supercharged 5.0 true fire 98 explorer sport

[410Fortune]

So glad to hear it!!!!!! It’s alive!!!!!
Winning the war

 

[vroomzoomboom]

not out of the woods just yet!
a few days ago i had it idling in the yard while i played with the 3 1/2 screen setting up what i wanted to see on it. figured i would go for a ride. backed onto the street, gave it a little gas, and it started to stumble (followed by a big ol' cloud of black smoke). get onto a different street, same thing. as i sat waiting for a light it stumbles then stalls.....great, if it doesnt start i am so screwed. get it home, pull the plug, all are black soot. change them, and wait till saturday. thats when i had another session booked. explain what happen to marty and jeff. they tell me to start the truck. after about 3 mins, jeff tells me i have zero vacuum (which i also look at the gauge, and hit my brakes to make sure). that session is now a wash. so i smoke the motor. nothing, no signs of any smoke, even after 10 mins and also using the vacuum line going to the booster. i figure i would start it and have a look around. start it, runs great. me being confused start to look for things when i notice i forgot to hook the vacuum line back up the the booster. when i plug it in, truck runs rough with little to no vacuum. when i unplug it, runs great WITH vacuum. now here is when it gets weird, after it has warmed up, i hook the line back onto the brake booster, and all is well. have vacuum, and idles fine.

i swear either god hates me, evil hates me or they both combined forces.

 

[410Fortune]

Your booster has a vacuum leak?

With line unplugged the one way valve is Doing it’s job?
With it plugged in you lose vacuum, sounds like your booster may have a large leak?

The Brake Booster Check Valve: What You Need to Know

Want to learn about the brake booster check valve? Here’s what it is, what it does and how to fix the valve when it’s failing.

www.repairsmith.com

Valve maybe sticky which is why it works at times not at others?

Just thinking out loud here

 

[Dono]

Does holly ahve the same style open loop/closed loop system, meaning when cold its in open loop?
Didn't the guys tune while you had a vacuum leak?
I'm wondering if thats somehow part of the issue you are seeing.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

Your booster has a vacuum leak?

With line unplugged the one way valve is Doing it’s job?
With it plugged in you lose vacuum, sounds like your booster may have a large leak?

The Brake Booster Check Valve: What You Need to Know

Want to learn about the brake booster check valve? Here’s what it is, what it does and how to fix the valve when it’s failing.

www.repairsmith.com

Valve maybe sticky which is why it works at times not at others?

Just thinking out loud here

now that i have seen a couple of pictures, i never knew that part was a valve lol. i had to put a different one on (black not grey if it matters) because the grey one grew legs. i did notice when i drove it the last time (with the grey one that vacuum would drop when i had the brakes on.

Does holly ahve the same style open loop/closed loop system, meaning when cold its in open loop?
Didn't the guys tune while you had a vacuum leak?
I'm wondering if thats somehow part of the issue you are seeing.

that i am not 100% sure of if it has a open/closed loop system in it.
i do believe it has a leak when they were tuning it, just not sure when it happen, or if it was like that all along.
i have also wondered that as well.
i will say that they are pretty patient. every time a problem has came up they respond as "hey, dont worry about it, we will get it. this is part of the process, this is what we do."

 

[vroomzoomboom]

well don, you were right. i called marty and jeff today. i had told them i tried a bunch of things all coming back there are no problems. i had also brought up about the possibility that i had some lines come loose or were not connected when they originally started tuning. i also explained to them that all these new problems started after i found those lines off, and put them back on. jeff came back and said that the learn part of it is off causing it to over fuel, and they will have to scrap the original tune and start over (whoops). they also said no big deal, it happens. not the first, not the last. hopefully we dont have rain on Wednesday, thats when they will start over.

 

[Dono]

Mo's speed shop sounds first class

 

[vroomzoomboom]

they did a retune, or did some changes on the tune they built today, which ever way you want to look at it.
it started off not so great. backing out the the driveway, it died, and while they were on the phone. all i heard was "i didnt do anything!". i answered with "me either! i didnt even give it gas!" started it back up, then my laptop cut them out, and wanted to do a update.....like really???
after letting it do its precious update, back to business. drove around town a bit, took it for a quick hop down the highway (and up to borderline arrestable speeds, found a few ecky spots they fixed, then home. truck fells like its running good. no leaks that i can see or find. will have to drive it a bit so it can learn, then call them back for a recheck. cant remember if i said this, but i got the factory tac to work, speedo works, fuel gauge works, and even the cruise control works as well. once again, i cant upload a video and i dont want to put it on youtube then link it here so ya'll have to take my work on it!

 

[410Fortune]

This is huge!!! You are driving your truck!!!

 

[vroomzoomboom]

too bad its going to rain small farm animals in the next few days. may have to sell the truck for a ark.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

was able to take if for a quick run around town, and to a buddys place to return his smoker (he laughed because he said it didnt get any quieter).
some things that i have noticed so far. it has a hard start, however jeff and marty explained it will be like that. the holley system doesnt know where tdc when you first start it and will have to find the missing tooth to determine where the motor is. it may take a few seconds depending where the motor stops when you turn it off. i will also have to see how much timing is thrown at it cranking. when its cold, it cranks easy. when its warm i can tell it has a struggle.
still getting a little sputter here and there when i slowly lay into it. more tuning will solve that i am sure.
im going to have to figure out how to do the transmission stuff. it will start in first, then a second or 2 **** to second. i also doesnt seem to want to down shift to first unless you hammer it.
i think it also wants to run too rich went on a warm up idle as well. have to pull a plug and look because if i let it run idling when cold, then back out of the driveway, and goose it, i can see black.
once again, i am hoping and thinking some more tuning will solve it all. after all, there might be a total of 10kms (and i mean 10) on this tune so time will have to tell.

 

[Dono]

I'm sure the guys at Mo's will get you closer, and help you understand the changes you need to make as you tweak. Your moving on from the mechanical frustrations to tuning frustrations.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

today i took evil on its longest drive i have done in a year and a haft, went to my folks with it for thanksgiving (you us people have yours on the wrong day ). its about a hour ish round trip drive. starting from the begging, i put new plugs in once again because the old ones (ya, old. like maybe 45 mins on them old) didnt look so great. i figured out if i bring the rmps on a cold start to let it warm up, they dont foul, or act like they fouled, which worked. drove to the folks, no problems with the exception the datalogger disconnected its self somehow along the way.
going home i wanted to stop in at dono's and show him evils newest toy, and because i havent seen him in a while but i wasnt feeling so great, so i had to continue home (not before making a throttle blip past his house, sorry, not sorry don, had to!). that also when drama started.
me just wanting to get home as i pass dons street, a few blocks down is a traffic light that takes you to the highway to my place. stopped no problem. as i turn onto the highway, i feel the truck shift to first, then second....but wont shift up to third. back off the throttle, try again. this time i free revs....look at the hollley display, it says or thinks its in 4th, but its not. i pull over, and try again from a dead stop. shifts to first, then second, no higher. at this point i think god hates me all over again for stomping it past dons house and this it the revenge.
pull over again, this time shutting the truck off, wait a few seconds, start it, put it in gear to drive away.
first gear, second gear, third gear, forth gear.
sweet! guess it was some glitch, until i get to the next light and it happens again. wtf, this time instead of hanging onto second and free revving, it just free revs after a certain rpm. pull over, shut the truck off and try everything all over again. same thing.
now i start thinking i should have not sold my spare trans with the transgo shift kit in it, and what is the tow truck going to cost.
shut truck off again, check the fluid, its up, not dark, doesnt stink. cant think of anything thats in the programing because havent gone there yet.
try starting it, and put it in gear. this time once again i get all my gears back, and drive it the 20 more mins home not knowing what happened, or was happening. at least the datalogger stayed on, and will have to ask marty and jeff if they have heard of that happening on my next session with them.
but i drove it, it made it home, and burnt more gas then i remember, but i DROVE it!!!!!

 

[CDW6212R]

My black Limited I lost 3rd and 4th gears one day going home, about four years ago. I noticed no 4th on the highway, stopped and gently took off to pay attention. Then it had no 3rd gear, and never had 3rd or 4th again. I drove it like that for another 15-18 months, it stayed at work and I worked it on two different routes like that, just two gears. The water pump began to whine(bearings), so I finally stopped driving it and bought my white 98.

My trans has most likely killed the forward drum and clutches. I shifted it constantly from D to 2 o 1, to keep it from throwing the error code in 3rd/4th(to stop it from making the attempt to shift up which would cause more damage).

Tim, check your CEL's, hopefully something there will point to a solenoid you can change. That's the easiest possible repair, hopefully it's not any clutches or other hard parts. Other than that, the VB might have some unknown issue, a sticking valve or odd big leak(if it was a V6(5R55E) I'd guess the VB gasket). The 4R70W is very solid and reliable, usually problems are minor VB or solenoid issues, or else clutches.

 

[410Fortune]

Well he has a Holley ecm so not sure about trouble codes
I would first do a full visual of all trans wiring

I think you can watch the Holley command the shift solenoids and see if the trans responds

I’m hoping it just needs a shift solenoid

Works sometimes doesn’t work others had me thinking it could for sure be a tuning issue
Maybe those dudes will come up with a solution! IM still happy you are driving it around!!

 

[vroomzoomboom]

will have to drive it more to see what happens. i know i had to pull everything for the harness up into the cab. they give you a ridiculous amount of wiring in those harnesses. i text marty today about that, he immediately said its an internal problem in the trans. when i called my trans guy (have known him since i was 14, and has done every trains i have ever had......but this one.....) he thinks it might be a tune issue but has never heard one doing what mine is doing.
either way, for now i am going to drive it to see what else pops up. after all this is the bug working out side of it.

 

[Turdle]

Might not matter, but log your tps if you can

 

[vroomzoomboom]

took it for another quick drive tonight.
nothing. acted like normal....well...until i turned around to head back home while on the highway. its never spun the tires 3/4 of the way through 3rd, only 1/2 way through second.
another thing that don probably saw when he would tune the truck but i never did was IAT's. one of the gauges i have set up on the holley screen is to show IAT's. its cool up here right now, i think it was 11C or around 55F tonight. i would watch that readout. it didnt get higher then 155F. when driving, would read around 130F. when they started tuning, it would read 180 while sitting, and drop down when driving. when i cam home it was reading 145 idling in the back yard. however, if i touched either rad up front (have 2 of them for the innercooler) they were cool and not burning hot. also when i touched the blower mount where the cooler was in, something. i am trying to figure out how to keep that sensor from being heat soaked. my problem is i dont know where i can put it because of space. i might be able to place it higher up in the mount below the supercharger. i think its all open to the rear of the mount, just higher then where it sits now so air can flow around the sensor itself.

 

[Dono]

I'm not sure the sensor is heat soaking Tim (well, maybe its part of what you are seeing).
At idle, your blower is still creating boost (heat), and that bypass valve is open. With the valve open, the boosted (heated) air is recirculating.
Honestly, at low load you have nothing to worry about. Its higher load stuff that can ruin a motor with high iat's.

The heat soaking thing can be debated all year long. It would obviously help if you could get that air filter out of the engine bay. but then again, temps go down when moving. Is it worth changing anything?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

I'm not sure the sensor is heat soaking Tim (well, maybe its part of what you are seeing).
At idle, your blower is still creating boost (heat), and that bypass valve is open. With the valve open, the boosted (heated) air is recirculating.
Honestly, at low load you have nothing to worry about. Its higher load stuff that can ruin a motor with high iat's.

The heat soaking thing can be debated all year long. It would obviously help if you could get that air filter out of the engine bay. but then again, temps go down when moving. Is it worth changing anything?

now that i see the iat's it makes me edgy seeing that little red box light off when they get up in temps. the reason why i say heat soaked is there is zero airflow where that sensor lives. once again with those rads being as cold as they are somethin aint making sense to me. i think that sensor sticks out 3/4 of a inch. i also think its that round as well. if i can put it where i now want it, i would have to think it would be worth it. from sitting to moving and watching it drop 20 degrees with not much airflow around it, i makes me wonder how much more it would drop with airflow.
ive also been racking the brain trying to find a way to get that air filter out of the engine bay. would need a big ol hole for that, and i would then worry about it getting soaked if i ever had to drive in the rain.