frenchqtrchef
Member
Hello everyone. I just joined; I am having a problem with my truck and I'm looking for some opinions. I have a 2000 Exp 5.4L engine. When I start the truck, the RPMs immediately go down to around 400. I have to rev the engine up around 2000 RPMs for a few minutes, or else when I let off the gas it will die. When I come to a stop, if the truck is in 1st gear, I have to let off the gas very gradually and apply the brake very slowly - if I take my foot off the gas pedal suddenly, and apply the brake quickly, it will stall. It seems as though the longer I drive, the less chance there is of stalling, but the RPMs never go higher than 500. The engine light goes off and on randomly, as does the oil pressure light.
In addition, this is an intermittent problem. It comes and goes every two weeks or so, and lasts a few days. I never know when it's going to happen, and I never know when it's going to return to normal. When it does return to normal, it's as if the engine will finally "catch". I don't know any other way to describe it, and yes I am a woman.
Sometimes when it does "catch", I'll hear the automatic door lock mechanism. Yesterday morning when I left my house, it started up and ran like normal. When I got in it to leave for lunch, the low idle problem began again. I haven't noticed anything that triggers the problem; i.e., wet weather, hot temperatures, etc. The last time this happened, for a few days it would do the idling low thing after being started, and then the RPMs would immediately go back up to normal (around 1000 for my truck). It did this every time it was started, for about a week, and then everything returned to normal. The time before that, it had been happening for a few days, and then one day it rained hard and I had to use my wipers on the highest speed, and as soon as I did this, the engine went back to normal. It's the strangest thing.
I have been using the same mechanic for years, and I feel like he really knows his stuff, but even HE hasn't been able to figure out the problem. I believe he said the code he got from the engine had to do with a coil, but that it didn't need to be replaced yet, and I believe he said the coil wouldn't be the cause of these symptoms. My husband has replaced the idle control valve and the fuel filter, and that hasn't helped. Any ideas?? Any suggestions? I don't want to put a lot of money into the truck, as my husband is pushing me to get something new at the beginning of the year, but I do need the truck to get me from point A to point B until then, and preferably without leaving me stranded somewhere.
**Another symptom I just thought of - the interior lights and the headlights will flicker and get brighter/dimmer with the revolutions of the engine. Also, the battery light will come on and will blink, but it blinks in such a way that makes it seem like there is some kind of short. The oil pressure gauge light that comes on randomly was checked and the mechanic said there was nothing wrong with the oil pressure at all, so maybe this is an electrical problem? The alternator was replaced in February of 2008; I was driving on the interstate when it went out and these symptoms are not the same at all.
***Well, yet another symptom I just thought of - when this problem is occurring, the headlights are very, very dim, until you press down on the gas pedal. Also - the A/C does not blow cold unless you're pressing down on the gas pedal. As soon as I take my foot off the gas, the lights go dim again and the air isn't cold.
In addition, this is an intermittent problem. It comes and goes every two weeks or so, and lasts a few days. I never know when it's going to happen, and I never know when it's going to return to normal. When it does return to normal, it's as if the engine will finally "catch". I don't know any other way to describe it, and yes I am a woman.
Sometimes when it does "catch", I'll hear the automatic door lock mechanism. Yesterday morning when I left my house, it started up and ran like normal. When I got in it to leave for lunch, the low idle problem began again. I haven't noticed anything that triggers the problem; i.e., wet weather, hot temperatures, etc. The last time this happened, for a few days it would do the idling low thing after being started, and then the RPMs would immediately go back up to normal (around 1000 for my truck). It did this every time it was started, for about a week, and then everything returned to normal. The time before that, it had been happening for a few days, and then one day it rained hard and I had to use my wipers on the highest speed, and as soon as I did this, the engine went back to normal. It's the strangest thing.I have been using the same mechanic for years, and I feel like he really knows his stuff, but even HE hasn't been able to figure out the problem. I believe he said the code he got from the engine had to do with a coil, but that it didn't need to be replaced yet, and I believe he said the coil wouldn't be the cause of these symptoms. My husband has replaced the idle control valve and the fuel filter, and that hasn't helped. Any ideas?? Any suggestions? I don't want to put a lot of money into the truck, as my husband is pushing me to get something new at the beginning of the year, but I do need the truck to get me from point A to point B until then, and preferably without leaving me stranded somewhere.
**Another symptom I just thought of - the interior lights and the headlights will flicker and get brighter/dimmer with the revolutions of the engine. Also, the battery light will come on and will blink, but it blinks in such a way that makes it seem like there is some kind of short. The oil pressure gauge light that comes on randomly was checked and the mechanic said there was nothing wrong with the oil pressure at all, so maybe this is an electrical problem? The alternator was replaced in February of 2008; I was driving on the interstate when it went out and these symptoms are not the same at all.
***Well, yet another symptom I just thought of - when this problem is occurring, the headlights are very, very dim, until you press down on the gas pedal. Also - the A/C does not blow cold unless you're pressing down on the gas pedal. As soon as I take my foot off the gas, the lights go dim again and the air isn't cold.
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