At wits end! 2005 E350 issues
#1
03-16-2019, 02:56 PM
At wits end! 2005 E350 issues
I am desperately hoping someone can point me in a direction here, any direction! I have a 2005 E-350 6.8 V10 superduty ext. We bought it used and thinking we were caring for it, got a tune up and had a cracked valve cover replaced. Maybe coincidentally, a couple of months later the engine light came on. We took it to Firestone and they said they thought a coil pack was loose, they tightened it up and reset the engine light. A couple of weeks later it came back on. We have had it to 5 different shops including a dealership and they’ve done everything from replacing the Bosch plugs to Motorcraft (at dealerships suggestion) to replacing coils, to replacing the wiring harness and nothing will help. The darn light just comes back every time. It’s been 6 months and we still have no answers. Here are some details of our symptoms:
The engine light will sometimes go off on its own for a day or two then return.
The code it’s throwing is random misfire.
We are mysteriously losing coolant and oil, but repair shops can’t find a cause. Usually a quart low at 5,000 change (Full-synth)
It does not smoke or overheat. It runs fine usually, sometimes idles rough and has power loss, feels like vacuum leak?
We have read about the threading issues with these vans regarding the plugs, could that be our issue?
Where should we turn next? Don’t really trust the dealerships, overpriced with stock answers. Spent 1,200 on two new coils and tune up which did nothing. Firestone can’t figure it out to the point they told us to take it elsewhere.
Any and all suggestions/advice greatly appreciated!!
The engine light will sometimes go off on its own for a day or two then return.
The code it’s throwing is random misfire.
We are mysteriously losing coolant and oil, but repair shops can’t find a cause. Usually a quart low at 5,000 change (Full-synth)
It does not smoke or overheat. It runs fine usually, sometimes idles rough and has power loss, feels like vacuum leak?
We have read about the threading issues with these vans regarding the plugs, could that be our issue?
Where should we turn next? Don’t really trust the dealerships, overpriced with stock answers. Spent 1,200 on two new coils and tune up which did nothing. Firestone can’t figure it out to the point they told us to take it elsewhere.
Any and all suggestions/advice greatly appreciated!!
#2
03-16-2019, 07:14 PM
What might help,
The right person with a capable scan tool would use Mode 6 to get an idea of which cyl or cyls are misfiring.
If it is only one cyl then they would confine their efforts to everything that could affect that one cyl.
If, on the other hand it involves multiple cyls, then they would start checking everything that could affect any/all cyls.
Sometimes we overlook a far out possible cause thinking ,"It can't be that" ,but it wouldn't be the first time that happened.
Something you might try, unplug the plug on the alternator and try driving it some, (daytime only please)and see if there is any change. Because we don't know at this time if it is one or more cyls that are affected , we are taking the multiple cyl path.as a trial. Easy to do and no $$$ involved.Let us know what you get, thanks.
The right person with a capable scan tool would use Mode 6 to get an idea of which cyl or cyls are misfiring.
If it is only one cyl then they would confine their efforts to everything that could affect that one cyl.
If, on the other hand it involves multiple cyls, then they would start checking everything that could affect any/all cyls.
Sometimes we overlook a far out possible cause thinking ,"It can't be that" ,but it wouldn't be the first time that happened.
Something you might try, unplug the plug on the alternator and try driving it some, (daytime only please)and see if there is any change. Because we don't know at this time if it is one or more cyls that are affected , we are taking the multiple cyl path.as a trial. Easy to do and no $$$ involved.Let us know what you get, thanks.
#3
03-18-2019, 01:29 AM
Thanks Hanky,
It is usually 2 cylinders misfiring, but never really the same ones. They replaced 9 & 10 coils thinking it was them, but it wasn’t. Since sometimes it’s 1 & 6 etc. I don’t want to try replacing any more coils.
ill try the alternator trick, we replaced it last year so I think we can figure it out. Curious as to what affect that has on the cylinders, I’ll let you know if it helps!
It is usually 2 cylinders misfiring, but never really the same ones. They replaced 9 & 10 coils thinking it was them, but it wasn’t. Since sometimes it’s 1 & 6 etc. I don’t want to try replacing any more coils.
ill try the alternator trick, we replaced it last year so I think we can figure it out. Curious as to what affect that has on the cylinders, I’ll let you know if it helps!
#4
03-18-2019, 05:06 PM
If the alternator throws a few spikes here and there into the electrical system ,some sensors an be affected by them and unless you can catch them on a scope or graphing meter they can take us for a real ride.
That just happens to be one of the problems I have found that took a while to pin down
.In the case in point it was the PCM that was sending out the misfire codes.No fault of the PCM.(Powertrain Control Module)
That just happens to be one of the problems I have found that took a while to pin down
.In the case in point it was the PCM that was sending out the misfire codes.No fault of the PCM.(Powertrain Control Module)
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