Anchorage mechanic? July 14, 2023, 01:33:27 pm I suspect I am really reaching out to Kristin, but looking for a mechanic in the Anchorage area to diagnose a P0300 error.The Ford dealers were booked out through Labor Day, and then stated they don’t work on RVs, referred us to other places that don’t work on Fords.Since the first three misfires didn’t mention a cylinder, only the P0300, swapped out a filthy air filter since we’ve been through a lot of dust. 20 miles later, got another P0300, with a P0302, suggesting the issue is with the 2nd cylinder (plug or coil)Doesn’t seem to be driving rough or loss of power.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #1 – July 14, 2023, 02:06:04 pm Dave, since you replaced the air filter, carefully check to see if the filter housing was clamped correctly.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #2 – July 14, 2023, 02:13:55 pm Quote from: HiLola - July 14, 2023, 02:06:04 pmDave, since you replaced the air filter, carefully check to see if the filter housing was clamped correctly.Thanks, it looks seated correctly, lined up, no gaps
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #3 – July 14, 2023, 04:45:57 pm Standard diagnosis to check for a bad coil would be to swap 2 coils and see if misfire moves. Obviously, 1 of the swapped coils has to be cylinder 2. It’s not a complete diagnosis, but it can be quick if you or someone you find can swap the coils. 1 10mm bolt on each coil IIRC. On a 2017, that would be my first guess Rich
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #4 – July 14, 2023, 05:03:57 pm I might suggest calling this place, advise them you’re from the lower 48, and need help. Perhaps they would have some recommendations for you. Alaska Performance RV & Marine6820 Arctic BlvdAnchorage, Alaska 99518Phone: (907) 522-8965And perhaps Ford Customer Service can help at (800) 444-3311? They actually helped us one time.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #5 – July 14, 2023, 05:26:32 pm Quote from: Ed & Margee - July 14, 2023, 05:03:57 pmAlaska Performance RV & Marine6820 Arctic BlvdAnchorage, Alaska 99518Phone: (907) 522-8965And perhaps Ford Customer Service can help at (800) 444-3311? They actually helped us one time. We called Alaska Performance RV & Marine earlier, they are a house repair only, but they did give us a referral that might be able to squeeze us in Monday (Dean’s)As for Ford, I’ve lost faith in that all three dealers on this trip have been unhelpful, and down right dishonest.Thanks
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #6 – July 14, 2023, 05:30:24 pm Quote from: rich - July 14, 2023, 04:45:57 pmStandard diagnosis to check for a bad coil would be to swap 2 coils and see if misfire moves. Obviously, 1 of the swapped coils has to be cylinder 2. Great suggestion, though I have a spare coil so if I am going through the trouble of breaking open the dog house, I’d just replace it.I am hesitant to do the work myself as the LD seems to be running fine besides the codes. A driveable LD with misfires is better than a self inflicted won’t work now attempt.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #7 – July 14, 2023, 05:37:01 pm Quote from: Dave Katleman - July 14, 2023, 01:33:27 pmSince the first three misfires didn’t mention a cylinder, only the P0300, swapped out a filthy air filter since we’ve been through a lot of dust. 20 miles later, got another P0300, with a P0302, suggesting the issue is with the 2nd cylinder (plug or coil)Doesn’t seem to be driving rough or loss of power.The most common cause of a misfire is a bad ignition coil, plugs rarely fail unless there are other underlying issues such as heavy oil consumption. A third not-so-common possibility is a failing fuel injector, I would expect to see more codes.Number 2 coil isn't an extremely difficult thing to change once everything is loosened up and tied back on the passenger side of the engine.Crucial is having a 7mm socket, preferably with a 1/4" ratchet and short extension. The coil and boot can be sticky and hard to pull out. Disconnect the coil's electrical plug before pulling the coil out. Butter the inside of the new boot with dielectric grease to waste installation. There are plenty of online videos to look at before attempting.2017 FORD E-450 6.8L V10 Ignition Coil | RockAutoLarry 1 Likes
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #8 – July 14, 2023, 08:35:23 pm Hi, Dave,I don't know about shops in Anchorage, but as you can guess half the tourists in the country are in Alaska now. July is crowded with traffic and motorhomes, and tourists including Anchorage salmon dipnetters are here now, since their season is open on the Kenai River until the end of July. But I did call a good shop near Soldotna, and they said to give a call and they will look at it, they do work on RVs. I'll send their info to you in a message. It's hopeless to call a Ford dealership because they are already booked up into September.BTW, I drove all the way from down mainland Mexico up to Arizona with the check engine light on, and the LD ran fine the whole way. Good luck to you!Kristin 1 Likes
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #9 – July 14, 2023, 10:20:19 pm Hey Dave, While I don't have a specific recommendation, I would suggest you reach out to whatever roadside assistance provider you may have. We have Coach-Net and I believe they would be able to help with a recommendation of a service provider or perhaps secure an appointment. My wife mentioned that they offer services other than emergency roadside assistance. I am not sure I would have thought to contact them if not for her suggestion.Good luck!Steve K.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #10 – July 14, 2023, 10:56:00 pm Quote from: Steve K. - July 14, 2023, 10:20:19 pm We have Coach-Net and I believe they would be able to help with a recommendation of a service provider or perhaps secure an appointment. My wife mentioned that they offer services other than emergency roadside assistance. I am not sure I would have thought to contact them if not for her suggestion.Yes, I reached out to them around 10am today, asking for a service provider, they got back to me 3 hours later. Best they could come up with was a place that will try to squeeze me in on Monday, everyone else was weeks if not months out.Crossing my fingers on that one.If they fall through, Kirstin has a solid place three hours south and west from Anchorage.So I think I’m covered.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #11 – July 17, 2023, 04:39:10 pm UpdateDrove another 150 miles over the weekend, both to provide more data and drain the tank a bit just in case. Engine check flashed twice more but didn’t notice any misfires or loss of power, if the the check engine light wasn’t on, everything was fine.Of course when I started the engine this morning, the check engine light was off. Took it over to Dean's Automotive Service as planned to have them take a look. Their scans and diagnosis didn’t find anything wrong, and the misfiring occurred at idle, not under load.Given that I only have 24k and the spark plugs and coils are generally good until 100k, ruled out those. Gas cap was properly seated, and (now) have a clean air filter, suspect is bad gas. Added SeaFoam & ISO Heet to head off fuel issues. Treating the misfire as random unfortunate occurrence.So back on the road to Kenai. Have a spare plug & coil just in case.Thanks to all the assistance! 2 Likes
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #12 – July 17, 2023, 07:30:51 pm "So back on the road to Kenai."I hope you are there during a salmon run, I was there between two runs. My Halibut trip was cancelled due to weather and I could not buy anything in Homer because the boats did not go out. All of that while the canning factories in Anchorage were begging folks to bring their 55 gal. tubs for all the fish they wanted! They were overwhelmed with too many salmon.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #13 – July 27, 2023, 01:16:05 pm Another update:After another 400 miles, the check engine light came back approaching Denali, so it wasn’t bad fuel.Engine codes are still just cylinder misfire related, both generic P0300, and now four specific cylinders P0302, P0306, P0308, P0309. Same as before, no loss of power or rough idling. Brought it back to Anchorage for more diagnostics.While I can believe one plug or coil to fail prematurely, to have four of them have issues and not have a loss of power seems quite fishy at 25,000 miles.What else could cause just engine misfires codes without running rough?
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #14 – July 27, 2023, 02:12:15 pm Hi Dave; Just a few things off the top of my head... The air filter is clean? If you have a scanner with you; how many misfires? My scanner allows 30-40 misfires per trip. In your case with long trips, it may just be exceeding the allowed number. I need to check with Larry W on this but most misfires are too lean a mixture. A scanner can report run time codes while the engine is on, and info on the (I think 4) O2 sensors can show marginally too lean parameters. I'm suspecting a vacuum line leak somewhere on the same side of the engine as cylinders 2, 4 and 6 nearer the front. At higher RPM's you won't notice any power loss. A 'TK (even fully loaded) with a V10 is a good combination. You aren't towing correct? RonBedit: plugs 2,4 are on one side and 6,9 the other. IRV2 had some comments about loose spark plugs and also poor primary connections on the coils and injectors. Could there be a lot of moisture running around the engine, (driving through rain?) RB
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #15 – July 27, 2023, 03:09:33 pm Air filter was replaced 1000 miles ago, didn’t helpNot towing.Asked the mechanic about moisture and plug connectors, he didn’t think that was the cause, both because how hot the doghouse gets and it hasn’t been rained on in over a week.14 misfires, spread out over 4 cylinders. The mechanic observed that they only occurred during load, not at idle, suggesting a bad fuel causing the misfires, or carbon build up?They suggested using a MotorVac to clean things out, but when they attempted to hook it up, they couldn’t disconnect the fuel pump module on the rail, because the black tank was in the way, preventing access. Plan B, toss in three cans of Sea Foam and let it work its wonders.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #16 – July 27, 2023, 08:14:53 pm Hi Dave: 14 misfires in 400 miles, at 2000 RPM! Thats about 1 half million opportunities for a misfire. Maybe the octane levels aren't quite up to snuff. The Seafoam sounds like a good stopgap measure for now. Unless you have already tried this, I might try a tank of premium, as a test, to see if there is any change in symptoms. After the seafoam. RonB 2 Likes
Random cylinder misfires Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #17 – August 07, 2023, 01:22:23 am Update:Another tank full (400 miles) with 3 ounces of Sea Foam, after the half the previous tank with 1 oz per gallon, still getting random misfires every 5-10 miles, now spread over cylinder 1, 2, 4, 6, 8. No other codes, just P0300, P030X (1,2,4,6,8) Still drives fine, no loss of power, no drop in fuel economy.At 25,000 miles, can’t see losing half my plugs or coils.Going for yet another diagnosis in Anchorage on the 14th before I head back, so I’d like the third time to be a charm.Proactively replace the MAF sensor? Seems like a long shot since you would think another code would be flagged along with a drop in performance.Most everything I lookup has other codes besides the P0300s., still has me stumped.[might as well change this subject to “Random cylinder misfire codes Re: Anchorage mechanic?”]
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #18 – August 07, 2023, 06:12:06 am I'm guessing it's an electrical issue, possibly a dirty or loose plug..There is a large electrical plug with a couple dozen wires passing through it, including all the injectors and coil wiring, It should be on the passenger side of the engine bay, at the front of the engine. I would renew the connection by opening and then shutting the plug, it is secured with a screw down the middle of the plug, make sure it is tight.I would do the same with the computer's plug, the same wires pass into the computer..Larry 2 Likes
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #19 – August 07, 2023, 08:13:02 am Quote from: Larry W - August 07, 2023, 06:12:06 amI'm guessing it's an electrical issue, possibly a dirty or loose plug..There is a large electrical plug with a couple dozen wires passing through it, including all the injectors and coil wiring, It should be on the passenger side of the engine bay, at the front of the engine. I would renew the connection by opening and then shutting the plug, it is secured with a screw down the middle of the plug, make sure it is tight.I would do the same with the computer's plug, the same wires pass into the computer..Thanks Larry, I’ll take a look.I’m assuming you’re talking about under the hood, not the doghouse.
Re: Anchorage mechanic? Reply #20 – August 07, 2023, 10:50:41 am Quote from: Dave Katleman - August 07, 2023, 08:13:02 amI’m assuming you’re talking about under the hood, not the doghouse.Correct, both plugs are accessible from the front of the engine, under the hood.Larry 1 Likes
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