I have a 95 econoline 350 with 220K miles on it. I love this camper van and have taken it to two mechanics b/c it is pinging and the engine bogs at mid level acceleration (not when I floor it). Neither put it on a scope they just heard it and said, "It's just old." It was tuned up 5 months ago. Is there hope to bring the old girl back to life? thanks Scott
sounds like it is running lean and/or the spark timing is off. Find a new mechanic.
nate
A new distributor cap, rotor and plugs do them wonders, no matter how old....
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
old girl back to life?
I'm betting that the combustion chambers are full of carbon. Try some SEAFOAM or use the old fashioned way of decarboning with a garden hose and some water. SEAFOAM is available at some part stores, but you may have to ask around for it.
Take it to someone who knows what they are doing and have them hook it up to a scanner and find out what's really going on. I have a 1994 Club Wagon 350 with 215,000 miles and it runs fine. I could probably put another 100,000 miles on the engine if I still used it for delivery work.
Sheesh, find a mechanic that's not a lazy-ass slob!
I'm not primarily a Ford guy- can you pull computer error codes easily like you can on a Mopar? If so, I'd look for O2 sensor, TPS, or MAP/MAF type errors that would cause an artificially lean condition at mid throttle. Check the EGR system for proper function- lack of EGR can sometimes cause pinging in engines that expect EGR to act as detonation suppression (the old Cad HT4100 was notorious for knocking like a sledgehammer if it lost EGR for example). Also look for vacuum leaks, or POSSIBLY an intake manifold or other leak to the crankcase that would allow oil to get drawn into the intake stream. Oil is an extremely effective octane-reducer and can cause mid-power pinging.
Sheesh, I'm still fuming about the lazy mechanics. 220k isn't excessively "old" for any American v8. Maybe for overhead-cam 4-cylinder dispose-a-cars that these guys are used to, but not for a real engine.
old girl back to life?
garden hose? don't do it. You only need to spray a little water into the enginer. A garden hose is over kil and you may end up damaging the engine. Just put some water in a spray bottle and use that.
------------- Alex
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.