Never Seen This Before. How Can The Intake Be Plugged Up?

What I thought was a plugged exhaust, turns out to be something quite completely different !! First Time I've Ever Seen This !!
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#wesselmotorworks #wrenchingwithkenny #keepwrenching #fordtrucks #fordranger #ford #restrictions #nopower #plugged #intake #intakes #throttlebody

[@dalekundtz760]

Reminded me of living down in Hot Springs, AR. If there was an opening, the dirt dauber wasps would make a nest. Great find!

[@toniocavalari6936]

Sounds like this 1961 ford van/pickup clunker l bought for $200 bucks from my county roads dept. In the late 60's. It looked like crap, sounded like crap ' but that old clunker was able to take me everywhere l needed to go. Oh yeah ' the good old day's of growing up as a teenager 😎👍🇺🇲

[@Roadking556]

Them days are long gone

[@sflotr]

The best discovery to date! Dirt dobbers are a thing in Texas too. 👍

[@ThisIS_Insane]

There's nothing like logical thinking, good research, and well over 40 years of experience! You are about as important in today's world, as having a great doctor, and a great lawyer! We all need knowledgeable Auto Technicians, to keep us moving, SAFELY! Thanks, KENNY! 👏👏👏

[@rodneyavery3537]

Mice probably was the culprit of the pasta. Years ago after storing my motorcycle for the winter I started it in the spring and it sounded constricted and powerless. Good thing my garage door was open because when I cranked it up Dog Food flew 100 feet down the driveway. Damn Mice.

[@dwartfarquart9590]

Vintage bikes are my thing. Dog food is the 2nd most common Spring problem in Michigan. Mouse nest in the airbox is first.

[@thomascrane1358]

I suggest to turn the mirror option off in your camera settings. That way all the writing will not show backwards

[@randymack2222]

I had a Ranger that ran great but after the engine was warm it wouldn't idle and stalled at every stop. Replaced many parts ( loaded the parts cannon), finally discovered that the steel EGR tube was cracked under the insulation creating a huge vacuum leak.

[@paulpetty3331]

I had a 90 something one,,used OBD1 could not tell what flashes were. Counted and counted.nothing matched and books.threw a lot of sensers at.parted it out.

[@THUGGINDAILYGAMING]

My 89 Ford 2.3 mustang does this

[@4sl648]

Murder Hornets

[@jimduffy1967]

Very clever mechanic,honest and straightforward,wished I used his shop.

[@dalekundtz760]

I hope you took a still picture of that blockage to put on your shop wall and another one to give to the owner. That was unbelievable! Dirt daubers are notorious for finding every opening everywhere. I learned about them when I lived down south in Arkansas. Great story for you and Mo... lol.

[@frosthoe]

So just like the first giant tube computer that had a moth short out a contact, "its got a bug in it"!

[@jeffryblackmon4846]

Nice seeing you fellows enjoying a laugh

[@jasonstehle6949]

Another great video. Wow mud dobbers in the engine. That's another crazy find. Great job !

[@danp7463]

I would recommend changing the fuel filter as well. Judging by the bad gas it wouldn't be a bad idea.

[@josephfuller6229]

Changing fuel filter is usually the first thing I do to a vehicle that I don't know the history of

[@Monacomaverick]

I'd change the oil, too.

[@StopTeoriomSpiskowym]

and clean whole fuel system with injectors

[@commonsenseisdeadin2024]

First I agree that it's not a bad idea to do however rarely is it ever the fuel filter these days. When cars were carbureted they ran average fuel pressure of 7PSI. Take a air hose and regulate it to 7psi and it's easy to stop the flow with your finger..... Now days average is 40psi.... Now do the same.

[@DinDooIt]

@@commonsenseisdeadin2024 Yeah, a lot of vehicles don't even have a fuel filter accessible, most cases it's on the pump in the tank and it's just a screen.

[@brandonterpening1236]

I guess you could say you worked the bugs out...

[@oshe5871]

The spiral pasta out of the exhaust story is always funny!!!

[@stephenrickstrew7237]

Hi Moe …! This is one for the record books .. I like the test road …my girlfriends Ford had a fresh air door stuck on heat in the air cleaner box … and was running hot air .. it would stumble and spit … I’m impressed you went through all the various possibilities to find the problem

[@clearsailing7993]

Heard about an old model T that nobody could get running. Finally someone figured out that the exhaust system was full of water. They drive cars on the ice in the winter around here. It must have broke through.

[@joelfluth2999]

My first guess after finding you had no back pressure was that there was an air intake problem. At the time you hadn't mentioned that the vehicle was sitting for 3 years.

[@mzaccagnini7179]

That could be part of the problem!

[@michaelszczys8316]

One of the most ' hair pulling ' exotic troubleshooting times I had was I put a new engine in sister's car , hooked everything up, and it would start but only do very slow idle. Any more throttle and it would just quit. I finally came to realization the previous motor blew a lot of oil which plugged converter with crud, then it sat a few months and crud turned to cement. I disconnected exhaust and it ran like hell. Catalytic converters were still rather young in my world so I didn't think of it. Another head scratcher was a 100hp engine running about 10 - 20 hp and absolutely no codes. I checked everything, fuel pressure, air sensors, exhaust, everything. It turned out the engine went backward a couple turns which made the cam belt jump over three teeth. The cam was like three teeth advanced and car did not have cam position sensor. I think if it went one more it would have been damaging. It really messes with your head when it runs so bad but doesn't say a single thing in codes.

[@timin770]

All this emissions crap is going to be the death of the ICE. But that's what the enviro-nazis want

[@kmagnussen1052]

Well done this is the best example of diagnosis rather than assume.

[@bartsarton2212]

What are you talking about?! Kenny started off assuming the exhaust system was plugged, then he assumed the fuel was contaminated, and then he assumed something was wrong under the valve cover and Moe stumbled across the clogged air intake system while they were going to take the valve cover off to investigate the oil smoke out the tail pipe. There wasn't one ounce of diagnosis on this one!

[@bluebarry6128]

I like your videos. Informative with no BS.

[@ExperimentalMNgrower]

great video and diagnosis. sometimes it's the simplest things. great alternative options to checking and testing. good job I liked and subscribed

[@whlawson5812]

In 2022, for 1st time in my life I went ahead & bought a 16 years old car. Was allowed to use it for 3 months before buying it. Transfer over from my Honda the dashboard mounted OBD2 and record by handphone all the displayed parameters. idling RPM va MAF vs MAP vs throttle valve position vs ignition timing vs O2 sensor reading vs few other parameters. On the highway set for 60mph and leave it on auto cruise and repeat recording by handphone. Before you intend to get a specific model of car you should try to loan a good condition & well maintained same model car. Use a dashboard mounted OBD2 and do a recording while the owner drive it. Use the parameters as your base line. If you have a 2 litre car MAF should be around 5.5g/second if air manifold intake pressure is -7.35psi or 1/2 atmospheric air pressure and rpm at 750. All these few parameters are inter related. Change one of these values then the others also change.

[@thomask4836]

Good to meet Moe. Hi Moe!

[@WrenchingWithKenny]

Moe says hi !!

[@theaussienurseflipper.8113]

Years ago an old mechanic showed me a muffler which he cut open, with a little plate broke off inside and now and again it would flap up and stall the car. After some time it would fall back down and you could start the car up and drive it like normal until it happened again. It's funny he was born his hair out and he was sitting there and he heard the little ding of the metal falling. Years later a friend of mine board a car cheap I was doing the same thing and it was driving him insane and I told him about the muffler. Him and a friend banged all the exhaust system with a hammer and said the exhaust system is fine. I ended up buying the car very cheap off him changing the muffler and reselling it for a good price. Some people think they know more than they do. Cheers Graham

[@johncarter446]

Same situation in a plumbing scenario. Had a toilet in 3rd floor, century old home, that would periodically overflow/flood. This was a rental unit so we had poor control/information. Had toilet off a couple of times. Could see nothing in elbow or 4 foot horizontal run of cast iron, figured it must be a piece of rust in vertical stack but it reasoned that it should have cleared by itself. Luckily, I was positioned over the floor flange with a mirror in the elbow when a gust of wind across the roof vent pulled some air through the horizontal pipe. This caused a plastic lid stuck in the pipe to swing 90 degrees and effectively block the flow of -ahh - water. That damned butterfly / plastic lid was invisible to me until that gust of wind caused it to swing. No further floods

[@wlento58]

I have a friend whose an independent mechanic when he starts telling me some automotive horror stories I check your videos so I can understand what he's talking about

[@martinsearchinternational3889]

Great story told.

[@jackwood2328]

When we think we seen it all. Nice work Kenny.

[@gilberthale7777]

WOW! Good find. I have never seen such a thing either. Thanks for sharing this..

[@robertlucyksr667]

Good troubleshooting, fuel, spark ,compression and oh yea air is always helpful, knuckle busters are an elite group!!!

[@sixinarow1]

I love you channel, very concise no longer then they have to be videos that are full on information. I am a retired tech of almost 50 years, and I even learn something sometimes. When I suspect a plugged exhaust, along with an exhaust pressure test I always hook up a vacuum gauge, WOT and still having 20" on vacuum would have had me checking the air cleaner and ducting.

[@mkuehn5450]

while i own a back pressure gauge, reading vacuum is a lost art, 2k rpms should be equal or greater than idle vac for cat health. but i'll admit i'll use the map sensor numbers more often now if it has one. appreciate the wot significance.

[@ChrisTheBmxGuy]

Yep I was thinking the whole time put a vacuum gauge on it or read map data. Then again everything I own is made before 1990

[@cyclonebuzz8172]

I have seen them make a nest on top of a piston. I had a 4 cyclinder motorcycle that I thought had dropped a valve. I pulled the head off, and they had made a nest on the piston in the intake valve relief. I was shocked to see dirt, dead spiders, and eggs on top of the piston when I pulled the head off.

[@Jeremy-rg3bg]

First time I've ever seen someone say goodbye during the middle of the video..lol

[@carlw9009]

Always enjoy watching your videos. You are so thorough with your work, carefully diagnosing the symptoms and problems before blindly jumping in and fixing any possible issues. Refreshing to know that there are still qualified and caring auto technicians out there! Thanx and keep ‘em coming!! 👏😎👍🏼

[@bartsarton2212]

What are you talking about?! He blindly jumped in concluding the exhaust system was plugged, then he blindly concluded the fuel was contaminated, then he blindly concluded there was something wrong under the valve cover that caused the oil smoke out the tailpipe. Moe only stumbled across the clogged intake when he went to take it off before the valve cover work. Absolutely no careful diagnosis on this one!

[@markmurdock280]

Nice story about the pasta that was hilarious I never heard nothing like that before

[@niveknospmoht8743]

I had a similar situation with a Honda, lady went on vacation for 3 weeks and came home to her car without any power. When I pulled the air cleaner lid off it was like some had poured a 5 pound bag of bird seed around the air filer and leveled it off. It was crammed full. Shop vac and a new filter and she was on her way. Mice had a heyday for a couple of weeks

[@brianhewson1431]

Love your video content. The stuff that you come up with is amazing. Keep it coming.

[@davidshettlesworth1442]

Wow! That is wild. I did a rebuild of an old Jeep YJ and found approx 6 "dirt-dobbers" nest under the dashboard and on the engine block and pulleys. Nothing as amazing as your Ford.

[@mellaughton8230]

Interesting issue that caused the problem. Great diagnostic and mechanic skills.

[@_DB.COOPER]

Thanks.

[@whaleoilbeefhooked3892]

I once found mice had been nesting above the air filter, but your find tops mine! Great job.

[@georgeleech2709]

Had mice fill up the mufler on a 74 crew cab with wheat. It idled but touch the gas and it would die. Started it up and got out and noticed steam coming out of exhaust , cut pipe, perfect

[@chriscorts3337]

Wow. Nice find.

[@chiya2006]

Heh. Once me and my brother driving on a same highway on a hot day coming back from a 5 day camping. He called me while driving that he experiences a very bad smell while air conditioning working. So I told him shut that air conditioning off, open the windows and put the heater on for a moment in case there’s a serious thing that I don’t want him loose his engine till we get somewhere and watch for thermostat on dash for over heating. Make it short, we got home and did a quick inspection and couldn’t figure out a thing. I did an hour search looking for a thread with similar experience, and I found one person had the same thing happened before and posted it with a picture. He had a dead mouse stuck in a blower motor. I told him I found the problem 😂. I said go take it to a garage so they open up the blower motor as I had to go to work. Sure enough he sent me a picture with a mouse stuck dead inside that motor 😂. Apparently we were camping and the mouse made it there and got stuck & died there . Hope I help someone who will read this and will experience it in the future

[@brianstevens3858]

I always check intake first when lack of power, the number of times I have seen squirrels/mice pack things into aircleaners/etc. is way higher than the number of times it was obstructed exhaust/other. I also check it first whenever it's {stalls at lights}.

[@victorbellan8357]

Interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@UNoBugMe1]

I drove my 99 Ford Ranger with 320k from SE Massachusetts to Kanab UTAH IN 40 hours, 2700 miles. And it skipped the whole way because of bad spark plug wires. When I finally made it to Kanab I replaced the wires and it ran like a Rolex. Drove it back home to Massachusetts and 3 months later I drove back but this trip took 49 hours and made it back to Massachusetts, the 4.0 Is bulletproof.

[@JR-bj3uf]

I was a mechanic at a motorcycle dealership back in the 80s. I ran into many plugged exhausts, mostly from animals building nests. I had an old BSA in my stall with running issues. I had it running and then all of a sudden it gave a mighty cough and a rolled up bag of pot launched itself out of the left side muffler. A couple of coworkers disposed of the contraband and it worked fine there after.

[@HarveyWallbanger-ho2cq]

Hi Kenny, thanks for the great video ❤

[@WrenchingWithKenny]

Thanks for watching the channel & commenting 🔧

[@tverrettsr]

Great video!

[@BWGPEI]

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But the tricks of 4-stroke combustion are older than we are, so maybe what we learned years ago will still work today, and more days in the future.

[@dougturngren5027]

I hate to laugh about the issue, but that was hilarious

[@kenlangan5081]

I love moe's reaction, I laughed too

[@lielyncher755]

That reminded of an old Lincoln with the same symptoms. Kept resetting a hard MAF code. On my 2nd replacement MAF , I broked out my favorite signal generator. Even with the proper signal the car had no power. Eventually I discovered an oil rag stuffed in the air intake tube behind the headlights.

[@DevilDolphin734]

Is it weird that I recognize the area you did the test drive? Been in central PA for over a decade

[@rogerbranch9248]

That's awesome 😎

[@jackprycee6977]

Always great info and thanks so much. I’m working on a focus that sounds like it bogging but runs ok. Probably bad gas. 😇

[@Stopcommunism]

That was funny when you found that ! I can imagine what might be in the one I just got it ( 95 splash 3.0 manual,has low power as well

[@myfastcars]

WOW! The things that make you go, WTF? EXCELLENT!

[@Smokerdoo1966]

Good one 😮

[@alanchan1772]

Glad you found the problem .I never seen anything like that.👏👍

[@toenails.]

Lol Crazy! And it still ran.

[@billsmith2212]

Never overlook basics . I picked up a lawnmower at the curb. The air filter was completely filthy and blocked . A new filter and it ran . I guess a NEW lawnmower costs LESS than air filter ! LOL ! 😄

[@Justa4banger79]

DANG! Something I haven't ran across yet. Interesting 😎🤘🤘🤘

[@jeffterhune8573]

Amazing.

[@2nickles647]

😂😂 Kenny. About 2 years ago. An elderly gentleman came into the store asking for parts. I got what he needed and then he said. I have tried and tried for months to get a shop to get my little truck to get it going. I cannot find a tbi for this truck. After some time i found parts for it and told him. Leave the tbi with me. I can get it fixed. Stop by tomorrow and pick it up at no charge. Btw he was a Veteran. I befriend him. After about 2 months of running to his house back and forth. I got the truck to very first start in many many years. The engine spun over. Black smoke belched... finally fired off. Out of the tail pipe flew out acorn nuts. Pieces of straw. Then a big bang. The mouse flew out and smacked the ground dazzzed coverd in soot. Between him and me. We were laughing so hard i started crying..😅😅😅

[@contemporaryprimitiveman3469]

Good info. I had a strange loss of power at higher rpm on a Jeep wrangler 3.6L. After checking everything I looked up and saw the hood liner felt had torn loose and was getting sucked over the air intake only at higher rpm. 10 seconds with a razor knife fixed it.

[@briteidea08]

So they must have had the intake hose off for that to happen. Unless they didn’t have a filter in the box.

[@michaelszczys8316]

Nothing like having BUGS carry a ton of dirt right into your motor.

[@briteidea08]

@@michaelszczys8316 My aunt had something similar in her car. She had been in the hospital. I went to the house to check on things. Car was looking pretty sad. So I took it for a ride. Before doing so. I checked everything. There were mud dauber nests all over and under car. Gas cap door and in the air intake before the filter. Few others under the hood as well.

[@jayleeper1512]

I replaced a motor in my F150 4.9L and it would start but ran like the full choke was on and it was way too rich. I spent 6 months off and on trying to figure it out with no success. I finally went through all the vacuum tubes and finally found where mud daubers had plugged the line to the MAP sensor. I ran a wire through snd a bunch of mud and a larvae came out. After that the truck ran fine. It was in the shop the whole time and I had no ideas the bugs could even get in there. Now it is something I always check right away.

[@ronstiles2681]

I'm a tech, that's not part of diagnostics 101, nice feeling to find and fix problems

[@lexalford358]

Different story but I was setting up a old thunder bird for a demolition derby at first it was gutless and would not get out of its own way but I drove it in the first heat and it got all of the power back after the first hit person watching said a lot of dirt came out of the exhaust and then the engine came to life and I was out running the competition and won that heat I looked at the exhaust pipe and It was bent at the muffler and that broke off on that first hit freeing up the exhaust pipe I would be cutting off the exhaust on the next one I was preparing

[@jeffreykidd1026]

What do expect it's a Ford Ranger lol love your videos very informative TY.

[@daviddowns7552]

good video. ive never seen such with vehicle.

[@glennfields8121]

Having been in professional pest management for 40 years plus wrenching on my own vehicles, I've seen this before. The insect is attracted to fuel vapors/fumes including propane gas on trailer and motorhome water and space heaters as well. This doesn't surprise me at all once you said the truck hadn't been driven in about 3 years. People should know to drive their vehicles at least once every other week, if not every week to avoid issues like this. Rodents like to get up into the engine compartment to make nests and they chew up wiring and rubber/plastic hoses too. I once found a snake under my hood.

[@460faceplant]

I'm second owner of a 2009 f 150, it run really good for a long time. Then 1 day it fell on it's face, I didn't know it at the time but the air intake horn was missing from the fender liner. A piece of noise deadening Styrofoam from the inside of the fender slid out and plugged the airbox intake. Had a heck of a time figuring that out.

[@WrenchingWithKenny]

Wow! That's interesting. I haven't heard of that one. I'm glad you figured it out. Thanks for sharing. Keep wrenching 🔧

[@jensenwilliam5434]

Thank s

[@fuffoon]

Oh, that's familiar. Stone bees fill every hole, screw recess, nook and cranny on anything outdoors that does not move regularly with a heavy orange mud and a larva.

[@garyr7027]

A engine will pull air thru anywhere it can get it, even thru the valve guides which will definitely make it pull oil with it... Lol. Man that thing was smokin.

[@WilliamCollins-sh6lm]

Those "Dirt Dobbers" can get into an do some pretty amazing things !!!

[@leroyjohnson4973]

Wow! That car most have been parked for over a year to allow mud dauber wasps to build their hive in the intake. Does the car still has its engine dust/air filter? That should be their only passage to that intake. Great video👍🏻

[@jimmyfleetwood1118]

Pasta, eh? As a young kid, we put several hundred garden snails in the tail pipe of a neighbor's '56 T-Bird parked in the street. Needless to say, it left a heck of mess on the car behind it when it started.

[@WrenchingWithKenny]

😂😂😂 that's priceless

[@jimmyfleetwood1118]

@@WrenchingWithKenny The things children do! Like your vids. Cheers!

[@anonymuswere]

man, that shoulda been the first thing looked for. if it sits, critters move in. but Mud Daubers in the intake? really IS one for the books :P had that happen with a minivan. opened the glovebox for the first time and wondered why there was a second door visible. turned out the thing had interior air filters. I pull em out, and there's a big ol mouse nest sitting on top of em :P

[@InfamousJoNy]

Really surprised this didn’t throw an rich code or mass airflow. Good find, that’s one for the WTF books 😂

[@michaelfarris2556]

I'm glad to see a ranger video. I have a 99 with all kinds of issues, from the clutch to the brakes. On hell of a mess.

[@user-jo1qq7di6f]

i wonder how much dirt was sucked into the engine from this dirt dobber nest. I think this is rare ,I have never seen this before ,Good job guys.

[@davidryan7981]

"turns out the vehicles been sitting for 3 years." I love how the customer didn't think to mention that when he dropped the car off lol

[@AB-vc7ox]

the pasta noodles in muffler sounds like the work of a mouse.

[@oscarfernandez3193]

that’s crazy im having the same problem on mine right now i just took out the tank and cleaned it next going to replace fuel pump and might be checking inside the engine for anything . thanks

[@JacobWinkle]

Story Time Years ago, working in the shops. Coworkers and I always played pranks back and forth. I used a potato, using my breaker bar to shove it in the exhaust. Watched him on lunch break go less than a block and car shuts off. You could imagine how mad he was, especially when he looks back at the bay door with me just laughing. Hope you had a great lunch, are those fries I smell? Smell fresh boi haha 🤣

[@anonymousmouse2889]

Yeah, those are dirt dobber nests alright 😂 can't say I've ever seen one stuck in a TB. Funny find, not what anyone would expect trying to fix a 4 cylinder ranger

[@henryhanes2322]

Bill Shatswell used to take a sparkplug out to check that

[@cecilandrews7479]

Really want you said it's been setting for 3 years the first thing I thought was a rat nest in the breather box. Anytime I pick up a vehicle's been setting for several years that's the first thing I do is pull the intake apart looking for Critters. That's before I ever tried to start it

[@robertlacob8831]

In Florida and Texas, those pesky Mud Daubers create so much havoc when they are looking to build a nest. We are always going around the house checking for new nests! never seen one in the intake manifold though!

[@markbrynteson5141]

That is frickin crazy! Wow! Never seen that shit before

[@dieselauthoritymillertime1276]

Wonky clutch hahaha😂 feels fine now lol you’re are cool bro

[@GunzNGearz]

LoL love this video man I bet the maf ( if equipped) was dirty

[@emmanuelgoldstein4371]

This video got me to subscribe to your channel. Thanks !! ;)

[@2esc2esc]

Must have been sitting for a while for that to happen that much. I remember sometimes coming back to machinery over a weekend and find wasps trying to build nests in the ac drain tube.

[@WrenchingWithKenny]

The were mud dobbers. Now that we have been here for a while I realize those little buggers are everywhere. Thanks for commenting & watching the channel. Keep wrenching 🔧

[@mikedickman6369]

WOW, that is one crazy video. Two questions: how did they get the pasta noodles all the way back to the muffler, and what do you do with the old gas? Thanks and keep up the great work.

[@briteidea08]

The noodles in the muffler is an easy one. If the muffler is under the rear bumper. Just use a broom handle to push them inside. Old gas can be mixed with new gas. Used in lawn mowers or small engines.

[@mikedickman6369]

@@briteidea08 ok thanks

[@Master-di4di]

@@briteidea08 When you go Touring. If you run out of food, you always got Pasta? Lol.

[@offlineinsanity]

Drive by an Italian restaurant and get sued. All the customers smell burnt pasta 😂

[@kevingallineauii9353]

Those mud dobbers nearly took out a Quantas airplane, covered over the two pitot tubes on the airliner. They ain't no joke.