marshallma0504
SHO Member
Thank you. I am purchasing a similar kit to drain the ptu as well so I can just do both!
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Need advice before I possibly mess up my SHO
- Thread starter marshallma0504
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techron is not much help for these ecoboost engines it is made for port fuel injected engines only.
you will want to find a gdi equivalent. stp makes one but there are probably better ones available.
or better yet get a professional gdi induction cleaning done once you have borescoped the valves and confirmed there are no excessive carbon deposits on the backs of the intake valves.
you will want to find a gdi equivalent. stp makes one but there are probably better ones available.
or better yet get a professional gdi induction cleaning done once you have borescoped the valves and confirmed there are no excessive carbon deposits on the backs of the intake valves.
marshallma0504
SHO Member
Ok thanks for the input. Since I do have a smooth idle and smooth power delivery until the higher boost levels, does that sound like a fuel issue? I’m also only running 87 fuel and I have tried 89 which seemed to help it feel stronger. I’m just not sure whether to try cleaning the injectors at all or just stick with the plugs and see what happens
plugs are the heart of the combustion engine. frequently used as a first stop for diagnostics.
i would check the old plugs for indicators of issues. then see how the new plugs do.
then if need be approach fuel system cleaning.
as far as power level in high boost, that is a topic open to interpretation. expectations vs reality. or actual hardware/electronic faults. most people run either 87 or 93. 93 with a tune - some even with higher E mixes than found at "normal" pumps but levels above E15 will require a tune.
i would check the old plugs for indicators of issues. then see how the new plugs do.
then if need be approach fuel system cleaning.
as far as power level in high boost, that is a topic open to interpretation. expectations vs reality. or actual hardware/electronic faults. most people run either 87 or 93. 93 with a tune - some even with higher E mixes than found at "normal" pumps but levels above E15 will require a tune.
marshallma0504
SHO Member
The issue isn’t the “power level” I’m not interested in upping the max power on the car. I’m just talking about how when I get close to WOT the car shudders and misfires and right before that happens I feel a loss of boost like the engine is dialing itself back before the shuddering and flashing CEL make themselves known. Once that goes away and I can be in all points of the power band on the car with no issues I will be happy. If running 93 would help the problem I will consider it but I’m not sure if I can financially handle doing 93 at every fill up. (I know, I probably shouldn’t have gotten a high end performance car if I can’t afford 93 octane to help it run its best but it seemed like too good of a car to pass up being a proud owner of.)
ok lets see how the plug change goes.
you can check the knock sensor wiring for chafing that would cause false knock and timing retard.
false knock can also be induced by worn mounts tho i don't see worn mounts on this platform much at all.
could be a slight tear in the blowoff valve diaphragm or a slightly loose hose somewhere in the turbo tract. a popular spot is the sensor with the unclamped hoses on top of the manifold. but hoses can also leak from under the plastic clamps. could also be a wastegate c-clip starting to come off.
many things to consider. plugs need doing anyway
you can check the knock sensor wiring for chafing that would cause false knock and timing retard.
false knock can also be induced by worn mounts tho i don't see worn mounts on this platform much at all.
could be a slight tear in the blowoff valve diaphragm or a slightly loose hose somewhere in the turbo tract. a popular spot is the sensor with the unclamped hoses on top of the manifold. but hoses can also leak from under the plastic clamps. could also be a wastegate c-clip starting to come off.
many things to consider. plugs need doing anyway
marshallma0504
SHO Member
Plugs seemed to fully fix the misfire and smoothed out the power delivery. One of the plugs had a gap of 0.04 while the other 5 were at 0.035. The new ones I installed were gapped to 0.028. I’m going to get the codes read tomorrow and get some live data from my mechanic to double make sure everything is looking good. Also I think I caught the PTU right before it started to get really bad. The gray fluid that got puked out of the vent seemed to be basically all that was in the tank because I only got a tiny bit of gray out and there was black burnt chunks on the drain plug. I filled it full with royal purple, and I’ll be changing it again after about 5,000 miles to see the condition. No metal shavings thankfok lets see how the plug change goes.
you can check the knock sensor wiring for chafing that would cause false knock and timing retard.
false knock can also be induced by worn mounts tho i don't see worn mounts on this platform much at all.
could be a slight tear in the blowoff valve diaphragm or a slightly loose hose somewhere in the turbo tract. a popular spot is the sensor with the unclamped hoses on top of the manifold. but hoses can also leak from under the plastic clamps. could also be a wastegate c-clip starting to come off.
many things to consider. plugs need doing anyway
plugs seemed to fix the misfire and I am able to go WOT for the first time since buying the car. One of the plugs that I took out was gapped at 0.04 and was pretty black. The other 5 had a gap of 0.035 and looked ok. The new plugs I put in are 0.028 gap. The PTU was concerning. I got only a small amount of gray thick fluid out and there was black burnt chunky material on the drain plug. But with no metal shavings. Going to my mechanic friend tomorrow to get the codes read and live data to double check all is well but after a 10 minute test drive it feels much healthier.ok lets see how the plug change goes.
you can check the knock sensor wiring for chafing that would cause false knock and timing retard.
false knock can also be induced by worn mounts tho i don't see worn mounts on this platform much at all.
could be a slight tear in the blowoff valve diaphragm or a slightly loose hose somewhere in the turbo tract. a popular spot is the sensor with the unclamped hoses on top of the manifold. but hoses can also leak from under the plastic clamps. could also be a wastegate c-clip starting to come off.
many things to consider. plugs need doing anyway
Very glad for you, on the plugs. Our computers will adjust timing for small gap differences, however you reached those maximum amount.
The ptu, will provide the advice given to me here, change again 15K from now. Closely listen for PTU whine.
Glad to hear this.
The ptu, will provide the advice given to me here, change again 15K from now. Closely listen for PTU whine.
Glad to hear this.
i would change the ptu fluid a few times in quick succession, say once every week 3x. run redline lightweight shockproof for its detergency to get any remainders off the gears and bearings.
after that settle into the ptu fluid maintenance interval. since there isn't any concern with "performance" driving, 2 yrs/30k miles on the outside. police fleets use 10k intervals, as a reference.
dont forget the rdu. that tends to go on these vehicles also. hopefully the fluid looks good and theres no goop. if there is goop, same cleanout routine as for ptu. regular intervals are 2x that for the ptu, max.
after that settle into the ptu fluid maintenance interval. since there isn't any concern with "performance" driving, 2 yrs/30k miles on the outside. police fleets use 10k intervals, as a reference.
dont forget the rdu. that tends to go on these vehicles also. hopefully the fluid looks good and theres no goop. if there is goop, same cleanout routine as for ptu. regular intervals are 2x that for the ptu, max.
What he says .....
marshallma0504
SHO Member
Is the royal purple stuff I put in not that great? Other ppl on the platform seem to use it so that’s what I went with. Also I did a quick search on the redline and it says it’s not actually 75w-140 but closer to SAE-30 so I just wanted to make sure the formula is still the same and that truly is the best ptu fluid. Not questioning your judgement just curious on what’s the best to maintain the components.
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so people generally are using Amsoil gear oil and Royal Purple - here is my honest opinion...... wait for it - use whatever - change it frequently - if we are saying 30K - but you are taking it for races or driving high speeds for extended periods of time, like my other Sat night 22 miles in 12 minutes - change your oil more frequently.
redline lwsp is a racing fluid and has worked well across many platforms. the reason i mentioned it is due to the high detergency to get all the crap out of the ptu so it can perform at its best. after that its up to you what to use. you also only have to stock 1 type of fluid for both ptu and rdu.
my personal ranking: amsoil severe gear, redline lwsp, bg 75w140, and valvoline full synthetic. i have never tried RP and dont intend to. too many conflicts on opinions on the interwebs for me.
marshallma0504
SHO Member
Ok thanks for the info. Also when I was under the car yesterday changing that turbo line gasket, I saw some bright red fluid on the white plastic gasket of the axle shaft that leads into the ptu. I don’t know if this is possible but can trans fluid leak into the ptu if the seals are failed? And if so is it dangerous to drive the car?
yes there are seals between the transmission and the ptu to prevent precisely this from happening. so in essence you are running on either a mix of transmission fluid + ptu fluid or pure transmission fluid in the ptu. either way, those seals need to be replaced at minimum, which means taking the ptu off ... which then leaves you with the decision to replace/not replace the ptu while it's out.
transmission fluid is too lightweight for the ptu, certainly not fit for operational duty.
if you had regular power steering, i would have said to look at a busted pressure line as a possibility for the fluid leak, but the sho has electric steering
an explanation from ford on fluid color
transmission fluid is too lightweight for the ptu, certainly not fit for operational duty.
if you had regular power steering, i would have said to look at a busted pressure line as a possibility for the fluid leak, but the sho has electric steering
an explanation from ford on fluid color
marshallma0504
SHO Member
Yeah this was on the passenger side in between the white plastic outer piece and the axle shaft itself. There was only a small amount of red fluid there which I never noticed before and all I did was drain and fill the trans and ptu.. how is this possible? Did I just get unlucky and it failed at 116,000? Damn this sucks now I have to take it to a shop to have some seals replaced as well as the ptu..yes there are seals between the transmission and the ptu to prevent precisely this from happening. so in essence you are running on either a mix of transmission fluid + ptu fluid or pure transmission fluid in the ptu. either way, those seals need to be replaced at minimum, which means taking the ptu off ... which then leaves you with the decision to replace/not replace the ptu while it's out.
transmission fluid is too lightweight for the ptu, certainly not fit for operational duty.
if you had regular power steering, i would have said to look at a busted pressure line as a possibility for the fluid leak, but the sho has electric steering
an explanation from ford on fluid color
marshallma0504
SHO Member
When I drained the ptu I didn’t get any trans fluid out I only got gray chunky mess and then I refilled the ptu with the proper fluid and drained and filled the trans. So I’m not thinking the fluids are mixing otherwise my vacuum pump would have gotten some kind of thinner fluid out when I drained the ptu but I didn’t get anything. So maybe it’s coming from somewhere else.
Last edited:
Jeff Dixon
Member
Your random misfire and timing issue is your timing chains and cam phasers going bad. Do new chains, cam phasers, vvt actuators and a water pump
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