Ok I have a 1989 Ford Bronco with a 302 5.0 EFI and I have some sort of fuel issue I believe.

THE PROBLEM: When the truck is in idle I can rev up the engine all I want and there is not a misfire or any sort of lag on the engine at all. I can let it sit and idle and it doesn't do a thing wrong. However, when I put the truck in gear and throttle it up (to get it moving like you normally would) it just dies. If I throttle up slowly (like coast up to speed) without stomping the gas, it runs ok but does sputter just a bit. But when I try to kick it into overdrive it dies again. After it dies it takes about 4-5 minutes to get it to start again. And to get it to start I can not simply turn the key, I have to tap it and it kicks in (eventually). If I leave the key turned it sounds like it is JUST about to start but never does.

p.s. there is also a very LIGHT white smoke (vapor) coming out of the exaust.

WHAT I HAVE TRIED:

Dropped the fuel tank and checked the internal fuel pump (it pumps fine). I completely emptied the tank, cleaned it out and put it back in to make sure the tank wasn't dirty.

Changed the fuel filter.

Checked the rail fuel pump (forward pump) and it shoots out gas just fine. Plus the truck idles fine so it seems to be getting fuel.

Opened the pressure check valve on the fuel rail with the engine running (and it shoots out gas like it should).

THE SOLUTION: Enter your great advice here!

HELP!

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-Oct-02 AT 11:30 PM (EST)]I have seen my Bronco do somthing almost exactly like what you discribe. I think I am flooding the engine and that is why is stalls and wont restart. I have a 90 302EFI with the mazda 5-speed manual. So I have a clutch not a tourque converter like you.

When I start from a dead stop usally (on other cars) I release the clutch until it just rubs then give it some gas as I release the clutch the rest of the way. A couple of times I have stalled the engine like you describe when I tried shifting like I described.

When I did stall in first I wouldn't be able to quickly restart the engine. The starter would click but not roll over. If I let it sit for a 1-2 mins, I could crank the starter over. But it would take 20-30 secs of cranking for the engine to come to life. And when it finally did started it would sputter a bit before it really got on it.

So like I said before I think I am flooding the engine at the low RPMs when I let the clutch out and then gas the motor. So now I just give the gas first (raise the RPMs to ~1500) then release the clutch. I haven't had ant problems sence I switched to this shifting style. (Of corse I've never had problem shifting gears other then first from a dead stop).

I hope this helps you, although my solution wont really work with an auto tranny.

Edit: Also when this happens my "Check engine light" comes on. After I restart the engine it turns off. I tried "pulling the engine codes" but I guess I did it wrong. Maybe pulling your codes when it happens (or you could force it to happen) will lead to a solution.

 

I appreciate your post but I think our problems are not related at all. My stall comes when I have a load on the throttle and at higher RPM's and yours stalls at low RPM's. I don't have a check engine light on either. Thanks for the post though....

 

I HAD A SIMILIAR PROBLEM ON MY 90 AND I CLEANED THE
FUEL INJECTORS

 

Should I use carb cleaner to clean out the injectors? How difficult is it to get to the injectors? That is my next project though. Thanks!

 

A good quality injector cleaner added to the fuel is all I have ever done. As for actualy removing and cleaning, all I can tell you is that getting to the right bank of injectors will almost necessitate removing the upper intake manifold. I guess if you really wanted to lose your religion and your mind reaching under it and doing it by feel, you could, but this author doesn't see how. Otherwise once the fuel lines to the rail have been disconnected (near the back of the engine) there are a couple of small bolts holding the rail down over the injectors. Take a LOT of care when removing the rail. If it or the cups that slide over the injectors get bent at all you will have leaks and problems galore. Don't worry about the section of rail between left and right its flexible and WILL bend to a point. (Mine was so dirty, I thought it was metal like the rest of the rail and thought I had really screwed up when it bent on me.) Its also a very good idea to replace the O-ring seals on the injectors before you put them back. Injectors and fuel rail came out together when I replaced my 302 simply because the injectors came free of the manifold easier than they did from the rail. I am currently dealing with an idle problem that may mean replacing injectors so good luck with your dilema.

 

Well I have used the fuel injector cleaner twice and it has not made a bit of difference. I thought perhaps the gas mixture was bad because I used the injector cleaner and water remover at the same time with only about 9 gallons of gas. Is this possible? Thanks again!

 

You mentioned that fuel shoots out of the rail. That is not good enough. Although this may not be your problem, you need to put a fuel pressure gauge on it. It should be at least 35 psi. Also disconnect spout connecter for timing. This will take the computer out of the picture. If it runs better, you may have an ignition module failure. And check computer for codes. Fords seldom turn on the check engine light.

 

Well what would you do first? All of the stuff mentioned here? Or something else? I really don't know where I should start...dropping the fuel tank and checking all that took a few hours and nothing was wrong there....of course it gave me a good chance to clean out the tank.

I would think if the computer was bad it wouldn't run at all. Like I said once I get it started, it actually runs perfect unless I kick the throttle down. Maybe I will put another does of fuel injector cleaner in it...(get the most expensive one or something) and see if that helps. I dread pulling to injectors to clean them.

I need a truck though so I will do what it takes!

 

Hey Brent. I had the exact problem you're describing w/ my '89 351w. It turned out that I was only getting about 15 lbs. of pressure at the fuel rail. While it was running, if I pulled the vacuum line off the pressure regulator, it seemed to run better. It turned out that the regulator I had replaced 2 months earlier was bad.