The start of the problems were a few months back when the car... after sitting, it would have a hard time starting and then idled very low for a few seconds and then corrected itself and drove fine. I also noticed that the half dozen or so times that this happened...when I got in the car, I could smell fuel BEFORE I turned the key. I thought it might be the fuel cap was venting into the cabin, since the trunk is not sealed well at the filler opening.
In the mean time, the alternator was making noises from the main bearing failing and at start up the battery light would come on for about 15 seconds then go out.
So I leave the house the other day, 5 minuted in, just easy driving in the neighborhood and the car started sputtering bad out of the blue, to the point that accelerating made the car buck. I got no CEL at that point. Got the car home and in the dark when revving the car, I could see all kinds of points where the plug wires were shorting out on the engine (I know, I'm a dumbass for not changing them earlier). I hooked up the OBDII scanner and there was 2 codes for misfire cylinder P0302 and P0306 for cylinder 2 and 6 (which are on 2 different coil packs). I don't know how old the codes are so I clear them and at first, no codes return and no CEL.
So I ordered new Ford plug wires and in the down time, I check the coil pack OHMs and got acceptable readings off the secondary @ around 13.50 and a little high on the primary 1.3-1.6 (which strangely is the same readings as the new coil packs).
So I reconnect everything and make sure the wires going to the coils were not damaged and now the car will not run unless I feather the gas and work it up to around 1500 RPM and hold it. I try swapping the coils and no change. I immediately get a CEL and codes P0353 and P0354 (ignition/coil C and D primary and secondary circuit malfunction) and clearing the code brings the CEL and code back again immediately.
Next I get new Autolite plugs and find that the old plugs are mostly fouled or smell like gas. So I install the new plugs, fuel filter and alternator and absolutely no change.
Today I got 2 new coil packs and now the car fires right up with a roar and idled pretty well but still had a slight miss. I pull out to take the car to the gas station and immediately I think the car is fixed, until I try to accelerate. The car sputters and stumbles until I get up to about 5k RPM then seems to clear up for the most part. If I baby it and accelerate slowly through the gears, it is not too noticeable.
So I get home and turn the car off and check to make sure I got everything back together correctly and decide to unplug the negative battery and pull the plug off the PCM under the passenger side kick panel for about and hour.
I get back in and there's no real change and I take it for another quick drive and come back. I shut the car off again and look under the hood for something I missed. I start the car up and now it seems the miss at idle is pretty much gone and so I take it around the block again but the sputtering continues when accelerating.
It is REALLY bad if you are in a high gear and try to accelerate it.
I hope someone has any idea what is going on and maybe this helps someone else with a similar problem in the future. I read as much as I could about my problem and found no answers, but saw that many people claim that coil packs seldom go bad and read that many issues are corrected by resetting the PCM.
Thanks for any help!!
Dave
In the mean time, the alternator was making noises from the main bearing failing and at start up the battery light would come on for about 15 seconds then go out.
So I leave the house the other day, 5 minuted in, just easy driving in the neighborhood and the car started sputtering bad out of the blue, to the point that accelerating made the car buck. I got no CEL at that point. Got the car home and in the dark when revving the car, I could see all kinds of points where the plug wires were shorting out on the engine (I know, I'm a dumbass for not changing them earlier). I hooked up the OBDII scanner and there was 2 codes for misfire cylinder P0302 and P0306 for cylinder 2 and 6 (which are on 2 different coil packs). I don't know how old the codes are so I clear them and at first, no codes return and no CEL.
So I ordered new Ford plug wires and in the down time, I check the coil pack OHMs and got acceptable readings off the secondary @ around 13.50 and a little high on the primary 1.3-1.6 (which strangely is the same readings as the new coil packs).
So I reconnect everything and make sure the wires going to the coils were not damaged and now the car will not run unless I feather the gas and work it up to around 1500 RPM and hold it. I try swapping the coils and no change. I immediately get a CEL and codes P0353 and P0354 (ignition/coil C and D primary and secondary circuit malfunction) and clearing the code brings the CEL and code back again immediately.
Next I get new Autolite plugs and find that the old plugs are mostly fouled or smell like gas. So I install the new plugs, fuel filter and alternator and absolutely no change.
Today I got 2 new coil packs and now the car fires right up with a roar and idled pretty well but still had a slight miss. I pull out to take the car to the gas station and immediately I think the car is fixed, until I try to accelerate. The car sputters and stumbles until I get up to about 5k RPM then seems to clear up for the most part. If I baby it and accelerate slowly through the gears, it is not too noticeable.
So I get home and turn the car off and check to make sure I got everything back together correctly and decide to unplug the negative battery and pull the plug off the PCM under the passenger side kick panel for about and hour.
I get back in and there's no real change and I take it for another quick drive and come back. I shut the car off again and look under the hood for something I missed. I start the car up and now it seems the miss at idle is pretty much gone and so I take it around the block again but the sputtering continues when accelerating.
It is REALLY bad if you are in a high gear and try to accelerate it.
I hope someone has any idea what is going on and maybe this helps someone else with a similar problem in the future. I read as much as I could about my problem and found no answers, but saw that many people claim that coil packs seldom go bad and read that many issues are corrected by resetting the PCM.
Thanks for any help!!
Dave
. Only thing I can think of, is maybe a gasket shifted when setting the manifold? Other than the idle going nuts, accelerating is still crap and I exchanged the coil pack for a new one, no difference.
