2014 Ex Sport stuttering on acceleration

[FordFam]

I bought it Ford factory certified for my wife in December of 2015. Since day one I noticed a slight stutter/hesitation during 50% or higher throttle/acceleration. Because my wife has only put 4,000 miles on it (even with a 1300mile road trip) she never really noticed it and I haven't driven it much. During the road trip I noticed how bad it was (led foot) and immediately took it in to the dealership in July. They reflashed the PCM and I had my wife only run 92 or 93octane in it. Wa better for 3 days and then went back to it. Since then the shifter stopped understanding that it was in park and as of 3 days ago the air conditioning stopped blowing cold air anywhere past 50% blower speed. Dealership had it all last week and put a new shift lever in it and recognized the problem with the stutter/hesitation but is unable to pinpoint it. They haven't gotten to the air yet. They had me pick it up and take it home for the weekend. The idea is I have a data logger connected to my ODBII port that I trigger when I feel the stutter and it pulls info from PIBs. I'm assuming a PIB is a precise information base or something of that nature where they get very specific readings on multiple functions of the vehicle. Did we get a lemon?? Most people I've spoke with have had no troubles with their ExSport.

[gearheadred]

Be glad it's under warranty and give the dealer a little time - they'll get it sorted out.

[gearheadred]

How many miles are on it?

[SHOdded]

Sorry to hear about the troubles with your wifes XSport.  CPO does not mean perfect unfortunately.

Datalogging should be done every time you drive the car, esp if you are not able to reliably reproduce symptoms.  In this case you are saying you can?

Anyway:
•   Keep track of which gear the stutter occurs in.  Standing start, punch from a roll, all gears, etc.
•   Check the intercooler for pooling oil.  It may be getting sucked into the engine.
•   Check the plugs for signs of cracking, carbon deposits, oil, and/or fuel smells.  Could be am injector, valve cover gasket, etc.
•   Confirm the knock sensor wiring is safely away from engine.
•   Confirm trans fluid level and condition.
•   Check if the halfshaft recall could be applicable by going to owner.ford.com.  Even if it doesn't it could be something to look at.
•   Pull codes from the PCM.  Not all codes will flash the CEL.
•   Check and clean the MAP sensors.

Hopefully this will help identify the culprit(s).

[FoMoCoSHO]

They sent you home with a flight recorder that is monitoring PIDS.

Many dealerships won't even provide them anymore so kudos to them for going the extra mile.

[FordFam]

39,000 miles when we bought it and 43,000 now after almost a year. Wife works from home so it usually just sits in a heated/cooled garage all day, I would never have known how bad it was if I hadn't taken the family on the road trip.

Make no mistake the dealership has been great about this whole thing. Except the fusion rental car this time around. I have 3 little ones and that does not cut it.

The tech was very specific about only recording right when I reproduced the problem which is whenever I feel like accelerating beyond a grandmas pace. I offered up the standard EB solutions: plugs, IC and possibly fuel pump. But I just chased a misfire in one of my other cars that led to one bad plug and did the fuel pump in another car and this is way too subtle to be a lack of spark or fuel (plus absolutely no codes or pending codes). They checked fuel pressure while it hesitated and it wasn't that. It kind of feels like a clogged cat or malfunctioning turbo/wastegate. But I'm not too familiar with the EB platform. It doesn't seem to be specific to a gear or speed only throttle response.

[FoMoCoSHO]

Have you checked to see if the behavior is there with TC off?

Sometimes it does intervene without a light flash and could be mistaken for a "stutter"

The other clue is that your wife doesn't notice it, maybe because she drives like, well, a wife and it isn't an issue.

[FordFam]

I have tested with every possible variable.
AC on
AC off
MAX AC on
MAX AC off
Heat on
Heat off
TC off
TC on
Multiple mode selects

You name it I have tested it. Seems to do it much more when I've been driving for over 20 min. Doesn't matter if it's 20 degrees or 105. Humidity also doesn't seem to necessarily affect it.

[ZSHO]

There is a TSB on a similar issue and might want to mention it to the dealer if not done so already.  Z  TSB #TSB-13-9-8
NHTSA ID #10054323
Date Announced:
SEPTEMBER 09 2013
Additional Info:
How to Fix
Summary: LINCOLN/FORD: DUE TO DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) P0106, P0236, ENGINE ON SOME VEHICLES EXPERIENCE HESITATION, LOSS OF IDLE RPM, DIFFICULT IN STARTING, LACK OF POWER, RUNNING ROUGH AND CRANK NO START SITUATION. MODEL 2013-2014 TAURUS.THESE CONDITIONS MAY BE CAUSED BY A WIRING CONCERN IN THE RETURN SPLICE.http://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2014/recalls/

[FordFam]

Thank you. Though only one of those apply to my situation I gave him the info when I dropped it off this morning. He was sure that they already reviewed it.

[FordFam]

Update: They said my data logs really helped and that the boost was hitting 40psi. He and I talked through it, I assume it hits high boost levels and the PCM doesn't know how to adjust for dramatic differences like that so it takes the safe route. They said it only happened when I held the throttle at a consistent position. I knew I should've installed a boost gauge. Anyway they have contacted Ford to see what they suggest at this point. I suggested keeping the boost at 40, getting a 3bar and a tune to make the most of it until it all blows up. He thought it was funny too haha. What's normal boost for the Xsport? He said 24 but I thought it was closer to 14.5 or something. Still learning about this thing.

[AJP turbo]

Wow, i wouldnt listen to a word they say about data logs...sounds like they are better served to turn wrenches...im not sure how they are coming up with 40 psi.

And normal is not 24 psi either.....normal is probaly 8-13 ish...you may see brief spikes to 15 but it wont last long....

[sholxgt]

I suspect they are looking only at the max boost read from the MAP sensor.  That comes when the throttle plate closes during a shift for torque management.  The motor is not actually seeing that boost.  These baby turbos can't product that kind of boost.

Mine with the stock tune is closer to 11 sustained.

[ZSHO]

If your stock Direct injection allows up to a 12-psi turbo boost and 10:1 compression ratio and The GTDI injectors operate at 2000 psi. Six spray jets of fuel per cylinder are targeted at individual locations inside the combustion chamber and uses two fuel pumps: a low pressure (65 psi) pump and a high-pressure (2150 psi) pump,hope this helps any and best of luck to ya.  Z

[FordFam]

Z I'm not sure what you are getting at. That's a bunch of accurate information there but no follow up. Do you mean the in tank pump couldn't keep up with boost spikes that high? Or that the high pressure pump by the IM couldn't keep up with it? Or are you just talking about psi related items in the fuel system?