Occasional misfire codes

[40BelowSummer]

Hey guys,

So a couple months back, my 2010 suddenly started running rough on the highway with a CEL.
I pulled over checked the codes and was getting a misfire in cylinder 3.
I babied it to my destination and after that drive it actually ran fine until a similar issue yesterday.

Yesterday, the CEL came on and it started running rough, so i immediately checked the codes and this time it's a misfire in a different cylinder (6) - also threw a P0150 (O2 sensor circuit) this time. ..

Well it's running good and fine again, but I need to figure out what's going on.
It greats great 99% of the time and I changed the plugs just before I moved about 2000 miles ago.

Unfortunately, I don't have tools or a garage at this time as I just moved (with my car!) to Puerto Rico.
Anything come to mind that might be so sporadic and result in a misfire in what seems to be different cylinders a couple months apart?

Also, can someone tell me the cylinder order/locations?

Gracias

 

[SHOdded]

Left to Right, standing in front of the car:
Firewall Side/Bank 1
1 - 2 - 3
Radiator Side/Bank 2
4-5-6

Could be it needs new oxygen sensors, could be a vacuum leak, don't think it is a valve cover gasket leak. Definitely would pull plugs and look, and do compression test while the plugs are out.

The battery has solid CCAs?

 

[Kingsped]

I know this is a old post but will bad rings cause it to throw a p0150 code ?
I'm having very similar experiences with my 2010
And actually I had it parked for a little longer than 1 year and when I started it up
It was running perfect.

I'm confused about this

 

[SHOdded]

did you have stabilizer in the fuel at startup? was the tank full? are you on new gas now?

dunno if rings would cause the code, i guess they could but I am not sure how you could definitively prove that.

 

[Kingsped]

I apologize in advance for the long response.
I also apologize if it is confusing to anyone and if there are TYPOS and lack of proper punctuation.
I'm using a tablet with a completely destroyed screen.
In always use 93 octane from the same station only.
I always use mobile 1 and change the oil every 3500 miles.
I have a 93-- 3 Bar tune , cold air intake
And I also have upgraded turbos from ATP.
All that was being used on the car this whole time..
Also I didn't put anything in the gas tank before storage.
It did have about 3/4 of a tank of 93 when it was parked.



Please let Rewind to the weeks before I parked it for about 14 months straight.


I was driving it and I hit the gas pretty hard to pass someone and it made noise that kinda sounded like a light knock or tick for a split second and it lost power at the same time..
I was almost home so I basically forgot about it.

A few weeks later I punched it again and same exact thing.
This time I finished my trip with caution the next day I decided to try and duplicate the symptoms and couldn't.
Then it happened again taking off from a red light with the pedal to the metal..
The sound always stopped as soon as I backed off it..
BUT THIS TIME I GOT A Po161 code for the very first time ever and it
It started running a little different than usual like lack of power.
It almost seemed like it wasn't getting any boost or something..
Also That time I could hear a slight tick when in park or neutral while lightly pressing the gas..
Not the same sound as the other but it was new and it just didn't seem right and it was constant..
Plus the po161 code with it.


I checked everything I could think of
I even bought new turbos just incase it was a turbine or compressor wheel or something.

I checked for boost leaks, changed the plugs 3 times, I used a stethoscope to try and narrow it down to no avail..
I could never find or get rid of the very faint tick that stuck around after the last time really hit the pedal..
My In-law is a mechanic and he thinks it had a problem with detonation or spark knock or something that ruined my engine..

After that I my 80 year old Father wanted to do a compression test on it for me..
I was not there when he did it but he said I had about 185- 200 in 5 cylinders and only like 90ish in the other cylinder..
So I parked the car for over 1 year straight without even trying to start it or anything I basically forgot about the car..
Now fast forward to just 3 days ago.
I move to a new home so I had to move the car .
I had to jump it because it was completely dead.
It started right up first key turn.
I noticed right away that It was idling smother and the engine light was gone.
After Pulling it around from the back yard to my driveway I shut it down and hit the key again and it started right up smoothly again with no jump that time..
Now I can't hear that little noise that caused me to park it in the first place.
I decided to drive it around the block and it ran like it always had before all this stuff started.
I have since driven it about 200 miles and can't duplicate anything from before at all
It running really well with no other issues..
The check engine light is gone for the time being also..
I'm confused because the car was not running right at all
That Po161 code would pop up in a split second after clearing it countless times.
It's like the car fixed it self or something..

I know that sounds crazy but I can't believe it.
I mean it was really running badly.
Could I have had a problem with one of my tune file installations that caused that problem?
I went through like 7 different tune revisions with my tuner guy in like 2 days just before the first episode started.

Could the battery being so dead so long have been enough to reset or something..
The only thing I have not done yet is a compression test because it is running like a new car.
Plus my father is very old and possibly made a error when he did the test before.
The car had no symptoms of bad rings or anything before all the craziness with it,.

Any idea what happened?
By the way I have already purchased a Engine from a 2015 Explorer to swap in it but if I don't have to then I don't want to..

 

[SHOdded]

If a P1000 code is not in the memory, then it has relearned its' adaptives. IDK how a compression issue pops up then disappears, but I see now why you were asking about the rings. A tune would not cause that. Once oil is being regularly pushed up against the rings, the issue might return. I would suggest something to decarbon the rings like AutoRx, but if the problem is a weak ring, that wont go away.

You have not changed any fluids or anything since the time it was parked?

 

[Kingsped]

Only fluid changed is the oil.
The car doesn't burn anything or smoke at all and never has .

My father is very old I didn't help him with the compression test he did it on his own..
He is 80 and has a pretty hard time just walking around let alone standing hunched over a car to do a compression check..
If you knew him then you would know that there is about a 75% chance that he didn't do it right to begin with and I never bothered to double check it..

The car has been driven about 200 miles since I took it out of storage with not 1 issue..

That's what I'm confused about because it was not running good at all 14 months ago..
But just simply staying parked for over a year seems to have fixed it for now..

I was originally planning on Just replacing the motor anyway..
Couldn't a tune cause the engine to do something to damage the piston or something by way detonation ? I may be using the wrong term for it..
I'm not going to put the tuner guy on blast publicly but I can tell you for 100% fact he disabled my knock sensors and I'm not the only person who has had that problem stemming from the same company..

I guess I just will continue to drive it a little more and see how it does because I can't answer the questions I have about it and nobody else probably can either without seeing the car in person.

I will try your suggestion about the Auto RX for sure..
Thanks for the info

 

[SHOdded]

ok NOW the picture makes sense. Any tuner that disables the knock sensors also disables the PCM from saving the engine. First thing, return to stock. Second, find a GOOD tuner. Your time with your current tuner is DONE. Consider yourself lucky to have a second chance.

Do NOT drive with the tune on. Do Not. Do Not.

 

[SM105K]

Do tell. Please be SSI!

 

[Kingsped]

Sorry been busy with work.

Sorry not SSI..
The tune came from 5-*.



Even have a log of the event.
Its been returned to stock befor it was parked and still ran very badly.
I don't understand how or why the car runs perfect after sitting for a year.
I have still made the decision to replace the engine anyway but as of now the car still runs great.

I have not checked the compression again either.
I was talking to a friend of mine who has a EcoBoost Flex and he claims that he was having trouble similar to me including low compression and he claims that his problem was caused by the valves getting all the carbon on them and not closing all the way in 2 cylinders.
He also said that after removing his intake he cleaned them up as good as possible and it corrected the problem including the low compression.
I was not the person who performed the compression check on my car.
I also didn't do anything to it besides returning everything back to stock befor parking it.

Could it possibly have had carbon buildup and after sitting for so long it broke some loose while trying to start it after so long ?
Either way it's gonna be replaced .
Maybe I will tear the old motor down completely and try to get some ideas of what actually happened to it.

 

[SHOdded]

It is a guessing game, but yes, carbon buildup HAS caused misfires for fellow SHO owners. Not a common occurrence, but with enough PCV blowby, anything is possible.

Definitely worth borescoping the cylinders, maybe a chunk broke off and went out through the exhaust. Consider walnut blasting the intake/valves if you find a good amount of buildup. I would not trust methanol or GDI cleaners to correct the issue at this point. Alternatively you can clean each cylinder 1 by 1 by soaking in B12 overnight then scrubbing with an appropriate material wire brush. Of course once you start the process, you HAVE to finish it. There's no halfsies

 

[Kingsped]

If I decide to clean it myself do I have to worry about anything like crud falling into the cylinders or something?
Maybe I will try to clean it all up and wait to install the new motor I have sitting in my garage..
I assume that it is probably a great idea to clean up the new motor also..
Thanks for the responses and advice..
Crazy that this problem occurred after installing a new tune that had the knock sensors disabled.
It still doesn't explain why after it sat for so long it started right up and dosen't really seem to have a problems at all anymore..
Very confused about this situation..

 

[SHOdded]

You will need to read up on how to do this properly. You will be cleaning cylinder by cylinder, so it will take time. Make sure the cylinder in question has the piston at top dead center before any attempts at cleaning. You will need to rotate the crankshaft by hand each time to achieve TDC. Then of course be prepared to remove every last bit of crud post-cleaning. Then you should be good.

Yeah, I dunno why sitting made a difference. It could be mechanical, but sounds like an electrical component issue. Which could very well return with the car once again in regular use. Are you stock tune now tho? I would be careful with winter fuel/octane as it can be variable. Brand name is no guarantee.

 

[Kingsped]

I actually just got a killer deal on a replacement engine..
I'm thinking I will try to clean up all the valves before I swap the engine anyway.