The truck stalls when first starting in the morning. When I restart the truck, I have no further problems. The truck also has a manual trans. What might be causing this initial stall?

Thanks...

 

Sounds like a sticky choke to me. Are you doing anything to 'set' the choke when starting it??? OR when starting it do you depress the gas any before you 'crank' the engine? If not try doing what you dont do now, short of flooding it, and see if things change. Old saying is- doing what we always do, expecting different results.

 

This truck is fuel injected. I don't think it has a choke. I don't hit the gas until the engine starts to die. Sometimes, I can catch it before it stalls.

 

Have you checked the codes yet?

I had an '86 (EFI) that would sometimes stall when it was cold, right after putting it in gear. Read the codes, bad TPS was one of them, and the problem went away.

You should definitely read the codes before going any farther.

-Chris

 

Yep, pull the codes and see if the EEC is complaining about anything. Could be a flaky TPS. You more than likely have the same EEC-IV that I have on my '92, but on the 88, I don't think the CEL is wired out to the dash, meaning, there could be something wrong, and you'd never know until you DO pull the codes.

Another source of poor idle or stalling is a vacuum leak. This will be most noticeable with the manual tranny when you're just maintaining speed at light throttle and low RPM. It'll buck and snort like an asthmatic jackass. Are you experiencing any other symptoms besides the cool start stalling?

You are quite correct that the EFI does not have a choke. In fact, there's a really nifty built-in test for the fuel injectors. Hold the accelerator to the floor, and try to start the engine. It should not start. If none of the injectors is bypassing, the EEC will not fire them if it detects a WOT condition. This is actually designed to prevent firing the injectors when the TPS fails, and flooding the engine. But it makes a really neat injector test too.

You've certainly come to the right place for driveability issues. There are lots of folks in here that are very knowledgeable, and most will try to help you fix the problem rather than just throwing parts at it until the problem goes away.

 

Does anyone know where I can access info on how to check for codes? and what the codes are?

 

www.fordfuelinjection.com will show ya all ya need to know. Good site.

 

Go to your local auto parts store and purchase a "ford" OBD I code reader for 20 - 40 bucks. The cheap ones have a light that blinks and you count the blinks for the code number. The 40 dollar one has a LCD readout.

You can also make your own code reader ( I did , but eventually bought the LCD one later cause i got a deal on it) with a running light bulb, aligator clips, wire, and electrical tape. I believe the Chilton manual tells you how to make one.

The problem is most likely the 02 sensor, TPS, IAC valve, slightly dirty fuel filter, or your water temp sensor.

 

I did not read this whole thing, but it looks correct. this shold pull your codes.

http://www.troublecodes.net/Ford/

 

I've replaced my o2 sensor recently. I'll check for codes.

 

On a cold start, the O2 sensor is completely ignored. The O2 sensor does not come into play until the engine reaches 165 degrees F. A bad O2 sensor will affect fuel mileage, and perhaps off-idle performance due to rich mixture, but will not affect the idle other than rich idle after the engine is warm (Rotten egg smell if the cats are still there, or strong unburnt fuel odor even after the engine is warm). O2 sensors have to get hot before they work, which is one reason for HEGO's (Heated Emission Gas Oxygen) in newer vehicles. My '86 'Bird has EGO's (Emission Gas Oxygen), and the coolant has to get to 180 degrees before it switches over. This being said, the hard start in the morning will NOT be your O2 sensor. I more suspect plug fouling due to leaky injectors or condensate in the dizzy causing misfire to ground instead of to the plugs. Pull a spark plug, and see what it looks like. If it's clean, pull the dizzy cap and see what it looks like. Check the dizzy cap and rotor very closely for cracks or tracking. Wipe the cap clean, clean the corrosion off the contacts, mist it with rubbing alcohol and wipe it again. Then spray the inside and outside with a VERY thin film of WD40 or your favorite silicone spray, taking care not to get it on the carbon brush in the center. Do the same for the rotor button. Use a Dremel tool with a small sanding attachment to clean the electrodes in the cap and the business end of the rotor, but don't hog off any metal. The gap is there for a reason, and removing metal will make the gap larger, and will introduce a new set of problems. Wipe off the excess WD40 with a soft absorbent cloth and clean the electrodes again with alcohol, and re-install the cap. If you have $30 laying around, now would be a good time to change them, but stay with Motorcraft parts ONLY. MSD has a good cap/rotor set, however, that is all copper. I find this set to be more suitable than aluminum Motorcraft caps because of humidity in Alabama. The copper doesn't corrode as quickly as the aluminum does. It has NOTHING to do with the conductivity differences in the aluminum and copper. (The bright red cap looks really good sitting up there too, not to mention it has a retainer ring which will make sure the wires don't come loose at the dizzy.)

If you want to do wires too, MOTORCRAFT ONLY. I used the MSD set, only to have to replace them again in 8 months. They cost more than the Motorcraft, but that does not make them better. They're prettier, but don't last. When installing new wires, make absolutely sure to keep #5 and #6 wires between #7 and #8 as long as possible. If you must get #7 and #8 close together, make sure they cross at right angles. Do not get #7 and #8 parallel as this will introduce 7/8 cross-fire on the 5.0 in everything up to about '96. When MAF systems were introduced in '96, the firing order on the 5.0 was changed to match that of the 351W (5.8L), perhaps before. Check your firing order on the intake. On a '93, unless I'm badly mistaken, it should be 15426378, same as my '92. 7/8 Cross-fire will cause extreme pinging and misfiring at higher RPM, and some lope at idle.

If you want to replace the plugs, MOTORCRAFT ONLY. Stay away from the gimmicky No-Gap plugs. The 5.0 is VERY finicky about the spark plugs. Put in the plug that's recommended on the sticker under the hood, and gap them accordingly (.054 I think is the magic number)

These steps will eliminate the most basic and common starting issues, and certainly the least expensive. After that, then we start hunting more sophisticated problems. It may also be that the fuel pump is weak, but we'll get into that after eliminating basic ignition problems.