Hesitation while accelerating

[Kory50199]

Hey all. I have a 2012 Expy with the 4.6L. It has 158,000 miles on it. I just bought it used, and haven't done much to it in the way of maintenance. I get a random hesitation while lightly accelerating that I would almost describe as a "bogging down" sensation. When this happens, if I back off on the accelerator and then try to accelerate hard, it goes away, and accelerates normally. I'm also getting a recurring check engine light with codes P0420 and P0430; which are related to the O2 sensors. Connecting the dots on these two issues leads me to believe that I have bad catalytic converters. Before I go through the work and expense of replacing the cats, I thought I would check with the group and see if there are any other thing I should try first.
Thanks all!

 

[Rambone]

Hey Kory. Sounds exactly what my ‘13 was doing when I bought it with 140k on it. Replaced all the plugs( happened to be the original ones) with Ford ones, and I immediately noticed a huge difference in performance. 5 years and 50k miles later, no check engine light and still running strong . Now I am currently midway through the process of doing a complete timing job. So far so good. Hope this helps

 

[Ford Frank]

You might still have the original spark plugs. Unless you know they have been replaced, I would start with new plugs.

 

[Hamfisted]

Your 2012 Expy has a 5.4L motor, not a 4.6L . Do you have a scanner that will read live data ? Or a laptop and the ForScan app ?
What are your long and short term fuel trims reading ? What is your mass airflow sensor reading ? What are your oxygen sensors reading ? Do you have a fuel pressure gauge you can read fuel pressure at the fuel rail ?


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[Kory50199]

Thanks for the replies. I have considered the spark plugs and fuel injectors as possible culprits. There are also a couple of more characteristics of this problem that I've noticed. First, it seems to react favorably to fuel injector cleaner...meaning, that the hesitation isn't as bad. Also, it seems to be worst on hot days, at lower RPM (~1500 or so), or after I've completed several, short trips. @Hamfisted, thanks for the recommendation, I have ordered a scanner that will read live data, and is ForScan capable. I look forward to seeing what that reveals, and will post anything that might be relevant. (Also, yes, I know I have a 5.4L...not sure why I wrote 4.6L).