well my ford has been a great truck till last year it has about 143k miles on it and theres a couple things i was hoping someone could help with.

check engine light came on and i got the codes read and it came up as "system too lean bank 1, and system too lean bank 2" - can anyone offer some insight on what that might mean?

another problem im having with the truck is that when im in 4th gear and hit about 45mph the truck starts to shake but only when in gear.. when i push the clutch in its fine...leads me to believe its something in the drivetrain causing it.

anyone that offer anything on these issues id appreciate it.

 

forgot to mention it sometimes runs kinda rough at an idle seeming like its going to stall. running higher octane gas seemed to make it a little better.

 

anyone????

 

well no replies, but i did do some reading on here and got me wanting to ask some more questions... first is can anyone say exactly where the vaccum lines and pcv valve is? i cant even seem to find a vaccum line on that motor!

also how common is the coolant in the oil problem really? 1out of 4? every one? what gasket specifically is the one that fails and how hard/how much would it cost to replace it?

starting to think of just dumping this thing rather than putting money into it just for it to blow.... i love this truck, had it for a long time but i cant afford a new motor!

Mike

 

A common problem is deterioration of the rubber elbows that connect the PCV valve to the intake manifold. That will throw lean codes. The pcv valve itself is on the passenger side valve cover about 3/4 to 7/8ths of the way back. It has a brittle easy to break plastic tube that runs under the intake manifold and into the bottom of the intake manifold just behind the throttle valve. The 90 degree rubber boot that connects the tube there probably has a hole in it. I just had to replace mine and the tube broke while doing so. Luckily I had purchased the whole PCV and tube replacement assembly since my ford dealer didn't carry just the boot. It also has another rubber hose on it that connects to the rear of the intake manifold (or something) on the passenger side. I found that my old hose there was also leaking. It's a real knuckle buster to replace this assembly.

Be careful when threading this tube in (I had to loosen a bracket on the passenger side and drop it down) because it is difficult and when I did mine I must have loosened the connector to my cam position sensor. After I replaced mine it idled great but when I tried to drive it it would miss and buck severely and then wouldn't run at all. It also threw a 3020 code (engine speed circuit malfunction). I think I've corrected that by rechecking all my connections. They all seemed right but after checking it seemed to run fine. We'll see if that continues.

Coolant in oil is usually a head gasket I think and usually expensive. A compression test should tell you something.

Rough idle and the engine misbehavior at 45 can be a lot of things: IAC, crank position sensor, cam position sensor, bad PCM, bad connections. See if you have the hose leak first and what problems go away when that is fixed. Then jump back on here with what problems are left and hopefully someone can help you track it down.

 

thanks- i think it is a vaccum leak, i popped the hood and listned with the engine running and i can hear air hissing. im due for an oil change and a tune up also. is it just me or do these motors seem hard to work on? seems like somethings in the way of everything :/

 

Sorry for not repsonding sooner. Got behind a few days.

The leaking lower intake manifold gasket and/or timing chain cover gasket was a common failure on the '98 models. Keep close watch on your coolant level and take action if it starts to drop. Left unattend, it can ruin your engine - either hydrolock or runied bearings in the bottom end.

I think the lean codes can be caused by clogged egr ports. Searching this forum for the codes and/or "egr" might turn up something.

Vacuum leaks (loose lines, broken fittings, etc.) seem to be a common cause of problems like what you describe, so do check for potential problems there.

Actually the 4.2 is pretty easy to work on compared to many modern engines.

Give us an update and we'll tyr to help if problems continue.

 

well i found the vaccum leak! its the rubber elbow right under the tb just like u said. had a hole in it about the size of my pinky... but autozone, murrays, and best auto dont have it. are the rubber elbows known to be dealer parts? anyhow i plugged the hole for now by wrapping electrical tape around it and the trucks running ALOT better. the engine light is still on but ill wait till i replace the elbow and see what happens then. ill pick up an egr valve too if theyre inexpensive and a relatively easy fix.

thanks

 

coolant in the top off reservoir is a little low, but i cant remember the last time i checked it... its on the tune-up list to do a flush and fill. is that how u check it or do u have to remove the plastic shroud and look in the radiator itself? ashamed to admit but my truck has been neglected for the last couple years besides oil/air filter changes. just always ran good so i didnt think about it.... thats gonna change!

spark plugs seem to be accessable, anything i should know before replacing plugs and wires?

 

Use Motorcraft plugs and wires! Also,on the drivers side valve cover there is an engine build decal.If it reads 1/15/98 or later then your engine has the improved lower intake gaskets.If not,then you're driving a ticking time bomb that could possibly hydro-lock at anytime!
Also,use antisieze on the plug threads and dielectric grease inside the plug boots!

 

wow, decal reads 1-19-98!! so i should be safe by a couple days right?

 

check engine light went off today btw, i replaced the rubber elbow on friday... trucks running like a champ again! think ill check in here more often, great site and thanks

 

Yep,you are safe!

 

thats good to hear!

 

hi blue,i have a 98 f150 with the 4.2 5 speed , and i think it is one of those time bombs you talked about. i went out to go to work one morning and when i turned the key , it acted like the starter locked up. i did this a few times, and then it finally started but sounded like it was coming apart at the seams. i shut it right down and the oil ran out like water.i have talked to a few people and they all say the same thing "hydro-lok" .not so lucky me, this truck only has 120,000 miles, never been beat on, and loved to peices.now i need to come up with 2800 bucks for a new motor and install.i will check on that decal you spoke of tomorrow, but i think i got one of the earlier ones. this thing went with out any warnings.i am so bumming.