Hi all, I just bought an 01 Tribute V6 and there is a misfire in cylinder 1... I think that it is the coil because it is intermittent.. It will idle rough and then goes away after a while driving.. I am going to try changing the coil and see if that works, if not I will do a tune up on the whole engine..

If anyone has had this problem please feel free to share your experience as it may help me.

When looking at the engine from infront of the vehicle where is the #1 cylinder located? I was thinking the front bank left side??

Thanks guys!

Micheal,

 

I think it's the back-left and will confirm tonight.

BTW, when/if you do the tune-up, be prepared to remove the upper IM to get to the back 3 plugs; the front three are easy. I had to do it a few months ago, and there are posts on here that explain the process.

 

Thanks for the reply,

I just changed the plugs 30 minutes ago and it did not help at all! And yes it's a little bit of a pain..

My Tribute keeps fluctuating up and down with the RPM's... it doesn't stall very often, but it doesn't sound good...

When I open the hood and listen it sounds like there is air pressure, like a hole in a compressor hose... But obviously not as intense.

Any Ideas..??

Oh and no check engine light...

Thanks

 

So I just wanted to update everyone on the situation just in case someone else has the same problem.

A week ago I bought my Tribute. I noticed as the weather changed and it got colder that the engine did not idle well. It was very sparatic and would jump up and down. I noticed loss of power and it felt very sluggish. So I read ALOT of threads online and found that these 3.0L engines had alot of vacuum leaks and idle problems. Most people change there IAC's and EGR's but later found that the problem was still there..Until they changed the Intake gaskets. I sprayed some 'quick start' around the intake while the engine was idling and the engine would idle higher when I sprayed. Meaning, the intake was leaking and sucked in the engine quick start making it run better for a minute or so. So I knew to change it.

Before starting I also noticed that the PCV hose that connects to the intake was collapsing so I changed it. When changing the intake gaskets I had the fuel rail off so I changed my PCV aswell. It is in the oil seperator. Changed my spark plugs from the platinum to the iradium.

It was alot of labour but not very expensive. It has been three days now and runs great! The second day I started to experience the same problem but not as bad, but it went away. I imagine it was just the computer reconfiguring itself now that it does not have to compensate.

All in all, I was actually quite happy it was only an intake leak. However these engines are a pain to work on because you need to take the whole top of the engine apart to fix anything.

If anyone wants tips or have any questions just post on here.

Micheal

 

This sounds a lot like the problem I've been having... quick background... my parents had the 2001 Tribute for the last five years or so. Mom got a new car, asked us if we wanted the Tribute, of course we said yeah. She said we needed to take it to the dealer to have a recall fixed... they thought one of the recalls addressed the hard starting and occasional stalls... but the dealer ran the VIN and said there were no open recalls on our vehicle.

Anyway... they kept the vehicle, called me just before Christmas and said it was vaccum leaks, PCV hose replacement, oil pan gasket leak, and front seal gasket leak. So I said fine, go for it.

Well, I talk with them this morning, now evidently, I've got more problems... she says "I assume you knew you had an exhaust leak?" to which I responed, um... no. She said that the manifold could be cracked, which could cause a burnt valve, and coincidentally, now there is zero compression in the #1 cylinder. So now I'm looking at a new exhaust manifold plus either a junkyard head, or a valve job!

I generally don't deal with factory service departments... but I can't say I've any better luck with any of my vehicles when something goes wrong. Anyway... that's my story.