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My very own hesitation/bucking thread

iBrent said:
I don't think its an ignition related misfire or hesitation. I think its more a bucking caused by a mechanical imbalance. I'll check those tomorrow in the light, but i'm still convinced its not ignition related.

With a faulty wire, what does the hesitation feel like?
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The hesitation I had felt like violent bucking (just like you describe). I worked at it for 2 months or so, convinced it wasn't wires because I had done the wires first and replaced them again just to be sure. It went away with the THIRD set of new wires (Autolites). I did not think I would get two bad sets in a row, but it's possible the Contour has a very hot (high voltage) spark.

Maybe you think it is not electrical because the bucking is violent, but I experienced very violent bucking caused by bad wires.

Here is one way I observed the problem --> In the dark pop your hood, and look at the wires as the engine runs. Also listen for a snapping sound. Rev the engine by pulling the end of the throttle cable (or have someone in the car). I could see (and hear) the sparks jumping between the wires and to the engine block. Be patient, mine sometimes ran for a minute or two without any snapping/sparking.

Good Luck! I know how frustrating this problem is...
 
SVT_CT said:
The hesitation I had felt like violent bucking (just like you describe). I worked at it for 2 months or so, convinced it wasn't wires because I had done the wires first and replaced them again just to be sure. It went away with the THIRD set of new wires (Autolites). I did not think I would get two bad sets in a row, but it's possible the Contour has a very hot (high voltage) spark...
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I replaced the cam position sensor, and the car will now let me drive it more than 27 miles an hour. I reset the ECU, so that car is in the relearning phase. During normal driving it was just fine, but when flooring it it hesitates for 1-2 seconds, then kicks in. I'm going to hook up my Auterra reader and check out the throttle position sensor some time today and see if it is faulty. If that isn't the problem I might try some Autolite plug wires like you suggest.
 
I apologize for posting in here since it is "Your Own" hesitation thread. If I am stepping on toes, please let me know. The car threw code P1383 today after driving it around a bit after the cam position sensor replacement. It says something about the CAM Timing being Retarded.

TPS at idle = 16.5
TPS with peddle to the floor = 94.5
Timing at idle = 13.5-15.0
Timing at 25% throttle = 30.0

Any thoughts? Did the timing belt slip a tooth? Did I screw something up replacing the cam sensor? It's the correct part.
 
livelyjay said:
I apologize for posting in here since it is "Your Own" hesitation thread. If I am stepping on toes, please let me know. The car threw code P1383 today after driving it around a bit after the cam position sensor replacement. It says something about the CAM Timing being Retarded.

TPS at idle = 16.5
TPS with peddle to the floor = 94.5
Timing at idle = 13.5-15.0
Timing at 25% throttle = 30.0

Any thoughts? Did the timing belt slip a tooth? Did I screw something up replacing the cam sensor? It's the correct part.
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Post year, engine and mileage.
 
livelyjay said:
If I am stepping on toes, please let me know
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I called it that because I posted in a lot of other people's bucking/hesitation posts and decided to start my own since I felt my problem was unique. But feel free to post here, I don't really care. The more help the better.
 
iBrent said:
So here's my rear roll restrictor...How does it look?

IMG_0218.jpg
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Now I definitly know whats causing my bucking issue, mine looks nothing like pictured above, the thru bolt is almost at the bottom of the circle, I know my imrc is fine, new plugs and wires and no codes being thrown. I guess I will be ordering a new rear roll restrictor tomorow!
 
SVT_CT said:
Here is one way I observed the problem --> In the dark pop your hood, and look at the wires as the engine runs. Also listen for a snapping sound. Rev the engine by pulling the end of the throttle cable (or have someone in the car). I could see (and hear) the sparks jumping between the wires and to the engine block. Be patient, mine sometimes ran for a minute or two without any snapping/sparking.

Good Luck! I know how frustrating this problem is...
Click to expand...

I did this last night. And I couldn't hear anything, but i definitely saw blue streaks going the length of the wires. I saw them on the wires that went to the front, but couldn't really see much behind the intake manifold. They were pretty light, but in a few locations. Is it new ignition wire time? Am I correct in assuming that even tiny amounts of light is bad and ideally you shouldn't see anything? Or is a little bit okay?
 
Andy Bennett said:
OMG, it is REALLY new ignition wire time.

Isn't that what was said REALLY EARLY in this thread?
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Yes, yes it was. I'll be the first to admit when I could be wrong. I'll buy some new wires and report back. The only ones I can find around here are the motorcraft OEM ones (special order of course). But that's what I bought 10k miles ago and they never really worked right to begin with. This problem has gone unchanged through the new wires. Are there some performace versions that will work better?
 
Ford Motorcraft are just about the best you can get. These cars are very picky when it comes to wires and plugs. Even the Ford Racing wires have been hit or miss. Magnacore used to be a great wire, but recently there have been some failures of BRAND NEW sets. For the money, Ford factory replacements are the way to go.

Again, please pay particular attention to the plug wire routing. The coil pack leads do not correspond directly to the cylinder locations, so get them right the first time.

Also, pull & inspect your plugs at this time. Check to make sure the insulators have not been cracked by the misfire - happened to some.
 
I prefer NGK wires personally and I have never had a problem with them, but then again I have never had a car that was picky about ignition items as you guys describe the Contour. I replaced my wife's with whatever was the cheapest at AutoZone. The car is in the shop right now getting the timing belt, water pump, and accessory belts replaced (yes I know, stuff I could do myself, I just don't have the time), and they are looking into the hesitation. Lady I just talked to said she thinks the mechanic said it was a vacuum leak. I'll beat myself with a stick if that's the problem, because I never even though of checking the vacuum and I have a spare boost/vac gauge sitting in my garage.
 
So there was a section of the timing belt, about 6-8 inches long, that was missing teeth. The guy at the shop said he hasn't seen anything like it with a car that was still able to drive. The many missing teeth should have prevented the crank from pushing the belt around when it hit that spot. Any ways, that's why the timing was off and I had a vacuum leak which was causing the hesitation, at least this version of the hesitation.
 
After using the search feature, it sounds like the problem (other than the one I have been posting about) is due to the fuel pump. At low fuel levels the cars starts bucking and hesitating.

On a side note, so I know what voltages to look for, what is the TPS supposed to show for percentages/voltages when at idle and full throttle? I'm trying to get the car into the best working condition and want to cover all my bases. PCV and fuel pump are going in soon and I'd like to know if the TPS needs to be replaced as well.
 
iBrent said:
Yes, yes it was. I'll be the first to admit when I could be wrong. I'll buy some new wires and report back. The only ones I can find around here are the motorcraft OEM ones (special order of course). But that's what I bought 10k miles ago and they never really worked right to begin with. This problem has gone unchanged through the new wires. Are there some performace versions that will work better?
Click to expand...

I'll second the vote for Motorcraft.

Good luck! Hopefully this solves it.
 
Are any wires touching each other? Also, do you still have blue sparks in the dark?
 
I'm adding in on my own hesitation issue at low RPM's (2000 SVT). I just went to my 3rd set of wires and the car is back to new again. Unbelieveable!
I can't believe all the other stuff I cleaned/replaced only to have this stinking wire problem.

My 3rd set is the Autolite Professional Series wires. I had a set go bad after about 2,000 miles last spring and these were the exchange replacements that I never reinstalled. I figured I had nothing to lose and I took off my nice 9mm Ford Motorsports wires so there must be a problem with them.

Note - I did check resistance on my 9mm Ford wires and they have the lowest resistance of 4 different types of wires that I have. The only thing that makes sense to me is that I'm installing them wrong (not seating on the plug or coil) or that something is popping off after a few thousand miles. I'll post back if anything changes. I'M DONE!! CAR IS FIXED!!

Edit - almost forgot - car was throwing CEL code P0172 during all this B.S. The possible bad plug wire was on bank 1 (the bank that P1072 was coming from). I cleared the code and drove around for 45 minutes tonight - no more CEL yet. Hopefully my experience helps someone.
 
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