Engine 5.0 Hard Start/timing

92foxbodyswap

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Nov 6, 2016
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    92foxbodyswapNew Member
    Ok so I have a 92 5.0 h.o. in a 91 lx coupled with a painless harness, I got it running, would start quick every time and I could use the full throttle range, but didnt run the best so I checked timing with spout disconnected and base timing was at between 20° and 22°!!! So I retarded the timing to about 13° and idles and drives beautiful........but now it takes a good 4 or 5 revolutions to fire off and start also I can give a slow to moderate acceleration but if I get into the throttle heavy it bogs bad and falls on its face, I tripled check base timing and 13° and with spout in around 23°, fuel pressure is normal. Tps is adjusted to .98 but not verified if it's bad at wot, plugs are motor craft platinums basically new but may be fouled, was told to try auto light 25s? But either way I fix timing and now hard starts and bogs at heavyish throttle but before at way higher base timing it would start fine and accelerate at any throttle but run like poo..........wth any help???? Also new fuel filter, most emissions articles are gone/ bypassed.
 
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  1. avatar_male_m.png
    92foxbodyswapNew Member
    Ok so I have a 92 5.0 h.o. in a 91 lx coupled with a painless harness, I got it running, would start quick every time and I could use the full throttle range, but didnt run the best so I checked timing with spout disconnected and base timing was at between 20° and 22°!!! So I retarded the timing to about 13° and idles and drives beautiful........but now it takes a good 4 or 5 revolutions to fire off and start also I can give a slow to moderate acceleration but if I get into the throttle heavy it bogs bad and falls on its face, I tripled check base timing and 13° and with spout in around 23°, fuel pressure is normal. Tps is adjusted to .98 but not verified if it's bad at wot, plugs are motor craft platinums basically new but may be fouled, was told to try auto light 25s? But either way I fix timing and now hard starts and bogs at heavyish throttle but before at way higher base timing it would start fine and accelerate at any throttle but run like poo..........wth any help???? Also new fuel filter, most emissions articles are gone/ bypassed.
One time I had similar problems. The car ran better with the timing at like 28 degrees. When I pulled it down it wasn't running right so I started inspecting the balancer and I noticed the seal was popping out of it. I then realized that the balancer must have slipped to I replaced it and set the timeing back to 10 and it ran fine after that.
 
I have heard of that....I shall inspect the balancer, where I have it at now it idles and I can slowly give it throttle and it does it beautiful....well until I give it heavy throttle anyway lol fix 1 think 10 more pop up, any other suggestions???
 
Stock 5.0 ignitions generally aren't up to the task of firing platinum plugs. They will do it, but copper plugs are the original spec'ed plugs, and what you should stick to. Gap 0.054".

I'd second running the engine codes and seeing what exactly the computer isn't liking.
 
I have ran codes (koeo) and got 67 with clutch depressed or not so either switch under clutch or on top o de t5, and a few others that are related to emissions that have gone bye bye.... And no I was originally a 2.3l and mods include, bbk shorty's, Ford off-road h pipe, back to Mac mufflers full true dual set up, cone filter on c&l 73mm maf housing with stock 55mm Ford maf calibration tube is for 19lb injectors, and the motor came out of a Ltd I think the guy said, not sure if auto or manual in Ltd so....and ill go ahead and swap out the plats for coppers.
 
Ah, code 67 with the clutch in or out means a bit of a wiring nightmare. You've got a bit of troubleshooting ahead. If the car has been rewired with the painless kit, it's quite possible it's missing a few key wires, specifically in this case, the neutral gear circuit loop. Are the two plugs near the clutch pedal hooked up?

Was this car originally an automatic? Now it's a 5-spd?

Automatic and 5-spd cars are wired very differently here, so really need to know what you have. It's a 1991 chassis, originally a 2.3L. What trans? What ECU are you running?
 
It's a 5 speed trans and i believe it's an al9 or ao9 ecu I looked but can't quite remember, it's one of those. I have check in plug and it looked fine behind clutch so and im not sure if it used to be auto or manual before but I can post vin if needed..
 
Code 67 –
Revised 2 Nov 2012 to add definition of the NSS functions for both 5 speed and auto transmissions

Cause of problem:
clutch not depressed (5 speed) or car not in neutral or park (auto) or A/C in On position when codes where dumped. Possible neutral safety switch or wiring problem. This code may prevent you from running the Key On Engine On tests.

External evidence from other sources claims that a code 67 can cause an idle surge condition. Do try to find and fix any issues with the switch and wiring if you get a code 67.

What the NSS (Neutral Safety Switch) does:
5 speed transmission: It has no connection with the starter, and the engine can be cranked without it being connected.
Auto transmission: It is the safety interlock that prevents the starter from cranking the engine with the transmission in gear.
What it does for both 5 speed and auto transmission cars:
The computer wants to make sure the A/C is off due to the added load on the engine for the engine running computer diagnostic tests. It also checks to see that the transmission is in Neutral (5 speed and auto transmission) and the clutch depressed (T5, T56, Tremec 3550 & TKO)). This prevents the diagnostics from being run when the car is driven. Key On Engine Running test mode takes the throttle control away from the driver for several tests. This could prove hazardous if the computer was jumpered into test mode and then driven.

The following is for 5 speed cars only.
The NSS code 67 can be bypassed for testing. You will need to temporarily ground computer pin 30 to the chassis. Computer pin 30 uses a Lt blue/yellow wire. Remove the passenger side kick panel and then remove the plastic cover from the computer wiring connector. Use a safety pin to probe the connector from the rear. Jumper the safety pin to the ground near the computer.
Be sure to remove the jumper BEFORE attempting to drive the car!!!

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