OK so I crank up the truck (91 f150 5.8 4x4) Fri morning to go to work. About a mile down the road it starts bucking and spitting with a check engine light on. I turn around and head home.
In the driveway I pop the hood to check it out, with black smoke billowing out the exhaust. Rich condition yes very much so! Well it will run sputteringly so I decide to take it to the Mech around the corner. As I'm driving I notice that it's not shifting but once, from low to a high. I explain to him and he says EGR stuck, or fuel pressure reg, and to throw away those Platinum plugs as they are dead now, or it could be the O2 sensor but he can't "look" (as in he wouldn't even get up from his desk) at it till Monday.

So I sputter back home and check the EGR, it was ok and rattling like a head full of marbles. I crawl under to check out O2 and unplug then plug several times, it looked fine and I didn't have any specs to ohm it for.
Then I remember the wife has a cousin who manages a parts place, and build race cars, maybe he'd know.
So I sputter there and tell him minus th diagnosis of the previous guy, he said the FPR also. So I buy one from him. I get some new AC's also and intalled all yesterday.

Well it all seemed fine until the same amount of time, about 5 minutes. Then Bam check engine light back on, sputtering, smoke (but not as bad as before by a long shot) and again with the 2 speed tranny.

Not having a code reader (shoot me if you will) I take it to Advance to read it, the first guy tries and says he can't get a reading and that's happened to him before. So I take it to another and they burnt their OBD1 plug up and haven't gotten another. I take it to another and they siad they'd rent me one for $200 deposit, I said ok but then they can't find it. I go to Pep boys and he wants $75 to do a "Diagnotics checkout on it". I said to just read the code, so he goes into some BS about that's not all that's done.

So here I am again here. I had lurked for quite awhile and posted some under another name but couldn't get to it as I'd forgotten the pass and the email addy was for my Old job. So I created another.

Sorry for the long post, but I'm told I'm long winded, bad habit.


Cliff notes: Running rich, sputtering, 2 speed tranny (actually an E4AOD) changed FPR, EGR good, couldn't get GOOD code reader. Any help is greatly appreciated

 

You don't need a code reader. You need to go to www.fordfuelinjection.com and read them yourself with a paperclip--it's a little tricky until you get the hang of it, but not too bad, just follow all the instructions there. Let us know the results.

Jason

 

I found that link (searching here, thanks for the info!!) and tried today at lunch. To start with it wouldn't work until I moved the cable and my ground around some.

Then it started working but it seemed to hang when it got to the fuel pump test. I heard the pump kick in and the light stayed on, after about 10 seconds I aborted (turned the key off) and pulled the wire. Being 45 minutes from home and stranded spooked me, it was difficult to get it to start after that so I said I'd have to try that at home.
I have an old boss who does lots of repair work, and he has a AutoXray EZ-SCAN 5000 that he said he'd check it with.

Well guess what? It came back not able to communicate! trying to move the cables, cleaning the connections, etc. and same results. After about 30 minutes and some rain moving in (we were in the parking lot at his work) we called it quits and I sputtered home.

It poured all evening here (Middle Georgia) so I didn't get to try it. Maybe tomorrow at lunch I'll get brave and try the jumper again. I'll get a longer wire to and run it straight to the Neg post on battery. Also I may use a gator clip and work my way up the ST-in wire to see if it's got a short somewhere.

Anymore suggestions?

 

OK so I tried the jumper again this evening, nothing no blinking no ack of any kind. I start tracing the white/purple wire back through the harness thinking maybe I'd gotten a short toward the end. I find it and verify it's the correct one by ohming it (silly thinking as if it had been shorted it wouldn't read) so I STILL don't get any codes blinking.
I unplug the battery, wait 30 minutes drink something cool and go back out hook it up and still no blink.

Well then I proceed to unplug items to see if I get any response. Funny and weird thing is when I unplug what is supposed to be the TPS going to the throttle body I get no change and I can still modulate the RPM's!!!!!

What in the heck? Or am I wrong in assuming that a TPS sensor is there to tell the computer at what angle the throttle is set at and to adjust the injectors etc accordingly?!!
Now when I unplugged what I believe to be the IAC it promptly died. Plugging back in and restarting then unplugging again made it die again.
I noticed also that there was a semi random click/clunk every so often, very much there and a sort of pattern but I couldn't pin where and at what interval as it was to quick and most likely to happen when I was looking for at something else. It was near the driver side I from what I could tell.

So I can't get a code reader to read it, and I can't get any codes from it to flash using the "paper clip" method. Am I just screwed or what?

 

Each time you disconnect the battery for a while, you are clearing your codes. The click/clunk you here may be your a/c compressor cycling. Sorry can't help more.

 

Have you tested your Ignition Control Module? Autozone can check it for free. However, make sure they test it 10 or 15 times, as it wont show failed until its warmed up.

 

I haven't checked the ICM, is there a way to check it without taking to Autozone? I was trying to drive it to a buddies house a while ago and it is dying now when it starts kicking in and out of the check engine light. So I was afraid to drive it all the way into town to get to one.

I got it back home but why is it converting to a 2 SPEED tranny when the check engine light is on? I have to put it in low to get going from a stop.

It's sputtering and spitting when idling, still smells rich (changed to new Fuel pressure reg, and new AC plugs) check eng will come on intermittantly now but still can't get any Damn codes out of the bitch. I'm ready to drop a bomb under it.
So a couple more questions.
1. Why can't I get codes?
2. Why does it change to 2 speed tranny?
3. As noted above when I unplugged the Throttle position switch, how come I could still modulate the engine speed?

4. Why does things like this happen to me?

This is my daily driver so I'm reduced to bumming rides while it's under the tree, any and all help is appreciated.

 

Hard to say why you cant pull codes, my truck to is OOC right now, but I "think" I have found the problem(bad computer) and just havent bought a new one yet. But, I know on mine, I cant pull codes on it due to teh fact the computer runs through a certain sequence that it has to go through to issue codes, and with mine it isnt making it through this whole sequence. And since it gets stuck in the sequence it doesnt make it through to the point wher it spits codes out. In the case of mine, it gets stuck on the part where the ECM opens the ground to the fuel pump relay thereby killing power to the fuel pump and gives a good to go signal to the ECM to start/and or spit out codes, if set up properly. You can check the grounds and 12V to the ecm, to possibly help eliminate them as a potential problem. go to fordfuelinjection.com, it has a write up on how to do this.

As far as you ICM, I dont know of a way to test it, but if you can get your hands on one you know is goo, you can test it.

What will make it run rich, is a bad o2 sensor, or during start up(Until it swaps to the HEGO loop) a bad engine coolant temp sensor. Or possibly, timing is out of whack or even it isnt getting a strong enough spark.

 

Well that may be my problem also, bad computer. Because I can hear the pumps come on, and if I switch to either one they are pumping.
Doesn't the computer control everything? Timing, injection, and Tranny? So if the computer were bad would that cause the tranny to go into 2 speed also? Maybe a limp home mode? I'll check the ground and voltage tomorrow.
Tim, Thanks for the info on the link!

 

Im not sure but I may have the same problems as you. Heres what Ive done so far. Replaced plugs, cap, rotor, regulator, plug wires, feul filter, cleaned egr, checked map sensor, checked resistence at coil, measured voltage at pip output. I think it could be the ICM and the ECM has gone into Hardware Limited Operation Strategy. No codes can be read at this time and there is a major malfunction somewhere in the system. Im doing test according to the Haynes manual and will post as soon as i get more progress. Tony

 

As for the ICM testing I read on the link ( I think it was there in all my searching for help) that if the motor is running and you unplug the ICM and it dies it's basically ok. I did that and noted that it does die instantly. Not that the missing and sputtering it does anyway helped much :rollseyes:

I was thinking it is the ECU/ECM/EECU that could be bad as the tranny is controlled by it also. And since that is acting up at the same time...

Thanks Tony I'll keep posting what I've done also.

 

Okay more test this time primary curcuit, and pip or spout signal checks so haynes manual says bad ICM. $100 at checkers but not really sure that is the problem so im headed out for the junkyards. BTW what year is your truck mine is a 92. Tony

 

Just looked back at the first post 91 5.8 duh. Anyways how does your truck drive at full trottle? Cant get there? Can you see the timing advance when you rev it? (timing light) Mine does not move at all. Anyone know if this a fail safe mode? Tony

 

It is now getting to full warm status, and I was driving around for 15 minutes (a record so far since this began) then the d@mn check engine light again

Tony I put putted back to the house, I can rev it up to about anything right now in the driveway, there is some missing and not as much spitting. I'm getting low on gas and was actually heading there when it started acting up again, so I turned around not wanting to be stranded at the pump.
I have no light to check it with, sorry no help there, I had one and lent it out to never see it again. I just haven't replaced it seeing on how's everything is self regulating...

Does not anyone know why I'm dropping gears when it's on? Tony is yours doing the same thing in that regards?
It'll go from standard gears to what "feels" like it's trying to start out in 3'rd. If I drop it to 2 or 1 it does drop, but only one gear. Then at around 35/40mph I'll move into Drive and it shifts A gear but no more after that.
Also Tony (and Anyone) does your Throttle Position sensor being unplugged have any affect on your ability to rev the motor? I can unplug mine and still be able to rev. I ohm'd it and believe to be 10.2 and moving while I moved the throttle. Don't write that number down because it was the other day when I done that. I can do again if need be.

ANYONE that can shed some light on this for us/me is greatly appreciated! He!! I'd be willing to pop for a 12 pack for the winning answer!

 

When it goes into limp home mode, your tranny will shift hard.
91 and 92 are speed density setups that I'm not all that familiar with.

Not being able to pull codes using a paper clip and the koeo procedures from here:
http://fordfuelinjection.com/?p=13 is a good indication that the coomputer is having problems but I wouldn't rule out corrosion just yet. Clean all your grounds, there are several; and then clean the eec connector with electrical contact cleaner and see what you get then.