Troubleshooting bad coil/plug?

[Waiter21]

I don't think the Torque App will run on a windows laptop. It should run on your droid tablet.. it should connect to the scanner I mentioned via bluetooth.

I believe P0300 is a general misfire, P0301 - P0310 is a cylinder specific misfire i.e. P0301 is cylinder 1, P0302 is #2, etc.

[Unplanned Tourist]

In 40 years as a heavy duty mechanic, we always followed one rule. Verify the problem!
Did you ( the OP ) clear the code and try it again?
It could be an old code that was logged and not cleared.
Thinking that way, have a look at cleaning your MAF, as suggested.
Happy Glamping.

[zigzagrv]

Without a scanner, I don't know if there is a code, so can't clear it. I am ordering the scanner today . Thanks for all the suggestions and help!

[John Wayne]

Buy your self a ScanGauge2 Then you can read and reset codes and also monitor a lot of information while driving, read your trans temp etc. and get end of day travel information.

[zigzagrv]

I'm getting one of those Bluetooth OBD2 dongles today and paired with my Android tablet app, should give me most of what I want to know.

[TeJay]

Any CEL codes can be erased just by disconnecting the engine battery ground wire. Or if you can find the ECM 10 amp fuse and pull it out that will erase any stored codes.

Remember (generally speaking) no code will tell you exactly which part to replace if in fact a part has failed. The codes were never specifically meant to do that. They mostly are just symptoms of a problem much like your blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation level and body temperature.

Yes I realize the codes can point to a specific cylinder that has misfired. It still may not tell you if it's the COP, spark plug, a failing fuel injector or the device controlling the injector firing. Usually following the codes, symptoms and further testing will point in the proper direction to solve the problem.

I also recognize I have been away from this for several years so things may be getting better as far as diagnostic codes. IMHO symptomatic analysis is still the best diagnostic approach.

[zigzagrv]

OMG! I want to thank Ford for putting the OBD2 port in a place that requires an hour to get to it......Good job engineers! To get to it, had to remove the bottom cover on the steering column. Three plastic push on clips and 2 screws nicely hidden that required you to remove them by feel.

After I finally got to 'see' the OBD2 port, Gulf Stream thoughtfully had placed a dash support bracket in front of it, that made the port impossible to plug anything into it. I then removed the port, mostly by feel, and finally got to plug in my new OBD2 scanner. I will find a new place to mount the port.

It connected easily to my phone via Bluetooth and in a minute or so started getting data. I checked the existing fault codes and it showed 4 different cylinders had misfired at some point in time. Those were the only fault codes. I reset them, fired up the engine and let it run for about 20 minutes. No new codes appeared, plus the engine seemed to be running smoothly.

BTW, I did get the BADX scanner recommended by Waiter21 and used the free version of Torque. Will be getting the Pro version shortly.

@ TeJay.... There is a way to check the COP to see if it is defective. If not, then it is the plug.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out so far. I will continue to investigate further.

[ga traveler]

Originally Posted by zigzagrv

OMG! I want to thank Ford for putting the OBD2 port in a place that requires an hour to get to it......Good job engineers! To get to it, had to remove the bottom cover on the steering column. Three plastic push on clips and 2 screws nicely hidden that required you to remove them by feel.

After I finally got to 'see' the OBD2 port, Gulf Stream thoughtfully had placed a dash support bracket in front of it, that made the port impossible to plug anything into it. I then removed the port, mostly by feel, and finally got to plug in my new OBD2 scanner. I will find a new place to mount the port.

Don't blame Ford for this. Ford provides a 2 ft lead on the port so the body manufacturers can move it to clear the dash. It is attached to the steering post by Ford and is meant to be moved to a clear position by the motorhome manufacturer. Some manufacturers do a good job and some just do nothing. They just leave it where Ford put it. Fleetwood did a fair job on my Pace Arrow, but I moved it to a more accessable position. I can plug in within 20 seconds.

[zigzagrv]

My apologies to Ford.

[zigzagrv]

Update: First, I moved the OBD2 port to a new and easily accessible location. Second, I have run the engine for short periods of time (15 to 20 minutes) over the last few days and have not logged any fault codes. Third, I do have an exhaust leak which I suspect is coming from the exhaust manifold. However, the noise/leak stops after a few minutes as the engine warms up.

A bit of a disappointment with the OBD2 port. The port has 16 pins, but Ford uses only 7 pins. So can't get all the info I would like, like trans temp, for example.

It has been too dang hot in this part of the country for an old man like me to crawl around under the motorhome checking for a possibly bad U-joint or center carrier to try to find the vibration problem. As soon as it cools down a bit, I will do just that.

[twinboat]

Its not the pin count that sends transmission temp data, you need to assign codes into the ScanGuage that represent your engine.

Read the book that came with it.

[Waiter21]

like trans temp, for example.

You should be able to read trans temperature with the Torque app..

On my android running th Torque App.. Select SETTINGS > Manage extra PIDs/Sensor > PID 2211bd


This is Method three of transmission temperature. Assign it to a gage or dial and your reading transmission temperature.

[THenne1713]

You can get an OBD-II code reader from $20-$60 on Amazon, some work bluetooth w/ Apple, some w/ Android phone, some with wired screen.

[zigzagrv]

Originally Posted by THenne1713

You can get an OBD-II code reader from $20-$60 on Amazon, some work bluetooth w/ Apple, some w/ Android phone, some with wired screen.

Already got one.....see earlier post.