So I put did the Gotts Intake upgrade and put a throttle body spacer on my 2001 5.4 this week and now my CEL is on and my truck is running like crap. Its throwing codes 171 and 174, System Too Lean (Bank 1) and System Too Lean (Bank 2). It is also revving up and down while idling cold (Between 600 and 800 revs). Once it’s warm it will die while idling. These 2 issues aren’t consistent either, they will happen at one stop and then not at the next 5. Im thinking it might be some gummed up injectors, and other ideas?

 

check your vacuum. PCV, IAC & elbows for it, make sure your intake after the maf is sealed and tight.

also, i think ive read people running into this being able to clear pcm memory by pulling negative terminal off for 10 min roughly. still i would assume a vacuum leak somewhere first and check to be sure.

 

questions:

did your truck do this before?

did you reset your computer prior to starting it after the intake modification?

did you replace the throttlebody gasket?

does your truck do this with the throttle body spacer removed?

 

1. NO
2. YES
3. YES
4. It didnt before i put it in...i havnt taken it out yet...hoping to fix it.
Thanks

 

That might be it. I have had spcaers on past trucks and they all made the wistle...this one not so much. so there could be air getting in somewhere else.
Thanks

 

is there a gasket on each side of the throttle body spacer?

double check all your vacuum lines before you remove the spacer

the throttle body spacer may be warped just enough to stop it from sealing correctly against the elbow and throttle body.

 

Yeah there is a gasket on both sides.

I will check the lines when im off work and see if thats it.

Anyone delt with autoanything.com? Just wondering if the spacer is warpped, are they going to give me heart ache about taking it back?

 

on your way home get some carb cleaner if ya dont have any, i use wallys supertech carb cleaner n spray it on vac lines, gasket areas and such when i was looking for a vacuum leak. listen for changes in the idle. great to have for $1.28

u have a vacuum gauge? it'd be beneficial if you did, you could describe how much vac u have @ idle and if its steady or not, thats one way to diagnose it.

but to be honest, i wouldnt be surprised if the elbow on the back of the intake was cracked. pretty common for NA 5.4Ls

 

Find and repair your vacuum leak.

Steve

 

What Steve said -

Sometimes when you re-install this connector (clamp) at the TB doesn't tighten down right. Loosen an line up with the hash on the TB. Hold in position an tighten. Heres a pic of the clamp I'm referring to --



The Clamp on the Air box housing could have been forgotten.

Check the grommet for the IAT. It could have split when you pulled the intake.

Clean the MAF.

The most common problem in these trucks, when it runs as you described is the PCV elbow that plugs into the manifold , just behind the TB Elbow. These leak and generate those codes that you have. -

Here's a pic of the PCV ELBOW -



BTW - Removing that TB spacer would be a good idea. It doesn't do anything under normal driving conditions. If you drive your vehicle WIDE OPEN everywhere you go , you might see .000001 more HP. Other than that , that thing is nothing but hype. When installing those you can mis-aline the linkage offset. I believe that's 1 - 1.5 " / needs to straight. Some guys have used them for Nitro Blocks/ Injection, that's all there good for actually.

The Gotts Intake Mod is a good one - it's a keeper. Cleaning the TB & Elbow is always good - Don't remove the Trottle plate when doing so, clean the ports and around the plate. The IAC should be cleaned with. That's explained in the sticky.

She'll pur like a kitten if you listen to what's been posted in this thread.
Good Luck

 

No Dice. I checked all of the hoses and cranked down the bolts on TB and nothing. There is one hose that is kind of corroded. It’s the one that comes out the back of the elbow. I’m going to replace it. I also put some injector cleaner in the fuel. It seems to be running better after just a ¼ tank. Less revving out and it hasn’t died since.

 

the particular elbow you mentioned is the usual trouble one. if its flaky looking, it may very well be leaking.

 

Thats my thought. Its pretty flaky, im going to replace it. What is that tube called?

Also...im at 1/2 tank with that cleaner in the fuel and all of the symptoms have stoped. The CEL is still on though.

 

did you reset the computer since the light came on? if not disconnect the negative battery cable and turn the headlights on (to drain the memory from the computer) wait 15 minutes and hook it back up and see if the light comes back on

 

I did after i tighted everything down and it came back on. I havnt since the problems went away. I was told by a ford mech, that if i fixed the problem the light would go off. So ive been trying things and waiting for it to go off. I will reset it again this moring and see what happens. Im going to replace that tube also.