[STRanger]

I have an 05 2.3L duratec and when its been sitting overnight or at least 6 or 7 hours and the engine is cold, it wants to sort of "sputter" when you start it.. The truck has just under 40k miles, and its always done this to an extent, but seems worse lately... Its sort of hard to explain, but reminds me a little like its flooded so if you gently tap on the gas the high-idle kicks in... Otherwise it'll just sputter and sometimes die.. then I have to restart it over and hold down on the gas so it will idle up for a bit. It runs great soon as it fires up but its the initial startup...

I did a little video yesterday and drove it out the road and back... Hope you can tell from it what I'm talking about....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjKE38F31b8

 

[Olfordtruck]

hmm, any check engine lights coming on? Sounds like maybe a o2 sensor sending a slow response to the engine and it is over compensating due to it. My fiance's stupis saturn had a similar problem with cold startups, sputtering, and dieing but as soon as I replaced the first o2 sensor it started running like new.

 

[STRanger]

didn't think about an O2 sensor... i bought the truck with 29k on it a year ago, and it started fine but about 6 months ago i started noticing this really I guess and since the weather changed its more noticable.. Yesterday was really warm almot 70 but it still did it, so ill see if i can change that O-2 sensor and if it makes any diff...

 

[Olfordtruck]

well that would usually throw a check engine code out if the 02 sensor was the problem. Would hurt to do a diagnostics on it. Also, have you ever done seafoam on the truck or any other maintenance like spark plugs, clean the MAF, clean throttle body, etc?

 

[STRanger]

no lights or codes on it... just had a full maintenance done about 2500 miles ago... everything showed up fine then... Only thing i've done since maint was changed the exhaust to flowmaster but it still was doing it before that, and the muffler won't affect the idle... with only 37k miles the plugs are still practically new, its been driven enough highway miles that the truck isnt just pulled around town all time in traffic, so im not really sure... oh and i've never done seafoam on anything but my old kia i had, and that thing had 150k+ miles on it...

 

[cvalcore]

i would check the iac valve idle/air control/valve maybe its time for tune up also.

 

[STRanger]

i would check the iac valve idle/air control/valve maybe its time for tune up also.

i thought these went 100k before a tuneup?? my previous ford was a 2.3L but not a duratec just the old style 2.3 4 cyl... But i'll also check the other you mentioned as well... thanks man....

 

[cvalcore]

ya it should go 100,000 but if youve got some bad gas or maybe been running some bad gas it might have fouled them out or if the previous owner changed them with lower quality plugs they may be fouled out just pull one or two of the plugs and check them out a dirty air filter could also be starving it from getting enough air when idleing. i just whent threw this same problem with a truck 2 weeks ago. and it ended up being it needed a tune up after 15000 miles. so it could be a possililty and i also changed the iac valve and tpi sensor also. but the tune up and iac valve is what made it run right. but this truck would not idle hardly at all or not at all even after it warmed up.

 

[Olfordtruck]

good call cvalcore! Didnt think of that. Could very well be premature faulting in it.

 

[STRanger]

oh yea i see now... i usually get gas at the same place but i've noticed that my mpg is down a little too, so maybe a tuneup is in order... one thing for sure - it won't hurt, and i've seen people who have driven 100k on a set of plugs and they're almost impossible to get out...

thanks a lot... I'll do a little work and perhaps I can get this little item cleared up before it becomes a big issue...

 

[plumcrazy]

The ecm doesnt even use the O2 sensors until you are into the higher RPM's and the the motor is warm. I would look into the IAC or TPS. It probably wouldnt hurt to clean the MAF.

 

[STRanger]

^^^
thanks man.... i don't have anywhere to pull my truck inside to work on it, so I'll wait til a nice day and start going over a few things... Everytime the weather warms up here in the winter, it rains, then soon as it clears up it turns off cold... And I hate being outside working on a vehicle when its really cold....

 

[cvalcore]

ya you can run them 100,000 mile but i have even ran the stock set on my dodge up to 150,000 miles and it still ran great but i figured i better change them before i do have some problem's.

 

[STRanger]

my dad's 94 that I ended up with had 104k when he put new plugs in it... It wasn't his primary car, so he didn't take that good of care of it like his other vehicles... He had me try to change the plugs on it and I couldn't get those things to budge.. finally took it to a friend who had a small shop to get the plugs out... They still looked decent but they weren't the best shape... shoulda been changed 25k or so before they were...