Looking for advice on misfire

[Drae]

I would at least pull #6 and 7 plugs and look at them to make sure the dealership changed those plugs or there are no problem with them before spending any money. I waisted money on a diagnostics test at Ford with my wife's 03 as I knew it was #4 misfiring. I couldn't get the plug out thinking it was stripped from spark plug blowout because I would put the socket in the spark plug well and it would just spin freely both ways. Turns out it was just rocks and debris (from previous owner) that wouldn't let the socket seat properly. Anyways I asked the dealership, after they called with their we think you need list, did they remove #4 spark plug and he replied yeah I believe the tech would have removed all to check for bad plugs I knew they were full of ****. They would have told me about the problem getting #4 out. Another shop was able to vacuum the debris out and put lubricant in the spark plug well and remove/replace the plug and I changed the rest while replacing the intake manifold. Bottom line is that the dealership cannot be trusted as their objective is to get as much money out of every customer as possible. $1300 to change plugs, ignition coil boots, ignition coil harness on #4, clean MAFS and injector cleaning is absurd.

 

[JExpedition07]

I would at least pull #6 and 7 plugs and look at them to make sure the dealership changed those plugs or there are no problem with them before spending any money. I waisted money on a diagnostics test at Ford with my wife's 03 as I knew it was #4 misfiring. I couldn't get the plug out thinking it was stripped from spark plug blowout because I would put the socket in the spark plug well and it would just spin freely both ways. Turns out it was just rocks and debris (from previous owner) that wouldn't let the socket seat properly. Anyways I asked the dealership, after they called with their we think you need list, did they remove #4 spark plug and he replied yeah I believe the tech would have removed all to check for bad plugs I knew they were full of ****. They would have told me about the problem getting #4 out. Another shop was able to vacuum the debris out and put lubricant in the spark plug well and remove/replace the plug and I changed the rest while replacing the intake manifold. Bottom line is that the dealership cannot be trusted as their objective is to get as much money out of every customer as possible. $1300 to change plugs, ignition coil boots, ignition coil harness on #4, clean MAFS and injector cleaning is absurd.

I’ve noticed a trend with ford dealers, that being lousy work and techs who just don’t care. It’s sad but the dealers are normally not as good as an independent shop that you can trust.

 

[gixer2000]

I think everyone is forgetting that vacuum leaks can cause random misfires, o2 codes. I would run over your intake gasket edges with some carb cleaner while the engine is running and see if the idle changes. I had a similar issue on an f150 and almost seemed like the misfire kept moving but it was an intake leak that caused the issue.

 

[Drae]

I’ve noticed a trend with ford dealers, that being lousy work and techs who just don’t care. It’s sad but the dealers are normally not as good as an independent shop that you can trust.

Yeah they're just not as hungry for business as smaller shops are. It's getting harder and harder to find shops with integrity and not overpriced.

 

[Atman246]

Okay,so i just saw this post and have to throw my two cents in. First,i used to be a ford tech fixing trannys. I got out about 12 years ago to work on lift trucks. No more flat rate which encourages thieves. So,yes,i agree that there are crooks in dealerships. Not just ford dealers. In any case,my personal experience with a miss. I bought my 07 with about 260,000 kilometers.Yes,i live up in the great frozen tundra. I digress. I went and talked to my buddy who is still a tune up tech at ford. Not knowing any history of my vehicle,i decided on changing plugs. Buddy said to get it stinking hot before attempting the plugs. Also to try and clean the carbon before pulling plugs. So i bought the ford plugs at about $225 for the set,bought some seafoam,and went and filled up on premium fuel and added the seafoam at fillup. Drove the truck hard through that tank of fuel and miss went away. I still haven't changed the plugs. I'm at around 269,000 kms now. Talked to both my buddy the tech and the service manager at the dealer(who is also an old friend) and both said that my treatment cleaned the carbon in the cylinders that was causing the miss. It was a relatively cheap fix before attempting plugs thankfully. I did have a check engine light and if memory serves,the code was 0307,misfire in cylinder 7. Like i said,my two cents. Thanks for allowing me my rant..

 

[Atman246]

Sorry Drae,i just noticed where you are. So you're used to the freeze your cojones off like me. I could see a carbon build up in your situation if the truck doesn't get up to operating temperature all the time. Just sayin'

 

[deweysmith]

Anyways I asked the dealership, after they called with their we think you need list, did they remove #4 spark plug and he replied yeah I believe the tech would have removed all to check for bad plugs I knew they were full of ****.

Clearing debris with air before removing plugs is part of the shop procedure in the service manual, you don’t want even a bit of sand or dust falling into the cylinder if you can avoid it. They definitely didn’t remove it.

 

[Drae]

Sorry Drae,i just noticed where you are. So you're used to the freeze your cojones off like me. I could see a carbon build up in your situation if the truck doesn't get up to operating temperature all the time. Just sayin'

Yeah it's definitely cold at times but not consistently. It took some getting used to being from Ft. Worth Tx. I definitely let all my vehicles warm up before driving them. I don't care if its just down the street to the grocery store. We bought the truck and had an intermittent misfire on number 4 from time to time. I would tighten the coil down but I must have also been moving the harness(which was the real issue because the pins would not seat in the connector) and the misfire would go away for weeks even months at a time. Eventually it stopped working and I decided to swap the coil and all plugs. I started with number 4 and immediately thought I had a serious problem so I took it to the dealership expecting them to remove what I thought was a stripped plug and put a timesert in. Turns out they never touched it but noticed the coil didn't have power to it. So I turned down all their services and started with that harness and BINGO! It cleared up the misfire. I was still concerned about #4 plug but put it on hold until it actually was the cause of a misfire. It eventually happened but also at the same time the intake manifold was leaking coolant into a few plugs in bank 2 and it was too cold outside to deal with so I towed it to the shop that removed and replaced that plug and I had it towed back home and did the intake manifold and all plugs again. That took care of the misfires but it was misfiring so long that it destroyed the cats and I ended up replacing the whole exhaust. I will run some Seafoam through the Expeditions to clean them up a little bit as I still have a can I didn't get to use on my Mountaineer before the trans started slipping. I just need one more.

 

[Drae]

Clearing debris with air before removing plugs is part of the shop procedure in the service manual, you don’t want even a bit of sand or dust falling into the cylinder if you can avoid it. They definitely didn’t remove it.

I definitely need to get a compressor for insurance to be sure I never get something in the cylinders but I never had issues with my TBird, Navigator or my Wife's Expedition as the boots would fit so tight. But the boots on my spark plug wires in my car definitely fit tighter than COPs do. But you're right, taking a few minutes to blow the wells out won't hurt anything and definitely put your mind at peace.

 

[deweysmith]

When I did mine there was stuff in every well, but there was a lot of stuff on top of the boots that fell in when I pulled them out, I think that's typically what happens.

 

[Adieu]

Okay,so i just saw this post and have to throw my two cents in. First,i used to be a ford tech fixing trannys. I got out about 12 years ago to work on lift trucks. No more flat rate which encourages thieves. So,yes,i agree that there are crooks in dealerships. Not just ford dealers. In any case,my personal experience with a miss. I bought my 07 with about 260,000 kilometers.Yes,i live up in the great frozen tundra. I digress. I went and talked to my buddy who is still a tune up tech at ford. Not knowing any history of my vehicle,i decided on changing plugs. Buddy said to get it stinking hot before attempting the plugs. Also to try and clean the carbon before pulling plugs. So i bought the ford plugs at about $225 for the set,bought some seafoam,and went and filled up on premium fuel and added the seafoam at fillup. Drove the truck hard through that tank of fuel and miss went away. I still haven't changed the plugs. I'm at around 269,000 kms now. Talked to both my buddy the tech and the service manager at the dealer(who is also an old friend) and both said that my treatment cleaned the carbon in the cylinders that was causing the miss. It was a relatively cheap fix before attempting plugs thankfully. I did have a check engine light and if memory serves,the code was 0307,misfire in cylinder 7. Like i said,my two cents. Thanks for allowing me my rant..

Im confused


Why would a genuine ford tech/

1) pay $225 for motorcraft plugs, they're $7-9 a pop
2) believe that higher octane fuel will help wirh a misfire? Or was it with seafoaming the fuel system??

 

[Atman246]

Those plugs up here in Canada are $26 retail at the ford dealer. I got them for around $21 each, plus our awesome provincial government adds 13% taxes. I think the combination of both the higher octane fuel and the seafoam worked for me. Just sayin.

 

[deweysmith]

Dude. RockAuto has them for C$10.07, even after border taxes (if you should be so unlucky) and shipping that's a far cry from $225.

 

[brentagade]

So it's been a few weeks, but I thought I should give you all an update. The problem WAS the catalytic converter on the driver's side. I got in with a mechanic and he was troubleshooting the plugs, coils, and fuel injectors. They couldn't figure it out until he took it for a drive. Came back and dropped the cat. It was completely demolished inside. It came all apart and there was virtually no flow through. He put a new one on in the morning and that was it. It's been running great since. Of course it cost me twice as much since I already had replaced everything else first, but hey, I'm back on the road. Thanks for all the help.

 

[T2p2]

I’ve noticed a trend with ford dealers, that being lousy work and techs who just don’t care. It’s sad but the dealers are normally not as good as an independent shop that you can trust.

I went to the dealer in Escondido, CA to have my tank fuel sensor checked and get an estimate to fix it.

Well, they gave me a whole list of items i did not asked but they sure gave me a pretty expensive estimate.

It seems they were too eager to grab my money.

Btw, they charged me $139 to do the things i didn't need.