I have a LS V8 with 63K, had a slight misfire at 50 mph... would come and go not consistent. Now from 20-70mph its a constant miss when under acceleration. I first changed the fuel filter... got better. Now its horrible. Bought a new ignition coil (had one that has a cracked) replaced it... no change so I started swapping them out with the extra one I have. Swapped all 8 with the new one and no change. It idles a little rough after putting in to gear. The previous owner had, under warranty, valve cover gaskets replaced, and 4 coils... also the computer re programed. Spoke with the local dealer and he says it is the transmission. I believe it has to be ignition or fuel related. The ck engine light does not come on.... can they check for a code. Does anyone have any suggestions?
HELP!! The dreaded misfire!
- Thread starter wrt01
- Start date
mayhawboy's LS
Active LVC Member
go to Autozone and let them run a diagnostic, it may at least put you in the right direction. They will do it for free where as a dealer might charge you around $100. Post your results. These guys (and gals) are pretty savvy with these cars.
mayhawboy's LS
Active LVC Member
also, do a search for some of the other threads here relating to these problems you are having. Might take some time, but you may have a better understanding.
What you're experiencing is excatly to letter what has heppened to me. I've had the valve cover gaskets replaced car was fine for a year then it started all over again. First between 45-50mph then all over the place. It just feels sluggish and heavy cause its not running on all cylinders.Get the codes from autozone and see where the misifres are. The coils have bad reputation. Hope that the original valve cover job was done right, and all you will probably have to do is have a few coils replaced. :steeringwrt01 said:
bzj755
New LVC Member
My LS V8 has the same problem... not fixed yet.
My LS V8 also misfires around the same speeds.
A diagnostic check revealed a, "#5 cylinder misfire." Problem for is that I don't know how to fix it. I don't know which piston cylinder is #5.
I'm guessing it's either the sparkplugs, coils or even some new programming to the PCM. I don't know where to start...so if you get any help...send it my way as well.
At least someone has a similar problem...
My LS V8 also misfires around the same speeds.
A diagnostic check revealed a, "#5 cylinder misfire." Problem for is that I don't know how to fix it. I don't know which piston cylinder is #5.
I'm guessing it's either the sparkplugs, coils or even some new programming to the PCM. I don't know where to start...so if you get any help...send it my way as well.
At least someone has a similar problem...
I am going to autozone today..... to see if they can read and codes but with out the check engine light on.... I dont know if they will get anything. Do you think they will have a coil tester to loan out?? Ill give you any and all info I receive. Thanks
mholhut
Dedicated LVC Member
The coils will normally fail because of heat...
That being said, drive the car like you stole it and really heat up the motor. That will fry the weak coil(s) that's giving you problems and trigger the check engine light. The only other way is to take it to a dealership and have them do a load balance test on the coils.
That being said, drive the car like you stole it and really heat up the motor. That will fry the weak coil(s) that's giving you problems and trigger the check engine light. The only other way is to take it to a dealership and have them do a load balance test on the coils.
This is not a new problem... going on for 2 months now.... I drive it hard everyday hoping it will throw a code.... took it to autozone no luck... went to a local guy who has his own shop and used to work for Ford. He feels since it doesnt throw a code and I have swapped the coils around with no change it could be the torque converter.... says it will give the same symptoms of a misfire... want me to put Lubegard in and see if it changes otherwise planning on doing some diagnosic tests while driving it on the 25th.... what do you think? Now to find where to put the LubeGard in......
00NORCAL V8
Active LVC Member
wrt01 said:
Does the LS have a tranny dipstick? I can't see one any where.
Don't touch the transmission unless you are ready to rebuild it. I wouldn't put anything in there.
Does it feel rough when you first start it up and just sitting there?
I just posted the fix for my problem which was going on since I purchased the car in January. I did the "coil swap around" like you. I even swapped coils twice from my wife's car to make sure. I didn't catch the year your car is, but there is a problem with the valve guides that some people say is common for a certain run in 2000. The valves get stuck. Someone on this board ran into that problem.
In my case, it was a bad fuel injector. Check out Rockauto.com for pricing. I got mine for $65.00 or something close. I am glad I shotgunned that solution before I started digging into my heads or the transmission! Mine didn't feel that bad while driving and it didn't quite feel like a bad coil (like I ran into on my wife's LS as well as mine), but it did feel like a cylinder was not working 100%. The car would shake pretty badly when I would first start it up. It seemed that the more I drove it through the day, the better it got.
Also, check out flatratetech.com for some advice from the experts. There is some great knowledge on this board, of course, but don't do anything rash. Check around and take your time. What works on one car, does not on another. I would strongly suggest not taking advice from someone who does not know the LS specifically. It is a different beast that can be VERY complicated to someone who has not worked with them. Some fixes are so common and simple, but mis-diagnosed over and over again.
Does it feel rough when you first start it up and just sitting there?
I just posted the fix for my problem which was going on since I purchased the car in January. I did the "coil swap around" like you. I even swapped coils twice from my wife's car to make sure. I didn't catch the year your car is, but there is a problem with the valve guides that some people say is common for a certain run in 2000. The valves get stuck. Someone on this board ran into that problem.
In my case, it was a bad fuel injector. Check out Rockauto.com for pricing. I got mine for $65.00 or something close. I am glad I shotgunned that solution before I started digging into my heads or the transmission! Mine didn't feel that bad while driving and it didn't quite feel like a bad coil (like I ran into on my wife's LS as well as mine), but it did feel like a cylinder was not working 100%. The car would shake pretty badly when I would first start it up. It seemed that the more I drove it through the day, the better it got.
Also, check out flatratetech.com for some advice from the experts. There is some great knowledge on this board, of course, but don't do anything rash. Check around and take your time. What works on one car, does not on another. I would strongly suggest not taking advice from someone who does not know the LS specifically. It is a different beast that can be VERY complicated to someone who has not worked with them. Some fixes are so common and simple, but mis-diagnosed over and over again.
00NORCAL V8
Active LVC Member
lsbit said:
Hey lsbit. My car has just started doing what you described. 1st thing in the morning I start it idles fine until the choke? idles down and then the motor starts getting choppy. I don't feel it when I drive off though. Is this close to what you fixed? And if it is I am not as mechanically equipped as you so should I bring it to the dealer? I have an xtended warr. could FI's be covered? TIA.
JES_LS
Dedicated LVC Member
It sounds like a bad injector to me as well.
you will have to read the information on your exact extended warrantee, they are not all the same.
you will have to read the information on your exact extended warrantee, they are not all the same.
free139stylz
Active LVC Member
I had the same problem with my car!!!! I had to replace all 8 coil packs and it hasent misfired since!!!!
00NORCAL V8 said:
That's pretty much how it was with mine. With the coil problem, I noticed it under load, with the injector problem, I noticed it more without load. Coil problems are EXTREMELY common, so make sure you have ruled that out.
My bad injector was on the passenger side. It was a buger to get to, as a plastic house needs to be disconnected that is hard to get to, but not exactly rocket science. The key is to find out which cylinder is causing the problem. If you know that, any good mechanic can swap out the injector. If you don't know the cylinder, you might be better off at the Lincoln dealer. I would expect a $300 charge though. The extended warranty I was looking at covered fuel injectors.
Let us know what you find! Feel free to email me or PM me if you need any help. djperuski at comcast.net.
00NORCAL V8
Active LVC Member
lsbit said:
Well I had coils replaced and new plugs put in when I purchased the car. This roughness is only upon initial start up in the AM. It goes away after car has heated up. I have to ask 1 more thing. I have the cone filter setup on my car and I fabricated a kinda of heat shield (not as elaborate as the ones I've seen here). My car really boggs when it is hot now. Can this be due to excess heat in engine compartment?
00NORCAL V8 said:
You will notice the air temp change more with the cone filter. This is the case on my Mustang also. You might just be missing more of what you gain when it is cooler outside than anything else. Of course, bogging is not really a good thing. You could try to put the box back in to see if the problem goes away. You'll be surprised at how much better the car will run when you get it fixed, if you do have a FI problem. My gas mileage is still improving now also.
00NORCAL V8
Active LVC Member
lsbit said:
Thanks for your help.
OK... still waiting.... Supposed to be getting it put on the diagnosic system that can be used while driving it to see what cylinder its misfiring in but I am still concerned that there is some truth to this torque converter thing.... I feel like I am beating my head against a wall and still getting no where! When its fixed.... it will be sold or traded and dont know if it will be for another LS! Why did Ford not issue a recall for the coils? If torque converters were going out at 20,000 miles (told this by a Ford Mechanic) why was there no recall for this?
P Rock
Active LVC Member
My car also misses...sometimes at idle but I can DEFINATELY feel it when accellerating on the freeway. Car feels very, very weak also....like it's not running on all 8 cylinders. Please let us know what you come up with.
joedirt
Active LVC Member
All you guys are absolutely insane.lol Wasting your money on guesses. Replacing all 8 coils is upsurd. Just go to your local ford dealer and pay the hour diagnostic fee. If u live close to Corydon IN., come see me at Heritage Ford. You guys are spending way too much money on hear say and guesses.
On something that feels like a misfire. It could be, a fuel injector, a fuel injector circuit, a plug, a valve, seat or guide, a coil on plug, or circuit, MAF, vacuum leak, low fuel pressure, even torque converter shutter. anything.
I've had so many cars that come in and people have replaced numerous things already. and when it still has the same problem they finally bring it to the dealership. ;p
On something that feels like a misfire. It could be, a fuel injector, a fuel injector circuit, a plug, a valve, seat or guide, a coil on plug, or circuit, MAF, vacuum leak, low fuel pressure, even torque converter shutter. anything.
I've had so many cars that come in and people have replaced numerous things already. and when it still has the same problem they finally bring it to the dealership. ;p
joedirt said:
Only a few people here have replaced all of them, and I would say replacing 8 may be overkill, but as common as the problem has been, for some it is worth not dealing with that issue again (especially the 6 banger guys who don't want to pull the intake again).
Do a search on this forum, and you will see why people are willing to try fixing these cars on their own.
G
GrayGhost1
Guest
I'm going to step up here and mention something. Do not come to LvC and start telling everyone they are insane and basically berating them. This is a friendly forum and we will keep it this way. If you have something of interest to say make it be known without telling the LvC membership they are insane. We have intelligent people here that can diagnose their own cars without having to go to the dealer for every single problem.joedirt said:
I/we do appreciate your knowledge as a Ford technician and would love for you to help us out. We all want to have simple and low cost solutions to our vehicle problems.