03 GT Hesitates and sputters, misfire? vacuum leak? Idk

[S.B.GTNick94]

Hey guys,

so long story short i finally got my car back from someone hitting me in an accident about 6 weeks ago, all cosmetic and safety system related, new hood bumper, air bags, etc.... Now its back and its got some problems. First off before the accident happened my car was throwing code P0153 for slow to respond o2 sensor. Now its back it still throws the code naturally but the cars is sputtering and bucking under load (any more than 1/4 throttle) and the idle sounds funny and just overall the car isnt performing and hesitates alot.

I had the car checked out immediately and the OBD scan tool came up with no misfires or anything like that. So im stumped it sounds like a misfire or vacuum leak? Could it be related to the bad o2 sensor? Could it have something to do with the fuel system? The car is going to my shop of choice tomorrow but im really looking to get and idea as to what the problem could be so my wallet isnt surprised when it hopefully gets fixed

Thanks

 

[KITT]

Hey guys,

so long story short i finally got my car back from someone hitting me in an accident about 6 weeks ago, all cosmetic and safety system related, new hood bumper, air bags, etc.... Now its back and its got some problems. First off before the accident happened my car was throwing code P0153 for slow to respond o2 sensor. Now its back it still throws the code naturally but the cars is sputtering and bucking under load (any more than 1/4 throttle) and the idle sounds funny and just overall the car isnt performing and hesitates alot.

I had the car checked out immediately and the OBD scan tool came up with no misfires or anything like that. So im stumped it sounds like a misfire or vacuum leak? Could it be related to the bad o2 sensor? Could it have something to do with the fuel system? The car is going to my shop of choice tomorrow but im really looking to get and idea as to what the problem could be so my wallet isnt surprised when it hopefully gets fixed

Thanks

Sounds like a vacuum leak to me. My2002 gt was acting just like that. After searching a few days I finally found the leak as the culprit being a huge gash in the pcv vacuum hose. Ordered the new part today for $20. Alot of times you can hear the vacuum leak which is what drew me to look for a leak. If you don't know what your supposed to be hearing put your ear next to a vacuum or shop vac hose when on and that is basically the sound you will hear. Or get a can of carb cleaner or a blow torch and spray or shoot on and around vacuum hoses and intake, heads etc and see if the engine revs. If no vacuum leak I would check the o2 sensors and throttle position sensor.

 

[DHG1078]

Hey guys,

so long story short i finally got my car back from someone hitting me in an accident about 6 weeks ago, all cosmetic and safety system related, new hood bumper, air bags, etc.... Now its back and its got some problems. First off before the accident happened my car was throwing code P0153 for slow to respond o2 sensor. Now its back it still throws the code naturally but the cars is sputtering and bucking under load (any more than 1/4 throttle) and the idle sounds funny and just overall the car isnt performing and hesitates alot.

I had the car checked out immediately and the OBD scan tool came up with no misfires or anything like that. So im stumped it sounds like a misfire or vacuum leak? Could it be related to the bad o2 sensor? Could it have something to do with the fuel system? The car is going to my shop of choice tomorrow but im really looking to get and idea as to what the problem could be so my wallet isnt surprised when it hopefully gets fixed

Thanks

Definitely check for vacuum leaks, but if you haven't replaced your O2 sensor you definitely need to. The O2 sensors directly impact the A/F ratio. If the sensor isn't reading correctly, the car is going to adjust as if it was. It absolutely could be wreaking havoc on your car.

 

[KLeech]

I guess it could be an o2 sensor. I forget that people actually haven't had their cars tuned and had those shut off by now.

What exactly does the idle sound funny mean? Are your tailpipes telling jokes? Is it fluctuating, idling high, idling low? Those would be signs of a vacuum leak, IAC, or TPS issue.

Could be a fuel pump issue, but I'd look at that last. Sounds like something wasn't hooked up correctly somewhere when the car was put back together.

 

[KITT]

I have my new PCV hose coming in probably tomorrow, eventhough it's obvious it needs replaced I'm hoping it corrects my hesitation problems. If not then I will start going through with the next steps. I'll do a small write up probably on the PCV.

 

[nxhappy]

4.6 99-03s are known for shitty COPs. Would not surprise me if multiple COPs are bad. Pull them out and check to make sure the ohms are in check.

If it's a vac leak.....usually the engine idles high, also known as hanging idle.

 

[bobby_0081]

4.6 99-03s are known for shitty COPs. Would not surprise me if multiple COPs are bad. Pull them out and check to make sure the ohms are in check.

If it's a vac leak.....usually the engine idles high, also known as hanging idle.

I agree about the COP issues. I have been through a few of them the last 4 years. You also need to buy the O2 sensors but only buy them from Ford and leave the parts store ones alone. Last thing I would check is to make sure that all of the grounds are hooked up. Body shops are notorious for leaving grounds off or painting the metal where grounds are hooked to and a bad ground could cause all kinds of issues. As for your car throwing a misfire code, that is unlikely to happen and never has for me in my 02 even when I had a COP unplugged or one that was going bad.

Good luck finding the issue.