In a recent case study for the Data Doesn't Lie, Motor Age Technical Editor Brandon Steckler was helping another technician determine why a 2015 Ford Transit with a 3.5L V6 engine and a gasoline direct-injected fueling system was misfiring.
Initially, it was determined cylinder No. 6 was the problematic cylinder, and that the misfire only happened under heavy engine loads above 65%. Get reacquainted with all the details of the 2015 Ford Transit here.
Here are the four options Steckler presented as possible options for the fix. Which did you choose?
- Replace all six fuel injectors to be sure.
- Replace the No. 6 fuel injector only.
- Evaluate the performance of the injector circuit.
- Perform and injector system cleaning service.
For those of you who chose answer No. 3, congratulations. The amperage waveform is frequently one reflected upon to determine if/how the work is being performed. It will be clear to see if the injector is not functioning properly but also determine if the circuit is functioning correctly. Although the test was conducted the injector drive circuits were all identical, eliminating the circuitry and PCM as the fault.
The next logical thing to do might be to perform an injection/induction system cleaning service but results vary so I won't say answer No. 4 is incorrect. Although it may be cost-effective to replace only the faulted injector, the labor is very similar to replacing all six. Even If we educate the customer about the fact that the other five injectors are of the same age and operated under the same conditions, it will be up to them how they wish to proceed in that fashion. This customer agreed to replace all six injectors and the drivability fault was rectified (See the image).
Motor Age Technical Editor Brandon Steckler presents a new Data Doesn't Lie challenge every month.
