Joining the bandwagon, my 4L OHV build

[Xeek]

i think im just gonna buy a new one brandon, yours just look way different.

other note, 50/50 synthetic oil change at 663.8miles(arent you only at 400something brandon? lol)
dumped the pcv filter, looked like it was all oil to me.
and i still have the oil i removed from the plug issue in a container, it never separated. either im doing something wrong or there was never coolant in the oil?

 

[jd4242]

Nope def water in it,just caught it before it got bad

 

[Xeek]

help!!!
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317109

ok, my tranny lsot OD in december, i just use the other D on the shifter.

i got to work, put it in reverse to back up into a spot and my rpm jumped to 1.3k and i had nothing and i heard whirring. no other gears worked after that.
turned it off and back on after a minute(sitting in the middle of the parking lot) and it would clunk into reverse and drive but i had nothing when i gave it gas. and my idle shot back up to 1.3k. so i left it in park and it would go from 800 slowly up to 1.3, dip back down, and repeat. i finally got it to get reverse and back into the spot, drive worked again to, but the idle continued to do the 800-1.3 thing

and a normal thing at lights, ill sit there and the rpm will dip from 650 to 500 over and over 5-8 times, the voltmeter will dip with it(stock and an aux meter) ~14 down to ~12. then itll settle right out and be fine.
after about 9miles of driving ill get a 41, engine is lean CEL.



i know the tranny needs replacing/rebuilt. but the idle issue and the idle causing my tranny to act up doesnt seem like a tranny issue.

i was suggested to clean the IAC, i had already done that before tho. i prob screwed it up even more when i did. i think my best bet is to try a new one? TPS is new also

did it again when i went to lunch. parked (still in D tho) and it shot to 1.3k but i could still move being i had not switched gears yet. as soon as i did R i got nothing except i rolled some. off and back on again, nothing. managed to rev to 2.5k to roll myself forward again into the parking spot. idle sat at 1.3k and didnt move.
seems like a warm issue? i have no trouble when starting after a few hours, or my lunch hour. besides the normal waiting for my tranny to get flowing before going into gear from park.

again today. it stays around 850rpm in drive at lights, should be 600rpm. and as soon as i shift to anything else besides 1 or 2 it jumps to 1.3rpm.

another thing, i got home and shifted to park and it went to 1.3 and i popped the hood and it sounded like something was rattling around inside the engine or valve covers. it does NOT sound like a lifter tick. it does do that too, but this is a completely different sound.


so far this has never happened completely cold. its always been after atleast 5 miles

 

[Ronin8002]

spark knock/bad gas on the rattling maybe?

 

[Xeek]

http://www.dnd-automotive.com/tuneup/spark-knock.htm

Too Much Compression: possible, i have some crud that was left on the piston tops, 99% came off tho. everything else is new.

^ Overadvanced Ignition Timing: jd lined it up right as far as i know. unless my engine wants to be retarded?

^ Engine Overheating: i dont have numbers just; |__ NORMAL __|. it at most gets to A with a 185 thermostat and goes back down to O.

^ Overheated Air: mentions carb engines, so i dunno.

^ Lean Fuel Mixture: i get a lean CEL after ~9 miles or if i floor it to much

^ Spark Plug Too Hot: plug #2 i can see is light brown colored on the part that sticks out, 4,5,6 i didnt check, but 1 and 3 are white. if that even means anything

^ Loss of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR): dont have egr

^ Low Octane Fuel: i run 87, which should be fine for what ive done..

^ Defective Knock Sensor: do i have one?



maybe ill try some 89, dont really want to add 93 lol
thing is ive been running 87 for awhile, cant remember if the idle issue came after 87 or not, but its atleast possible the rattle could be bad gas. it did happen after filling upon 5/16 with 10.3 gallons.
i get gas at the same place all the time.
i may get a bottle of octane booster also.



i was thinking this started after my mudding trip. but it didnt. started 5/5 morning, went mudding 5/5 at night, so it didnt break it from that.



guess the next thing on my list is IAC, 89 gas(atleast it went down some) and octane booster. unless i can get 93 for cheaper then 89+booster.

 

[Ronin8002]

Too Much Compression: possible, i have some crud that was left on the piston tops, 99% came off tho. everything else is new.

Doubt it

^ Overadvanced Ignition Timing: jd lined it up right as far as i know. unless my engine wants to be retarded?

Nope. Ignition timing is controlled by the PCM.

^ Engine Overheating: i dont have numbers just; |__ NORMAL __|. it at most gets to A with a 185 thermostat and goes back down to O.

Nope

^ Overheated Air: mentions carb engines, so i dunno.

Nope

^ Lean Fuel Mixture: i get a lean CEL after ~9 miles or if i floor it to much

maybe. are you running a new o2 sensor?

^ Spark Plug Too Hot: plug #2 i can see is light brown colored on the part that sticks out, 4,5,6 i didnt check, but 1 and 3 are white. if that even means anything

White usually means lean...probably due to the lean condition above

^ Defective Knock Sensor: do i have one?

Nope

i get gas at the same place all the time.

I would get 87 or 89 at a different place, just to see.

 

[Xeek]

Nope. Ignition timing is controlled by the PCM.

maybe. are you running a new o2 sensor?

White usually means lean...probably due to the lean condition above

I would get 87 or 89 at a different place, just to see.

- there is still the dots on the timing gears that you have to line up facing eachother..

- no, but i never had problems with it, for the crappy condition the engine was in before i never had a lean or rich or o2 code.

- this is the color of the plugs, they come white out the box lol. im saying cylinder number #2 plug has a brown color on the outside, the exposed area between the head and the plug wire.

- last time i went anywhere else was 4/23. ive been going to this place ever since i got the truck. ive only been elsewhere twice in over a year, both after the rebuild cause i didnt want to overheat it with no fan yet driving to my normal place lol
never had any problems with gas from them before.


im off to see the wizard then. get some gas. need some anyway

 

[Ronin8002]

True on the timing. I am sure JD did that right though.

Weird on the brown plug thing....you mean the ceramic near where the plug wire goes is brown?

You might have had no problems with their gas before, but they can still get a bad batch of gas from time to time (like anyone I suppose) I just think that getting 87 gas elsewhere would help you eliminate that.

- there is still the dots on the timing gears that you have to line up facing eachother..

- no, but i never had problems with it, for the crappy condition the engine was in before i never had a lean or rich or o2 code.

- this is the color of the plugs, they come white out the box lol. im saying cylinder number #2 plug has a brown color on the outside, the exposed area between the head and the plug wire.

- last time i went anywhere else was 4/23. ive been going to this place ever since i got the truck. ive only been elsewhere twice in over a year, both after the rebuild cause i didnt want to overheat it with no fan yet driving to my normal place lol
never had any problems with gas from them before.


im off to see the wizard then. get some gas. need some anyway

 

[jd4242]

I would say fix your exhaust leaks for starters!!next sounds like the tranny is going out.slipping and causing overheat,witch will cause idle issues. O2 and iac might be bad also.i would skip the springs and bushings and buy both of those new and fix the exhaust leaks.if timing was of at the chain it wouldnt even be running.or maybe the intake temp sensor is bad or the enging temp senor for the ecm is shorting out.i would start with exhaust leaks and a O2,then cheack all senors and if still problems i would say tranny!

 

[Xeek]

things ive tested without having to buy stuff:
TPS, 1.00V at no load, the ideal is supposed to be .95-.97 so im ok. doesnt explain lean either, above .97 is rich. doesnt seem to be the problem

FPR, took the hose off the intake and put it into a bottle, turned key to on and no fuel dumped into the bottle. there was no fuel/wetness in the hose. so the fpr is still ok.

the intake sensor i cleaned with brake cleaner i *think* after the 2nd rebuild from the screw ups. it was horribly dirty. i touched(gently) the probe thing with a clean rag cause the brake cleaner couldnt even get it off. maybe i screwed it up?

i found out this could be a vacuum issue. that causes weird idle and tranny issues(i guess since it has vacuum from the intake).
ill tighten the upper intake a little more. maybe the lower intake needs tightening too? ill put the stock MAF housing back in, the mustang one doesnt fit the stock intake tube and my makeshift connection may cause extra air being sucked in.


so, iac is gonna be ordered. dont really want to mess with the o2 or the leak at the cat flange. its annoying to get to, so thats only coming off when i have my 'ultra high flow' cat to put in. ill put in a new o2 along with it. for the rest ill tighten them down some
got 89 gas(holy crap at 93 being 3.99!!!! it was about 4.1X just yesterday!), got gold eagle 104+ octane booster along with the gas.

 

[jd4242]

The leak at the cat is prob the problem, its right next to the o2.you need to fix the leaks FIRAT before doing anything,weather it be vacuum or exhaust!!!no mater how hard it is!!

 

[Xeek]

SERIOUSLY HOW THE HELL DO YOU TIGHTEN THE TOP BOLT?????
the one on the front of the cat, up top, on the frame side. the other two are easy. this one i can not do. only by hand in an awkward way that hurts.
i tried a long extension, but the cats shape gets in the way of the bolt coming from behind. the y-pipe/frame/crossmember are in the way from the front.

i have no tools that will get in there. i cant put the cat on the y-pipe first then put it in along with the y-pipe cause the passenger side bends up and wont allow me to do that. so there HAS to be someway to tighten this bolt.
im not dropping the crossmember/radius arm crossmember just to do this...

 

[Xeek]

nevermind. found a way to feed it between the tranny lines and i got it!
o2 is fine, cat is tight, best i could tighten it, and i even put the gasket in.

yesterday i fixed the maf to intake connection. before i had a rubber coupler i shoved inside the maf housing and inside the rubber intake tube. no clamps, fit tight but had to curl it to put it in and i guess it mightve not been flat after.
i took a circular wire brush on a drill and sanded down a little bit of the inside of the intake tube to make it larger and i managed to get the maf in there and tightened finally.

so i went to rallys and i had no problems, idle was higher, about 750-800 in drive, in the drive thru it dipped down a little bit over and over, voltmeter also. CEL came on at rallys, got home, CEL had turned off, and put it in reverse, all good, put it in park and it shot to 1.3k again. then any driving gear pooped out and was at 1.3k rpm still.

im guessing its code 41, lean still. ill check in a minute i just ate. so i think im looking at a new IAC next

 

[Xeek]

still 41. theres more then one explanation for code 41 tho, so ill post everything.
from http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160035 :
(R) System lean - Fuel control
(M) System was lean for 15 seconds or more (no HO2S switching) - Fuel control

from the hayes book:
(R) heated oxygen sensor circuit indicates system lean, right side
(C) no heated oxygen sensor switch detected, right side


my o2 is intalled inside the cat, right at the flange. wire was to short so i cut the harness off another sensor and spliced it onto this one to extend it.
i get the CEL while driving, sometimes it goes away after awhile.
i do the KOEO test and it goes: 11 11 | 41 41

 

[jd4242]

Did you tighten the header bolts? Did you ever replace you fuel filter? Check fuel pressure.does your rpms change when you disconnect your fpr wile running,you have to plug the leak at the tree with your finger,should idle higher

 

[jd4242]

Did you have these problems before seafome?i wanna say its a bad O2

 

[Xeek]

looking back at my posts, yes it was doing the cel, surging and even the 1.3k rpm thing before the 50% synthetic oil/seafoam treatment
i didnt get to the header bolts yet, fought that cat bolt all day.
i checked to see if the fpr worked with the key on and it was fine. so with it running disconnect fpr hose, finger on intake. but what about the fpr hose? finger on that too or leave it open?
you know what, i completely forgot about the fuel filter! i took it out but now i have stuff piled on top of it and i forgot it lol
i guess those things ill be doing tomorrow

 

[Xeek]

i know how the fuel filter comes off, but it wont budge. theres a bracket protecting the filter, with that there i cant hold the filter to push the line towards it to catch the lip to pull the line off. it just aint working. the bracket wont come off either

 

[jd4242]

Should be two bolts on the bottom going through the frame that holds it on

 

[Xeek]

yea i took those off, and i tried beating on the bracket and it doesnt move.
maybe im not beating it hard enough? lolol
those are the only things holding it on 100%? if so then ill beat on it harder

quite a bit of fuel dripped out from the rear line out of the filter. didnt think there was gonna be that much