B190 Enthusiasts

Still having problems with engine....seems to be air/ fuel mixture issue . Cranks fine, runs 5-10 minutes at idle, give it gas, and it stalls. Pump the pedal furiously for a while, and it starts , but runs like hell. Plugs are fouled with soot, lots of smoke from the exhaust( smells like too much fuel). I removed the EGR valve the other day , seemed to be ok , cleaned it as best as I could, replaced gasket, no change. Thinking o2 sensor is bad? 81K miles. I put 11k miles on her. I've replaced fuel tanks, fuel pumps(all 3) pressure regulator, fuel pressure running about 39-40 psi, then when we took off the pressure gauge, fuel starts leaking out of the pressure test port. Capped it off, no leaks now. Checked all the vacumn lines , appear to have no leaks or cracks. Unplugged vacuum line from the map sensor, runs terrible, so I'm assuming it's ok. Doing searches on ford sites , thinking tps or o2 sensing failure? O2 seems a little easier to get to. Running out of guesses and money. Anyone got any other ideas? Please?

Not really your situation, but years ago I had an '88 F150 (fuel injected) that ran as you describe your ran runs. Belching smoke, stalling...horrible. I remember how vexing that problem was. Lost a lot of sleep and money over it. After spending a fortune on things that did not work, mechanic replaced the computer and the O2 sensor. Those parts made it run pretty well, until a few weeks later when the brakes failed and I got rid of it. Swore I would never own another Ford. Ha! Look at me now...

I know a lot less about cars than you do. But because many here have had luck with the computer guys at SoloAutomotive Electronics, why not give that a try and see if the ECM is the culprit?

In any case, I am sympathetic. Good luck. Skater had a '91--maybe he will have some ideas.

Yeah, never had an issue like that with mine, and it sounds like you've gotten all the most likely sources.

I will say that pumping the pedal on a fuel injected vehicle shouldn't be necessary. Try pushing and holding the gas pedal while starting it - in some vehicles (not sure about ours) that actually turns off the injectors, so if it's flooded the computer won't put yet more gas into the cylinders.

I've tried just holding the pedal, doesn't seem to work . I always thought that odd also. Gonna try the 02 sensor, plugs and a new filter soon, ECM module( computer) next if this doesn't work. Looks fun to try to get to!

The air filter is okay, right?

Yes, new air filter too!

Well, got the o2 sensor changed, plugs, and fuel filter too. Some improvement on the amount of black smoke, but not completely . Still throwing parts, I got a coolant temp sensor today, now if I can find where it goes, maybe that will help.
Sigh.....,

By God, I think I found the problem ! Haven't driven her yet , but idled and revved her for 20 minutes, no stalls, no smoke , just a sweet running engine! Come to find out, after replacing the o2 sensor, a guy at the parts store( advanced discount@ chiefland, Fl) he suggested the coolant temperature sensor may have failed. It was an expensive(60$) for such a small piece, and a genuine bitch to get to, but it seems to be running better. Just wanted to let everyone know the happy? Ending to my story !

Good job! Hope that's the end of your troubles (for now!).


Cliff