I'm brand new to the forum, and am not very mechanically inclined. Couple that with being a woman and I'm sure I look like an easy mark when I pull up at a garage . . . so I need some advice.
I have a '98 XLT 5.4L with 144k miles. I was doing a major clean-up this week, but didn't intentionally get any water under the hood. That afternoon- out of the blue - it started running rough and sluggish and eventually the check engine light came on. At times I didn't think I would make it down the street and keep my foot on the acelerator at red lights in hopes it wouldn't die.
Got to a dealership who told me the #4 and #6 cylinders weren't working and that it needed a tune-up. (I had one done about 1.5 years ago at 115k) They wanted between $1000 and $2000 to tune it up. I thought that was excessive so I paid the diagnostic fee and took it to a mechanic recommended by a friend.
Second mechanic performed the tune-up, changed the plugs, replaced the air filter and flushed the injectors (along with an oil change). Picked "the beast" up this afternoon and the same problem began on the drive home, complete with the check engine light.
Any guidance on possible causes? I don't want to go back to the mechanic/dealership clueless this time and would like to be a little more up to speed on possible causes.
Thanks in advance for the help!
I have a '98 XLT 5.4L with 144k miles. I was doing a major clean-up this week, but didn't intentionally get any water under the hood. That afternoon- out of the blue - it started running rough and sluggish and eventually the check engine light came on. At times I didn't think I would make it down the street and keep my foot on the acelerator at red lights in hopes it wouldn't die.
Got to a dealership who told me the #4 and #6 cylinders weren't working and that it needed a tune-up. (I had one done about 1.5 years ago at 115k) They wanted between $1000 and $2000 to tune it up. I thought that was excessive so I paid the diagnostic fee and took it to a mechanic recommended by a friend.
Second mechanic performed the tune-up, changed the plugs, replaced the air filter and flushed the injectors (along with an oil change). Picked "the beast" up this afternoon and the same problem began on the drive home, complete with the check engine light.
Any guidance on possible causes? I don't want to go back to the mechanic/dealership clueless this time and would like to be a little more up to speed on possible causes.
Thanks in advance for the help!