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engine light, bad mileage.. VACUUM HOSES??

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Old Feb 14, 2006 | 12:42 AM
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engine light, bad mileage.. VACUUM HOSES??

I am getting a "lean bank one" code from the scanner. I have replaced ALL four 02 sensors, and I have recently replaced my spark plugs.

I just had a mechanic tell me about vacuum hoses that rot out and leak. Keep in mind I live in AZ, and my 01 F-150 had abuut 120K miles.

He told me this would make my truck throw a lean code, and give me really bad gas milage. He also told me that I can go to the dealership and these hoses come in a kit and isnt very expensive..

Has anyone else had this problem or heard of this happening? When I grabbed a few of the hoses my hands pretty much turned completely black just from grabbing them. I dont doubt they are rotting out, but would that actually be the reason I get a good 9MPG and get a check engine light?
 
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Old Feb 14, 2006 | 07:42 AM
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It might be one of those situations where it may not totally be the problem but affect it. I am assuming you have the 5.4 in your truck, and from what I read you might not get a whole lot better mileage then that.
 
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Old Feb 14, 2006 | 09:07 AM
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Geez, another blown diagnosis...

You wasted your money on those O2 sensors.

If you had just poked around here for a few minutes, you'd have noticed that these codes come up very frequently and are usually the same fault.

Check the PCV hose and the elbow at the firewall. They rot out and cause a vacuum leak. Vacuum leaks cause poor fuel mileage and other drivability issues.

Rubber hoses degrade due to exposure to the volitile hydrocarbon vapors and fluids they are exposed to and to operating temperatures. Has nothing to do with living in AZ or anywhere else.

Good luck and feel free to use the SEARCH tool. Use your retrieved codes as your SEARCH keywords.

Steve
 
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Old Feb 14, 2006 | 11:57 AM
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Try This It Is Free Pull Ur Mass Air Sensor Off And Run Hot Water Thru It No High Psi Use The Sink
 
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Old Feb 14, 2006 | 12:22 PM
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Steve, I always do a search in a forum before I post and didnt find it... BUT, I never thought of doing a search for the code THATS BRILLIANT!!! Thank you. Also, I'll take your comformation on that hose being a huge problem... I have a feeling I might have a COP going bad too, I notice a misfire, its very rare, but its there.

Preppypyro- yea, Im not hearing too many good things about mileage either. It probably doesnt help I put aftermarket wheels and 33X12.5 tires with 3.55 gears.

71100- I might try that just to "clear out" the junk when I fix the main problem. They are kind of a pain to get to though. Thanks.

-Mike
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006 | 07:08 AM
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Originally Posted by 71100
Try This It Is Free Pull Ur Mass Air Sensor Off And Run Hot Water Thru It No High Psi Use The Sink
Uh, DON'T DO THIS!

If you want to clean the MAF sensor filaments, just gently spray them with either brake parts or electronics cleaner.

With those wheels and gears, it will be tough to get any kind of decent fuel mileage.

Steve
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006 | 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by projectSHO89
Uh, DON'T DO THIS!

If you want to clean the MAF sensor filaments, just gently spray them with either brake parts or electronics cleaner.

With those wheels and gears, it will be tough to get any kind of decent fuel mileage.

Steve
Boy Howdy, this is a post that is RIGHT ON!

I nearly fainted when I read about cleaning an MAF in hot water and I have been preaching about big wheels chewing up fuel and horsepower for weeks, but no one seems to believe me.

I bought a really nice, low mileage, 2000 F150 RC, 4X4, 4.6, 5 speed one year ago this month. It had really nice Weld wheels and 305/70-16's. In the past year I have averaged exactly 14.99 MPG and I drive primarily on the rural highway at 55MPH!

I've never been anxious to wear out a set of tires, but I think the time has come for me to change my ways. I am looking forward to putting reasonable size tires on this truck and get back my power.

Sorry to digress in the thread,
Doc
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006 | 07:51 PM
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well this is how the lead tech at bay way ford in houston told me 2 clean the maf it worked 4 me so good luck
 
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Old Feb 15, 2006 | 09:12 PM
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Just so you know: A lean code that only shows up on one bank typically (note: not 100% of the time) isn't going to be a vacuum line or hose leaking or a MAF sensor. Such a malfunction usually throws codes for both banks. Look for the possibility of an injector fault or more likely an intake gasket failure, although I haven't seen too many go bad on 5.4's. Good luck
 
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Old Feb 16, 2006 | 07:07 AM
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Originally Posted by sandrat
Just so you know: A lean code that only shows up on one bank typically (note: not 100% of the time) isn't going to be a vacuum line or hose leaking or a MAF sensor. Such a malfunction usually throws codes for both banks. Look for the possibility of an injector fault or more likely an intake gasket failure, although I haven't seen too many go bad on 5.4's. Good luck
It's true that vacuum leaks typically affect both banks. Sometimes, the leak is small enough that the fuel trims can overcome the effect of the leaks on one side long enough for the other side to set a code.

Looking at the long term fuel trims for both banks is a good indicator of what both banks are doing. Sometimes the second bank is on the verge of going out-of-limit, but not quite, hence, the "lean" code on only one bank.

Steve
 
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Old Feb 17, 2006 | 02:07 PM
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man oh man I sure hope its not an intake gasket...

Lets say fuel injectors, I have 120K on my 2001 5.4. Would it be a good idea to just replace all 8? Is there any benifits to upgrading the fuel injectors? My mileage sucks to begin with, to loose another MPG to gain some power is worth it to me.

I have been in this mode where I am replaceing about everything it "might" be because if its not the problem, its likely to be the problem soon. I have to tell you though, Im getting pretty sick of tired of my damn Ford turning into a POS on me.
 
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Old Feb 18, 2006 | 08:11 AM
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Originally Posted by 5.4AZ4X4
I have to tell you though, Im getting pretty sick of tired of my damn Ford turning into a POS on me.
It is your sloppy troubleshooting that is turning it into a "POS".

Stuff wears out on older vehicles. Have to deal with it.

Steve

Cell phone and AAA card always at hand...."youngest" vehicle in my fleet is a 98 with 125K, oldest is an 89 SHO with 243K.
 
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Old Feb 18, 2006 | 10:37 AM
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I have to agree with Project. I see this kind of "troubleshooting" all the time on this forum and on another brand forum that I frequent. It totally amazes me how many parts get changed unnecessarily.

The other brand is an expensive vehicle and a number of times I have seen people replace literally a THOU$AND DOLLAR$ worth of parts on an experimental basis. They would have been money way ahead to just take it to a trustworthy shop and tell them to fix it.

I would venture to guess that if somehow, all of a sudden, no good parts were replaced on cars, the auto supply stores business would be cut in half overnight.

Troubleshoot properly and don't start throwing money at the problem. That is the quickest way to get frustrated with a vehicle and start looking to replace it. Now there's a way to really save some money, just replace the whole truck and be out $20,000 or $30,000. You can laugh at this suggestion, but on a smaller scale you are doing the same thing when you throw away money on shotgun troubleshooting that involves replacing a bunch of parts on an experimental basis.

Good luck,
 
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Old Feb 18, 2006 | 11:49 AM
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You guys must be assuming this has been my only problem with my truck...

My old 88 F-150 with a little over 300K miles makes my 01 F-150 look like a bucket of of complete crap.
 
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Old Feb 20, 2006 | 11:58 PM
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Originally Posted by 5.4AZ4X4
man oh man I sure hope its not an intake gasket...

Lets say fuel injectors, I have 120K on my 2001 5.4. Would it be a good idea to just replace all 8? Is there any benifits to upgrading the fuel injectors? My mileage sucks to begin with, to loose another MPG to gain some power is worth it to me.

I have been in this mode where I am replaceing about everything it "might" be because if its not the problem, its likely to be the problem soon. I have to tell you though, Im getting pretty sick of tired of my damn Ford turning into a POS on me.
I've got over 200k on my 97 f150 5.4 liter and the fuel injectors are working just fine. You can try running some Chevron fuel system cleaner in your gas, I have done this at about every other oil change or 6k miles and have had zero problems.

Led Zep.
 
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