Hey guys I am having a HUGE problem with my 2000 f150 4.2l V6


This is the story " and forgive me because it IS a long one so PLEASE bear with me"

This is my "show" truck and has lods of body and suspension mods done but ZERO engine work done to it

The truck sat for roughly 5 years without being drive but WAS started from time to time and was always idleing/running fine, Then one day I could not get the truck to stay running, It would crank and kick over but then idle HORRIBLY and then just die out on me

I have an external fuel cell in the truck with an edelbrock external fuel pump and a edelbrock external fuel filter, So far this is what I have replaced...
1) fuel pressure regulator "this was JUST changed today"
2) Idle air control valve
3) new spark plugs
4) spark plug wires
5) new ignition coil
6) I am not exactly sure what this piece is called since it has been AGES since I changed it but it is mounted right next to the brake booster"if looking at the brake booster from the front bumper it is on the left side "it has a vacuum line dunning in to it, as well as what looks like 2 fuel lines, it is all plastic and the top of it spins but does not come off it also has a molex plug that connects to it as well "If I can find a picture or take on of it I will make sure to post it to help with ID
7) Ran ALL new fuel lines up to where they connect to the fuel rail.
8) Also replaced EVERY vacuum line thinking possibly a vac line go a small hole in it
Ok so let me now go into depth about the situation as best as I can...
The truck WILL crank and will "SOMEWHAT" start/idle HOWEVER thats is it, It idles VERY rough, to the point that the ENTIRE truck shakes violently, If I try to give it ANY type of throttle the truck will idle very badly and then just DIE out on me

Also if this helps I checked for codes and I get NOTHING other than the fuel level sender since I am not using one due to the custom 30 gallon fuel cell

If you guys need ANY more info I will try and give you AS MUCH info as I possibly can, I am very mechanically inclined as I have been working on cars for the last 13 years but I gotta tell you this one has me stumped, Luckily my dad has a 99 f150 with the same 4.2l motor so I have also been trying different parts from his truck that runs perfectly fine and NOTHING seems to help

I always put premium in the truck "mainly because that is waht my other car takes and its just force of habit

I am in DIRE need of help/suggestions to get this damned thing up and running so I can use it as my daily driver once again as I absolutely LOVE this truck and have NEVER had a single problem...that is until this started

I am literally BEGIN you guys for your help as I am sure that THIS forum just like so many others is FULL of awesome information

Please post in this thread,PM me OR Email me at my personal email at tinctorus@aol.com

Also I live in sought florida and do car audio installations for a living for the last 12 years so anyone that is local and can come help me out I will do my best work to you truck to get your f150 JAMMIN and sounded UBER clean and clear

Again guys I really am at wits and and DEESPERATLY need help and am will to help out whomever solves the problem to the best of my ability

Thanks in advance
Mike G

 

hi, i would try your dads battery before swapping anything else. these trucks need full power to operate correctly. bokker.

 

Since it sat for 5 years, how old is the fuel in the 'fuel cell'? Could there be water in the fuel? Can you test the fuel pressure delivered to the fuel rail for the injectors? Could you connect to the original tank to check for the new stuff not working?
The 4.2 has a reputation for having head gaskets leak, allowing coolant into the cylinder, and 'hydro-locking' the engine, or bending the connecting rod, leading to a lopey idle. Do you have good compression on all 6 cylinders?
An engine the 'falls on its face' when you open the throttle is generally starved for fuel, unless the timing is way off. The MAF sensor can be unplugged, and the ECM will use default readings to 'guess' at how much air is coming in, and the engine should run with the default. If the MAF were wonky, the ECM would not necessarily know, and would 'listen' to the bad information the MAF was sending. A default would be better in that case.
tom

 

The advice given above is just what I was going to say.

Make sure the battery is good.

Make sure coolant level has not dropped. A compression and leak down test would let you know for sure if you had a leaky lower intake manifold gasket.

Make sure the gas is good.

Did you remove the factory fuel filter when you added the external filter? If not, check it to make sure it is not clogged.

MAF and other items related to engine and fuel management would be suspect. Good advice on the MAF. Just unplug it and the ECM will operate on default parameters.

new plugs and wires? Recent? Just before problems? Make sure you have the plug wires connected correctly. Many have made this mistake even when trying to avoid it. (including me)


By the way, that little thing in item 6) is part of the fuel evaporation emissions stuff. It is used to take fuel vapors through the combustion cycle so they don't just vent off into the atmosphere.
It is part of the circuit that will lead to a check engine light if you leave the fuel cap off (Can't pull a vacuum on the fuel tank)

Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

 

Sorry I should have put some answers in here as to what I have already done, I posted this in another section as well so forgive me

ALL of the gas in the truck is new, I took the fuel cell out and drained it along with all of the fuel in the lines and rail, I bled the system essentially

Since I am using an aftermarket fuel cell I am using an external fuel pump and external fuel filter, I ran new gas running to and from the fuel rail "feed and return since this is a return style system" nothing about the fuel system is stock as far as the tank,pump,filter and lines HOWEVER the fuel rail and injectors are stock as I never had a need to change them

The truck ran great with this setup for roughly 2 years before I parked it and never once gave me a single problem...

The battery is fine as I keep the truck on a constant trickle charger and shows a constant 14 volts and NEVER drops below 12.8-13.2 while cranking so I know it is not a battery issue

I have tried swapping components from my dads truck that runs just to check them before going and just buying parts but so far NOTHING has seemed o fix the problem...

I have removed ALL of my vacuum lines and pressure checked them to make sure there are no pinhole leaks or cracks in any of the fittings from dry rotting or "critters" since it has sat for so long

I even tried swapping pcm's with my dads truck thinking that possibly the computer was not sending a good injector pulse signal, However that was not the case as the truck acted no differently than it did with my computer.

I checked for codes and while I am not showing and it does say something to the effect of 3 of 8 readiness monitors are complete " I am not sure what that means to be honest"

I am TRULY at a loss here guys as it really seems to be a fuel issue but NOTHING I have done has seemed to correct the problem

I have also gone through and cleaned the MAF since I know that can give it a rough idle but would still allow the truck to run

Anymore advice or help would really be appreciated, I KNOW for a fact that I have plenty of fuel pressure and spark which is why I am at such a loss right now as to why the truck wont even start, I mean if it would at least crank up and stay running "even a rough idle would make me happy at this point" it would help me narrow down the situation somewhat

 

Everything that I have changed has all been since the truck stopped running aside from the aftermarket fuel cell and pump as I needed something that didnt sit below the frame rails as the truck is on airbags and lays frame and I didnt want to drag through the gas tank LOL

 

It does sound like fuel delivery problem, but.....

Have you swapped the coil pack?
They have been known to crack/fail and cause rough idle/running.
That is the next thing I'd look at.

If you find it is not a bad coil pack, I'd start looking at possibility of bad injector(s).

 

Yup already swapped coil packs,plugs and wires

 

Two thoughts:
1) retrieve and report all the codes stored in the ECM.
2)measure the TPS for dropout. You may have a faulty TPS that is reporting 'closed throttle' when it is open, and the MAF is reporting something different, but the engine is not warmed up enough to get past the stumble that would be occuring, and instead, stalls and dies.
Let it warm up for a bit, yeah, even in FL, so the inevitable 'lean' can be skipped past.

If the injectors are plugged, you could get a 'motorvac' treatment to clean them, by running them on a commercial cleaning solution rather than a dilute cleaner you can add to your tank. I expect you are not looking for stuck valves from sitting, but it is a possibility. When starting from cold, does it crank right up or do you have to wear out the starter before it fires?
tom

 

I had thought of the TPS awhile back so I swapped it with the one on my dad's truck and the problem stayed the same unfortunately, I also swapped MAF sensors with his truck and nothing changed....yet again LOL

My next step is to soak the truck in gas and light it

As far as cranking it sometimes it will kick over and then stall right away and others I will have to crank and crank and crank before it kicks over and dies...
I had thought of clogged injectors since it did sit for those number of years with gas in the tank/lines so I do suppose it is possible that they COULD be stuck in I would assume the closed position, But then I get to thinking what are the odds that ALL 6 of them are stuck closed?
I enjoy working on my truck and my other vehicles and am the type of person who would MUCH rather break my back all day and do the job myself as opposed to taking it to a mechanic and just handing him a check and saying here fix it...That brings me no satisfaction of having accomplished something on my own, Unfortunately I think this may be one time where I have to throw in the rag and let my family machanic take a look at it

 

Try squirting WD-40 down the throat of the intake. Let the throttle butterfly go closed, and try to start. If it fires right off, you know you have some sort of fuel problem. Starting Ether would do the same, or a squirt gun filled with gasoline, but WD is a lot safer, and you are likely to have some available.
If it does not fire off, or at least combust with a few croaks and whatever as IF it were trying to run, you may have an electronic ignition problem.
When carbs were in use, we'd drizzle gas down the venturi when we were diagnosing. Had some interesting times when backfires occurred...
tom

 

Wouldnt the starter fluid I had been using do the same thing as the wd-40 except I dont mind starter fluid in the engine whereas with wd-40 I am not so sure, Im not saying your wrong but is wd-40 safe to spray INTO an engine???

 

WD 40 will work fine.
Anything sensible, including the ether, should help determine if it is fuel delivery or ignition/engine management.