Possible problem with F-150

[andy j]

Guys,

I had something weird happen to my truck Ford F150 4x4 automatic today when I was trying to pull out of a gas station today in 4x4, I was in drive pushed on the gas and I wasen't getting any power, I put it into reverse and rolled back and then tried again, I was able to get some power but only when I had the pedal to the floor, luckly I was only a couple blocks from my apartment and was able to slowly get back. Then in my parking lot I parked and turned off my truck, and then came back to check try it in the parking lot and everything seems fine, Was my engine not running on all cylinders? for what ever reason, or a linkage problem with the pedal???. Again for that trip home I pretty much had the peddle to the floor going 20 mph to get back. I also didn't get any engine rpms until close to the floor during that period of time. Any help would be appreciated. THanks

[JohnMickish]

Did you try to run it in 4X2? I would put money on it that the problem was more of a binding problem in 4X4 than a motor issue. Could be the front hubs where full of ice?? Do you know if the motor would rev in neutral?

[Wishin2BFishin]

Was the gas tank very low on fuel when you fueled it up? If so it may have had some water in the tank that got mixed up when you filled it up. I would put a couple of bottles of Dry Gas in the tank anyway just to be sure. Could also have been the 4x4 binding up which happens to a lot of 4x4's. If all else fails trade it in for a Chevy... Ha Ha Ha

Best of luck...

[wastewaterguru]

I only have one thing to say about the COP (coil on plug) ignition systems in the 5.4 Triton........junk.

Have had mine worked on three times under warranty. Two of the three times were intermittent as you described where one cylinder would not fire for a while then would be fine for a while.

Make sure you look at this as the possible problem.....

[kooba]

Same thing happened to me WasteWater. Three coils have gone out in my 2000 F150 5.4L. Sucks. The last time they changed all the rubber fittings under the coils to see if there is a loose connection to the plugs itself. Will see what happens. Another thing is those coils aren't cheap. Must be a common thing because Ford has a lot of coils on stock.

[Jeremy airjer W]

There is no mention of a check engine light or no running ruff, so I would probably dismiss a missfire/coil as the culprit. If the 4X4 was binding up then the RPM's would increase like you were power braking it which you said it didn't do. I think you implied that it rolled backwards easier, Reverse is a low gear wich requires much lower effort.

1. Did the check engine light come on or flash?

2. Was the tank almost empty?

3. Did year hear any noises?

I'm thinking you have a fuel issue (possibly a MAF sensor) or a plugged cat.

[ChuckN]

Well, I love my '97 5.4L. Wouldn't trade it or sell it for anything. I did have one coil fail at 100K and that was fine because it was tune up time. The coil that failed was a result of a very small coolant leak on a hose that dripped on the coil towards the back of the engine. That leak will short out the coil supposedly. I don't recall which cylinder it was, but it was way back near the firewall. My mechanic said that he found this issue with a F150 Fords and ever since he found that leak, he hasn't had any returned for coil failure.

If you guys are losing coils, find out which one. Your Ford dealers must just love to replace these without researching the reason why they fail....at $150/coil, and labor, it's $$$ for them.

I agree with the guy who said the possible water issue. Put some isopropyl in the tank and treat the fuel. I've had situation in another car where the fuel pump sucked in water on a low tank and left me stranded. Towed the car to the nearest garage with heat overnight and it ran fine...

If a coil failed or your engine missed, a service engine light should light up in the dash. Those computers are finicky!

Have you changed your fuel filter recently? Every 15K miles, I believe. Plugged fuel filters can really mess with the fuel pump.

[JohnMickish]

I highly doubt that it would be a water issue. All gasoline (except that sold at pumps clearly marked "unoxygenated fuel" sold in Minnesota contains 10% ethynal alcohol. So if you do the math, that makes 2 gallons of alcohol per 20 gallon tank. Adding 12 oz. of isoprypol alcohol isn't going to do anything.

Andy, did it run fine going into the gas station? If so, it's possible that at that time a piece of junk could have plugged the fuel filter or the pump could be going to heck on you. A fuel pressure test would confirm one of those.

[cliffy]

You may want to visit wwwdotf150onlinedotcom and search under the supercrew forum. There was a post from a person with a similar problem...and it turned out to be a software problem with the computer controling the motor. Might be worth posting your problem there....the members have always been helpful to me.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[andy j]

Thanks for the post guys, The check engine light never came on, I had about a 1/4 of a tank and then put about 6 gallons in. I drove it some today and it seemed fine. I have not tried again in 4x4, I just went over 100,000.

[JohnMickish]

It was the elf's. Have you been good this year or is santa having some fun with you??

[cashcrews]

Different engine altogether, but my Dodge had a similar problem a couple years back. Pedal to the floor and it would barely move. Then mysteriously, it would work fine.

Turns out it was a software issue, the dealership upgraded the software and it has never done the same thing since.

Cashcrews