Lucas44
Greenie N00B Member
Year/Make/Model: 2009 Speed 3
Mileage: 105K Miles
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina (sea level)
Concern: Spark advance is high, engine is misfiring and running hot
DTC's: P0300 P0403 (EGR) U2064 U2619
Modifications: Cobb FMIC, Cobb BOV, Cobb Turbo Inlet + Intake + Airbox, Cobb Boost Control (boost not changed), Autotech HPFP Internals, Corksport Injector Seals, NGK Step 1 Colder plugs, Damond EGR Complete Delete Kit
ECU/Tuning Software: Accessport V3
Tuner: Cobb Stage 2 OFS
Is the concern intermittent? Progressing worse
Can you duplicate the concern? Yes
Recent Repairs: Injector Cleaning, Oil change (Pennzoil 5W-30 | Motorcraft Filter)
Correction:
Hey everybody, so just to clarify in advance I'm still relatively new to working under the hood, so please forgive me. My timing was on the slight decline before I started this project, but there wasn't anything alarming about it slapping the valve cover or causing any issues with my engine. I just recently finished installing the Cobb Stage 2 kit along with the other modifications/services listed above. It took longer than I had originally hoped (about 7 months) but I just got it back together and running again. I chose to use the off the shelf stage 2 map seeing as I used Cobb's package, and figured I would at least check to make sure the car ran properly before looking into getting it tuned by somebody more advanced. I had about a third of a tank of fuel when parked, and I refilled it to let the old gas run through with some better gas. It wasn't what I ideally wanted, but was the best solution I could find second to the attempt at siphoning it all out. For the first few times I ran it after completing the project, the car seemingly ran near perfect, excluding some extra noise from the timing. The difference from where it was before I started the project concerned me slightly, but assumed maybe it was due to it sitting for so long and having a fresh oil change. The first data log below was my return from the gas station, with the spark advance originally hovering around 12.5 at idle, but then increasing to peaks of 50+ randomly. However, I experienced no knock. The second log, I had run the car a few times in between, but this being the first time I made a very light few pulls to check boost levels. Spark advance started out at 17.5 at idle, before having a wild difference with the low being -13.5 and the absolute peak at 60 during the drive. This time there was very little knock, but never peaking above .7 even on a couple slightly harder pulls. The third log was this past weekend, with the spark advance starting out at 46.5! and where I took it on the highway briefly. After a couple of slight pulls before to recheck boost, I felt no major issues. After pulling back on the highway, I felt the immediate loss in power, even when not attempting to accelerate quickly. This is also the moment I experienced knock for a brief few seconds, peaking at 3.15. I drove it very light for the last couple miles back, and let it run at idle to make sure it stayed consistent. I then shut it off, and checked my codes again. This was the first time the P0300 (random/multiple misfire) code popped up. I pulled my spark plugs out yesterday, and with less than maybe 2 hours running time, the bottom of the plugs look to be fouling quickly, with black carbon around the bottom rings and white on the side of the ground. The engine was also physically running extremely hot, with intake temps low (around 100) but coolant temps peaking at 214. I checked each spark plug, and the gap remained 0.028.
I know the VVT is quite the common problem on these pre-2011, especially hitting 6 digits on the odometer. However, I was wondering if that's the sole cause to most of these issues, or if there's more to it. Seeing the complexity and complications of doing the tedious timing job, I plan on looking elsewhere for this to be done, but want to get an idea where the rest of my car is at beforehand. I appreciate any and all help in advance, and thanks for your time!
Mileage: 105K Miles
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina (sea level)
Concern: Spark advance is high, engine is misfiring and running hot
DTC's: P0300 P0403 (EGR) U2064 U2619
Modifications: Cobb FMIC, Cobb BOV, Cobb Turbo Inlet + Intake + Airbox, Cobb Boost Control (boost not changed), Autotech HPFP Internals, Corksport Injector Seals, NGK Step 1 Colder plugs, Damond EGR Complete Delete Kit
ECU/Tuning Software: Accessport V3
Tuner: Cobb Stage 2 OFS
Is the concern intermittent? Progressing worse
Can you duplicate the concern? Yes
Recent Repairs: Injector Cleaning, Oil change (Pennzoil 5W-30 | Motorcraft Filter)
Correction:
Hey everybody, so just to clarify in advance I'm still relatively new to working under the hood, so please forgive me. My timing was on the slight decline before I started this project, but there wasn't anything alarming about it slapping the valve cover or causing any issues with my engine. I just recently finished installing the Cobb Stage 2 kit along with the other modifications/services listed above. It took longer than I had originally hoped (about 7 months) but I just got it back together and running again. I chose to use the off the shelf stage 2 map seeing as I used Cobb's package, and figured I would at least check to make sure the car ran properly before looking into getting it tuned by somebody more advanced. I had about a third of a tank of fuel when parked, and I refilled it to let the old gas run through with some better gas. It wasn't what I ideally wanted, but was the best solution I could find second to the attempt at siphoning it all out. For the first few times I ran it after completing the project, the car seemingly ran near perfect, excluding some extra noise from the timing. The difference from where it was before I started the project concerned me slightly, but assumed maybe it was due to it sitting for so long and having a fresh oil change. The first data log below was my return from the gas station, with the spark advance originally hovering around 12.5 at idle, but then increasing to peaks of 50+ randomly. However, I experienced no knock. The second log, I had run the car a few times in between, but this being the first time I made a very light few pulls to check boost levels. Spark advance started out at 17.5 at idle, before having a wild difference with the low being -13.5 and the absolute peak at 60 during the drive. This time there was very little knock, but never peaking above .7 even on a couple slightly harder pulls. The third log was this past weekend, with the spark advance starting out at 46.5! and where I took it on the highway briefly. After a couple of slight pulls before to recheck boost, I felt no major issues. After pulling back on the highway, I felt the immediate loss in power, even when not attempting to accelerate quickly. This is also the moment I experienced knock for a brief few seconds, peaking at 3.15. I drove it very light for the last couple miles back, and let it run at idle to make sure it stayed consistent. I then shut it off, and checked my codes again. This was the first time the P0300 (random/multiple misfire) code popped up. I pulled my spark plugs out yesterday, and with less than maybe 2 hours running time, the bottom of the plugs look to be fouling quickly, with black carbon around the bottom rings and white on the side of the ground. The engine was also physically running extremely hot, with intake temps low (around 100) but coolant temps peaking at 214. I checked each spark plug, and the gap remained 0.028.
I know the VVT is quite the common problem on these pre-2011, especially hitting 6 digits on the odometer. However, I was wondering if that's the sole cause to most of these issues, or if there's more to it. Seeing the complexity and complications of doing the tedious timing job, I plan on looking elsewhere for this to be done, but want to get an idea where the rest of my car is at beforehand. I appreciate any and all help in advance, and thanks for your time!
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