Running Rich, but no CEL 5.0 V-8

[MountaineerGreen]

Eastern side, sort of near Memphis. Come on over and Ill help you put on those TMs. I think with my experience and tools and some good help, I could do it again in 6-8 hours.

When you hit the gas on your Mountainator, do you have the shudder/vibration I described?

 

[Turdle]

no I don't. I still think that it relates to your original symptom, and I think the running rich smell is your engine stumbling or missing. That would also explain a shuddering
Try A new set of plugs
I had a new set fail when I installed my engine- thru me for a curve but yes they fouled from the initial pcm calibration-fresh engine
As for the torqmonster headers, I app the offer, but I have had my manifolds out so many times, I think this will take me about 2 hrs. I got it down good lol
Y'know, I could go down there, give you a hand and fish on the way back
jk
really, i won't be able to travel for another few weeks. I hope you have this solved by then for sure
sometimes you can see an ignition arc while running the engine in the dark.
Rev it up a bit and look at the spark plug boots and the coil packs
check this also
It is amazing what can be wrong , and no CEL
I had a home made intake spacer burn clear thru, about 6 inches of the middle between upper and lower was wide ope. 3500 rpm idle but no cel beleive it or not. 2 miles home with foot off gas

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Well, Id think it was the plugs, but I had the shudder before the TM's. It seems to be a little more harsh now though. Ive allways thought that the shudder was because of the AWD, but the more I thought, it didnt make sense. Why would Ford make a vehicle in 2001 that had vibration/shudder problems that severe?

I will still change my plugs out ASAP just to rule it out. Wont cost that much.

What I really need is some help with knowing if my rear axle is ok or not. I hate to put it back together and fill it full of $48 worth of oil and it not be right. I bought Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 75w140 for $15.99 a quart. Damn, thats expensive.

Does anyone know how to test for bad rear axle bearings?

I am going to remove both driveshafts tomorrow and check the U Joints to possibly rule that out. Any other things I should check?

 

[Turdle]

Have you replaced plug wires? Coil packs?
I have a spare set of packs I'd lend for shotgunning

 

[Turdle]

I just thought of something, don't know why it skipped by
The TPS ( throttle pos sensor) signal affects the t/c lockup when it changes
So if it was erratic??
use your voltmeter and measure the resistance while you actuate the throttle slowly from idle to full throttle, several time and watch for a spike or jumping of value. it should rise and fall smoothly if correct

 

[MountaineerGreen]

I have new plug wires that I installed when I put on the headers. OEM style replacements. Unfortunately not motorcraft because they were not available and I was in a hurry. The coil packs have never been changed to my knoledge. I had thought about them getting weak and not giving me good combustion, but thought if they were weak or not firing, I would get a CEL.

I will check my TPS tomrrow, too. My to do list is getting long.

This whole thing has me stumpped. Im almost rooting for bad U Joints because it should be a relatively inexpensive and quick fix.

A question about the rear end: Do I have to remove the pin from the LS unit to remove the C clips that hold the axles in? I want to check my outter bearings and dont know any better way to do so. If I remove the pin, is that going to cause gear problems?

I am wondering about the rear end because it was low on oil, the vent hose had dirt caked around the place on the axle where it attaches. It appears that the previous owners were kinda hard on the truck, so I want to have all my bases covered.

 

[Turdle]

The clips should come out, but watch for shims to fall out and remeber which ones go on which side

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Ok here is a picture for someone to help me with the gears:

the white arrow points to the place where the gears are worn shiny and there is more slack than I like. Is this normal?

Yes, I stole the picture off of ebay. I have no camera to take pictures for myself.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

The clips should come out, but watch for shims to fall out and remeber which ones go on which side

So, do I have to remove the pin to get the clips out? Im assuming yes.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Im going to do the following things tomrrow:

Remove axle shafts and check outer bearings
Clean rear end housing, re install axle shafts
Install cover and fill with oil
Change spark plugs to Motorcraft
Remove driveshafts and check each u Joint for stiffness/binding
Check TPS
Clean MAF with electric parts cleaner
Check coil packs for arcing

If its not one of the above things, I dont know what Im going to do. Whats left to check?

 

[Turdle]

I dunno, but after all that I'd call it a day, drink a beer and give it a break
Go with your plan, hopefully you'll find it
Good luck

 

[410Fortune]

Your 8.8 had 2.25 quarts of fluid in it?

The 8.8 takes almost 2 GALLONS of gear lube.

 

[TheJMan]

Your 8.8 had 2.25 quarts of fluid in it?

The 8.8 takes almost 2 GALLONS of gear lube.

When I changed the fluid in the rear diff, it only took a hair under 3 quarts.

 

[Turdle]

Mountaineergree,
Check towards end of this thread

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=157262

 

[MountaineerGreen]

When I changed the fluid in the rear diff, it only took a hair under 3 quarts.

Thats what mine took today, I used all of three quarts. I may have drained 2.5 quarts from the housing, not entirely certain.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Ok, I solved the problem- I think

I checked my front and rear driveshafts today, and my front U joint had a rough spot in it. I removed the driveshaft and replaced the U Joint. The needle bearings in the old one looked ok, but the cups were a little rough to turn. I bought a HD repacement at autozone for $19. This all but eliminated the vibration I have been having. There is a slight bit still, but its possible its tires. Oh well, I guess its time to pony up and buy some BFG All Terain K/O's

I also cleaned and painted my rear diff cover before I re installed it.

Tomorrow I intend to change the spark plugs. I bought some Motorcraft to replace the Bosch. They had better be good- they were over four dollars each. I checked my Borg Warner plug wires in the garage for arcing, and saw none. I am also going to check my TPS and possibly tweak it by elongating the holes. I bought some electric parts cleaner to clean my MAF. I believe with all of these things cleaned, replaced and or fixed, I should be in good shape. I am probably going to put the programmer back on to try to firm up the tranny, stock shift points are awfully sloppy.

 

[Turdle]

Good deal
Now you'll sleep better I'll bet

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Yeah I feel better having the vibration fixed and it not being anything major. I just need to fix my MPG problem now. Maybe those new plugs and a clean MAF will do it for me.

But since I sold my motorcycle and I dont have any major mechanical problems, I am going to buy some new tires. The walmart tires have to go. After all, a larger tire will/should increase my highway MPG.

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Ok, I did something that fixed my problems. Since I did them all at once, I dont know exactly what it was. I cleaned the MAF, adjusted the TPS to .97 volts and installed new Motorcraft Platinum plugs. Boom- fuel mileage jumped to 16+ MPG mixed city and highway driving. I am going on a road trip tomorrow and will post some mostly highway MPG's.

 

[410Fortune]

Nice, gotta love the 5.0L......