I have had this truck since new. It is a 2003 F250 4X4 Crewcab, automatic trans. The current milage is 70K. No modifications have been made to it, still has original sparks plugs, brakes. Never towed with it, it has had an easy life. It has had an intermitant cold run problem since day one.

Here are the symptoms:

On a cold start, I can back it out of the garage and shut it down a few seconds later. Upon restart, it will run very badly. This will continue for a couple of minutes than clear up. It will do this just about everytime. If I start it and run it around the block, the next restart is normal. Never a check engine light on. This has been going on since it was new.

Now, the cruise control when first engaged, seems to be confused. When the speed is set, the vehicle speed drops till I tap the accl button than it will pick it up. On occasion, after speed has been set and run, it will drop speed than go full throttle for a few seconds than tapper off. This is all on level ground.

Power door locks after engine shut down, on occasion will not work. I have gotten used to unlocking them before shutting the engine off. The truck will also ignore the key fob on occasions...batteries have been replaced in the key fobs.

Today, I stabbed full throttle at about 25 MPH, it took several seconds for the engine to respond. It didn't drop speed while doing this, it acted like it was ignoring the sudden throttle input. After the delay, it took off like it should. The engine seems to have lost top end performance, still has plenty of low end power.

Does one computer run all of this?

Thank you for your help

 

How old is the battery?

 

The battery is 36 Mos old

 

Clean the MAF sensor and replace the fuel filter first then disconnect the battery cable and bleed off any excess voltage by turning the headlights on. Hook everything up.

Being the original plugs and COP boots on the truck I'd be willing to bet they are going south. My dads 03' developed a cold start miss at around 60k.

You should try not to start the truck up and move it then shut it off right away, it tends to put excess fuel into the system and can create a puff of smoke from excess fuel at startup which I suspect is partly due to the stock exhaust system.

The stock tuning on the trucks are sluggish with lag which seems to get worse when you baby the truck. Change the fuel filter, clean the MAF, add some fuel injector cleaner and take it on the highway and flog it a little. The PCM controls everything with help from the MAFS, O2 sensors and various other sensors.

 

What DKF says will be better advise than mine but on rare occations a battery will wig out electrical systems befor it dies. I just moved to AZ and have been told the heat is extra hard on batterys to boot. I think what happens is the crap builds up in the bottom of the battery and just befor that stuff builds high enough to short between the plates it intermiting shorts a couple of plates. I had a dodge van do similar weird things intermittingly. I gave up on basic fixes and took it to a dealer. The dealer told me to put a battery in it and then bring it back if it still had the same problem. Damdest thing was it fixed it but I never had a problem starting or a dead battery.

 

Thank you for your help, I'll get a start on it this weekend.

FP

 

Batteries in AZ usually last about 24 months. This one is has lasted longer because the truck got very little use last summer. It still turns the engine over well, but I will be replacing it this weekend to eliminate another possibility.