It's a bone stock 96 with the 5.8, and has nearly 180,000 almost trouble free, hard miles. It's a former Bell South phone truck, so it's well maintained. The check engine light came on, with no symptoms at first. I pulled the battery cable and cleared it, but it came on back shortly after. Then the Bronco started "bogging" upon flooring it from a dead stop, BUT only every now and then. When I let off the pedal, the trans would SLAM shift into the next highest gear. My girl took O.J. for a diagnostic and repair. I wasn't there, but she was told all the usual sensors needed replacing. I gave her the go-ahead, and it wasn't cheap. Then she was told we needed a new ECM, because it was "reading low voltage", or something close to that (her explaining it to me). She also told me the check engine light came back on after leaving the shop. I got home from work, and found the battery ground clamp to be loose. Nothing else obvious. Went for a test drive, and all seemed normal most of the time. Every now and then, the old bog and slam problem came back, and the CE light came back on. A few miles down the road, and the light went back off. Better, but still not perfect. Anybody have any ideas, before I find a better repair shop? I love EFI, but it can sure make me feel stupid. I never had a problem on a carb engine that I couldn't repair without help.

 

Have the codes pulled but don't trust that shop anymore. Obviously they didn't get it right and sold you a CSL of stuff the truck didn't need. I mean c'mon, a whole new computer? They (ECM) are the cause of the problem about ONE out of a thousand times! When you get the codes pulled (or pull them yourself with a reader) follow the indications of the codes coming back. Its all too easy for a shop to SAY, "You need to have all this done" when they don't tell you exactly what the codes actually were. Once you have the codes that are being generated, you can check them against the reference chart that comes with the code reader or post 'em here and we can get you to the bottom of the problem without spending another arm and leg.

 

I never let a shop replace expensive parts without first proving to me that it needs replacing. I had a dead f-150 and wanted to test the cp so i pulled it out and took it to a dealership. the guy says it needs to be in the truck to test it and it will cost me 80 bux just to test it. i called the local parts store and they want 100 dollars for a replacement. the local wrecker service wants 40 bux to tow me to the dealership. so I started asking questions on here and the guys like greystreak tell me that its almost never the cp. so i pull out the old ammeter and start probing wireing harnesses and testing cheaper parts and in the end it cost me like 30 bux to replace the actual problem parts.

 

Pull the codes and conquer the electronic fuel injection monster in the closet. Hell, there are guy's on here who can teach you to pull codes with a paper clip. Or just by a code puller for around $40 (the cheap one obviously). The check engine light can come on for a lot of reasons. Good luck and let us know what ya find.
Al

 

Thanks to all for the advise. I didn't know I could buy a cheap code reader for OBDII.
I'll pull the codes and go from there. I guess I shouldn't let EFI intimidate me.

 

Yeah everyone should have their own code reader today. I like the Actron 9135, it's easy to use, does everything, and it's made in the USA. You can find them on Ebay for under $100 and they work on any OBDII vehicle. How old is the fuel filter? If it's more than 60,000 miles change it, that'll give you a bog attempting higher rpms under load.




Actron 9135 Code Reader


Actron 9135 on Ebay ....










Mike
'96 5.8L EB