# Truck smells like struck match....



## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

I got a 2002 F-350 with the 5.4L. The check engine light came on and it idles rough. Took it to my local guy, read the computer, and it read misfire cylinder 1. He told me to replace the spark plug and coil pack on cylinder 1. I did. Still has the miss and now the exhaust smells like a struck match.

I can turn a wrench ok but nothing too major. Especially the newer stuff. 

Could it be the injector? Anybody got any ideas? 

Thanks CT!


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## Tylerwalker32 (Jun 27, 2011)

Sounds like and ignition coil to me. All the correct symptoms of it.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Tylerwalker32 said:


> Sounds like and ignition coil to me. All the correct symptoms of it.


I replaced that and still the miss. I'm stumped.:sad:


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

Catalytic converter will stink when near plugged


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## jgar (Dec 20, 2010)

What code do you get after the repair?


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

jgar said:


> What code do you get after the repair?


Haven't taken it back to see. I figure it is going to have to be in the shop. I don't have the secret decoder ring, my mechanic does.:laughing:

I hate having 1 truck. All the times I told myself to buy an extra truck, just an old beater and I never did. Every time my truck is in the shop (rare) I wish I had a spare.


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

Autozone or the local parts house can read the codes for you for free


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## jgar (Dec 20, 2010)

CrpntrFrk said:


> Haven't taken it back to see. I figure it is going to have to be in the shop. I don't have the secret decoder ring, my mechanic does.:laughing:
> 
> I hate having 1 truck. All the times I told myself to buy an extra truck, just an old beater and I never did. Every time my truck is in the shop (rare) I wish I had a spare.


I hear ya! You can go to auto zone or advanced auto parts and they can read the code for ya. I bought a code reader of $ 50. It just gives you the code, nothing else. When I get the code I search google and figure it out from there. 
I run 2 trucks. One nice 04 f250 to tow my trailer and load up. The other is a beater chev 1/2 ton, great on gas and quicker than the ford. Having a back up is priceless.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

TimelessQuality said:


> Autozone or the local parts house can red the codes for you for free


Good idea. I'll do that in the AM and see what we come up with.


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## jgar (Dec 20, 2010)

Best $ 50 you will ever spend.
http://www.google.com/products/cata...d=ivns&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=8868611989337035312#


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## Doctor Handyman (Mar 13, 2012)

TimelessQuality said:


> Autozone or the local parts house can read the codes for you for free


That works for Julian in Arizona and maybe some other states.

In 2009(?) the ASA, Automotive Service Association lobbied and the governator passed a law preventing free testing or use of code readers at auto parts stores. Local mechanics were bitching that it took away potential business.

Just providing this info in case others in CA try it as it is a great recommendation.


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

California:laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## TimelessQuality (Sep 23, 2007)

California:laughing::laughing::laughing:

You should lobby them to halt the sale of hammers and saws:blink:


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Cancerfornia..........:laughing:


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

TimelessQuality said:


> California:laughing::laughing::laughing:
> 
> You should lobby them to halt the sale of hammers and saws:blink:


Oh great, thanks a million.....:no::no:

One of these dam tree huggers will probably soon sponsor legislation like that....


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## tjbnwi (Feb 24, 2009)

Look for a vacuum leak. The PCV valve elbow is an issue.

Tom


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## Frank Castle (Dec 27, 2011)

tjbnwi said:


> Look for a vacuum leak. The PCV valve elbow is an issue.
> 
> 
> I replaced my PCV with an old spark plug boot because they didn't make a replacement for my Ford car.
> ...


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## Red Adobe (Jul 26, 2008)

OK first if the monkeys at autowhatever house knew anything they would be mechanics ! Like anything FREE you get what you pay for. 
An obd2 code is just that a basic starting point. A decent shop will have livescan and should be able to do a roadtest as well as cycles

A misfire code can be about 20 different things, A good tuneup fixes most of them. 
I fixed 1 that turned out to be a cracked fuel line going to an injector found that by doing a fuel pressure test.....why do fp test for a misfire? If the FP is not right then the injectors malfunction and the code dosnt tell you that


another was a vaccum line going to a front diff found using a vaccum guage. Vaccum leaks allo more air in thus messing with the fuel curve and o2 sensors
Have found alot in the plugwies not being = ohms .......and sprk plugs get dropped and may look good but not be. Coils get hot and seperate internally so on and so forth

I would do a search on the recalls seems to me ford had issues with the catylitic systems on some vehicles awhile back....sulfer smell is kinda a tip


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Red Adobe said:


> OK first if the monkeys at autowhatever house knew anything they would be mechanics ! Like anything FREE you get what you pay for.
> An obd2 code is just that a basic starting point. A decent shop will have livescan and should be able to do a roadtest as well as cycles


Me nor my mechanic had time to drop the truck off and check out the truck to the fullest. I saw the check engine light and swung by. He took 5 minutes out of his busy schedule to read the computer and gave me a suggestion as where to start.

Being that I have minimal monkey wrench experience I was just throwing the problem on here to see if anyone had pointers they could give me. 

Thanks everyone for their personal insight.


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## Pete'sfeets (Mar 20, 2011)

I'd second on the catalytic, it's amazing how with all the sensors there's always a mixup on interpreting., they have chemicals that will burn through a plugged screen on a catalytic but it is more a maintenance thing The sensors report to the computer, which adjusts fuel mix to get a cleaner burn. You may want to fix the cat before the computer loses it, wouldn't want to fix both. I would test the pressure before the precatalytic and catalytic, presuming that the egg smell is a good hint. Even when you have a good mechanic they can still mess up the diagnostic.


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## plummen (Jan 9, 2010)

Hold your hand over the end of exhaust to see if youre getting any pressure out the exhaust,you can also wail on the convertor with a big big hammer to see if it helps


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## ArtisanRemod (Dec 25, 2012)

so whats the verdict


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## [email protected] (Jul 18, 2012)

The sulfur smell from the exhaust is a sign that your burning a rich mixture and the catalytic converter can't "scrub" the higher hydrocarbons and the result is hydrogen sulfide. Goes right back to the miss on cylinder #1 not completely burning the fuel being sent into that cylinder. I had a similar problem with my F350 V10 would miss on acceleration. Had the codes checked and indicated a miss on #1. Instead of buying the coil pack I opted for a couple of bottles of HEAT turned out there was just moisture in the fuel system from cold temps at night with high humidity probably causing condensation inside the fuel tank. Just a thought.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Well it has been a couple of things. Few coil packs and spark plugs have been replaced and the fuel pump has been re-built.


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

For starters you might better have replaced all the plugs. I would have swapped the coil with another to see if the misfire moved or not saving you some money there. As said above the truck is running rich of the exhaust smells. I would either replace the injector or at least move it with another to see if the misfire moves. Also i would check with Ford techs for an TSB's for this issue and make sure that this engine is not noted for "reading" the wrong cylinder. Todays technology is very accurate but i have found in the past where some vehicles will read the knock sensor lazily and show a code for the wrong cylinder misfire, but this rarely happens. Check for an intake leak too.


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## cdhi (Nov 20, 2012)

ok i'm not going to read all the reply's. My husband is a concrete/mason, bought a 2002 F-250 new....2012 we started having problems, he says its the best truck/engine ford ever made and he wants it fixed. After 1 year of fixing we have officially bought the truck again. we have spent in one year of replacing.. frt end, rear end, all computer crap, and everything but the eng and trany.....$11K

sell the truck now, it has given you a good life. unless you love it soooo much and want to replace everything.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

cdhi said:


> ok i'm not going to read all the reply's. My husband is a concrete/mason, bought a 2002 F-250 new....2012 we started having problems, he says its the best truck/engine ford ever made and he wants it fixed. After 1 year of fixing we have officially bought the truck again. we have spent in one year of replacing.. frt end, rear end, all computer crap, and everything but the eng and trany.....$11K
> 
> sell the truck now, it has given you a good life. unless you love it soooo much and want to replace everything.


Yeah it really has been a great truck. Plus it's an extended cab with 9' utility bed. It's running good now. We will see. 

If anything I would want to buy another chassis and put the 9' Royal on that.


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## ArtisanRemod (Dec 25, 2012)

cdhi said:


> ok i'm not going to read all the reply's. My husband is a concrete/mason, bought a 2002 F-250 new....2012 we started having problems, he says its the best truck/engine ford ever made and he wants it fixed. After 1 year of fixing we have officially bought the truck again. we have spent in one year of replacing.. frt end, rear end, all computer crap, and everything but the eng and trany.....$11K
> 
> sell the truck now, it has given you a good life. unless you love it soooo much and want to replace everything.


sell a truck because it has a misfire?


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Truth is they all need work at one time or another and this was the time for my truck. Chevy, Dodge, Ford whatever. 

If you get lucky you get one that works great all it's life for you and if you are not so lucky then you get a lemon or at one point it just starts breaking down on you. 

I won't give up this truck until it really needs a ton of money. Hell I might even put a new motor in it if it comes down to it. But then I could get a new truck with that kind of cash. Who knows.


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## ArtisanRemod (Dec 25, 2012)

i drove by a dealer today and a truck caught my eye. I turned around, checked it out. 2012 Chevy 2400HD extracab,4wd, duramax, leather, alloys . 56 grand! if you went in there with 40 grand cash you'd still have to finance 16,000 lol. I'm keeping my 2005 and 2006 for a few more years.


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## jgar (Dec 20, 2010)

CrpntrFrk said:


> Well it has been a couple of things. Few coil packs and spark plugs have been replaced and the fuel pump has been re-built.


Might want to replace all the plugs. Who knows might get one more mpg :laughing:. I have found when you have 2 non functioning coil packs you might as well replace then all. I usually take 1 or 2 of the old working coil packs and save them, just in case.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

jgar said:


> Might want to replace all the plugs. Who knows might get one more mpg :laughing:. I have found when you have 2 non functioning coil packs you might as well replace then all. I usually take 1 or 2 of the old working coil packs and save them, just in case.


I'm thinking I might do the rest when I get a chance. The whole left side has been replaced by the mechanics.


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## cdhi (Nov 20, 2012)

no - thats what our truck started with, then it was doing cold start, then another thing and another thing........get my point? now we have $10K plus and still needs glow plugs and something else. oh and now we have 2 trucks because we cant count on this one but have way to much money into it to get rid of. or I should say two new trucks again. haha


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

So it turns out I have a gasket blown where the heater hose is and it has been leaking antifreeze to the coil packs and plugs thus causing a miss.

Back to the shop tomorrow........


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

The crack you see inside was causing water to get to the plugs and cause misfire.









Whole air manifold was replaced along with spark plugs, coil packs, and new thermostat. 









$1200 bucks later we are running good.

Mechanic said this was a bit common on 5.4L so heads up for you who have them.


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## LCG (May 30, 2011)

Thanks for this thread!

It's always nice to know what other are dealing with and what watch for. Mine are all reaching 200k. 

I've been dealing with my V10 excursion the last few weeks. Replaced all the plugs and several of the COPs. The mass air flow sensor was also shot so we put a new one in. There were a few problems that happened all at once. Or should I say finally showed up all at once. I don't have the time so I took it to the dealer and had it fixed.

All in all things are running great. 

Love my 04' Fords.

My wife is thinking she wants a new one. F'that.


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