Specialist Ford 3 Valve V8 220kw Mechanic needed

[ichoosethesteak]

Hi,


I've tried everything within my limited powers to get my BA 220kw V8 engine running properly.



It misses randomly on cylinders, rough idle and im getting 250-300km per tank?


Does anyone know a mechanic that is really knowledgeable and possibly specialises on Fords anywhere around Seven Hills/Hills/Parramatta/Fairfield?


Would really appreciate it before I go and kick my car.



Thanks

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by ichoosethesteak

Hi,


I've tried everything within my limited powers to get my BA 220kw V8 engine running properly.



It misses randomly on cylinders, rough idle and im getting 250-300km per tank?


Does anyone know a mechanic that is really knowledgeable and possibly specialises on Fords anywhere around Seven Hills/Hills/Parramatta/Fairfield?


Would really appreciate it before I go and kick my car.



Thanks

Citroenbender on here knows his B series and is in $ydney. If you ask him nicely he might work on it for you. Or he will know someone who will.

PM him.

[ichoosethesteak]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Citroenbender on here knows his B series and is in $ydney. If you ask him nicely he might work on it for you. Or he will know someone who will.

PM him.

Thanks mate, I sent him a message.

[.:4:.]

Intune motorsport used to be in seven hills but moved to pitt town a few years back. They specialise in fords so maybe shoot them an email.

[Fgute]

Did you have any luck. I've worked on a couple of 5.4 3V's

[GTLEGEND]

Try the guys at Peter Warren Smithfield branch, they are pretty good.

[mad2]

Originally Posted by ichoosethesteak

Thanks mate, I sent him a message.

if you havn't got a reply back from him - let me know.

[T3rminator]

What have you tried to diagnose and fix? A common issue with the 3v is the PCV hose nozzle splitting, causing a vac leak, which will give you all those symptoms. It's the hose that runs from the passenger valve cover to the back of the engine.

How's your timing chain and tensioners? Any rattle on cold starts?

Some people have also had issues with coils on these motors.

[ichoosethesteak]

Originally Posted by mad2

if you havn't got a reply back from him - let me know.

Didn't hear back from him to be honest.

[Citroënbender]

…And I still can’t think of anyone particularly. Maybe just start with a workshop using a decent scan tool and see what misfire faults are logged.

[ichoosethesteak]

Originally Posted by T3rminator

What have you tried to diagnose and fix? A common issue with the 3v is the PCV hose nozzle splitting, causing a vac leak, which will give you all those symptoms. It's the hose that runs from the passenger valve cover to the back of the engine.

How's your timing chain and tensioners? Any rattle on cold starts?

Some people have also had issues with coils on these motors.

We have smoke tested it so I don't think it has any leaks. The weird part is when we are checking when each of the cylinders are not firing with the computer hooked up, it happens randomly. Occasionally, on all 8 cylinders, one will not fire and just runs rough.



Sometimes a little rattle when it cold starts.


Sometimes, it just turns over and I have to turn the key again.



Very very frustrating.

[ichoosethesteak]

No faults come up either apart from ICC which is from putting an Android Auto unit in.

[Citroënbender]

Was it exhibiting faults before the head unit was replaced?

[ichoosethesteak]

Yes it was, not sure what though. It was running pretty awful, we fixed some vacuum leaks, a couple of coil packs, crank angle sensor and some o2 sensors I think.



We also got a fuel flow tester and we have plenty of future fuel pressure.

[Citroënbender]

An end-to-end check of wiring integrity may be useful, particularly earth points and interconnections. You’ll need to remove both front splash shields. Check the connections at each kick panel, it’s always possible something simple as a poorly seated connector is your issue.

If the engine sometimes runs flawlessly across all ranges of operation, you can fairly much rule out issues with timing gear, and valves. Oil pressure would be perhaps worth monitoring with a mechanical gauge but I doubt there’s pickup or pump issues.

I’m also assuming the PCM hasn’t had an aftermarket tune flashed onto it.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

An end-to-end check of wiring integrity may be useful, particularly earth points and interconnections. You’ll need to remove both front splash shields. Check the connections at each kick panel, it’s always possible something simple as a poorly seated connector is your issue.

If the engine sometimes runs flawlessly across all ranges of operation, you can fairly much rule out issues with timing gear, and valves. Oil pressure would be perhaps worth monitoring with a mechanical gauge but I doubt there’s pickup or pump issues.

I’m also assuming the PCM hasn’t had an aftermarket tune flashed onto it.

I reckon this is on the money, if this turns out no results then I reckon the ECU is halal/dry solder joins inside it.

Reeks of electrical dramas rather than anything mechanical, the ECU is in the engine bay right? I wonder if green corrosion on the connections.

[T3rminator]

Just out of interest, how do you isolate electrical issues? Is there a test that mechanics or auto electricians can run to isolate electrical faults to a particular loom branch?

The wiring loom has a million wires running everywhere!

Originally Posted by ichoosethesteak

Sometimes a little rattle when it cold starts.
Sometimes, it just turns over and I have to turn the key again.
Very very frustrating.

When I had a vac leak from the PCV hose, my mechanic also did a vac leak test and found nothing. It was only after I took the hose off, and moved the nozzle around, that I found the split. The split can be very small, and when it gets hot after running, the rubber goes softer and the split opens up. So if you run a leak test with smoke when the engine is coolish, it may not show up. Just saying that could be a possibility.

That really bad milleage leads me to think its vac leak.

What o2s did you use? Ford OEM / NTK ones are rubbish, I chewed through 3 sets within a year. Current Bosch one has lasted me 150,000kms.

If the car drives ok sometimes, then its unlikely to be chains skipping a tooth. (Which I think is what has happened to mine recently )

Have you scanned it for DTC?

[FTE217]

Autotech at Granville is a known performance house and on Fords for a long time.
Exy but Spiro would work out what the prob is if all else fails.

[ichoosethesteak]

An end-to-end check of wiring integrity may be useful, particularly earth points and interconnections. You’ll need to remove both front splash shields. Check the connections at each kick panel, it’s always possible something simple as a poorly seated connector is your issue.

If the engine sometimes runs flawlessly across all ranges of operation, you can fairly much rule out issues with timing gear, and valves. Oil pressure would be perhaps worth monitoring with a mechanical gauge but I doubt there’s pickup or pump issues.

I’m also assuming the PCM hasn’t had an aftermarket tune flashed onto it.

Thanks, I'm taking your advice and sending it to Sunnyholt Auto Electrical on Tuesday.


It's beyond my pay grade, should I just show them what you have written and let them have a shot at it? Is there anything else that I should let them know?

Thanks again.

[Citroënbender]

It’d be quite possibly affronting to a business if you gave them “internet advice” on how to do their job.

Best you can help them serve your needs by giving a clear, written summary of the issues as you document them (including any instances where you can definitely create a problem or a problem never occurs), and advise of what you have modified or replaced (particularly by date/mileage).

Also seek clarity on what you’re authorising to be done, budget restraints and time goals to complete/abandon/report.