutter… it’s hard to describe. No particular driving conditions. Sometimes it happens after 5 mins of driving, sometimes after and hour of driving. Sometimes it’ll happen 3 times in a row, sometimes it will drive fine the whole ride. NEVER THREW A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, so I had no starting point to go from.
Thought it might be a vacuum issue, or a bad sensor, or a carbon build up issue, so like any impatient dummy who doesn’t have the knowledge or tools to do proper diagnostics, I started throwing parts at it. It now has a new MAF sensor, TPS, IAC valve, and EGR valve. After all of that, the random issue is still there.
Finally, a couple of days ago, the CEL came back on. P0156 code. Driver side downstream O2 sensor. I bought one and haven’t installed yet. Good thing these parts are cheap and probably needed to be replaced anyway.
Can y’all think of something I’m missing? Or has it been the cheap coil packs haunting me this whole time? I know for these trucks to run right, everything has to be perfect, lol. Thanks in advance.
try replacing one coil pack at a time (only using one) - you might have a dud
More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 574
Likes: 146
Like it stops getting fuel and/or air for just a second, then runs like normal.
Thread Starter
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Trailering
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 20
Likes: 5
From: Athens, GA
It has a new fuel filter and IAC valve. I'm going to fire the $30 parts cannon at it one more time and replace the Fuel Pressure Regulator. If that doesn't fix it, I guess I'll be forced to take the time and do some real diag.
Fuel pump sounds fine, not sickly or anything, though I know it still might be reaching the end of it's life. Truck has nearly 270k on it. I'm not sure if it's ever been replaced.
I had to pull the fuel rail off the old intake manifold when I replaced it, so maybe it got some trash or something in the fuel pressure regulator. Even though I cleaned the rail and injectors with parts cleaner and replaced the top and bottom O rings on all the injectors. I did not take the pressure regulator off the rail when I did that.
Fuel pump sounds fine, not sickly or anything, though I know it still might be reaching the end of it's life. Truck has nearly 270k on it. I'm not sure if it's ever been replaced.
I had to pull the fuel rail off the old intake manifold when I replaced it, so maybe it got some trash or something in the fuel pressure regulator. Even though I cleaned the rail and injectors with parts cleaner and replaced the top and bottom O rings on all the injectors. I did not take the pressure regulator off the rail when I did that.
Thread Starter
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Trailering
Joined: Jan 2024
Posts: 20
Likes: 5
From: Athens, GA
Update: I replaced the fuel pressure regulator, drove it some more, and it still acted up while driving. I decided to go ahead and throw some actual Motorcraft coil packs at it, and, knock on wood, it hasn't done it since. I've only driven it short distances around town, but long enough to get up to operating temp. Several drive cycles, at least 12. So far so good. It did idle rough once while sitting in a parking lot, but it hasn't "skipped" while driving. Still cautious, but slowly trusting it again. Oh, and I also replaced the down stream O2 sensor on the driver side. Hopefully everything is working together, giving the correct readings to run right.
I will also note: There is a good amount of water coming out of the exhaust, it's been doing this for awhile. If it's parked in one place, idling, its a pretty steady drip. There isn't any weird smell or color, just looks like water. I know this is normal, but idk how much is too much. Truck didn't have a muffler on it when it bought it, rusted off... so i just had the exhaust shop weld a single side exit in front of the pass side rear tire. No muffler (trying to save money) it does have all the cats still.
I will also note: There is a good amount of water coming out of the exhaust, it's been doing this for awhile. If it's parked in one place, idling, its a pretty steady drip. There isn't any weird smell or color, just looks like water. I know this is normal, but idk how much is too much. Truck didn't have a muffler on it when it bought it, rusted off... so i just had the exhaust shop weld a single side exit in front of the pass side rear tire. No muffler (trying to save money) it does have all the cats still.
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msm7c
1997 - 2003 F150
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May 7, 2005 06:11 AM
