I am baffled on this and need some help. Like many other Tribute owners I experienced misfires when it rained. After the car sat for a week I started it up and it barely ran. It was driveable but lacked a lot of power. Then it started raining and it lost all power, leaving me stranded on the side of the road. Had it towed to a shop and they told me 4 out of the 6 coils were bad.

Here's where it gets interesting. I came across numerous posts on the internet where bad coils were misdiagnosed for this problem. Therefore, I decided to replace lower and upper intake gaskets, spark plugs, and the coils myself to address some other fixes. Well, when I finished everything and tried to fire it up, it barely ran. I got it to turn over and catch but I had the gas pedal floored and it sounded horrible and still felt as though it was only running on a couple of cylinders. That was the last time it ran.

I need some help in diagnostic steps to go after the more likely culprits because I don't want to just throw parts at it. Here is what I am thinking...start with verifying spark at coils, then fuel pressure, then airflow. I did notice the EGR valve was super hot after running for like 2 minutes. Is this normal? Would a bad EGR prevent it from running at all?

Any help is appreciated.

 

Let's see what the EGR supposed to do: under correct condition the EGR will add some exhaust gases to the intake side to act as inert gas that keeps the combustion temperature below a certain threshold to control NOx (Nitrous Oxides) and thus save the planet. How is that for a run-on sentence?
It supposed to be closed during warm up. Also if there is too much exhaust gas coming in it will misfire.
You could take the EGR valve gasket out and replace it with a sheet of metal (aluminum can) so the passages are occluded. If your engine runs now correctly you know there is a problem with the EGR system.

 

I have had a few issues with my 3.1 egr valve, in fact I have a spare in my garage. Take it off, clean it, and reinstall.

 

UPDATE: Some progress to report...it idles pretty well and I verified the IAC valve and MAF are both functioning properly.

As soon as any load is put on the engine it bogs down and is running super lean. No power at all and will not reach normal rpm's. It almost sounds as if excessive exhaust gas is coming back up top. I didn't have a fuel pressure gauge but I disconnected the line coming into the fuel rail and bypassed the relay to activate the pump. I felt the pressure is pretty poor. I am leaning towards a fuel issue due to the lean running and total lack of power. I don't think the EGR valve would cause this but I could be wrong.

Any thoughts?

 

UPDATE: I occluded the EGR valve as tanprotege suggested and it didn't affect performance. However, when I remove the vacuum line from the top of the EGR it idles better but still doesn't run with any load on it. The EGR is super hot to the touch also.

I checked fuel pressure and it took about 4 minutes for the pressure to register on the gauge. Kind of weird. It was within spec at 62 psi. I am concerned that the pressure did not read instantaneously. This is becoming a nightmare. I am going to drop the cat next and run a straight pipe to see if that helps.

I would really appreciate any thoughts because I am running out of options. I am trying not to throw parts at it hoping it will be fixed.

 

The fuel pressure should come up quick. Maybe your fuel pump is on the fritz? Or there is something clogging up the fuel pick up?

Maybe the fuel filter is clogged?

I agree that the fuel system ought to be checked next.


Your EGR valve may still be stuck open or the Cat is so badly plugged that it pushes the exhaust through the egr valve. But it I does not appear to be the main reason of the poor running when you open the throttle.

 

Just a idea, remove the exhaust off before all the catalytic converters, start it up and drive it, see if it runs well or still sh*t.