Van is shuddering

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Iggy

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Apr 24, 2014
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Location
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A little background first. Last fall I was driving up in Portland Oregon when all of a sudden my van started shaking while driving down the freeway. I backed off the gas and it stopped. But every time I accelerated, it would do it again. The check engine light had come on too. It felt like the tranny was coming apart. It was late at night so no place to take it. So I eased it down the highway to Salem and made it safely. The next day I took it to a transmission guy that I trusted and had him check it out. He called me back in an hour and said that the tranny was in perfect shape but the engine felt like a cylinder was missing. He recommended a shop down the street. Well, that shop said the spark plugs were worn out, it needed new spark plug wires, the computer needed recalibrating, and the coil on cylinder #5 was shot. I thought that sounded excessive but wanted the van in tiptop shape. So $700 later, I got it back and it ran fine for 6 months and 8000 miles.
In March, I was driving from Las Vegas to Ventura CA and the van started shaking and the engine light came on. I wasn't far from Ventura so I limped into town and took it to an auto parts store. They checked out why the engine light came on and their tester said that cylinder #6 was misfiring. So I took it to a mechanic and he said that the van required all new plugs because they were Autolite double platinums and only Motorcraft plugs were recommended for Fords. And he wanted $350 to install them. I called up the mechanic in Salem and asked him about the plugs. He looked up the paperwork and said someone was trying to scam me, that the plugs were right. He thought the coil on #6 had probably went bad.
So I did nothing and drove it around for two months without the problem reoccurring. Drove all the way back to Salem, no problem. Now this week, it started doing it again. Took it to a different mechanic that is dating my niece, he thinks that there is a short somewhere in my wiring but doesn't know where. It is only doing it if I drive for more than an hour and the shuddering is quite mild, not like in CA. I'm inclined to go back to the first mechanic but can't afford another $700 bill. Any motor whisperers on here have an idea what the problem is?
On a different note, last night it poured rain here. This morning I discovered a major leak at my back doors. The water is coming thru the brake light mounted over the doors. Does anyone know where I can order a new gasket for that light?
 
Iggy,

Plugs either work or they do not. They do not stop working after an hour's drive. So, dont go back to that guy.

Coil on #6? What kind of van is this? Most American cars still have a single coil that powers all plugs. Unless we are talking a high tech engine (not usually found in vans) or diesel engine, this doesnt sound right to me.

Since it happens only after driving it for a while, I would agree that it is likely a short somewhere in the wiring... which sucks! Sadly, wiring issues are some of the hardest to find and fix. It could be something as odd-ball as a corroded wire on the other side of the van, or as simple as the plug wire being shaken loose. The only real way to find it is to start tinkering and sometimes replacing things. Professional mechanics love this type of problem (common in modern vehicles) as they can bill you for many, many hours of labor as they replace many, many parts, all while not having any more a clue what the problem is than you do.

If you have a family connection to a mechanic, that would probably be your best bet. He will be less inclined to rip you off.
 
I have a Buick, and it has coil packs that service two cylinders each.

My gut reaction, (And it could be wrong) is that the cheap coil pack is borderline. When it gets hot, it starts failing. China quality~~~

Do a search with your model, year, motor and #6 coil and see what comes up.
 
Autolites are fine in fords. Yea, motorcraft is what is SUPPOSED to be in there, but in the same way ford fluids are supposed to be in there really.

What engine is this? If its the 3 valve 5.4 then the plugs can be a bitch, especially the back ones, they have an extra shaft welded to the plug to make it longer and they snap off in the head. If so the plugs should be HT104's or HT103's

Also it would have coil on plug style ignition coils, 1 coil per cylinder so thats no BS. They are cheap though, 20-30 bux each depending on quality.

Id just carry an extra coil and change it if it got to bad, they are not hard at all to do.

If you do have that engine, be carefull with those plugs if you decide to look at them yourself, if they dont come easy then dont mess around, if it snaps get ready for a headache, and possible debris falling into the cylinder.


Im betting you do from the sound of things, and basically the 3valve design and the spark plugs design for those engines is shit and know to cause shuddering.
 
First start with codes. Probably start you in the right dire cation. If it's a coil/ misfire code on #6 swap that coil pack with a different one from the engine ( there all the same). Clear the codes, if your code moves with the coil it's bad. If not swap out the plugs next. You can also use this same strategy with the injectors although it's more work.
 
Computer needs 'recalibrating'? Sounds like a load of BS designed to separate your money from your wallet. ..Willy.
 
go back to the first guy. The one recommended by your friend with the trans shop. He did right by you except not replacing all coils. They all had the same mileage and conditions. it will not be another 700. and you can argue he didn't do enough the first time and get a bit of a discount.
 
With my '92 F-250, unhooking the battery causes the ECM to reset to factory specs, after which it adjusts parameters after driving it.. self-recalibrates. Many times, when reading a repair manual, one of the first things they say to do is remove the negative lead (or is that positive? can't remember). This then does a reset. Bet that's worth a good $100 of that $700 bill. ..Willy.
 
I kinda screwed up by not mentioning the type of vehicle. It's a 2001 Ford e150 6 cylinder. Thanks for all the advice. I'm definitely not a mechanic and have no tools. So I need to rely on professionals. It's the weekend so I'll have to wait till Monday to have it looked at. Will probably take it back to the first guy and will ask the price upfront. From what I googled, it does appear that each cylinder has an individual coil and sounds like that #6 is the problem. I'm just confused by the random occurrences. I'll let you guys know what I find out from the mechanic.
 
The coils (just a glorified distributor cap for this vehicle) is $30-$60 on http://www.rockauto.com and is removed by 3 screws and pulling the spark plug wires off the coil. You should be able to do this yourself in less time than ordering the part online. Just pull one spark plug wire at a time and place it onto the new coil before pulling another wire.

In other words, if someone is wanting to charge you hundreds for this, you should seriously question his ethics. Yes he will mark up the part, and he will charge you an hour of labor, but $200 tops or I'd say have at it yourself instead.
 
Sounds like the first mechanic did a lot of work. Not to mention the diagnosis. All those parts are expensive if they are quality parts, you can buy "discount parts" for less. Shop space and investment in equipment is expensive. Good mechanics stand behind their work and use quality parts. We have to pay the price if we don't do the job our self or don't have the necessary equipment. It is always easier to second guess after the fact. Iggy is right to go back to the first mechanic.
 
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