Lack of power in the morning?

[Afboy143]

Well I am at work at 5:30 AM working some OT. It was 47 degrees F and chilly all night. Typical weather to feel the systems I've always felt. The end result? IT'S FIXED! I started it up this morning and it ran great! No choking idle, no problems, nothing! I was thrilled! No white smoke, no nothing. I couldn't believe it. I even had the guys at advance auto telling me it might be a blown head gasket.

Side note: when replacing the gaskets, there was a noticable amount of oil on them. Very weird. Is this normal? They weren't dripping with oil, but had a good coating of it around them. Is this ok?

But anyway, truck is running good now! Thanks Joe Doe and to everyone else who helped! Anyone with this problem, replace the upper and lower intake gaskets... or if you have OHV replace whatever you have (SOHC has upper and lowers)

 

[joe doe]

glad to hear it! hopefully i saved you some money,i see sooo many guys throwing money at this sensor that sensor and its usually never the sensors .

the orings being flat like you mentioned is the culprit here .they flatten out over time (about 130,000 typical)and loose thier sealing ability in cold weather .

mine were done at about the same mileage.
as far as the oil ?i am not sure .my mechanic done mine (200.00 dollar job).

glad i could give back to a forum member ,i have learned alot here myself so its good to share .

enjoy your smooth idle.

ps- finally someone listened...lol.....now maybe more guys will jump on board and stop throwing money away.those bank 1 and 2 lean codes are the dead giveaway.

 

[Afboy143]

Yes, both time and money! Thank you sir. You're right, people do throw money and sensors. I, myself, bought a new IAC when I didn't have to. Oh well. Atleast I don't have to worry about that anymore.

I should have taken a picture of my old rings. They were super flat and old looking. I can see how they smooshed and got stuck. The new ones felt and looked a lot better.

As for the oil, I don't know either. It's weird. I am thinking of doing some compression checking to check for maybe a blown head gasket but who knows. Right now I just know I'm not afraid to drive in the cold anymore

 

[joe doe]

no codes now?

 

[Afboy143]

No lean codes, but I still have the O2 sensor code since I lack those. I really need to weld in bungs for those. I have precat O2's, but not post cat even though I am running high flow cats now.

Joe- I also wanted to throw this out there. The cracked head problem is common in the OHV motor. I've done a lot of research and the OHV has a tendency to crack and let antifreeze leak into the combustion chamber. SOHC and V8 aren't as common *knock on wood*

 

[Afboy143]

Update: Problem seems fixed! Second morning in the row since the repair with no problems.

 

[joe doe]

 

[Jyosua]

Well I am at work at 5:30 AM working some OT. It was 47 degrees F and chilly all night. Typical weather to feel the systems I've always felt. The end result? IT'S FIXED! I started it up this morning and it ran great! No choking idle, no problems, nothing! I was thrilled! No white smoke, no nothing. I couldn't believe it. I even had the guys at advance auto telling me it might be a blown head gasket.

Side note: when replacing the gaskets, there was a noticable amount of oil on them. Very weird. Is this normal? They weren't dripping with oil, but had a good coating of it around them. Is this ok?

But anyway, truck is running good now! Thanks Joe Doe and to everyone else who helped! Anyone with this problem, replace the upper and lower intake gaskets... or if you have OHV replace whatever you have (SOHC has upper and lowers)

Awesome, I'm going to let my mom know this. Thanks!

 

[Afboy143]

While I no longer have the idle or start up problem, I am still throwing codes P0171 and P0174. I thought they may be O2 sensor related, but today I retuned my truck shutting off the rear O2's. The first two that are precat are brand new. I have the codes now. I am leaning toward a vacuum leak because of the brakes are hard to stop the truck. Seems like a lot of force is needed. I know the brake booster really needs the vacuum.

What I am gathering is I need to look for a vacuum leak. Also, check the intake tube, do the TPS sensor check and clean/check the MAF. While this all sounds good, the vacuum leak scares me as I never done it before. I plan on using a propane torch, but where is the usual places to check?

 

[joe doe]

sorry to hear that man ,i thought we had that nailed down .did you actually erase your codes?they could be stored codes popping back up if they were not erased.

 

[Afboy143]

Oh yeah, it's been erased. I have a code reader plus I had to reset the computer before I tuned so it was forced to learn new habits. The truck has a 93 octane street tune now, so I know the secondary o2's are shut off so I know the o2's arent throwing the code.

We did nail the problem, but not 100%. It idles fine, whereas before it would stall, but it lacks some power and throws these codes. I bet I have a vacuum leak somewhere, but the question is where. I have been following 2000streetrods thread, so I will try his tests tomorrow

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2641905

 

[joe doe]

just had a thought......do you have a cold air intake or any other intake that would add more intake air?if so try changing back to stock airbox.

 

[Afboy143]

I do have an aftermarket intake/MAF housing, but I’ve had this for as long as I can remember with any problems. In addition, I’ve had the truck tuned specifically for this. I’ve had it forever without problems.

I am going to put the truck into a local shop here and get it tested out. I hate shops, but I’m stumped

 

[joe doe]

any updates??

 

[Afboy143]

Actually I dont I have been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to tinker with the truck. She runs fine. No stalling or hesitations like she used to do before the gasket chance, but that darn CEL is still on. I need to get it to a shop to get it smoked for a vacuum link, I Just dont have time! I'll update all once I get it in

 

[joe doe]

whats the outcome??

 

[jremington59]

Have you cleaned the MAF sensor yet? That would be the first thing I'd try. Also check for leaks in the vacuum hoses, pcv hoses, etc.

I did a little reading and it discusses updating the PCM software. It could also be weak fuel pump, plugged injectors or plugged fuel filter.

 

[mr_valingo]

After reading this thread i feel lucky. I live in wisconsin and to me a cold start is minus 20. My 95 sport still purrs like a kitten even on those chilly mornings.... But with 150k i know what to keep a look out for. And oil in your intake is normal. If there isn't a puddle i wouldn't worry about it.