'98 E250 trouble codes

[F14CRAZY]

Howdy. My dad's work vehicle is a '98 Ford 3/4 ton Econoline 250. 4.6L. Around 225k miles with no real engine repairs. He did have the transmission rebuilt at 165k, but otherwise has been a good drivetrain. I think it's the 4R70W.

He's been one of those that kinda ignores CEL/SES lights, until it started running abnormally recently. It shakes/vibrates/shudders like when the torque converter is locked. When unlocked it runs close to normal but with some power loss.

I went ahead and bought our own code scanner. We needed one anyway with all of the vehicles we have and our DIY tendencies. I pulled the codes...

153: oxygen sensor before cat on bank 2 slow to respond. I picked up a new Bosch sensor and replaced it, so this code is no longer present. Yes, I know they all should be replaced...but anyway, after this I reset the codes. It still ran the same, and the CEL came back the next day

The codes below are currently present still:

301: cylinder 1 misfire. I installed new plugs about 10k miles ago. I wasn't sure which cylinder was 1 so I pulled the front plugs of both the driver and passenger sides and found them to still have a good gap and look normal (my dad agreed that they looked fine). I'm assuming that cylinder 1 is one of the front cylinders and not the rear . I searched the board for this code and it didn't find any posts that said what to do next if the plug's fine.

401: insufficient exhaust recirculation flow. I searched for this, and is most likely from a bad DPFE/EGR pressure sensor. If not that, then clean the EGR valve. Would this keep the engine from running bad? I'll fix it but want to go after 301 because I think that's most likely the cause of our shuddering.

What do you guys suggest? Bad coil or injector or something? Thank you.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

301: cylinder 1 misfire. I installed new plugs about 10k miles ago. I searched the board for this code and it didn't find any posts that said what to do next if the plug's fine.

401: insufficient exhaust recirculation flow. I searched for this, and is most likely from a bad DPFE/EGR pressure sensor. If not that, then clean the EGR valve. Would this keep the engine from running bad? I'll fix it but want to go after 301 because I think that's most likely the cause of our shuddering.

The right front (passenger side) is number one cylinder. First thing about this van, does it have coil on plug design? If so, replace that coil. Those coils are known for a short lifespan. I was going to say check your wires (but most of those vans dont have wires), but then I rememberd the numerous vans I've seen in the shop with misfire issues and 75% of the time being coil issues.

The DPFE sensor is probably your issue. Ford, for some reason, makes every DPFE sensor (the first ones for a specific vehicle) out of aluminum. Most DPFE sensors are near exhaust which gets pretty hot, so the aluminum basically makes the living conditions of that sensor unlivable. I bet the new one you get will be plastic. Now, I would replace that - I think your on the right track about that being your issue.

I hope that helps

-Drew


PS - I wish every person that came through the doors of my shop acted like you - told me what you've done and the pass issues. The more you tell your shop what the problem is, the easier it is the fix it. Great job

EDIT: a bad DPFE sensor will make the vehicle run bad, but to a certain degree.

 

[F14CRAZY]

Thank you much. It does have coils on the plugs. We haven't ever messed with them, so I'll replace it. Advance has one in stock for $47, which I'll pick up tomorrow. But, as I understand, the bad EGR pressure sensor may be the more significant problem of the two, so I'll ask about that when I'm there too. I mostly use Advance cuz we have a commerical account there. Their site doesn't list it, but Autozone lists the EGR pressure sensor for $54. We'll try both.

Are the coils like a tune-up item?

Really, besides oil changes, air filters, and an alternator, my dad has put like no money into the motor. Before this he used a few '93 Econlines with the 4.9L, a really reliable motor, but Ford did really well in designing the 4.6L, and I guess the rest of the modular V family.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Are the coils like a tune-up item?

Nope - not to make you sound stupid, but that's like asking if our Explorers coils are tune up items. They can be, but you'll spend a lot of money on a tune up. If advance warrantees that coil like they do other things, you should never have to pay for that coil again (to me it seems advance and auto zone stuff last about half of what they are warranteed for). Anyhow, good luck - that sure clear up his issues.

-Drew

 

[ExplorerDMB]

this is what they look like:

Simple design, gets rid of one thing (wires). Which can eliminate misfire issues greatly, but for some reason Ford is having some issues with them. Oh well.

-Drew

 

[F14CRAZY]

Yup yup. I changed the plugs twice in these vans (my dad has 2). Pretty fun to do, having to use a few socket extensions

I do know that coils generally don't go bad or wear out, but was wondering if these were an exception. But yeah it would be like $400 for all the coils.

 

[ExplorerDMB]

...and that's if your using advance. We use Motorcraft and they aren't cheap

-Drew

 

[F14CRAZY]

Thank you sir. I picked up a new coil from Advance (GP Sorensen, surprisingly from USA) and cleared the codes, installed it, and we drove it for about 40 miles tonight. It's running great and like it should. The SES/CEL hasn't come back on though I figured it would because I haven't done anything with the EGR pressure sensor. From my understanding, they're not related at all, but we'll see if it comes back.

But the coil seems to have mostly fixed out problem. Again, thank you for the assistance

 

[ExplorerDMB]

Sure thing, glad it helped. The EGR and Misfire/coil issue do NOT have anything in common. But, you'd be the first if it somehow did. You might of just had a fluke thing happend.

-Drew