Shran
Junk Collector
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V8 Engine Swap
Solid Axle Swap
Truck of Month
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2008
- Messages
- 8,736
- Reaction score
- 4,862
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Rapid City SD
- Engine Type
- V8
- Engine Size
- 5.0
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sweet!!!! guess i'm gonna have to figure something else out then. nothing has changed, plug wires are good, thermostat is back in and isnt leaking anymore. any ideas where to go next? dont really have the dough to take it to my shop.
again, here's what is happening now:
cranks right up, RPM's up around 1500-2000 and then drops suddenly to 800 RPM's and the check engine light comes on. it will drive just fine while it's doing this, just idles really low.
O'Reilly has a code reader that will work. I have used it before. Other parts stores may also have one - those are just the only two stores here that do.oh yes, it is frustrating. my mpg was shot before this crap started happening. i do have some good news though, my radiator now has pressure, so the water pump may have actually been no good, so i'm happy about that....just pissed that it wasnt causing this other problem. think its time for a new thread.
plus, to make matters even worse, my DD exploder needs a new muffler, new shocks, state inspection and my steering is acting up. this has started out an awful week.
I think you are chasing multiple issues here. So your radiator is holding pressure, and it's heating evenly? Do you have a working temp gauge yet, and if so, what does it read? If you don't have one, that needs to be your NEXT step.
Get your codes read after that.
Idle speed spec, IIRC, is 800 RPM with a manual trans and 850 RPM for an automatic. I don't have a reference book in front of me, that is just off the top of my head so it may not be exact, but it is very close. In any case 800 RPM at idle seems very normal. If it drops a lot lower than that or is erratic then I would suspect a problem. It is normal for Ford vehicles to idle a little high when first started - all of mine do the same thing yours does. It drops down after a bit.
Your fuel mileage issue could be several things. Most likely would be fuel pressure regulator, coolant temp sensor, or oxygen sensor. But before you go replacing parts get your codes read.