Car is hesitating

[Nicoleb3x3]

I spent a whole year with my car hesitating....would run perfect sometimes, and others not.

I cannot offer much, especially since my car is not yet a 5.0- (2.3 for now) but I finally solved my problem with two things-yes it got better with one solution and then got even better with the other:
1.) o2 sensor -and my engine light only flashed once quickly once in a great while.
2.) (most likely does not apply to the 5.0) I have 8 plugs- 4 extra plugs that burn excess fuel before departing out the exhaust. I replaced the spark plugs in the motor; but never did these- come to find out they were all junk and it must have been causing some back pressure in the exhaust.

I appolgize if my post is stupid- but after spending a year with a weak 4 banger I feel bad for anyone going through it regardless of motor size. I Hope it helps you find your problem.

 

[94blackgt 1621]

I seem to be having the same problem as you. I just bought a fuel pump thinking that was the problem, guess not.
When you figure it out please post it up.
good luck

 

[TrickStang37]

oh i will post if i figure it out. every other thread that ive searched never post a solution. if i dont find one, im just gonna pull the motor and sell the body at this point. id carb it and throw it on my 68 mustang. i will try changing all the spark plugs again. hopefully one of them is cracked that i cant really see. my guess is im missing spark somewhere for some reason and thats causing unburnt fuel to get in the exhaust and cause code 42 (rich condition). either that or maybe for some reason an injector gets stuck open. i have a question for you guys on a slightly unrelated topic. when they stole my car they broke the steering lock. now, sometimes, it makes noises almost like a slight grind in the steering wheel (broken part(s)?). is there a sensor that might be grounding in there or something? I missed my car, not having it for 6 months but now im really hating it and regretting it!!

 

[TrickStang37]

another update to an unresolved issue: I changed the spark plugs, still runs like *****. checked resistance for coil to TFI, less than .4 ohms, so its fine. also the 22k ohm resistor running from the coil (orange/yellow) wire is fine as well. someone else posted last week they had intermitint power problems and they found that bad on theirs. so any suggestions? im going to take the coil to have it checked at autozone, though when they check it, is it really something that can be tested? my car seems to be running worse more often now tho there is sometimes where it'll run smooth as silk. if i had a blown headgasket, would i see smoke of anysort at all? Im burning zero coolant and zero oil and there is no smoke coming out the exhaust. maybe im losing compression...

 

[jb89coupe]

another update to an unresolved issue: I changed the spark plugs, still runs like *****. checked resistance for coil to TFI, less than .4 ohms, so its fine. also the 22k ohm resistor running from the coil (orange/yellow) wire is fine as well. someone else posted last week they had intermitint power problems and they found that bad on theirs. so any suggestions? im going to take the coil to have it checked at autozone, though when they check it, is it really something that can be tested? my car seems to be running worse more often now tho there is sometimes where it'll run smooth as silk. if i had a blown headgasket, would i see smoke of anysort at all? Im burning zero coolant and zero oil and there is no smoke coming out the exhaust. maybe im losing compression...

You can always just buy a coil from autozone and see if your car runs better with it.. if it doesn't then return it and get your money back, just don't scratch it all up. With a gasket your coolant would be dissapearing and you'd see it in your oil.

 

[TrickStang37]

they told me no returns on purchased coils or anything that can be installed basically. ya, they gay.

 

[jb89coupe]

they told me no returns on purchased coils or anything that can be installed basically. ya, they gay.

That sucks. The guys must just be cool at the one by me.. I bought and returned like a dozen sensors when I was trouble shooting my car and they never said a thing.

 

[HISSIN50]

they told me no returns on purchased coils or anything that can be installed basically. ya, they gay.

same deal here. AZ has coils here for 15 bucks.... i gotta go read the first page again - i think you were after a coil. it's late.

good luck.

 

[TrickStang37]

"There should be a minimum of 10K ohms between either pin C or D on the MAF and ground." - something Jrichker said on another post.

what does he mean? between pin C and pin B? and between pin D and B? on the actual MAF right? or does he mean with the harness plugged in and to ground to, say, battery. Well, I checked between Pin C and B and got .4 ohm's and between pin D and B i got 3.74k ohm's. I know I should probably be asking Jrichker himself about this, but maybe there are others out there that can tell me how to properly check out my MAF if i didnt already check it right.

 

[TrickStang37]

oh yeah, checked fuel pressure during the hesitation, stays good. heres the link to the thread:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=517346

 

[TrickStang37]

my bad, wrong thread, but i guess i revived it seein as how this problem is lingering.

 

[jerry beach]

Try unplugging the MAF and see if the problem gets better. If the computer cant see it, she goes into limp mode and runs off set tables. If not the circuit is prolly functioning normally.

How about simple stuff. Have you checked for a plastic bag getting sucked into the air box? Maybe someone put some potatoes in you tail pipes, or worse yet biscuit dough ( I have seen it done). contaminated fuel is a possibility. Dont overlook simple things, its easy to do. How much vacuum is it pulling at idle?

 

[TrickStang37]

tried runnin without MAF already, runs worse. its done this for a couple fill ups now too. its not something in the intake track, taken that apart quite a few times now. and its not something IN my exhaust since it does this with my cut outs open and closed. as for vacuum, i dont have a vacuum gauge, but i the car has never idled better ever before. idles great.

 

[TrickStang37]

TTT

 

[94blackgt 1621]

My car was doing the same thing you are describing. I just put in a new cam, lifters, harmonic balancer, and timing chain. Before everytime I drove somewhere it would do it. I've only put about 50 miles on it and it hasn't done it yet.
possibly the lifters

 

[Turpin5.0]

This is exaclty what has been going on with my car and noone I mean noone knows whats wrong. Put like I said in my post earlier this evenng about the little harnesess on the injectors. When I took off the ones I could reached and sprayed them with electrical spray, and put them on it changed it. It was better. and I could wiggle it aroung and it would go from horrible to perfect at idle. I would have my friend rev the engine and I would wiggle the harnesess, and I am 90 percent sure that, that is what is wrong. I think that there is corrosion on the prongs or somthing, It seems that their just not getting good contact and when they dont, it will run like poo! So im trying to find a place that sells new harnesess and will just splice them in place. Wholla!! hopefully that works

 

[jocko]

is threads like this one that sometimes make me feel like going to a carb setup and i know carbs are not perfect but at least you get rid of the bull**** sensors so when you have a problem is a bit less crap to buy or deal with.

 

[jocko]

hey trick stang,keep us updated,if you find the problem i would like to know what was causing it,i had cold hesitation and hard starts due to fuel pressure dropping after shut down but a new fuel pump fixed it.