Stalls and sputters

[jayhan]

I have a 88 with a 351 windsor. I'm having an issue with the engine sputtering and stalling out. Sometimes it starts right up and will run for a few blocks before dying on me. Other times I can get around find. When I'm having a problem the engine seems to slow down when I give it gas.Usually I turn everything off , sit for a few minutes and try again. Once it's started and just idling I can rev it up and it does just fine. But the minute I put it in drive it starts choking. I just replaced the fuel filter a little over a month ago. I just need some help and ideas of what could be causing this.

 

[miesk5]

yo Jay,

WELCOME!

Try a Self Test for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC)s by my pal, BroncoJoe19

http://broncozone.com/topic/14269-code-reader/?pid=74587&mode=threaded

A helper is good to assist in reading Codes; best is to take a cell fone vid and replay it.

Some basics;

Visual Check

Battery is fully charged & connectors and grounds are clean

Inspect the air cleaner and inlet ducting.

Check all engine AND HVAC (under hood & in /under dash) Vacuum hoses for damage, leaks, cracks, blockage, proper routing, etc.

 

[miesk5]

yo,

Also see these Diagnostic Routines Symptom Flow Charts by Ford for 94, but similar/same for your 88 5.8 wirh EFI;

http://www.thedieselstop.com/faq/9497faq/maint/vra/vra02005.htm

Stalls/Quits

Idle

Acceleration

Here are some Checks for some categories;

PCV; Look at what Malcolm did;



"...That's a genuine Ford PCV valve. It's stock two port top(in top of pic) makes it difficult to fit under the upper intake on an EFI 5.0 engine. Buy an aftermarket single port(lower in pic) and use the top on the Ford PCV...

Location & Hoses Diagrams for EFI engines (non-MAF); "...No matter how new or well-made an engine is, the piston rings (or seals in a Wankel rotary) can't capture 100% of the combustion gases. There will always be some blowby, resulting in contamination of the crankcase oil. These contaminants most often include water (the ideal result of combustion, which remains a vapor at normal engine temperature), fuel (fuel molecules are smaller than oil molecules, so they pass by the rings more easily), soot (which turns the oil black), and various acidic gases. To reduce the accumulation of these contaminants (which rapidly affects the oil's viscosity & effectiveness), the crankcase must be positively ventilated. This means forcing a draft of air through the crankcase to carry these vapors out. But rather than venting them under the hood, the vapors are contained within the PCV system and routed into the intake system to be burned in the engine. Since the system is powered by negative pressure (engine vacuum), I'm going to describe it in reverse: The PCV system ends with a tube carrying the vapor-laden (& often oil-laden) airstream into the intake manifold to be burned. This tube comes from the PCV valve, which regulates the quantity of air "leaking" into the intake, and also contains a one-way valve to prevent backfires in the intake from burning into or overpressuring the crankcase. (The valve or the tube may include another port where the fuel tank vapor system is combined.) The PCV valve is installed either in an oil separator chamber outside the crankcase, or in a valve cover which often contains an oil separator, or sometimes midway in the tube to make access/replacement easier. The valve must be replaced regularly because its mechanism is lightweight (generally gravity-operated), and is easily fouled by normal engine operation. The oil separator is necessary to prevent crankcase oil from entering the intake system, fouling sensors, coating the valve stems (which accelerates wear on the valve guides), fouling the spark plugs, or increasing HC emissions. Because most oil separators are not designed to be easily serviced (and rarely if ever appear on any maintenance list), their benefit is typically lost on high-mileage vehicles, and the inside of the intake manifold suffers. The airflow thru the separator comes from the crankcase, where undesirable vapors have boiled out of the oil. On engines with 2 banks of cylinders (V or flat), the airflow is generally into one valve cover, down thru the oil drainback journals in that head, into the crankcase in the block, up the other drainbacks, & into the 2nd valve cover. On inline engines, the flow is most commonly in one end of the valve cover & out the other, but some have the oil separator on the side of the block near the pan so flow is down from the valve cover to the crankcase. The airstream enters the valve cover either thru a dedicated ****** on the cover, or thru a vented oil filler cap. In either case, the airstream originates with a fresh-air "breather" filter, usually inside the engine air cleaner housing, but sometimes simply mounted directly on a valve cover. Several failures are common in the PCV system; the most-often noticed is oil contamination in the intake &/or the air filter housing. Oil in the intake generally indicates that the oil separator has become restricted, which might be caused by gelling of the oil from moisture buildup due to insufficient PCV flow because the valve hasn't been changed on-schedule. But infrequent oil changes or overheating, or any combination of these conditions can contribute to oil in the intake. Oil in the air filter housing is almost exclusively caused by reverse-flow in the fresh-air tube, which is often the result of worn/stuck rings, hardened exhaust valve stem seals, or a ruptured head gasket. But it may also result from low-quality oil, incorrect viscosity oil, or excessive oil. An often-overlooked failure in the PCV system is cracking of the hoses, resulting in vacuum leaks & contamination of the engine oil. All vulcanized rubber (tires, hoses, bushings, etc.) ages & deteriorates, so it must be replaced as needed. A symptom that shocks many people is the presence of light-colored foamy oil residue inside the filler cap, or in the valve covers. And while it's possible that this effect can be produced by severe engine damage (like coolant in the crankcase), it's much more likely that it's caused simply by the vehicle being used only for short trips, during which time the engine never fully heats up to boil the water out of the oil. The moisture naturally condenses in the coolest parts of the crankcase, which is the thin upper sheet metal valve covers & filler neck. It may also be noted in the top of the dipstick..."

Source: by Steve

http://www.supermotors.net/registry/media/829913

Vacuum; see my Vacuum leak test Acronyms & gauge http://broncozone.com/topic/23994-90-58l-getting-continuous-code-33-and-running-code-44/

Post #20