Hey everyone ...

I gotta tell ya ... you guys are THE BEST!!

My hat is off to all the 'obviously' knowledgable people that
read this forum and help out the rest of us ... so THANKS!!

So here's my problem, 1987 F-150 4.9 EFI, 3-speed w/OD,
2 wheel drive ...

(by the way I'm good with a wrench, used to rebuild
old 'Beetles' and always seem to be the one that all
my friends turn to for help, and TOOLS!!)

So anyway .. I read so many good things about this motor,
how it smokes tires and pulls like a mule ...

but mines SUCKS ... no power .. not missing or coughing
just can't get out of it's own way ... and yes everything
is new, fuel pump, filters, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, new
vaccume lines ... don't make a difference ... first day I
change em or 6 months later ... still no power .... revs are
SO SLOW to come up this truck can't get out of it's own way ....

and one more problem .... if I run around town, especially
on a warm day (forget hot days) and I park for a few minutes,
when I restart the truck it goes into CARDIAC ARREST!!!!!

It starts EVERYTIME mind you ... but feels like it's running
on 2 cylinders .... then I pump the gas and bring the revs
up (which takes time and pumping) and then the patient
comes back to life ... but still runs like crap ....

This even happens when it's 10 DEGREES OUT!! like it has
been all too often in beautiful NJ this winter ...

Sorry to ramble on so ..... I would really like someone who
knows THIS MOTOR to take a look at it with me ... would
be willing to invest a few $$$$ for your time ... but will
settle for any FREE ADVISE you guys can give me .....

Live in NJ?? willing to take a look at my truck??? I can drive
just about anywhere as long as I keep crusing ... (getting
stuck idleing in traffic for any lenght of time also causes
that same CARDIAC ARREST!!!!)

I see everyone recommends cutting off the EGR, which I
will definitely try the next time it warms up enough to get
under the hood .... but I can't imagine just doing that would
fix all this ...... however personally I do suspect my problem
is related to some 'valve' or another ....

Thanks for reading this!!

doc brown

 

Maybe I missed it in your post, but beyond the EGR fix so many of us like, (and do totally block it off - I used the 1/8" hole and now plan to just block it off altogether), adjusting the timing seems to improve quite a few sluggish-type complaints.

There is, of course, a fuel pressure regulator that may need changed. Ford redesigned them, and actually recalled them on specific trucks (not sure which ones), but they are made of stainless steel now. I can't say your problems sound like a FPR dilemma, but hey, why not?

Or your catalytic(s), or some other part in your exhaust system, may be stuffed up. How would this affect it upon a hot engine start up? Um... good point...

Or, take a close look for a messed up fuel line/rail.

Do yourself a favor if you haven't used a good fuel system cleaner - go buy a bottle of Chevron Techron (the regular Techron, not the bottle that says something to the effect of "Fuel system/Injector cleaner with Techron) (i.e. go to Wal Mart or Pep Boys automotive), dump it in your tank at teh gas statinon, top it off with gas to mix it, and run the tank down until you have about 1/8th of a tank left.

Techron really is good stuff. Used to be $14 a bottle when it first came out, and it was the first, adn may be still the only, cleaner that cleans the carbon off of the cylinder / piston surfaces.

Anyway, beyond that I can't think of too much else at this time, but lets hope you don't need injectors. (to keep my injectors and fuel pump 'lubed' a little better, I always use 4 ounces of MMO to ten gallons of gas, except for when I have a bottle of techron in it every 3000 miles or so - the truck doesn't accelerate noticeably faster, but the drivetrain accelerates with a smoother feeling.)

Best,

GammaDriver

 

my l6 cant squeel them off the line, but i can break stand it. she is kinda sluggish, but the l6 is a work engine.

for your power problem try re-timing it, and maybe try cleaning the injectors, air filter, maybe run codes on it. also try a compression test. if it seems like its running on only 2 cylinders you might have a bad seal somewhere. just a thought

 

also there might be a weak sensor somewhere. try the EGR restrictor plate

 

Hey!!

Thanks for the replies I got ALREADY!!

see, you guys are THE BEST!!

You know I honestly can't tell you the last time I checked
the timing ... but I have an old 'Penske' light buried some
where in the garage (and the shop manual that will hopefully
tell me where to set it??) ... so while I'm installing the 'restrictor
plate' I'll be sure to check it!!

(does anyone recommend setting it either 'before' or
'after' the 'factory spec' ... if so what should I set it to??)

Fuel injector cleaner on the other hand I use QUITE
FREQUENTLY especially when I'm taking a little trip down
the GSP or the TPK ... but I will specifically try the 'Chevron'
cocktail next time!!!

The exhaust system 'seems' to be OK (not blocked) when I
have someone 'rev' it for me I feel the output increase and
I feel it at idle as well ...

Don't forget when this baby is COLD (first 20 or 30 minutes
after any cold start, like first thing in the morning) she runs
fine .. other than little to no, get up and go!!

but if I were to have to sit and idle things would deterioriate
rapidly .... and as I described in my original thread, if I shut
her down, run into Pathmark (or Food Lion :-) for milk ....
when I come out to restart HOT ... it will start, but I guess feels 'starved' for fuel or air, I don't know which (airway is
clear and filter is new, fuel pump and filter are new as well)
but as the 'revs' finally come up (to 2k or so) it feels like it's runnin on all '6' again???

I would hate to think I would have to go to the 'D' word
(dealer) and have them put it on the computer to tell me
which damn valve is causing this ... because I've learned
from reading this forum that there are SO MANY and some
of em ain't CHEAP!! GammaDriver mentioned 'FPR' .. and
we talked about 'EGR' ... but I've also read about MAP,
IAC, TPS, TFI and EEC ... also MAF (mass air flow, but not
until 1994) .... and here I thought the 'computer world'
cornered the market on acronyms!!!

So you see I've been trying to do my homework and not
bother you guys but I was hoping that like any good 'doctor'
one of you would hear and recognized the 'symptoms' and
know the CURE!!!!

I'll try all the stuff we talked about as soon as the weather
breaks but the forcast is calling for SINGLE DIGITS and TEENS
for the rest of the week!! (I guess we're paying for all those
'mild winters' we've had lately ...) so you might not hear from
me for a few days ...

and I'd still like to hook up with someone in NJ that knows
this motor ....

Thanks to all ....

doc brown

 

It does sound like you have a lean condition when hot. I'm not sure the IAC could flow that much through it to do as you describe, but if it was messing up, or actualy broken, then perhaps it could?

Yeah, with your problems I'd get that EGR plate made and put that job in my top three to do soon.

I am sure that a few others will chime in soon.

To check the timing on these Fords, there is a connector that needs to be undone (SPOUT connector) or the timing will read erratically and 'off'. I'm not sure what controls the overall timing on these, but obviously some computer takes over when the SPOUT is connected and it is warm.

My (1993) SPOUT is just forward of the dirver's side corner of the firewall. It is just a little grey plastic jumper that one pulls out of its socket to chekc the timing. Your year of truck is probably different (maybe near the distributor?)

Generally people find that these trucks run best right at their specified timing marks (what is it guys, 10 degrees btdc?) - but I put mine to eleven or twelve, as have some others, and we run premium gas. Why? Well, we don't like to have our wallets too full of money now - but otherwise the improvement is really only marginal for advanced timing.


Best,

GammaDriver

 

i used to have the exact same problem, it would drive fine and when i would get back in it to leave it would start missing out and straiten up a few blocks later. in my case it was a vaccum problem. i had a bad vaccum Reservoir . the coffee can looking thing on your fender well. it is a dealer part that set me back 35 bucks and all it is, is a coffee can with 2 one way valves in it. but i would devinately do a vacume test on it,
hope it helps

 

Vacuum seems to be a common problem. Do a check of your vacuum lines and anything connected to them or require a vacuum to work. I've also had problems with screws/bolts backing out on intakes and air inlets. The throttle body area would be a good place to look for loose items... perhaps after the truck warms up, the wrong things are spreading, but not equally (dissimiliar materials) then after the calibrated amount of air gets into the intake anymore air will cause a lean condition.

Just some more thought... are you getting a check engine light? This is a computer controlled engine, right?

-Kerry

 

kspilkinton reminded me of a somewhat common problem reported around here - the air plenum, or runners, gasket(s). The plenum may be heating up, expanding, and allowing air to be sucked in through some of your runners.

I think someone recommended using spray WD-40 on a warmed up engine to coat the vacuum lines and the intake gasket areas to see if it temporarily runs better.

Ok, I'm done throwing out suggestions now - just couldn't allow that idea to slip by. Hope you get it figured out. There's rarely a magic fix, or an obvious problem on these things (reckon they aren't like Beetle engines), so you'll probably need to plan on doing some greasy detective work yourself to narrow the problem down.

GammaDriver

 

Once again THANKS TO ALL!!

I will:

install the restrictor plate
check the timing
inspected that 'coffee can' gizmo (I always wondered
what that was!!?)
run some Chevron FI cleaner through there
check my 'air plenum'
spray the engine down with WD-40 to see if it
makes any difference

and recheck ALL vacume lines ....

as soon as the weather warms up around here!!!!

I'll update you guys as soon as I have something
to report ...

doc brown

 

The hot restart problem is a fairly well known one on the I6. Heat from the exhaust soaks the fuel rail and you get vapor locked. On some of the earlier trucks Ford used a fan and ductwork to cool the rail. By 96 they had settled for a simple heat sheild. If yours has the fan, make sure it's working.

It could also be the fuel supply system. Check the vacuum line on your pressure regulator, if there's gas present, you have a bad regulator. If it's dry, check that sure you have 55 PSI in the fuel rail KOEO with both the front and rear pumps. If you make pressure then your pumps are OK. If your pressure reading is good, check to see that the pressure holds within 5 PSI for at least a minute, if so then your injectors aren't leaking.

 

Hey guys ...

Said I'd post out when I got a chance to do some of this work,
so here I am ....

Got a little break in the weather here in NJ this weekend so
I managed to spend a little time under the hood ...

I installed that 'EGR restrictor plate' everyone is always
talkin about ... and I bumped my timing up to about 11.5 ....

changed the oil and added Chevron Techron (on sale in
Pep Boys for $5.00) to a tank full of Mobile regular ($1.53)

and my truck is running BETTER ........

FYI ... swapping from a 'Fram' filer to a genuine Motorcraft filer
didn't do SQUAT for my oil pressure ... my oil pump is new, one
of those 30% better than stock numbers .. and my pressure
sensor is new as well ... but my pressure is still barely in the
'normal' range when I'm crusin' and drops well beyond that
(but not into the 'red') when I idle ...... so in my case the post
I read a while back about this motor needing a 'genuine' Ford
filter didn't 'pan' out for me .....

Otherwise since the restrictor plate and the timing adjustment
I am idling MUCH better (800-900 .. no surging) and do seem
to have more 'power' as I can effortlessly wind up to 3500rpm
between gears .....

I still have to recheck all the vacume lines which I did in the
Fall after a Summer of problems .... and I still need to change
to a shorter belt to take my screaming and locking Pollution
Pump out of the equasion .....

and I did expierence the original 'hot start' problem where
it feels like my engine is STARVING for air and/or gas ... one time
yesterday ..... but it came back to life a lot quicker once I got
the revs up and ran fine after that .....

Well that's it for now ... still having 'problems' especially
with that 'HOT START' ... but EGR plate and timing did seem
to help .....

Thanks to all,

doc brown