Good evening,

I did a tune up on my truck tonight, and now it's misfring like nothing I've ever seen. I was just doing it because it needed it bad, and looked as if the previous owner hadn't changed the plugs in a few years. So I did the tuneup nearly text book (I thought). I removed the air intake, and did the plugs on the pasenger side one by one changing the wires one by one. No problem other than every plug wire crumbled to pieces as I tried to pull it off. I moved to the driver side, and the manifold turned out to be quite a trick to get around. The third plug on the back has a tube in the hole of the manifold that I had to remove to get to the spark plug. I took the tube off and found it to be an engine coolant line from the engine. It leaked a little, and then stopped. I finished the tuneup properly tightening all the spark plugs and checking to make sure my wiring was completed correctly. I started it and it is misfiring horribly. To the point of it cutting off and shaking so violently that I am scared to even continue before I try to fix it. So I even came online and got the firing order diagram to triple check. I removed all the wires from the coil packs, and removed all the clips. I rechecked and rerouted the wires. (they were right in the first place) Still it shakes like nothing I have ever seen. I checked to see if there was any coolant leaking anywhere, and I don't see any. I pulled the boots off each plug to check the plugs indivually (all except the 2 back on the driver side) and they are all clean. Could a little coolant on a plug cause a problem like this? Could air in a coolant line cause a problem like this? I left the radiator cap off each time I cranked it to try to bleed the air out if there was any. I hope I didn't get anything in the intake, and down on the head, but I don't think it sounds like that is the case. Besides that would require I take the head off and I am willing to do much more before I do that. Not sure what I should do. All I know is it looks like I am hitching a ride to work in the morning.

Please help, any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated!!!

NC

 

i would try checking for continuity in the wires, they may have been terminated badly at the factory. i have also got bad spark plugs right out of the package that had no gap at all, the end was smashed into the threads

 

Sounds like you're describing a dual-plug head 4-banger, but it would help to know for sure.

You say you did the job "by the book." If that book happened to be the Haynes book, and I was right about the engine, I'd guess you've got the wires for cyls 2 and 3 reversed. At different places in the book, they show two different diagrams for the 4-cylinder. I remember one FTE member found that his truck matched one of the diagrams, so I went to check mine, and then mark the book with the correct information. Turns out mine matched the other one.

The moral of this story may be to always right down the way your truck is hooked up, rather than trust a cheap and inaccurate book.

 

Welcome to FTE nightcrawler. Im glad you chose the best site on the net for Ford-Trucks! See you around the boards!!

Matt

 

Welcome to FTE NightCrawler

Well I've read your "tune up gone wrong" horror story, twice & have a couple of questions.

You say when you removed the plug wires, "every one just crumbled to pieces", but I didn't read that you actually replaced the plug wires, surely you did, but you didn't say so!!!!

If not, then your poorly running engine problem, is likely from gross high voltage electrical leakage/breakdown of the bad plug wires, so they'll need replacing too.

The other thing I read that gives me pause is, you seem unshure if you got coolant into a cylinder, when you removed that hose to get to a plug. So the question is, did you leak cooant into the plug well & if so, did you clean it out before removing the plug?????

If not & you then removed the plug, how much coolant do you suppose drained into the cylinder???

If you've replaced the crumbly plug wires & didn't get anything into the cylinders, then it sounds like you've crossed some plug wires as john112deere suspects & that'll sure upset the engine.
As will, if you've cracked or chipped any of the plug insulators, on installation!!!!

Let us know what you did & find.

 

I suspect crossed wires, because I did it myself on my old F150. I thought it was textbook, but it was my bad. Do a double check very slowly this time, and I bet you will find it. BTW, the best way to get to those driver side plugs on the 4-banger, is I usually just took off the top half of the intake manifold on my '99. This also gave me the opportunity tho clean the throttle body and other stuff.

 

I ran into the same thing on my old 5.0 stang when I changed the intake manifold. The plug wire diagram that came with the intake was for an old style 302 and not the newer roller cam engine that had a different firing order. Ran like crap and I scratched my head for about 3 hours before I figured it out.

 

Thanks for all the input guys.

Alright first question. I did change the wires and gapped the plugs to spec. When I said "by the book" I meant how I learned to do it. One plug at a time. Removing one wire at a time. That way the wires never change heads on the coil pack and the chance of screwing up the firing order are slim to none. However, I couldn't agree more with the triple check. I have looked up the firing order online last night and it was exactly how I had it. I removed all the wires again anyway. I have now checked 4 times and unless there is another posting of the firing order for the "dual spark plug" 4 cyl, I got it right (unfortunately) I wish that was my problem, but I am almost sure now it is not. However, I have not tried to switch cylinders 2 and 3. As soon as I submit this, I am getting up and trying that next.

http://autorepair.about.com/library/firing_orders/bl-fo-3125.htm

Can anyone confirm that link should be 100% acurate?

If not could someone please hit me with a link or image that should display the right firing order? You guys are very helpful. Thank you...

About the coolant, that's what's scaring me. I think I might have got some in the cylinder, but I'm not sure. I have no air in my garage and the truck's engine compartment is one of the dirtiest I have ever seen (I don't believe anyone ever cleaned it) so I was scared to "blow" into the cylinder being afraid I might get something else in it. What will coolant in the plug well cause? and is there any way to clean it? If reversing the firing order doesn't fix the problem, I am going to take the manifold off, and I just want to make sure I clean the cylinder well correctly if I go through that.

Thanks for all the advice.

NC

EDIT * Ok I changed the firing order switching 2 and 3 on both coils. It wouldn't fire at all. I changed it on one coil and left it to the diagram on the other both ways. No go. I am taking the manifold off. Man this sucks. Should have paid someone 60.00 and let them screw it up...

Anymore input is still appreciated, I still need information about that coolant. I will post my finding once the manifold is off...

 

Well the saga continues and this sucks ball to the max. The manifold is off, and all the plugs are fine. There was a little oil moisture on the passenger side 1st cylinder at the top above the threads and all the plugs were flooded because I have been trying to crank it with multiple firing orders. The wires are fine. They have good continuity and are brand new. I don't know what the hell to do next. I lost about half the coolant in the vehicle that could be free drained when I unplgged that same line from last night to remove the manifold. I hate to say it, but Ford's engineers weren't thinking right when they designed the coolant line to run "through" the intake manifold. That and the spark plug location, what a pain in the ***. Ok I guess I'm done venting now. %^*^(&$(&)($&*)#&*)$*#)$&)#$&)#(#$&)(#)($)(#&* ok now I'm done.

I'm going to let it air out. Maybe it will dry out and when I put it back together, it will magically work. I am still looking for that cylinder cleaning method if there is one. AND the proper firing order if that diagram is not correct. If I could use some type of aerosal I think that would best. I have brake parts cleaner, but most of the cylinder shafts have a little bit of dirt around them. I have plugged the intake with towels though so nothing will get in there. Maybe some air duster will work??? I am worried about tying to spray something in there with the plugs out, but I'm not sure it can get worse that this anyway. Hell a few more bolts and I can have the damn head off. Anyone have any more ideas? All over a tune up.

Frustrated with no ride to work,

NC

 

Dang NC, your having a bad time of it!!!!

Good idea & feedback on testing the plug wire resistance & plug gap & plug ceramic condition. So we now know those things are likely ok.

Would be helpful to know if this ride was missing & running this bad before you began the tune up????

Depending on how much coolant got into the cylinder, it could conceivably cause anything from hydraulic lock, to taking out a O2 sensor, to nothing.

I don't have shop air either, but on occasion, have rigged a bycycle pump with a sports inflation needle on the end of it, to blow out tight spaces, like spark plug wells, but I do it after breaking a pug loose, but BEFORE removing it, that way any loosened trash doesn't fall or get blown into the cylinder.

Your idea of canned air is a good idea & a lot easier to use too.

I wouldn't dust around an opening that leads to the engines innards, so plug any openings before you do things that'll loosen debries that could get in there.

I've also used a vacuum to get loose stuff out from under the hood. Just be careful you don't suck up any flammable fumes, from the battery, or fuel & blow the vacuum cleaner up!!!! lol

Be careful where you spay solvents, as many of the under hood plastic, rubber & composit parts may not like the formula.
Brake cleaner isn't particularly friendly to many of those parts, or paint, as it's meant to clean metals.
O2 sensor safe "Throttle Body" spray cleaner is safer.

 

dont worrie about the coolant getting onto or into the plug or engine if you got a lot of coolant in the plug hole your rod would be out the block already but it wouldent missfire..ahahaah j/k alright sorry

So im going to assume something is dissconected maf... brake booster vacuum hose ??? because if you did one wire at a time then its impossible to do it wrong you only have one spot to put the wire right? one posibility did you drop any of the spark plugs? while im ranting what plugs and wires did you use?

so things to look for...
*or listen to in this case for a vacuum leak a loud shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh or even a whistle
*something you dissconected to access a spark plug or wire? connector, vacume hose??
*a dropped spark plug could not only have the gap smashed down to oblivion but a cracked plug wont work either
*and what parts did you use

good luck,
Josh

 

^I like this suggestion^, check for anything around the engine compartment you may have distrubed or unhooked while working on the plugs, I've been there! I just dropped a 4-plug 2.3l in and dealt with rough running conditions as you are, mine turned out to be sticky injectors. Are all the plugs fuel-fouled? If you had any injector problems, before it fires would be a good time to pull the plugs and check, a dead injector would mean a dry plug. Have you isolated which cylinder/cylinders aren't firing? I find it's always easier to track down a problem when you can pinpoint EXACTLY where it is. And just for curiosity, did you get coolant on the fuel injector plug-ins?

 

OK I used Autolite PLatinum plugs and wires (Autolite wires) I don't think I got that much coolant in the cylinder if any. I would go so far as to say by now I am almost 100% sure that I DID get some coolant on the fuel injectors at some point. I made sure to reconnect everything I disconnected unless I accidentally knocked something off and missed it. Whatever the case, I would have found it now for sure and will repair that problem going back on since I have removed so much from the top of the engine.

It's been drying for 24 hours. Back together with it, and I'll post when I'm done.

NC

 

I'm still screwed. The truck is back together. This time I made damn sure the plugs were right acording to that diagram since no one has refuted it's accuracy or confirmed it was correct. I tried to fire it and it fired the first time, and is skipping like frekin hell. There was a weird smell that I caught faintly last night but did not mention right after cranking. It was much stronger tonight. It was almost like a gas smell but much more potent. There are no leaks, and I did hear a weird pop that sounded like an exhaust backfire after trying to crank it the second time. I don't think I'll try to crank it again.

*sigh*

I don't know what the hell to do. Looks like I'm payin my buddy to come up here and fix it, even though I'm not sure he will be able to tell what's wrong with it (He's been a ford mechanic for 25 years)

Any more ideas? suggestions? I need my truck running, and this frekin sucks.

NC

 

I'll ask again, was it running like this before you did the tune up?????

If so, then nothing you've done during the tune up is causing the rough running.

SO, fuel pressure & compression checks would be in order.

Also, did this rough running come about suddenly, after some event, or slowly over time?????

OH, do you have a check engine light lit???? If so, make loan of a scan tool, then pull & post all the trouble codes you find & the sequence in which they were retrieved.

Some autoparts stores have them on their 'loan-a-tool" program, for a refundable deposit.

Let us know what you find.