sport97
Elite Procrastinator
- Joined
- September 25, 2008
- Messages
- 2,345
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- connellsville pa
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1997 sport SOHC 4.0
I've been having a problem. Its been going on for a year or so, but its recently gotten a lot more common... If you read my registry I've posted on it before.
There are a few things that happen. First is at idle. Now, this is not everytime it idles, and only when the engine is warm. It will idle at the normal 700ish idle, but will dip down to 350 or so, shutter and stumble, and return to normal, and 2 or 3 seconds after it will dip down again. If you give it gas it clears its throat and revs but will return to that cycle of idling. It will just randomly stop doing that and start idling normal again. If I try to drive away while idling like this using very little throttle it sputters, but with moderate throttle it takes off fine. I have tried to stall it out while it does this, but it will not. Although sometimes under a normal idle, a quick gab of the throttle kills it.
Next symptom I have is while drive. Normally it runs great, but sometimes its like I'm towing a 25 foot boat up a hill. It just can't get out of its own way. My friend said he heard a backfire when it did this, I have not confirmed this. Its totally random when it bogs down. It sometimes is right away from a light, sometimes its mid hill climb, sometimes upon a downshift. The only way to get it to get up and go is to floor it or jump off the gas and back onto it. Also on occasion while cruising along in OD under very light load, with very little throttle I can feel lit bucking and stuttering, and when I try to give it more gas it seems like it just won't go anywhere.
I have had new motorcraft plugs and wires installed and it did not cure this issue. Also there are no codes, and 3 times in the past year and a half I have gotten a code for lean on bank 2(?). It hasn't been on in a few thousand, and each time it cleared itself quickly.
I have suspected cats, due to a strong nasty foul smell when under heavy load, its a burnt smell, and a sulfury smell, but to me cats wouldn't be intermittent, it would be constant. Maybe coilpacks? FWIW I do have a minor exhaust leak at the muffler, but i doubt it has anything to do with this as it is recent. I have 104k miles right now.
There are a few things that happen. First is at idle. Now, this is not everytime it idles, and only when the engine is warm. It will idle at the normal 700ish idle, but will dip down to 350 or so, shutter and stumble, and return to normal, and 2 or 3 seconds after it will dip down again. If you give it gas it clears its throat and revs but will return to that cycle of idling. It will just randomly stop doing that and start idling normal again. If I try to drive away while idling like this using very little throttle it sputters, but with moderate throttle it takes off fine. I have tried to stall it out while it does this, but it will not. Although sometimes under a normal idle, a quick gab of the throttle kills it.
Next symptom I have is while drive. Normally it runs great, but sometimes its like I'm towing a 25 foot boat up a hill. It just can't get out of its own way. My friend said he heard a backfire when it did this, I have not confirmed this. Its totally random when it bogs down. It sometimes is right away from a light, sometimes its mid hill climb, sometimes upon a downshift. The only way to get it to get up and go is to floor it or jump off the gas and back onto it. Also on occasion while cruising along in OD under very light load, with very little throttle I can feel lit bucking and stuttering, and when I try to give it more gas it seems like it just won't go anywhere.
I have had new motorcraft plugs and wires installed and it did not cure this issue. Also there are no codes, and 3 times in the past year and a half I have gotten a code for lean on bank 2(?). It hasn't been on in a few thousand, and each time it cleared itself quickly.
I have suspected cats, due to a strong nasty foul smell when under heavy load, its a burnt smell, and a sulfury smell, but to me cats wouldn't be intermittent, it would be constant. Maybe coilpacks? FWIW I do have a minor exhaust leak at the muffler, but i doubt it has anything to do with this as it is recent. I have 104k miles right now.
