2006 slow cold start ...

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UTsCC

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I've got an 06 Eddie Bauer with 170,000 miles on it that seems to have a miss at start up when the engine is cold. I'm in central Florida so not actual cold but just if the engine has been off for a few hours.

After some internet research I was thinking it was a fuel pressure problem so I replaced the fuel pump which improved things but didn't completely solve it. Now my OBDII is showing a pending code of #5 cylinder misfire at startup and the exhaust is smelling rich. I'm not sure if this is fuel pressure related, spark related or injector trouble. OBDII shows stable fuel pressure until about 2700 rpms in park then it starts jumping all over the place.

Could the misfire be from a leaky injector or is it possible it's the fuel pressure regulator or fuel pressure drive module?
Also what's up with my erratic fuel pressure?

I'm new to working of Ford's (or anything with an OBDII and fuel injection for that matter). I've done a ton of digging but don't really understand all the info I've gathered. Any help or ejection would be much appreciated! Thanks.
 

TobyU

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Most common cause of misfire counts is plug gap wide or coil (COP) getting flaky or oil/coolant/moisture/debris in the plugwell and on the boot.

Pull #5 coil and look at it and pull plug and check gap or just put new plug in.

Ignition is much more likely than injector or fuel pressure.
 
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UTsCC

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Most common cause of misfire counts is plug gap wide or coil (COP) getting flaky or oil/coolant/moisture/debris in the plugwell and on the boot.

Pull #5 coil and look at it and pull plug and check gap or just put new plug in.

Ignition is much more likely than injector or fuel pressure.

Seems logical enough, will do. I've been so focused on the thing seemingly starving for fuel that I never even inspected plugs. Thanks.
 
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UTsCC

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I checked the plug and coil today but everything checked out. Plug didn't look brand new but it was ok. I cleaned everything up applied some dielectric grease and put things back together. The Expy acts exactly the same. Any other ideas out there?

I've read that a leaky injector can drain into a cylinder causing low fuel pressure in the first seconds of start up and leaving a really rich mix at first. Anyone have experience with this?
 

TobyU

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I checked the plug and coil today but everything checked out. Plug didn't look brand new but it was ok. I cleaned everything up applied some dielectric grease and put things back together. The Expy acts exactly the same. Any other ideas out there?

I've read that a leaky injector can drain into a cylinder causing low fuel pressure in the first seconds of start up and leaving a really rich mix at first. Anyone have experience with this?
But you don't know if it's sparking. It could be completely bad.

You can try unplugging the terminal on the coil and then plug it back in. A bad coil often spark for two or three hits and then it will start missing again. You will see it smooth out as soon as you plug it in but then it will start missing again.
You can also change that coil to another coil that is easy to get to like number number six or seven.
Then see what the code scanner if misfire moves to that cylinder after you clear the codes.
When you have the coil out you can put that spark plug back in it when it's out or just take another old spark plug you have laying around plug it in end to the end of the coil and start it and see if the spark plug is sparking nice like.
 
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But you don't know if it's sparking. It could be completely bad.

You can try unplugging the terminal on the coil and then plug it back in. A bad coil often spark for two or three hits and then it will start missing again. You will see it smooth out as soon as you plug it in but then it will start missing again.
You can also change that coil to another coil that is easy to get to like number number six or seven.
Then see what the code scanner if misfire moves to that cylinder after you clear the codes.
When you have the coil out you can put that spark plug back in it when it's out or just take another old spark plug you have laying around plug it in end to the end of the coil and start it and see if the spark plug is sparking nice like.

I ohmed out the coil while it was off and it reads normal 1.8 (according to the almighty internet anyway). Also the miss only seems to be at start up. Engine runs fine and smooth any other time. The OBDII code said the miss was in the 1st 1000 rpms.
 

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I ohmed out the coil while it was off and it reads normal 1.8 (according to the almighty internet anyway). Also the miss only seems to be at start up. Engine runs fine and smooth any other time. The OBDII code said the miss was in the 1st 1000 rpms.
Ohming a coil is not a very definitive way to test but better than nothing.
It could simply be a plug taking too long to get some temp. Could be leaking around insulator or electrode.
I rarely go through the hassle of taking a plug out unless I'm going to replace it...but these stupid new long ones and iridium that everyone is obsessed with are 15 each often.
All my vehicles take plugs that are no more than 2.49-2.79 each.
 
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Ohming a coil is not a very definitive way to test but better than nothing.
It could simply be a plug taking too long to get some temp. Could be leaking around insulator or electrode.
I rarely go through the hassle of taking a plug out unless I'm going to replace it...but these stupid new long ones and iridium that everyone is obsessed with are 15 each often.
All my vehicles take plugs that are no more than 2.49-2.79 each.

Understood. I'm not breaking the bank with plugs either. I'll swap the coil for a more definitive test.
 

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Understood. I'm not breaking the bank with plugs either. I'll swap the coil for a more definitive test.
I always swap coils and then you can even swap plugs to to test.
These plugs are the crazy new design and can tend to misfire more than a traditional plug. When talking about plain ol traditional plugs with Platinum to double platinum's and even plain ol copper ones, I have seen exactly three plugs go bad in the past 25 years. These are plugs are working just fine for 10,000 + miles and all of a sudden started misfiring.
When was a Town Car and would start misfiring after the vehicle warmed up. We swapped the coils and were getting ready to swap out the injector we decided to check the plug. Put a new plug in it and it never miss fired again.
I had another in a 1992 Isuzu Rodeo with a GM 3.1 in it. AC Delco plug. Just started misfiring and popping out the intake every now and then because it would fire late or load up or something like that. Changed the plug and it was fine.
The next one was on a late 90s Explorer Put the 4.0 and I believe he was going to change and injector because he knew what song it was missed by and thought the same way we did about the Town Car. I told him my story and told him to check the plug and he changed it and it went away.
 
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UTsCC

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I always swap coils and then you can even swap plugs to to test.
These plugs are the crazy new design and can tend to misfire more than a traditional plug. When talking about plain ol traditional plugs with Platinum to double platinum's and even plain ol copper ones, I have seen exactly three plugs go bad in the past 25 years. These are plugs are working just fine for 10,000 + miles and all of a sudden started misfiring.
When was a Town Car and would start misfiring after the vehicle warmed up. We swapped the coils and were getting ready to swap out the injector we decided to check the plug. Put a new plug in it and it never miss fired again.
I had another in a 1992 Isuzu Rodeo with a GM 3.1 in it. AC Delco plug. Just started misfiring and popping out the intake every now and then because it would fire late or load up or something like that. Changed the plug and it was fine.
The next one was on a late 90s Explorer Put the 4.0 and I believe he was going to change and injector because he knew what song it was missed by and thought the same way we did about the Town Car. I told him my story and told him to check the plug and he changed it and it went away.

Well I've got a few projects going and was gonna work on this tomorrow night but things really hit the fan tonight.
It's been turning over longer and longer before it starts. Today leaving work it took about 6 seconds before it struggled to life and puffed a cloud of white smoke. About a mile down the road I got a "Check Charging System" warning. When I rolled down a window the electronics lost their mind, alt meter went to zero, dash lights went super dim and the cd changer kept trying to cycle then would wink off. I drove it home kept it running and checked codes. I've got P0316, P0622 and P1000. I shut it off and now it won't crank, acts like the battery is dead. I put it on charge, swapped the coils (5 + 6), boosted the battery and stated it up (barely, still turned over for several extra seconds before firing). Read the codes again and now I have P0622 and P1000. Shut it off and it won't start again.
I'm fixing to do a deep dive internet research on these codes but could really use some help. It doesn't seem like just a bad coil or plug anymore.
 

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