Another IDLE problem for you Ford Techs

[lorenambrose]

I am literally having the EXACT issue Blackedge03 was having with his 2003 Edge 3.0l.

I have a rough idle. Feels like a misfire, but I am left scratching by head. PLEASE HELP.

Here is the data and work done so far:

2003 Ford Ranger Edge 3.0l FFV 2WD with 5 speed AUTO.

1. Recent compression check numbers:

cyl1 161
cyl2 156
cyl3 160
cyl4 160
cyl5 146
cyl6 165

2. Vacuum check:

18" and steady

3. Fuel Pressure check:

a. ~40psi withe key on engine off

b. 60psi with engine running

c. Leak down test:
- Fuel psi drops from 60 to 50 when engine is shut off and holds steady
- Pressure drops ~12 psi in 30 minutes

4. Checked the PIDs with my scanner and all are within factory limits. Specifically checked the following:

ALL CHECKED WITH THE ENGINE AT OPERATING TEMP

a. TPS% = 17.8
b. LOAD = 21
c. All Fuel trims = within specs
d. MAF = ~4.9
e. Spark Advance = 18 deg
f. CTS = 193 deg
g. O2 sensors = within specs

I have changed or had the dealer change the following:

1. Coil Pack
2. Plug wires = Autolite premium
3. Plugs = Autolite Extreme Performance XP104 gapped to .045"
4. Upper Intake Gaskets
5. Heads and Head Gaskets due to an overheated engine.
6. TPS (throttle position sensor)
7. IAC (idle air control) valve
8. Fuel Filter

I have performed the following recent maintenance:

1. Oil and filter = Valvoline Maxlife 5W-30 w/ motorcraft filter
2. Seafoam through the brake booster hose twice in the last month
3. 3 tanks of Shell 87 with Techron or Gumout w/ Regain fuel system cleaner
4. Winns fuel system service = same as seafoaming in reality
5. Cleaned MAF with CRC MAF cleaner
6. Sent oil sample from last oil change to Blackstone for analysis. Awaiting report.

Ford Dealer performed Power Balance check and found nothing. Mode 6 data revealed a misfire on cyl 5 & 2 but never threw a code or CEL. Mechanic found no reason for the misfires.

 

[lorenambrose]

The truck has been to the dealership twice and nothing was found. They said that on the outside chance it was something internal, there was not near enough cause to tear the engine apart to investigate.

 

[Earl43P]

Mist the coilpack, plug wires & boots at night and look for arcing at different rpms.

Worth a shot.

 

[lorenambrose]

Mist the coilpack, plug wires & boots at night and look for arcing at different rpms.

Worth a shot.

Did that. Nothing.

Interesting note though. I am very anal about engine cleanliness so I went out to do the spring engine cleaning. After rinsing the engine off I noticed the engine seems to run much better.

Now the only place on this engine where water can pool in on the horizontal surfaces, and the only surfaces that have seems with seals on these surfaces are around the injectors.

Is it possible that there is a vacuum leak around the injector O-Rings? I will have to wait for the motor to completely dry and see if the idle issue returns.

 

[fourwheelford]

That is possible I had a volvo that had massive vac leaks at all four injectors I replaced all the o rings and then later on did the injectors also it pinged less after all of that. Spray carb cleaner around all of the injectors and if the idle changes theres your culprit. The o-rings are probably a bit spendy but thats a good guess as to where the leak is.

 

[j_reagan]

try cleaning your mas airflow sensor and make sure that the internals are for your truck i was running one from a 2.3 for a little while like an idiot. also make sure you have the right spark lpugs and that all of your wires are plugged in properly such as iat and mas. oh and check your grounds there was on on the drivers side going from the fire wall to the head that broke and it was causing misfire and my spark plug was arcing closest to the broken ground.