Mysteriously Missing/Sputtering
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Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Tacoma WA
Mysteriously Missing/Sputtering
My F250SD has a gas 5.4 Triton that one night while I was working a graveyard decided that it wanted to start missing/sputtering after it was running and got warm. I figured it was some bad gas and have put in bottle after bottle of: fuel system cleaner, dry gas, and octane boost. Problem is, the dang engine is still missing/sputtering. I have yet to put in any more gas, money down the drain kinda thinking. Plugs were replaced less than 30k miles ago. Anybody experienced this with theirs? Anybody got any ideas as to what I can do next? I love the truck and want to start using it again.
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From: Stephensville WI
First, check your Idle Air Control valve (IAC). That is the usualy cause of sputtering, rough idle, hard starting and all.
You may have a bad COP, but by the time the CEL comes on you're engine will be very sick. It takes a lot of misfires to light the CEL. Get a scanner that looks for PENDING CODES to find the bad COP.
You may have a bad COP, but by the time the CEL comes on you're engine will be very sick. It takes a lot of misfires to light the CEL. Get a scanner that looks for PENDING CODES to find the bad COP.
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From: Tacoma WA
No CEL illuminated.
Fuel Filter changed.
Mileage: 130-something.
I've thought about the coil pack, but could it possibly be a fouled plug?
Would it be worth the $90 or so to have a dealer diagnose for me?
I am going to try one last thing: fill up with a better grade than truck stop gasoline, Shell or Chevron maybe.
Here are the symptoms: starts fine with no problem, start driving and within 5-minutes of very light duty driving it starts sputtering with just minimal pressure on the gas pedal. I downshift the tranny into 2nd and drive with the revs hovering around 3 and a half or so. As long as I keep the revs up, there is no sputtering.
Fuel Filter changed.
Mileage: 130-something.
I've thought about the coil pack, but could it possibly be a fouled plug?
Would it be worth the $90 or so to have a dealer diagnose for me?
I am going to try one last thing: fill up with a better grade than truck stop gasoline, Shell or Chevron maybe.
Here are the symptoms: starts fine with no problem, start driving and within 5-minutes of very light duty driving it starts sputtering with just minimal pressure on the gas pedal. I downshift the tranny into 2nd and drive with the revs hovering around 3 and a half or so. As long as I keep the revs up, there is no sputtering.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2005
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it's not the fuel,,unless ya stole it from a vehicle that has been sitting for like forever,,you have a bad coil (singular) not a pac--you have a coil (big-*** plugwire) for every plug--yup 8-o-em!!ya gotta find the one thats cracked---DID YOU CRACK IT??---
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Tuned
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Hooterville, WI
Before you change a COP I'd try just replacing the plug boots. I had a similar miss that would start only above 35^. Replacing all the boots solved it. $50 in boots, but I have the V10.
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Here are the symptoms: starts fine with no problem, start driving and within 5-minutes of very light duty driving it starts sputtering with just minimal pressure on the gas pedal. I downshift the tranny into 2nd and drive with the revs hovering around 3 and a half or so. As long as I keep the revs up, there is no sputtering.
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From: Tacoma WA
I changed plugs when I was just a little over 100k. Went to the dealer and got the OE replacement. I am thinking of changing again, but this time using the Bosch Platinum+4 with a gap of .054 which I believe it comes pre-gapped all 4 electrodes at that.
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From: Stephensville WI
No, OE Motorcraft work the best. I was going to recommend those if you had used anything else, like the Bosch +4s.
Before you spend too much money, have someone with a scanner that reads PENDING CODES plug into your truck and see if you have any cylinders misfiring. Buying new plugs at this point may be a waste.
Before you spend too much money, have someone with a scanner that reads PENDING CODES plug into your truck and see if you have any cylinders misfiring. Buying new plugs at this point may be a waste.
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From: Tacoma WA
Ok, went to Schuck's and borrowed their Code Reader. Here iw what it said: P0303: Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected; P0113: Intake Air Temperature Sensor 1; Flashing EGR bubble; Emission Status: Yellow.
Cleared all codes.
No DTC codes stored in computer. Flashing: O2S, HTR, EGR bubbles; Emission Status: Yellow.
I pulled the coil pack to check the boot and spring, both check out good. Pulled plug; it is not fouled and still looks good, top piece is still screwed on tight. Truck runs fine on initial startup, buts starts misfiring after a few minutes (closed loop).
Still seeking advice.
Cleared all codes.
No DTC codes stored in computer. Flashing: O2S, HTR, EGR bubbles; Emission Status: Yellow.
I pulled the coil pack to check the boot and spring, both check out good. Pulled plug; it is not fouled and still looks good, top piece is still screwed on tight. Truck runs fine on initial startup, buts starts misfiring after a few minutes (closed loop).
Still seeking advice.
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From: Tacoma WA
Ok, here's an update:
Swapped coil pack from cylinders 2 and 3 to see if problem (P0303) followed coil pack. NO CHANGE in code, still getting a P0303 Cylinder #3 misfire detected. This tells me that it is not the coil pack, could it be the injector? How can I check if it IS the injector?
I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall here.
Swapped coil pack from cylinders 2 and 3 to see if problem (P0303) followed coil pack. NO CHANGE in code, still getting a P0303 Cylinder #3 misfire detected. This tells me that it is not the coil pack, could it be the injector? How can I check if it IS the injector?
I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall here.