Running rough...

2002WRXSTi said:
The plugs are long since gone but when I did change them I was thinking why am I bothering cause they looked perfect. The wires seemed to be stock original so I replaced them at the time.

When I tried doing the IAC I took the TB off and there was no major gunk in any of the passages. There was the slightest amount of crap around the throttle blades but nothing that made me think it would need to be addressed? Unless that small amount would affect it that much?
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I'm thinking that the crud is further down the line. Such as between the IMRCs and valves, if that makes sense. Perfect~(porcelain white w/ a light dusting of brown) plugs? No excessive gap issues or burned contacts?
What does your temp gauge look like? Vacuum leaks? Have you done the can of carb cleaner around the engine to see if the idle picks up? Have you put a timing light on all of your spark plug wires to see if there are one or more that constantly miss? Broken or split wires to and from anything?
 
*new update* - Driving home from work today, at stop lights, car seems to be idling rougher at times. While accelerating around 35-40, the car really jerks and runs rough bad. While close to my house i tried to accelerate fast and around 30mph and going up, the car seemed to cut out when i had my foot on the gas and then picked back up again roughly. This is the worst its been yet.
 
torquemonkey said:
I'm thinking that the crud is further down the line. Such as between the IMRCs and valves, if that makes sense. Perfect~(porcelain white w/ a light dusting of brown) plugs? No excessive gap issues or burned contacts?
What does your temp gauge look like? Vacuum leaks? Have you done the can of carb cleaner around the engine to see if the idle picks up? Have you put a timing light on all of your spark plug wires to see if there are one or more that constantly miss? Broken or split wires to and from anything?
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Lemme see if I can try to answer a few of these. Wires are new now and when I took the old plugs out they were pretty much perfect light dusting of brown. To the point I didn't want to replace them but I did anyway. No burned contacts or anything. It seems that before I changed the IAC it would only idle after it warmed up. Typical IAC stuff and it would idle low all the fun stuff that happens when the controller is dead. So I replaced all the other stuff and then about a week or 2 later had the IAC done.

The guy that did the install for me didn't reset my CEL. So I had a friend of mine use his Snap-On scanner to do it for me. So I drove for about 2 weeks and the Cel came back on? I removed the batt terminal to do a quick reset. It stayed off for about 5 tanks of gas. However if I am at a long stop light or in a drive-thru it will go from idling normal to all of a sudden surging and idling like it has a race cam. Drive away and up to the next light, smooth idle and then about by the time the yellow is going for the cross traffic my car will start with the erratic idle.

It is to not a random thing. I haven't taken a stop watch yet to time and see if it does it at the exact same time when I go to idle. I really have to get my friend to scan it again and maybe I will finally find out what it could be?
 
Oil in plug wells...

I just changed the passenger side plug well gaskets on my '93 this past weekend. It wasn't really all that bad compared to a other jobs I've done.

I had to jack the passenger side of the engine up an inch to get the valve cover to clear the shock tower so I could remove it. It's not hard at all; just jack it up high enough so you can get the cover off, but not so high that you rupture your motor mount.

The Fel-Pro brand gasket set I bought cost about $80. It came with 8 plug well gaskets, 2 valve cover gaskets and a bag of 16 or more little black circular pieces (which I didn't need).

I put the plug well gaskets on the valve cover, and put high-temp RTV on the matching portion of the cylinder head. I also used a few dots of RTV on the valve cover to make the valve cover gasket adhere to the cover while I put it back on the cylinder head.

Between the RTV and the new gaskets, this thing won't be leaking oil again.

From what I hear, shops charge $200 or more to do the job. It's worth tackling yourself.
 
buddylee said:
whats "IAC" ??
This place need a Key to understand it sometimes!
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Idle Air Control

You're right, with all the acronyms people use it wouldn't be bad to have a list. Sometimes something that seems like general knowledge to me isn't so common to you, or vice versa.
 
Before you even think of leaving to buy parts, you must first click your heels three times saying "theres nothing like a smooth idle!". After that, you may buy your wires.
 
the running really rough at times when it wants to between 1 through 40 and 50mph would be the wires as well?
 
Jibit said:
Idle Air Control

You're right, with all the acronyms people use it wouldn't be bad to have a list. Sometimes something that seems like general knowledge to me isn't so common to you, or vice versa.
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anyne have a picture , my wifes car is kinda acting funny
 
I'd like an update on this - my car is starting to do the exact same thing... occasional rough idle and it is "trailer hitching" under light load or low rpm such as when it is in 4th gear early due to light acceleration - after I coast down a few mph, then lightly tip in some throttle I can really feel it. It is nasty in a lux car.

From reviewing all the hesitation posts I'm thinking of taking care of business in this order:

1. Seafoam

2. Plugs if necessary - car was immaculately maintained so I bet they are fresh at 100,000 when I bought it

3. Wires

4. (if necessary) Pull and clean Idle Air Control

5. Hang Myself

I do have an occasional CEL, especially when the car is warming up. If I turn it off and restart it clears and usually doesn't return. I'll run by autozone and get it read before I begin - probably a worn o2 sensor...

I do notice that when it is occurring all I have to do is drop into 2nd and the higher rpm takes care of it - frankly, the car runs better in town just leaving it in second gear. I don't care for the abrupt 1-2 shift if I leg it more than a little off the line, smooth as silk otherwise.

I wonder if Lucas trans fluid goo would smooth that 1-2 a smidge? MB guys use it all the time.
 
When you pull the plugs check them over to see if you have one that looks different. I ran into a coil on plug assy. that when it got warm/hot casused a miss.
Wires ought to cover the majority possible weakpoints. Should the list not fix the issue, check your coil pack assembly. I'm sure someone has the right resistance parameters for your needs.
 
I finally went out and bought a OBDII scanner so I can check it when I want to. It came up lean on the bank 1 & 2, so I have a vacuum leak somewhere that I have to chase down.

At the same time my low coolant warning started coming on sept it ain't a false warning. The damn coolant is disappearing and I don't know were it is going:confused:
 
2002WRXSTi said:
I finally went out and bought a OBDII scanner so I can check it when I want to. It came up lean on the bank 1 & 2, so I have a vacuum leak somewhere that I have to chase down.

At the same time my low coolant warning started coming on sept it ain't a false warning. The damn coolant is disappearing and I don't know were it is going:confused:
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BLOWN HEAD GASKET, lol jk

check for fluid dripping from the bottom of the front of the block. you may be losing fluid from the pump when under pressure.
 
Why autolite 764's and not the factory motorcraft plugs? as far as the bosch plugs go... I do know that in my 2.3 liter turbo engine they sucked!!! I only used the motorcraft plugs in it. but im currious about the 764's. thanks.
 
Use what you want, Autolite's work great and for a buck a piece, forgetaboutit!

Lean banks sound like O2 issues.

My coolant leak was from my radiator, having a slight leak in the plastic tank on the side. Keep in mind that if you have a coolant leak, then you are not keeping pressure and have dropped your boiling point. Not good for we desert types.
 
MrWilson said:
BLOWN HEAD GASKET, lol jk

check for fluid dripping from the bottom of the front of the block. you may be losing fluid from the pump when under pressure.
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UGH...Bite you tongue!!

I am not sure were it is going and it is pissing me off cause there is a large loss somewhere and I can't find it. The cap broke so I have to buy one of them now and I check under the car when I park to see if I can get a general idea of any point the water could be leaking?

Better not be a head gasket cause I don't feel like doing an engine swap :mad:
 
I see nothing wrong with Bosch +2's. I have used +4's and +2's for years with no problem. I like the open gap horizontal to the piston top. It does sound like bad plug wires. I had the same problem about 18 months ago. Get MSD super conductors from Summit for about $90.00.You should be good to go!

Raoul
 
torquemonkey said:
Use what you want, Autolite's work great and for a buck a piece, forgetaboutit!

Lean banks sound like O2 issues.

My coolant leak was from my radiator, having a slight leak in the plastic tank on the side. Keep in mind that if you have a coolant leak, then you are not keeping pressure and have dropped your boiling point. Not good for we desert types.
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I am thinking a vacuum leak more likely? It does some strange idle characteristics. For the past 2 days it has been taking a gallon of water a day and I cannot find a leak?? No water in the oil and no smoke out of the exhaust plus no wetness under the car or in the engine compartment. Really got me stumped at this point.
 
Running rough

ok so i bought my 95 Mark VIII LSC on 4-21-05 exactly one month after some :q:q:q:q:q:q:q t-boned my 86 Mark VII LSC
anyhow it had 151k on it when i got it.
the front end had been slightly wrecked but poorly reassembled. loser couldnt take care of his mark. but to the point...

sometime after i got it i changed the plugs to the motorcraft plugs.
probably about this(2006) March at the beginning it started stumbling and shuddering and crap like that.
so my first reaction was the transmission.
i went and had it flushed(no solvent) and they put a new filter in and Dextron III/mercon fluid in it...problem didnt go away... no luck.
I then bought a rebuilt Dacco torque converter (cause i couldnt afford an art carr/precision/or edge) but that still didnt solve the problem. i was told to add LubeGuard to it...i did that (that adds friction modifiers, basically makes it equivalent to mercon V) problem still persisted. i then added a tube of Dr.Tranny's shudder fix.
oh and i also have had this shearing sound when the transmission is in park and neutral the whole time ive had the car so i know its not the TC bolts cuz i did those myself and it hasnt gone away.

next i changed the fuel filter.- no luck
i checked the fuel pressure at idle- it was 20 psi at the rail.
the vac was -12psi then i fixed a vac leak...it went up to -15psi steady at idle

the beginning of may 06 i changed to a 255lph BBK/walbro fuel pump...problem still persists.
i pulled air tube and TB and my IAC (to the left of TB) looked pretty clean...(its resistance was 12.7ohms) as were my injectors if i remember correctly.

but the EGR side of the TB (right of it) was pretty clogged, problem though is that i couldnt get the EGR off yet. so i used a screw and unclogged it with small amounts of carb choke cleaner. after this my vacuum went up to -20psi at idle. i need to take it and clean/check it still.

i just ordered a set of MSD Superconductor wires....
----I NEED A ROUTING DIAGRAM PLEASE (pyro69_2001@yahoo.com)---- because i hear from my friend with a 97 cobra that these engines are reallly picky about how you run your plug wires. so help ASAP would be awesome.

the only other things i havent checked were the backpressure and O2 sensors and coil packs (that i can think of)
i wasnt able to get ahold of the ford scan tool (only the snap-on) which read an EGR code and also High exhaust pressure...
it now has 170k miles

HELP
 
Sounds like what my car did right before the fuel pump shot s!!t.
i went through the whole plugs, then wires, coils,fuel filter and all the stuff didn't help. went to take it back to the dealership i had just bought it from and it died right there in their drive way and wouldn't start....hahahaha

good luck man pray its not the fuel pump$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
 
MrWilson said:
Not true, the autolite 764's ARE the best. Also, consider getting hi-po wires. MSD is my wire of choice. for some reason these cars like to chew through cheep wires real quick (atleast in my experience) Iv been using my MSD's since the new tranny, and it smoothed out my idle right away, and hasent shown any problems since. Usuially by this point with cheepeys im starting to get a rough idle.

Depending on how bad the idle is, dont rule out busted motor mount.
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autolite=motorcraft. period.



bosch are the worst plugs for ANY ford. then champions. dont run anything other than autolite or motorcraft.
 
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