OT - Any SVT Lightning mechanics around?
 

I have a 2003 Lightning with about 14k in miles that I take to cruise night once in awhile and pull a little trailer down to Lowes for building/garden stuff. It's got a 4 lb pulley, K&N CAI, colder plugs, a moderate street tune, and a cat-back exhaust. It lives a cushy life and has never given me any trouble but I noticed this morning on a run to Lowes that it was not quite right.

After I dropped the little trailer off I took it out and accelerated at about half throttle or a little less through first and second. It idles dead smooth and ran up through first smoothly, shifted and started out in second fine but after a few seconds it started a stuttering deal for lack of a better description. It's kind of like a miss but not quite - it doesn't fall completely on it's face just stutters until I back off the throttle. It's very repeatable - pretty much the same thing each time. I didn't press it any harder. No engine check light - I haven't hooked up a tester yet to look for codes.

From memory, these supercharged trucks are sensitive to having a clean fuel filter and I've never changed it out. Fuel sits in the truck for months and months sometime as I only put about 500 miles a year on it. I filled it up about a month ago. Does this sound like what might be expected from a partially clogged fuel filter? I'm thinking about changing out the fuel filter and running some injection cleaner through it and see what happens.

Any other low tech things I might try before going to visit my Ford dealer?

Thanks

Dan

Do you have a code reader?
That would be the first thing I would check.

Just got back in from the garage - no codes to be found.

I used to be a member of the F-150 Forum and Lightning subforms. Just checked and it appears to be defunct. Joining the SVT Lightning Owners forum to see if anyone there can help.

Sounds like water in fuel tank, from lack of use.

Always a possibility although I ran the last tank down pretty low and then filled up at SAMS which is a high volume dealer around here. It ran fine the last couple of times I drove it. I hate the thought of draining nearly a full tank of fuel.

What does one do with drained, contaminated fuel anyway (at least legally)?
:CRY:

Try some dry gas in the tank, if you don't run it much You should put some stabil in it at each fill up.

Could also be a dirty MAF....

I'm better it is either the fuel filter, or a bad tank of gas. Especially since there are no codes to be found.


Bill S.

I'll try changing the fuel filter and adding a good gas dryer to the tank first and see if that takes care of it.

Thanks.

Success!!! I changed the fuel filter today and put a couple containers of Valvoline gas drier in the tank. Everything seems to be back to normal when I went for a test drive afterwards. :)

Thanks

Dan