Thinking
Smarter than most Racoons
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 2,428
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And people laughed at Ford using "Military Grade Aluminum"
https://www.motortrend.com/news/ford...m-ukraine-army
98 F150 5.4L E40D/4R100
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 28,538
Likes: 7,640
From: MI
I took a 4-hr round-trip highway trip today. It didn't go well - I found three problems:
- The truck pulls right, despite just having it in for alignment not once but twice.
- When I brake, the truck pulls left.
- Worst, I have an engine gremlin: twice, it cut out hard. It felt like the ignition was cutting completely and abruptly, causing the engine to bang hard against the mounts. This lasted maybe 3-5 seconds before resuming like nothing ever happened. Both times I was going 70-ish; once with the cruise on, once with it off. It did this once before, 2-3 weeks ago. No codes.
1. Unless you have something worn out up front (doubt it, you would know), the tow isn't right. With these trucks, the tow has to be set on the right wheel...it's critical due to the crown in the roads being 2-3% (2 tenths per ft). IME, shops seem to have a hard time setting them up perfectly for these 150's. I've began aligning that truck myself , since the early 2000's. I've taken it in for the caster only correction ( you need a kit to do that yourself, never invested in one) and to have my work checked. In the green every time on the print out. Specs for this are in the service manual.
After you get the tow dialed in right with these trucks and look at from about 20' away, I swear you an see that the right wheel is towed in farther. That might be my imagination though...because I know it is lol. It'll road straight though, no fighting the wheel.
2. You could be right about the cause being the brake line at fault. Specially if you're running a 7700/Expy set up front. It's an outstanding set up AFA hardware. Never had a caliper pin dry out, seize or get sticky since the install. The pin set ups are top notch.
Factory OEM brake hoses aren't the best but they WILL last awhile if you keep good fluid in them. That said, it's good idea change them once awhile. What happens, once they begin to break down inside they'll start to expand under pressure vs applying pressure where it's suppose to...the ballooning effect.
3. Your description "bang hard against the mounts" when that occurs makes it sound like a lock...a hard lock, then release. The only thing that comes to mind is the compressor might be going bad and locking up intermittently. It the only pulley besides the damper/crank that has the grip strong enough to do that without slipping. Specially if you have a 8 rib pulley set up. However, the motor didn't stall correct...so I don't know. That's the only I got fitting you description.
EDIT: Check the the ALT bearing as well. If you lost spark temporally, it would cut out as well. For that, suspect the crank sensor and connection first, then the cam sensor/connection. If either fails it will cut out right away. Seems like it would stall the motor as well. The fact that it didn't stall and the hard bang is whats puzzling...almost sounds like it hydro-locked momentarily. Yea...that's a stretch at that speed.
Hope you get it figured out CO.
Last edited by Jbrew; Dec 9, 2022 at 01:16 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2,496
Likes: 1,199
From: The People's Republic of Colorado
Yea, that's not right.
1. Unless you have something worn out up front (doubt it, you would know), the tow isn't right. With these trucks, the tow has to be set on the right wheel...it's critical due to the crown in the roads being 2-3% (2 tenths per ft). IME, shops seem to have a hard time setting them up perfectly for these 150's. I've began aligning that truck myself , since the early 2000's. I've taken it in for the caster only correction ( you need a kit to do that yourself, never invested in one) and to have my work checked. In the green every time on the print out. Specs for this are in the service manual.
After you get the tow dialed in right with these trucks and look at from about 20' away, I swear you an see that the right wheel is towed in farther. That might be my imagination though...because I know it is lol. It'll road straight though, no fighting the wheel.
2. You could be right about the cause being the brake line at fault. Specially if you're running a 7700/Expy set up front. It's an outstanding set up AFA hardware. Never had a caliper pin dry out, seize or get sticky since the install. The pin set ups are top notch.
Factory OEM brake hoses aren't the best but they WILL last awhile if you keep good fluid in them. That said, it's good idea change them once awhile. What happens, once they begin to break down inside they'll start to expand under pressure vs applying pressure where it's suppose to...the ballooning effect.
3. Your description "bang hard against the mounts" when that occurs makes it sound like a lock...a hard lock, then release. The only thing that comes to mind is the compressor might be going bad and locking up intermittently. It the only pulley besides the damper/crank that has the grip strong enough to do that without slipping. Specially if you have a 8 rib pulley set up. However, the motor didn't stall correct...so I don't know. That's the only I got fitting you description.
Hope you get it figured out CO.
1. Unless you have something worn out up front (doubt it, you would know), the tow isn't right. With these trucks, the tow has to be set on the right wheel...it's critical due to the crown in the roads being 2-3% (2 tenths per ft). IME, shops seem to have a hard time setting them up perfectly for these 150's. I've began aligning that truck myself , since the early 2000's. I've taken it in for the caster only correction ( you need a kit to do that yourself, never invested in one) and to have my work checked. In the green every time on the print out. Specs for this are in the service manual.
After you get the tow dialed in right with these trucks and look at from about 20' away, I swear you an see that the right wheel is towed in farther. That might be my imagination though...because I know it is lol. It'll road straight though, no fighting the wheel.
2. You could be right about the cause being the brake line at fault. Specially if you're running a 7700/Expy set up front. It's an outstanding set up AFA hardware. Never had a caliper pin dry out, seize or get sticky since the install. The pin set ups are top notch.
Factory OEM brake hoses aren't the best but they WILL last awhile if you keep good fluid in them. That said, it's good idea change them once awhile. What happens, once they begin to break down inside they'll start to expand under pressure vs applying pressure where it's suppose to...the ballooning effect.
3. Your description "bang hard against the mounts" when that occurs makes it sound like a lock...a hard lock, then release. The only thing that comes to mind is the compressor might be going bad and locking up intermittently. It the only pulley besides the damper/crank that has the grip strong enough to do that without slipping. Specially if you have a 8 rib pulley set up. However, the motor didn't stall correct...so I don't know. That's the only I got fitting you description.
Hope you get it figured out CO.
As for the brakes, they are stock, and i assume the hoses are original. The right caliper fell and jerked the hose, not long ago, and ill bet that did it in.
98 F150 5.4L E40D/4R100
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 28,538
Likes: 7,640
From: MI
Thanks. To me it feels like loss of ignition system. It cuts out and in for a moment and then returns to normal, like nothing ever happened. When it did it on cruise, I lost about 10mph while it bucked for a few seconds, and then it floored it to recover, again like nothing was unusual and it had just lost speed.
As for the brakes, they are stock, and i assume the hoses are original. The right caliper fell and jerked the hose, not long ago, and ill bet that did it in.
As for the brakes, they are stock, and i assume the hoses are original. The right caliper fell and jerked the hose, not long ago, and ill bet that did it in.
Thought you had a big brake swap...my bad. Well why the hell not ?
Change the brake hoses for sure. Next time the brakes and components need an overhaul, swap to the Expy/7700 set up. It's actually a little cheaper than the replacing the original hardware with original junk. You'll feel that difference and have to get use to what real brakes feel like.
Last edited by Jbrew; Dec 9, 2022 at 01:44 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2,496
Likes: 1,199
From: The People's Republic of Colorado
Yea I edited above before I seen your reply. The crank and cam sensors will cut spark right away without communication. Crank sensor fails are fairly common and it is located bottom front right of the motor..and more exposed dirt, water or whatever during the drive cycle...more so than the cam sensor. Might want to inspect the harness down there and clean up the connector just in case. That sensor doesn't produce DTC's...so..
Senior Member
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 2,496
Likes: 1,199
From: The People's Republic of Colorado
On the crank/cam sensors - they are ~25/ea. Cam sensor looks really easy but the crank sensor looks like a bit of a PITA. I forgot about the PC/ED manual - there's a 15-20 step procedure to test the crank sensor. Given the low price and the work involved, is this a "just buy it and change it" part or should I go through the procedure? For that matter, do them both or suspect the crank sensor first?