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2 steps forward, 10 steps back... ANOTHER problem...

  • Thread starter Thread starter inphiniti
  • Start date Start date Jun 24, 2008
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inphiniti

Active Member
Mar 15, 2003
412
3
28
Providence, RI
Jun 24, 2008
#1
  • Jun 24, 2008
  • #1
its true, everytime you try and do something good for your car somethin breaks... its as if you just cant get by it...

my car feels as tho it wantts to fall on its face... its skipping and studdering. we've done a tune up(cap, plugs, wires and fuel filter...) we've done some searchs for a vaccume leak... we saw that the tp level is little higher than 1 i believe my buddy said. other than that the cars not throwin out any codes other than that and the car is running lean...

i personally think its a intake gasket or somethin...

the car sounds like it has a cam in it, however the cams not installed yet... atleast it gives me an idea of how its supposed to sound

any ideas
 

vp5.0

New Member
Apr 25, 2008
20
0
1
laredo, tx
Jun 24, 2008
#2
  • Jun 24, 2008
  • #2
is it surging?? if it is it might be a vacuum leak on ur intake
 
I

inphiniti

Active Member
Mar 15, 2003
412
3
28
Providence, RI
Jun 24, 2008
#3
  • Jun 24, 2008
  • #3
vp5.0 said:
is it surging?? if it is it might be a vacuum leak on ur intake
Click to expand...

like i said, it sounds like i have a cam in the car... when i drive it norrmally, when the RPMs raise, it feels as if i am driving a 5spd, and i am in first gear... and im taking off, but either letting off the clutch too early or not giving it enough gas


mind you, i drive an auto... im sure that was a bad analogy, but you get the idea... itll feel like it wants to cut out when goin from Rev to Drive...

again im still thinkin the vaccum leak on the intake which would be solved once we put the new intakes in..
 

Chythar

Recently finished repairing my rear
20+ Year Stangneter
Aug 26, 2004
2,373
140
113
Foothill Ranch, CA
Jun 24, 2008
#4
  • Jun 24, 2008
  • #4
Clean the MAF and ACT sensors, especially if you have a reusable filter and you just cleaned & re-oiled it.

Could your CAI have popped loose? As for your TPS, did you adjust your idle? I've seen several posts here that describe how to reset your idle. I'd wait until you find the leak before you adjust your idle or you'll have to do it all over again.

Did you re-use any gaskets? I have a bad habit of re-using the upper-to-lower intake gasket and more often than not it ends up leaking.
 

Yobi1Kanobi

Member
Apr 9, 2003
559
0
16
Jun 24, 2008
#5
  • Jun 24, 2008
  • #5
how do u find a vac leak
 

Yellow302

Member
Mar 2, 2003
789
2
19
NJ
Jun 24, 2008
#6
  • Jun 24, 2008
  • #6
ill go with, lower intake manifold leak, and or blown head gasket. I had thoughts problems, look into the serious ones first instead of the usual tune up thing... another time my car did that the fuel pump fuse was intermittently going in and out... don't ask...
 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
31,179
33
129
Jun 25, 2008
#7
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #7
inphiniti said:
its skipping and studdering.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of a kid I went to school with.

Put a meter on the TPS signal wire and watch for a linear, unbroken sweep from 1 to ~4.5 volts.

Does it act differently if you take off with very little throttle input vs a WOT launch?
 

BlackVert

15 Year Member
Oct 3, 2003
5,589
9
98
Bethesda, MD
Jun 25, 2008
#8
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #8
while the car is idling, spray carb cleaner at the possible leak spots. when it is close to the leak, some of the carb cleaner will be sucked in and the idle will change for a second.

good luck
 
I

inphiniti

Active Member
Mar 15, 2003
412
3
28
Providence, RI
Jun 25, 2008
#9
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #9
Chythar said:
Clean the MAF and ACT sensors, especially if you have a reusable filter and you just cleaned & re-oiled it.

Could your CAI have popped loose? As for your TPS, did you adjust your idle? I've seen several posts here that describe how to reset your idle. I'd wait until you find the leak before you adjust your idle or you'll have to do it all over again.

Did you re-use any gaskets? I have a bad habit of re-using the upper-to-lower intake gasket and more often than not it ends up leaking.
Click to expand...

im going to try and clean the MAF this weekend... no idle was adjusted... CAI was teh first thing we checked... as far as the gaskets, theyre still the stock gaskets... i never swapped anything over on teh motor yet, this problem came up before hand...

Yellow302 said:
ill go with, lower intake manifold leak, and or blown head gasket. I had thoughts problems, look into the serious ones first instead of the usual tune up thing... another time my car did that the fuel pump fuse was intermittently going in and out... don't ask...
Click to expand...

lol. thats waht i think it is to be honest, i think its a intake gasket... but who am i, certainly not a mechanic LOL

HISSIN50 said:
Reminds me of a kid I went to school with.

Put a meter on the TPS signal wire and watch for a linear, unbroken sweep from 1 to ~4.5 volts.

Does it act differently if you take off with very little throttle input vs a WOT launch?
Click to expand...

yes it does... it acts as if i am driving a 5spd for the first time. you know, when you either let off the clutch too quickly or dont give it enough gas it wants to bog out and die on its face. (sorry thats teh best analogy i got ) WOT, same thing.... my buddy still thinks its too much air getting into the motor, hence where a gasket would be shot would come into play...

also once and awhile ill hear what soudns to be like a knock against somethin... it could be combustion of the extra air getting in, no?

BlackVert said:
while the car is idling, spray carb cleaner at the possible leak spots. when it is close to the leak, some of the carb cleaner will be sucked in and the idle will change for a second.

good luck
Click to expand...

thats exactly what i did... not much changed... no idea what else it could be
 
I

inphiniti

Active Member
Mar 15, 2003
412
3
28
Providence, RI
Jun 25, 2008
#10
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #10
cleaned the MAF tonite... wow what a difference that made! howver, it still has a rough idle and my TP Level is slightly over 1 so were going to lower that... hopefully thatll help
 

Chythar

Recently finished repairing my rear
20+ Year Stangneter
Aug 26, 2004
2,373
140
113
Foothill Ranch, CA
Jun 25, 2008
#11
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #11
Even if you haven't changed the idle setting, go through resetting your idle. I was impressed at how stable my idle was after I reset it.
 

Hef5.0weisen

20+ Year Stangneter
Mar 5, 2004
574
4
28
NorthWest Florida
Jun 25, 2008
#12
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #12
you did the plug wires, and it seems like it has a cam........
look at the routing of the plug wires, make sure none are touching the headers, or even burnt thru shorting out, happened to me once

mine was obvious, big hole burnt right thru, one of the looms broke off, wire resting right on a tube, I just pulled the slack out, stopped it from shorting out, worked fine until i replaced the wire

while you're at it make sure they're all on good and tight

I've had the best luck with accel plug wires form the local parts store, the kind you cut to fit, piece of cake to do if you get the crimper/cutter tool. My wires are cut to fit, with very little slack, no worries of falling on a tube again

good luck
 

RIO5.0

15 Year Member
Feb 16, 2001
6,892
8
128
N.H.
Jun 25, 2008
#13
  • Jun 25, 2008
  • #13
Do you have a vacuum gage?? It'll instantly tell you if you have a bad leak...
 

TheDamned

"I am Canadian and Damned for it!"
Jul 22, 2003
457
0
48
Montréal, Québec, Canada
Jun 26, 2008
#14
  • Jun 26, 2008
  • #14
The joy of owning a Ford...
 

greenlantern

Member
Jul 11, 2004
265
1
17
St Louis Mo
Jun 26, 2008
#15
  • Jun 26, 2008
  • #15
Make sure you reset the idle while the car is hot. It makes a difference, lots of guys miss that.
 

R.J.

Member
Aug 20, 2003
813
0
16
Warwick, Rhode Island
Jun 27, 2008
#16
  • Jun 27, 2008
  • #16
+1 for idle & TPS reset. Do these together because the idle adjust might require a readjust of the TPS.
 

Venom351R

Founding Member
Apr 27, 2002
4,548
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MAINE
Jun 27, 2008
#17
  • Jun 27, 2008
  • #17
When are those heads/Cam getting there
 
I

inphiniti

Active Member
Mar 15, 2003
412
3
28
Providence, RI
Jun 27, 2008
#18
  • Jun 27, 2008
  • #18
Redline_351R said:
When are those heads/Cam getting there
Click to expand...

waiting on some ideas from cam companys.... everything else is here and i just need to get some odds and ends... i think im going to run stock valve covers for now, i cant bare to drill a hole in those nice trick flow valve covers!
 

Venom351R

Founding Member
Apr 27, 2002
4,548
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98
MAINE
Jun 27, 2008
#19
  • Jun 27, 2008
  • #19
They do look very nice, they would have looked really good w/ my TFS Intake but to late now, the Ford Racing covers will look pretty killer anyway.

Are you just waiting to hear back from Ed regarding the cam? Are you going to need a spring upgrade or are you not sure yet?
 
I

inphiniti

Active Member
Mar 15, 2003
412
3
28
Providence, RI
Jun 27, 2008
#20
  • Jun 27, 2008
  • #20
not sure if im going to be going with Ed...
 
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