MY trucks issues

[V8-X]

Actually it should be Shagman. These are the people that work at dealerships and go out and pick up a car from one part of the lot and take the car to where it needs to go (get washed, take it to the shop from the parking lot, bring around cars from the back of the lot, etc...) I hope this is understandable. We have a dealership here in Denver called Rocky's, and they always have a commercial with this guy that is called Shagman. He cleans the cars, arranges the cars at the dealership, takes the cars to the shop from the parking lot.

 

[SaleenEXP]

Originally posted by DarkFox1
just took it out to get gas.. 203 miles on 18.5 gallons..

now it wont shift out of 1st until 4k rpm instead of 3k rpm.. ARGH the 4R70W SUCKS!

or maybe the ODBII EEC V sucks

that does suck, I just filled up the other day and got about 15.7 mpg all city driving in our Mounty. Heh, and that was driving pretty hard. Tonight I had some fun racing my friends 00' 4-Runner, anothers 02' Pathfinder, and anothers 03' Range Rover.....heh....they were all slower , especially the 4-Runner, but the new 4-Runners have a pretty sweet V6 engine now and they also come with Toyota's V8 and 5 speed auto. We were going back and forth between our college and our friends apartment (where the dicks won't let him park his 03' Ram overnight).

My other friend was following in his 03' Ram 2500 Diesel, stock, that truck is pretty damn quick for it's size, he had no problem taking the others off the line and running neck and neck with the Range Rover once he shifted into 2nd and 3rd gear (which uses BMW's engine now, talk about a gas guzzler though).

 

[DarkFox1]

oh, ok.. thats pretty bad that it takes a "menial" level employee that doesn't do anything but move a vehicle from 1 place to another to notice sometjhing a damn high paid technician can't even see when its right in front of his face..

the guy that worked with me on my truck today was the owner of the shop I took it to.. but.. as I said, mechanics do not consider a lack of speed a problem.. no matter how undrivable it is on the street. if it can reach 60.. ever.. they think its fine

that mileage was uncharacteristacally bad.. usually it gets 14 going easy on it, 12 going hard on it.. this came out to sometrhing like 11... and I wasn't hard on it.. so I'm not sure why its so low.. whatever tho..

 

[V8-X]

I'm also getting about 200-220 per 21.5 tank. I remember once I used to get 15.5mpg as an average. Now I get between 12.5 & 13.5mpg, depending on how hard I push it and if it's city or highway. Still sucks, but at least I've found a shop that is now beleiving me that I have a problem. Let's just hope it gets fixed on Monday.

 

[DarkFox1]

btw v8.. have you considered checking the air in your tires?

I used to get 9-10 mpg avg all the time.. then I found out my tires only had 22 psi in them.. bumpd it up to 32 and started getting 14...

 

[V8-X]

I would want to say your mileage was so bad since you took it into the shop. They most likely ran it hard when they drove it, and it probly sat in one of their bays idling for a while, which of course will bring down your mileage. I think this, because mine had the same scenerio today. When I dropped my truck off I was averaging 13.8 mpg. When I got the truck back, the reader stated I was only getting 13.1mpg. Just my thoughts.

I usually check my tire pressure about once every two weeks, which it's about due to check again. But this gas mileage problem is the same no matter if I run 30psi or 35psi.

 

[james t]

Darkfox- you have to remember that acceleration is all sensed by comparison. a tech, who doesnt own a 5.0 explorer, my drive yours and think there is nothing wrong. the thing is, he doesnt drive one himself. he has no point of reference. you cant drive a vehicle once for a few minutes, and then 6 months later, drive another and remember what the first "felt like" to compare. that is why the true 5.0 explorer owner knew there was something wrong with V8-X's explorer.

 

[DarkFox1]

mechanics dont own Xs here tho.. heh

did you notice I actually managed to post on a 5.0 performance thread w/o quoting the book of lemoneer?

 

[SaleenEXP]

Originally posted by DarkFox1
mechanics dont own Xs here tho.. heh

did you notice I actually managed to post on a 5.0 performance thread w/o quoting the book of lemoneer?

I saw that, I was waiting for the "good mods, but they don't add any hp at all" lol, but it never came, ya did good Dark lol

 

[DarkFox1]

hehe thanks

well I've been thinking of that day I pulled my plugs.. trying to remmeber..

I remember the gap being unusually large.. but accroding to the guys on here the gap should be .5 or .05? isn't the gap supposed to be the same size as a GM? Ima pull a plug in a few and take a pic of it.


maybe my gaps too large............ not that that has a thing to do with my tranny..

v8 when they did your plug.. did the only replace one or all? they should have done all I think.. if they only did one that may be something right there

 

[james t]

spark plug gap for the 5.0 is 54- actually 0.054. and yes, this is a large gap for a stock engine if you are an old bowtie 350 kind of guy like me. this is due to Ford's relativly high power stock ignition.

 

[DarkFox1]

pssh aint nothin hig power on THIS ford

well I didn't pull em.. I've been waiting on a guy since 2 to come look at some parts off my C10. he never showed.. oh well. another day wasted.

isn't the GM gap .05 too? I havne't worked with plugs in a while, but I recall the gap on all of our GMs being about the thickness of a fingernail.. and my ford has the thickness of like.. the tip of my pinky.

so theres no hope in changing plugs and wires?

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

I still haven't purchased my X, but I've been working on cars for a while and have read this entire thread. It seems like the problem is electrical related, I'm willing to bet PCM.

Since SO MUCH of the engine is controlled by the PCM, and the 4R70W cannot function without the PCM, it might be worth SWAPPING IN A NEW ONE, or a GOOD used one from a working V8 2wd X.

I'm usually against "parts chucking," but in this case it seems like the common link between all the problems. Every problem that's been discribed can be traced back to control by the PCM. (Shift points, TC lockup, Idle speed, fuel injection, ignition) If the PCM was indeed going, vibrations, g-forces, varying voltage, moisture, temperature and other environmental conditions could have an effect.

I had a car that was running AWFUL, and a new MAS fixed the problem.... The MAS is the PCM's biggest and most important sensor for FI data. I'm not sure about the X/EEC V system, but on this car (BMW) the MAS contianed the environmental sensors such as Ambient air temp, barometric pressure...etc....

Another step besides just swapping in a veryfied OK PCM would be to somehow log all of the Inputs/Outputs of the current PCM and sensors. I know a product is made for the EEC IV to do exactly this, but I don't think one is made for the EEC V yet.

I have heard that Ford has a "Flight Data Recorder" that certain dealerships install. It piggybacks the PCM and reccords I/O, and after a problem happens, the driver hits a button and it records the past 30 seconds of data. On another chatboard, some people with Expeditions had problems where the truck would accelerate by itself, and they got these data recorders.

Just a thought.
-Aaron

 

[DarkFox1]

thanks for the insight.. and.. you're thinking along the same lines as me.

infact the very item you're speaking of.. the Flight Data Recorder I plan on having done as soon as possible. My family has good relations wiht Mr. Brown the.. senior tech. at my dealership, he said he would be happy to install this unit in my vehicle and let me drive around for a day or so with the item in the vehicle.

I'm calling them tomorrow on this.... if anything can catch my vehicles weirdness it will be this item.

I have often thought of getting a chip or programmer to try to.. overwrite any bad code that may grace us with its presence from a faulty PCM, but it is inclear to me as to whether or not such an action would truley solve anything.

One things for sure.. a new PCM would be considerablly cheaper than a supercharger.. and in all honesty, this is about the only option I'm considering

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

The problem may not just be software (the code in the PCM) but it could also be the actuall chips and other electronic components inside the module. That could be why the thing continues to act up, even though it returns no codes - because it is physically broken. That is why it would be best to swap in a known working PCM from the same year/engine/trans/drivetrain Mounty/X if you have access to one. It would give you a yes/no answer as to whether it was your PCM. If nothing changes, your PCM is OK and we need to look elsewhere. Otherwise... well... keep that PCM!!!!!!

If this was the case, the Data Recorder *might* not get the whole picture - but is definitley the best option right now before going further, esp if you can get it for free.

-Aaron

 

[DarkFox1]

wont be free..

nothings free...

about a year or 2 ago I had a problem.. on a cold december day like today.. at 6AM.. my truck would not start and stay running.. the truck would start.. but wouldn't keep running if I let off the gas. I drove it anyway.. keeping the idle high. once it warmed up.. it kept running.

I took it to the dealership that day.. 2 hours and $250 later they reflashed my PCM and I was out of there. I dont knwo if the truck was running slow at this particular point.. but this is a specific moment that the PCM was not functioning.

I was told later that they should not have charged me fo rthis. since the truck was obviously under warranty.. however I have since lost he receipt.

 

[DarkFox1]

they put the flight thingy on the truck, it only takes 4 "pictures" of the system.. I managed to get a lack of a downshift and hard shift just on the way home.. so its half full now.

I'm going to wait till the truck is cold and then head back out to see if it will do everything again.

I already know they're just gonna tell me I'm crazy.. these people hate me over there.. the guy I usually deal with refused to even talk to me about it.

 

[V8-X]

DarkFox1 - I did have Ford replace all 8 plugs (Motorcraft Double Platinum) and all 8 wires (Motorcraft 8 gauge wires). These are gapped as stated at .054. I double checked Fords work, making sure the gaps were correct and the wires were connected to the proper plugs.

Just got to work from the dropping off the X at the shop again. Hopefully they'll be able to test everything & find a problem, whatever it may be. I could see the PCM being a problem with the truck. Hopefully the Flight Data Recorder will be able to capture pictures of when the problem is at it's worst. Since it seems like every time DarkFox1 or myself take our trucks in, they don't seem to act up as much. Let us know of your progress DarkFox1.

 

[DarkFox1]

as soon as it cools off I'm taking it out and I'm gonna be hard on it deliberatley... I have to baby it when its cold to keep it from doing this.. so I figure if I'm hard on it will act the fool and I can snap like mad and get this crazy activity...

maybe then these @ssholes at the dealership will stop talking to me like I'm an invalid. I really hate those people..

 

[V8-X]

Amen to that!!!

Keep us posted!