Truck runs rough after servicing

Tiny
LWLAMM
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 CHEVROLET 1500
  • 4.3L
  • V8
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 200,000 MILES
Truck runs rough at idle after plugs plug wires replaced and injectors and throttle body cleaned. Analyzer code indicates random firing of engine. Engine did not run rough before servicing, but did have a service engine light.
Monday, February 5th, 2018 AT 6:35 PM

4 Replies

Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
What plugs did you use? And are you 100% sure that you got the plug wires routed correctly? And last but not least, which engine is it? Is it the 4.3L, which is a V6, or is it a 5.7L, which is a V8? Both are available in this truck.
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Tuesday, February 6th, 2018 AT 3:42 AM
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
Actually I stand corrected. There is a 4.3L V-6, a 4.8L V8, a 5.3L V8, and a 6.0L V8. The first image below applies to the 4.3L V6. The second applies to all V8 models.
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Tuesday, February 6th, 2018 AT 3:56 AM
Tiny
LWLAMM
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  • 2 POSTS
The truck has a 4.8L V8. The plugs and wiring were installed by a mechanic at the Tire Factory where I had my tires replaced. The plugs were AC Delco R44LTSM. NAPA Belden Edge Spark Plug Wires 700989. The checked the wires and plugs when the engine was misfiring and verified it was not them causing the random misfiring. They concluded it was something to do with the injectors that they had just cleaned. They told me to put an additive to my gas and run a tank of gas through the engine. I added put Lucas High Mileage fuel treatment in a tank of gas and ran it through the engine and it seams to be running about the same after I put about three hundred and thirty miles on the engine in one day. It is still running rough.
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Tuesday, February 6th, 2018 AT 6:23 PM
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,292 POSTS
I hate to say this, but of course they are going to say it has nothing to do with their work. They do not want to spend the time (unpaid) to fix it. I suggest you check the work yourself using the diagram that I posted above. I also suggest making sure that each wire is fully snapped into position on both ends. A loose wire or two will cause misfiring, and no amount of poking around with the engine running in the middle of the day is going to catch it.

You really should check that yourself. If that does not solve it, then you should check the spark strength yourself. Here is a guide on doing that: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-an-ignition-system

And here is a link to a spark tester: https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-20610-Inline-Spark-Tester/dp/B0002STSC6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501325755&sr=8-3&keywords=spark+tester

To me, the idea that they somehow cleaned the fuel injectors and managed to make them worse, not better, is a bit fishy sounding. You can try running a bottle of SeaFoam through the system along with half a tank of premium Shell or BP Fuel. Be sure to open the throttle up several times. Run it hard. If there is something clogging up the injectors, that is about the only way to knock it loose without taking the injectors off and cleaning them again.
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Tuesday, February 6th, 2018 AT 7:07 PM

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