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2002 Explore 4.6 power issues

Ashton'sExplorer

New Member
Joined
April 14, 2014
Messages
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City, State
Lexington, KY
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Explorer 4.6 V8
Hey Guys, I need help! Daughter has a 2002 Explorer 4.6 V8. Came home from college this past weekend with a misfire in numbers 6 and 7. Water had leaked in and was shorting the plugs. I fixed the leak, changed the plugs and it ran great. Probably the smoothest it has since she got it. She left to head back to school, stopped and got 1/2 tank of gas (she was on empty). Car started acting up about 2 miles later. She turned around and limped it home. Since then, it will start and idle, but has no power. If I rev it, I am lucky to get to 1500 rpm. It will hit 2500 rpm briefly after it has sat overnight. I can let it idle for an hour and it sounds fine, but give it a little gas and it dies out. Things I've done: changed the fuel filter, cleaned MAFS, cleaned the IAC, replaced the PCV valve, reset the computer, changed the air filter, looked for vacuum leaks and cleaned the throttle body. Added a bottle of octane booster and water remover, plus about 4 additional gallons of gas. None of it has made any difference. Fuel pressure seems to be OK and battery is strong. Currently, it is throwing no codes. I can post the scanner info at idle if that would help. It can not even make the climb up our driveway. Bad gas? Thanks for any help and ideas!
 



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Still having the same issues. Any ideas?
 






Sounds like when I had a Coil-on-Plug unit go bad, but my truck threw a code right away. I'd lean on the COPs being bad in both of those plugs you checked. Maybe try the wreckers for replacement units (but I'd get three from them, so you have a spare) and change them out. Might be intermittent misfire, or late fire, just enough that the computer doesn't see a misfire, but the ignition is too late for the power stroke. You could get the used COPs for about $10 each, and if you're lucky they will work. Try to get ones that are Ford Motorcraft (dealer repair parts) rather than OEM, as they will likely be more recent. Try not to get anything without a brand name.

If it's not a COP, or if it doesn't start throwing codes, it's going to be next to impossible to diagnose. Please check back with us, and keep us posted.
 






Thanks for the response! I checked the COPs and they are fine. Drained the tank and put fresh gas in, still no improvement. One thing I did notice yesterday, the EGR valve is making a snoring sound off and on that I've never heard on any car. Unplugged the vacuum line, idle improves (doesn't lope like it does sometimes), but no improvement in power. There is a slight leak in the thermostat housing. Is there a sensor hidden underneath that if it got wet would cause these issues?
 






Fuel pressure stays steady at 68. Doesn't change when the throttle is opened. Engine still chokes out when throttle applied.
 






Update! Just got it back from the local Ford dealer. Was told cats are bad. I'm guessing just the lower cat since they unplugged the 02 sensors down from upper cats and I was able to drive it home and it felt like the power was almost back to normal. My question now is, when replacing all three as a unit, do I need to remove the cross member? Thanks!
 






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