Hey guys, it's been a while since i've posted on here.

I've been having problems with my truck again. I replaced the fuel filter last month because I thought it would fix my stalling problem. It helped a little but im still stalling out.

Basically what's happening is if the truck idle's for a long period of time (traffic jam) it will start to sputter and shake then stall out (idles a little rough too). I can usually get it started back up without a problem 4 or 5 times in a row, then after that it will die completely. I usually have to wait 30min or so before i can start it again.

One thing i've noticed is when it gets to the point where it wont start up, and the ignition is in the on position, i see the check engine light and the check fuel cap light kind of flicker and sometimes sort of blink steadily.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

Codes , codes , codes .
Get the codes read and post them here.
Just because the CEL is not on steadily does not mean there are no codes stored.
Also check / clean the IAC valve.

 

Forgot to mention that, there are no codes coming up.

The CEL doesn't come on when the truck is actually running, only in the "on" position like it should, it's just that it's flickering (only when it won't start)

 

well i would check the IAC valve like ken said, and i would check the tps, when mine was going out it would stall randomly when i would let it warm up in the morning and would stall when i went from reverse to first or sometimes pulling out in trafic, it would also start funny if i had to shut if off and then went to start it again, it would chug for a second or two then come to life, and you could also check the fuel pressure i think its suppose to be around 40 when off and it should pulse when its on, which is showing that the fuel injectors are working.

 

Well if it ever gets warm here again I'll check it out...been thinking about replacing the fuel filter as well (even though i just did that over the summer) and of course new plugs. Worse comes to worse i'll need new injectors which i really don't have the money for right now, grr.

 

Battery grounds.

 

yeah fuel injectors are nice and pricy, but most likely not it mine are 22 years old and they are sitll pumpin

 

I actually had a problem with bad grounds, took it to my buddy's shop cause i didnt feel like dealing with it and he found the one under the dash was loose and tightened it up for me.

I noticed the truck idles a bit rough and only stalls while idling...so im leaning toward the IAC? I'll try popping a new one in tmrw for ****s and giggles and check my plugs while im there.

 

yeah if it like pulsates in rpm like almost dies then normal then almost dies then normal again, ect. and stalls once in a while and if your car is an automatic if it has problems with stalling when you go in reverse then it def is the IAC valve, thats what happened to my girl friends dad's sable wagon and 150 when the IAC valve went out on them

 

Well i changed the plugs and the IAC out this weekend, still stalls out. Weird thing is the symptoms are identical to the IAC being bad. Talked to my buddies dad he was saying something about the distributor and overheating/failing? What do you guys think?

Oh and its starting to seem like its stalling more frequently now. After I cleaned the old IAC out I took my gf to work (about 15min away) and it stalled right when I pulled into the parking lot. After pushing it to a parking spot I called my buddy to bring my tools and swapped the IAC with a new one. Took it for a test ride around the parking lot, stalled out as soon as i put it in park. Let it sit for about 45min and drove like a bat out of hell home avoiding all traffic lights. Made it home, let it sit at idle, stalled out after about 10min of sitting in idle.

 

2003? No such thing as a distributor on it. Could be an overheating caused issue, but then it would be more prominent, whenever it got up to temp, I would think.

Check how clean the manifold for the IAC is. It may be clogged up, causing your issues.

I think it's fuel related. Did you check the pressure? You should. If it helped after you replaced the filter, then it could be a semi-failing fuel pump. If that's fine, then pressure test the system. You could have a pressure leak somewhere.

 

I actually just replaced the fuel pump, cause it died.

I'll have to give the manifold a cleaning too, it looked like it had a bit of a carbon build up on the engine side of the butterfly valve.

I've been thinking it was fuel related too, but was thinking injectors. I'll check the pressure in the system this weekend. Which reminds me, when i shut the truck off i can hear a faint hissing sound, not sure if that's normal or not.

Things i've replaced thus far:
Coil Pack
Fuel Pump
Fuel Filter
Spark Plugs
IAC

 

i would also take the trottle body off and clean the intake manifold side of it that part can get pretty nasty

 

Also noticing a slight hissing sound when the truck is off, is this normal or do i have a vacuum leak?

 

Key on, or key off?

 

off

 

Ok, so yesterday I pulled apart the throttle body and cleaned it out and raised the idle to about 1300rpm (used to idle at 1000rpm). Also cleaned the MAF sensor. Noticed that the hissing sound is gone now. However, the truck stalled out yet again.

A new thing I've noticed is that it only does it when it is warmed up and has been running for a while. Once it's cooled down it starts with no problem. I've attached a video of what the check engine and fuel reset lights do when it won't start and the ignition is in the on position. When it's cooled down the indicator lights act normal with the ignition in the on position. I'm thinking fuel injectors?

 

yeah it could be a fuel injector, my friend has one that sticks and it takes him a good 5 or six tries to get it to start hot and 2 times to start cold , i think you can check that with a fuel presser guage, not a 100% sure, but i'm sure someone else on hear would, and they're pretty expensive so i would def check them out before you replace them, good luck.

 

changed out all 6 of the injectors today (yea, 250 bucks down the drain). The truck no longer stalls out but is now running lean as hell. check engine light went on got 3 codes; one indicating a problem with the IAC circuit and the other noting that its running lean on banks 1 and 2, no ****.

checked fuel pressure. while it's running im getting around 65psi. Thats a bit much isnt it?

Any more suggestions?

 

65Psi is the max output of most fuel pumps. anywhere from 34-39 is normal i assume. where did you get the pump from? if it has a warranty, i'd see about getting it replaced.

 

got it from a local parts store that came highly recommended from a buddy of mine. they gave me just the pump not the entire assembly, which i am regretting now...but anyways. Is it possible tht it could be the regulator?

 

its a possability, i can't imagine those are too expensive, i've never heard of one going bad so its a shot in the dark IMO.

 

yea ther like 25 bucks

 

btw, the codes i'm getting are p0511, p2196, and p2198

looked at it with a brick, it runs really friggin rich, then bogs down and resets itself to 0.0 for some reason...then it'll pick back up

 

well, took it to the shop, after a week and a half they gave up and think it's the computer. Unfortunately they don't deal with computers so I'm having the local shop come out and flash a new computer there lol.

Guess i'll keep you guys updated.