Iam in Hot Springs Ar......with a a badly missing 460....My scanner shows nothing .....Iam looking for recommendations for a shop to scan my engine beside Riser ford....I cannot leave my MH a few days while they mess with it....ANYBODY...?

Before you spend money getting scans, maybe a bit of old-fashioned trouble shooting would help. The 460 is notorious for high under-hood temperatures which fry the plug wires. New plug wires would be my first recommendation, along with a replacement distributor cap and rotor arm. Maybe new spark plugs would also help. I've heard tales from friends at Ford that the exhaust manifolds can glow bright red (around 1800 degrees F) when climbing grades at low speeds on wide throttle openings.I had an '85 Class C with that POS engine, with enough smog gear to run a cruise ship. It's best used as a boat anchor! I was never so happy to sell a vehicle as that one, despite taking a major bath. We could get temps on the passenger side of the insulated doghouse high enough to melt DW's tennis shoe soles.I can't believe Ford got away with selling such a dangerous vehicle.

What year is your Ford?Have you checked it with a scanner? Many auto parts stores have a a scanner, and will allow you to use it in the parking lot for free..If the anti-ping sensor is not working correctly, it can cause the engine to retard timing, making it a lame engine. Can you smell the exhaust? You should not be smelling any unburned gasoline in it. (don't suck up to much exhaust). If it smells basically clean, you can say it is. Does the engine consume oil between changes? How many miles between adding a quart of oil? My 75 F-350 with 460 engine used a quart about every 1,000 miles. Once I rebuilt it, it used a little less. My 97 F-53 with 460" engine used less than 1 quart on a 5,500 mile trip around the country.After rebuilding my 460 in the 75 truck, I replaced the distributor and it made a LOT more power. Like night and day, it would spin the tires with the camper on board.Newer models have electronic controls that control the ignition timing, and have a anti-ping control, that will retard timing and enrichen the fuel mixture if it detects pinging from low quality fuels and low octane fuel. This leads to both poor mileage and reducedpower. Try a 1/2 tank of 92 octane fuel in the RV(it will only cost about $2 more than regular gas) and might improve things if you have fuel injection. With a carburator (87 and earlier) you might not see a change at all.If one cylinder is not getting spark, or is mis-firing, you can improve this by replacing the rotor, cap, and spark plug wires. It will only cost about $30 or less. If your O2 sensor is more than 10 years old, replace that too. It is about $75, but can cause a engine to not work properly. Fred.

Popeye, If we're having to guess, start by putting a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail. The pressures should be about 38# at idle and 42-44# at idle with the vacuum hose removed from the fuel pressure regulator. If that proves positive, then a pressure test while driving at wide open throttle is in order. That should be no less than 38#. I think you should be able to buy a fuel pressure tester for about 50 bucks at an auto parts store. If low fuel pressure then you could have a restricted fuel filter or a bad fuel pump. If the fuel pressures are ok, I suggest you test each plug wire for continuity. Approximately 1000 ohms per foot is normal. What you don't want is a plug wire that shows NO continuity. Beyond those tests, you will probably want to leave it to the professionals.The plug wires on my 95 Bounder 460 lasted 18 years and 120,000 miles, so I suspect we are not victims of excessive under the dog house temperatures.Richard

Thank you guys....I have driven 650 miles......ran perfect/solid...first tank 200 miles, was solid 7 MPG....after that missing started...IT was HOT and under hood temps were astronomical...in the last 6 months I have had a new ford improved pump installed , filter....I built a dual exhaust system,new ford 02 sensor, cap,rotor ford coil, ford racing 8MM wires, exhaust manifolds correct plugs,belts, fluids etc.....my scanner shows nothing, no lights, starts good runs good till hot....Has a MAJOR primary miss like a bad switch or major wire short....super surging...checked battery seen nothing...cleaned grounds.... Iam going to get tomorrow fuel pressure gage, another coil, and fuel pressure regulator. I cannot leave this MH at a dealer overnight ....its all we have lol and will not stay in a motel. thanks for all suggestions.

lame 460 /F53 | Good Sam Community

95 Replies

spcorvette
Explorer
Sep 29, 2013
Keep us posted!
Terry
popeye766
Explorer
Sep 29, 2013
thank you tim...yes, started, idled 1/2 hour ,brought it up to 3500 RMP several times....all seems well...but I have to tow a 3500 llb truck home too...need all the beans I can get. LOL...
Timster
Explorer
Sep 29, 2013
If it idles properly and dosn't backfire when you step into it then you have the right one,the wrong one is bassakwards on the timing advance.
popeye766
Explorer
Sep 29, 2013
Today I replaced the ign module as recommended by spcorvett,much of my own research, and analyzing the symtoms. not much of a job to install.......AND BY THE WAY F53 owners....Its located on the drivers side firewall BEHIND a bunch of big wire looms, and the rad recovery tank.
After installing it started right up.havent driven it yet....
my research showed this module is responsible for so much in your system going bad can manifest it self in so many ways....you will swear to god its a fuel problem.....
Went to advance auto....theirs was made in Hong Kong, no thanks....went to ORIELES THEIRS IN TIAWAN...MUCH BETTER. Each only had one....No Napa near by. They did not have a listing for F53/460...only ford 1 ton truck ...that's what I bought.
At this point I cant be choosey..If it gets me 700 mi home Ill deal with it there.
will keep you informed.....
If govt shuts down we are all going to have to pick up and get out of this COE campground.
Timster
Explorer
Sep 29, 2013
the special grease is called heat sink paste,make sure the parts store gives you the right module,some parts stores have the wrong part in their listings,if you can get an original Motorcraft part with the same number stamped on it then you wont haft to worry.There is a bulletin posted on this site from a couple of years ago about this very topic but i couldnt find it,i wish you luck
cdl2
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
The special grease is dielectric grease.
I use it on electrical connections. Seems I used it on some ignition something.
Maybe it was an ignition coil????
spcorvette
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
When TFI modules go bad, Heat causes the circuits to expand and loose contact. Hence, the miss under heat conditions only. Once it cools off, the circuits contract and no more miss. Eventually, it will fail completely. The spark output is controlled by the TFI.

When you remove the connector from the TFI, you need to push inward then pull the connector out.
John_Joey
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
popeye766 wrote:
Yes I found the TFI on the firewall behind the rad expansion tank.
It is mounted on a heatsink....tomorrow iam going to go to town and get one ...and what about this special grease I read about ''''
thanks John

It's a heat sink grease that will help move the heat away from the module and into the heat sink. Again I don't think that will be your problem, but they are known to go out. You'll need a special tool to remove it from the heat sink, so make sure you get one unless you already own it.

Fuel filters are $15 and if you know how to replace them with the special tool not all that hard. I'm just saying.
popeye766
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
Yes I found the TFI on the firewall behind the rad expansion tank.
It is mounted on a heatsink....tomorrow iam going to go to town and get one ...and what about this special grease I read about ''''
thanks John
John_Joey
Explorer
Sep 28, 2013
popeye766 wrote:
Can anyone tell me where the TFI is located on F53/460....It is not on the distributer....I cannot find anything that looks like a normal TFI anywhere....

FWIW, If what you are asking is the ignition control module then look on the firewall of the MH when you lift up the MH hood. You'll need a special star tool to remove it assume we're talking the same thing. I would think that wasn't the problem since they stop completely when they go, there is no surging that I know of.

Also, running the gen does not use the high pressure fuel filter. The take off is a completely different fuel line with a very simple $2 external filter plumbed into it. Running the gen is taking gas out of the tank at the 1/4 level and not at the location the high pressure fuel pump is.

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lame 460 /F53

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