5.4 hesitation
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5.4 hesitation
Anyone know what could cause a hesitation in an 08 5.4? Truck is a manual 6 speed.From off the line to about 3500RPM it just acts and feels as if you are tapping the brake intermittently-like it is running on 7 cylinders.After it hits about 4000 it clears right up.It has done this for 6500 miles-ever since brand new.Had it to the shop twice and even the regional service rep ran it on the computer and it says it is firing miss-free and running perfectly-says there is nothing wrong with it-it's just me "short shifting" it.I have had manual transmissions all my life and never had any trouble with a hesitation or miss because of the way I shifted it.I thought maybe water in the fuel but after 6500 miles I'm sure it can't be fuel-related.Any ideas?Thanks all.
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From: Stephensville WI
Why would they be scanning for a misfire? My first guess would be a cam timing event is out of phase. Since this engine has done this since it was new, maybe a cam was installed 1 tooth off?
Either way, you should be looking at another Ford dealeship for warranty work/
Either way, you should be looking at another Ford dealeship for warranty work/
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Ok-I forgot to add that it does this about 70% of the time.Sometimes it runs fine-most of the time it starts carrying on though from 2000-3900.I would think that if it was something mechanical like cam timing that it would do it every time?Just thinking outloud.Oh yeah-I ran some 93 octane in it and it cured allot of it,but not completely.I am thinking something in the computer may be set wrong but they say no.The service manager even took a ride with me and says he knows exactly what I am talking about and can feel it too.He said "I don't know if we'll ever get that out of it".I am thinking-wow,you know there's something wrong but don't know if you can fix it??It is driving me nuts-it should not require high octane fuel to run (almost) right.
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From: NE Texas
Evidently the dealer you took it to either don't have a WDS (worldwide diagnostic system) or don't know how to use it if the engine is misfiring 70% of the time.
I first had the same train of thought as did redford, but I can see that is must be something different.
(1) Injector bad
(2) Coil bad
(3) Connection to either of the above
(4) PCM problem
(5) Bad valve
There is something that's causing the intermittent misfire and it should rear its ugly head via the diagnostics.
I first had the same train of thought as did redford, but I can see that is must be something different.
(1) Injector bad
(2) Coil bad
(3) Connection to either of the above
(4) PCM problem
(5) Bad valve
There is something that's causing the intermittent misfire and it should rear its ugly head via the diagnostics.
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They ran it on the computer-over and over again because I kept telling them that something was wrong.They even gave me a printout of the results (that I could not make head nor tails out of) but they said it was basically saying the engine was running perfect.I asked them about an injector or coil or something else possibly being bad-they said no-if there was the diagnostics would show it.I know better.There is a hesitation in the engine-if it was a carbureted truck I would almost put my finger on it being a dirty jet.I am half tempted to take it to another Ford dealer but don't know what they might say since I didn't buy the truck there.It's a real drag-I love this truck but hate that hesitation.
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From: Montana
6500 isnt a ton of mileage, i drove mine off the lot with 65 miles on it, and it wasnt till over 10k miles (even tho i think the manual says 5k) that it really seemed to "break in" as in it didnt want to go into those high rpms at first. now i can bang 5k + rpm no prob... its sounds to me like it maybe something that goes away and wont ever be a big deal, maybe it has to do with the manual trans and the way u drive im not sure. maybe check the fuel filter ?
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I appreciate the feedback Camo,but,as I said,the transmission would not make an engine miss.If this were a mustang,I would bet it would be a good 1-1/2 - 2 seconds slower in the quarter mile when it does this than if it didn't.I could care less about the performance until you hook the boat up to it and want to pull out into traffic.THAT'S when you really need the acceleration and don't have it.When it runs right,it runs like a scalded dog-that's what's so frustrating-I know how it should run.My 13 y/o son even says about it-"did you feel how bad it was that time dad?" he'll say.And the mechanics telling me that I was "short shifting" it was really an insult.I know a miss when I feel or hear one-the head mechanic said he even felt it,though "suttle".They said I am lugging it too much-run it up to 4000RPM or so before shifting.Well,in other words use as much or more fuel as an automatic to get the truck to run right?I don't think so.
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From: Montana
i just though maybe it would go away.. the more the engine gets worked in.... only other idea is to try a tuner or go to another dealer and have them update the computer whether it "needs it" or not...
my superchips programer gets updated 2-3 times a month i bet and its cus they get revised OEM programming as well as other trinkets they add them selves... like mine now works with 08's etc.. just a thot if u wanted to spend the money .... i run mine on performance mode most all the time with premium 92-93 octane... i think it drives like it should now
my superchips programer gets updated 2-3 times a month i bet and its cus they get revised OEM programming as well as other trinkets they add them selves... like mine now works with 08's etc.. just a thot if u wanted to spend the money .... i run mine on performance mode most all the time with premium 92-93 octane... i think it drives like it should now
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They did both.They tested it sitting still and then drove it with a laptop hooked up to it.He said they had the computer hooked up to it driving down the road under acceleration "while it was doing it".That's what makes me upset-they know it's "doing it" because they said so.I just wanna' know what it is and will it get fixed?They more or less said they cannot do anything else.Irritating to say the least after spending 35,000 dollars on a truck.
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From: NE Texas
I finally had to take my truck to another dealer in another county. I knew my truck was misfiring ('99 V10) and the dealer where I lived denied it.
The first time I took it in, the first mile of the road test, the tech told me what it was.
It's hard to believe they could hear the misfire and just stick their thumbs up their ****, denying it...ARGH!
The first time I took it in, the first mile of the road test, the tech told me what it was.
It's hard to believe they could hear the misfire and just stick their thumbs up their ****, denying it...ARGH!
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