Okay here's the deal. I bought this '94 and it had some hard starting issues. It would take cranking the engine for awhile or retrying for it to start when cold. It also had a rough idle.

Chasing the problem here's what I've replaced:
New Air filter
Distributor cap
Rotor
New Fuel filter
New Motorcraft platinum plugs
Fuel Injector cleaner
Serpentine belt (needed one and it couldn't hoit)
Same problems on both tanks.

Just checked timing. Timing with Spout connector off the engine surges and is hard to guess where the timing should be set. The line moves when it surges and hardly stays in one place.If I go to the high idle side with the 10 deg BTDC line the engine dies. Low side of the surge is a guess cuz it doesn't stay there long to put the line there. When I put the Spout connector back together the engine smoothed out as far as surging after startup but it acts like it is vibrating and at part throttle bogs down when driving and when put into drive or reverse. I would be scared to take it on a road over 30mph the way it is now. Timing after Spout connector is connected is 8 deg BTDC.

The engine seems to chug when listening by the tailpipe. Exhaust fumes seem to be lean by eye watering odor. Before I timed it the exhaust was more rich.

I see no blue sparks or lines around the coil or sparkplug wires when looking in the dark.

I have not checked for vacuum leaks yet.

It ran smoother especially under load before I replaced the sparkplugs today but it started harder before.

It is getting on my nerves at this point. I have not pulled any engine codes to see what's there.

Should I have disconnected the neg. battery cable after timing it to clear the computer or at any other point along the way?

BTW~For the search engine crowd I found my Spout connector directly behind the battery and #1 cylinder on the 5.0 is on the passenger side front not drivers side (or right side) as some other threads might tell you. Anyway you'll know if you can't find your timing mark.

 

BTW I forgot to add I'm needing help here so any input would be great!

 

I would start with the vacuum lines and the cannister and also the TB tubes. Is there an engine light on, you won't pull any codes unless the light is on. Also replace your air/idle/bypass valve. Sounds like it's getting to much air somewhere.

 

No engine light on. I noticed that the MAP sensor looks to be original. It has a tamper resistant torx screw on it. Are these the ones that you can spray carbuertor cleaner on to clean them and make them read right?
I drove it to church this morning - big mistake. I had to drive with the flashers on because it would barely get up to 30mph. A couple of backfires too. Under load it runs like crap but runs good abeit idles high in park.

 

yeah you can spray carb cleaner on the sensor, just don't spray to hard or to much because you can ruin the sensor. I highly doubt though that's your only problem, sounds like to me somebody put that distributor in backwards. Have you checked your intakes for any cracks or your distributor could be cracked. Do you know if the coil has been replaced, if there isn't enough spark that could be a major part of the problem.

 

Coil looks original. No Blue lines around it in the dark. No sparks outside either. Replaced MAF sensor. The idle doesn't wander now but under load it still acts like it might be denonating. It just vibrates with no power above say 30 MPH. Exhaust smells lean. Could it be the fuel injectors? I bought an O2 sensor but haven't put it on yet. Should I?

 

If you're not getting a check engine light, I wouldn't worry about the O2 sensors right now. I think it's either the coil or a vacuum leak somewhere. Have you checked the plug wires for any cuts or wear from rubbing. Could also be a bad throttle position sensor, or a bad air idle bypass valve.

 

Coil resistance is within spec. Ran seafoam in tank and had injectors cleaned. It will run up to 55MPH now after I replaced the MAF sensor. It still runs a bit rough especially when warmed up and it is still running lean. The idle surge is gone now with the new MAF sensor.

Will a vacuum leak cause a lean condition?

 

Yes a vacum leak can cause a lean condition, and pull your codes.
Many codes can be stored without setting off the check engine light.
Good Luck Frank

 

Wow, that MAF did some good. I had to clean mine, doing a much smaller version of what you're talking. Def check into the vacuum lines. and yes go ahead with the O2 sensor, course it wouldn't make it run like that, but what can it hurt? I would think if the TPS was bad it wouldn't run at all. I unplugged mine one time, and it cut off.

 

Still sounds like a vacuum leak to me. Just for grins & giggles I'd check out the cat converter.

 

I did the running test and then checked codes. I got 111 system pass after turning it off. While running it gave 16,17?,23,11,12,18.

 

Is the cat convertor check where you pull the O2 sensor out and see if it runs better? I haven't done that yet.

 

Thats a lot of codes, on the first thread of the "96" forum theres a list of codes somewhere in there. Check your numbers up to them.

 

From the Haynes manual:
16= IDM signal not received
17= ?
23=TP sensor out of self test range
11= system pass
12=RPM unable to reach upper test limit
18=SPOUT circuit open or spark angle word failure