1996 FI 4 banger bucking at high rev.

[the pirate]

I have a 1996 FI 4 banger. It started bucking at higher revs under load toward the run out for each gear. Normaly I would have tried to diag and fix the issue myself but being a new parent and all my time is limted for such things. So I ran it by a "trusted" shop Ben white automotive in south Austin Tx. So I get there and I get the mechanic to do a ride along with me. I get the truck to do the bucking and he instantly tels me it is bad coils, sees this all the time. SO... I pay a rather large sum -o- cash for 8 new plugs, 8 new wires, and 2 coils. Truck idles better than ever and it drove fine for 24 hours then bam as soon as it heated up a bit same issue. Now that I have had a minute to look around here it seems I may have a vacume leak or a bad EGR valve. I am betting the valve. I am in the process of trying to remove it because well Frack going back to that know nothing shop. the only problem though is it WILL NOT come off the little pipe that goes down to the exaust manifold. I am afraid I will break the Fracking thing right off. Any pointers in getting this peice of Shart off?

 

[the pirate]

Well looks like I may have found my answer here. Looks like Ford tried to make this one of those things you HAVE to go to a dealship shop for. Or they just did a poor job designing it. Either way looks like it is going to be a chore. Guess I may need to make a specialized tool to get it off. I am going to leave the valve bolted to the manifold and try to loosen the nut first otherwise you risk breaking the flimsy darn thing right off. Man and I thought pulling the tranny out of this thing and getting it back in was a pain.

 

[the pirate]

So here are the stats. On the day I was getting ready to replace the EGR valve I get a follow up call from the shop to see if I was happy. (Insert my suprise here) So I tell them no I am in fact not happy at all. The truck is still bucking. So they convince me to come back for a free look and see. I go there and watch as they pull the EGR and test it to see if it is holding vacume and opening and closing properly. Which it was. They put every thing back together replaced a couple of bad vacume hoses and done. Not bucking any more. I am supposed to keep an eye on it and make sure it behaves itself. They were even cool enough to offer free labor if it acts up again in the next month and we decide to swap the EGR. Went from pissed and un-impressed with this shop to happy and glad to know them.

 

[Earl43P]

Nice.

That's how it should be, customer satisfied.

 

[Army]

Had the same problem less than a month ago, and also replaced my front coil.

The shop ran the codes and it said the cam sensor was out. Swapped that, gave it back....same problem. New test, same code, so they swapped out the computer.....same problem. We are now two weeks into this, and I have to drive 100 miles every day.

Back to the shop. This time, the owner took it to a dyno equipped shop. Immediately diagnosed a cracked coil. New coil in, and problem solved.....except for payment

Shop owner said, since I already paid for the sensor and computer and labor for all that.....the coil, two days in the shop and dyno test was no charge at all.

Which is why I always go back to these guys