Here's one for all you Exploder heads (help!)

knappy · 08-25-2009, 01:03 PM

a little background on my exploder first. I'm driving a 2000 2 door exploder with the 4.0 sohc 119,000 miles. Canadian made

situation #1
driving from Denver CO up to the mountains in the summer time climbing a big hill. my rig kind of stutters in power so I think nothing of it and keep driving. The situation gets worse and I have to stay down shifted in 3rd gear to keep the rpms up or else I'm going to stall out. By the time i get to the top of the hill (in the tunnel) my rig breaks down and I need to get pushed out by one of the tunnel workers) embarrassing and scary! I take a look under the hood and cant find anything wrong ten minutes later i start it up, runs fine. so i decide to go down the other side of the mountain, sure enough it stalls and I coast into the gas station on the other side of the hill. fill up with gas and have no problems for the next 1000 miles or so.

situation #2
driving out to the desert on a relatively flat road after about an hour I'm cruising through a small town, so i slow it down to 30 MPH. my exploder starts to not respond to my peddle again. so i grin and bear it and push on to the camp spot. I let it rest for the night and it runs fine the next day all 100 miles home.

after situation 1 I thought it was bad gas but according to situation 2 that rules it out (right)?

the way it feels is like right before you run out of gas you get those last few squirts of gas before your all out, except it happens when your at 3/4 tank.

or it feels like the trans is engaging and disengaging, engaging and disengaging. when it idles with the problem it has a really eratic up and down idle and wants to stall.

Please help! I'm going to the Grand Canyon in ten days and need to figure this out!

Fabbed4d88 · 08-25-2009, 01:58 PM

Any codes? It may indeed be bad gas. You may have some water in the tank an after your fill up it mixed it up enough to run okay. Before you look into any big repairs try running some HEET through the tank.

knappy · 08-25-2009, 02:46 PM

I put stabilafule in my tank in between situation 1 and 2 so I'm just not sure whats up? thanks for the input!

t-thom1979 · 08-25-2009, 03:51 PM

It sounds like your fuel pump may be going out.

*nssj2* · 08-25-2009, 03:53 PM

my vote is a fuel pump. all of the trouble conditions are after its been running for a while, and not on a full tank. grab a pressure tester so when it dies, you can get a reading. also listen for the pump to prime when it dies.

*joker1457* · 08-25-2009, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t-thom1979

It sounds like your fuel pump may be going out.

Agreed

*Spdrcer34* · 08-25-2009, 04:24 PM

Replace the Fuel Pump, and the Fuel Filter.

Ryan

bluestream1 · 08-25-2009, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spdrcer34

Replace the Fuel Pump, and the Fuel Filter.

Ryan

X2

BTW, to my Knowledge the Ford Explorer was never made in Canada...

chance942 · 08-26-2009, 04:05 AM

What octane gas do you get regular in the springs?

*2000StreetRod* · 08-26-2009, 05:15 AM

Check your gas tank cap vent. You should be able to suck thru the cap but not blow thru it. Or the next time your Sport falters pull over, unscrew the cap to vent the tank and then screw it back on.

my98nnj · 08-26-2009, 08:12 AM

Check the fuel pressure, also check for a failing or clogged cat.

John H. · 08-26-2009, 02:03 PM

Knappy,

I had the exact same thing happen 3 days ago when driving back into Colorado from Nebraska on I-76. Mine is a 2000 Mountaineer 4.0 V-6...made it to an exit ramp where it stalled completely. Restarted it but, it started bucking and then stalled. Checked under the hood, everything was in order, but noticed the passenger side ground wire from the firewall to the hood (at the hinge) had broken off on one end. I had my wife try to start the engine while I held the wire to it's connection...it started and ran normally. Took the wire off and the bucking and stalling took over again. Now, why would losing the ground to the hood cause this? It shouldn't. But, I duct taped the wire back on in order to get home to Longmont. On Monday I installed a new ground wire strap and all has been fine so far. Again, there is no reason for the engine to react to the lack of the hood grounding to the body but....who knows!

John H.

knappy · 08-26-2009, 04:49 PM

I did try the gas cap thing. I checked the hood ground and it was fine.

Has anyone out there had a fuel pump fail on them? If so at what mileage, what did it feel like?

How hard is a fuel pump install and does anyone know a good online manual that shows how?
thanks guys I really appreciate all the input keep it coming!

*gmanpaint* · 08-26-2009, 05:29 PM

A friend got some estimates for a new fuel pump installed, the cheapest he got was $850.00

Agreed on checking the fuel pressure.

There are diff fuel pumps as well, so wait till the old one is out before getting a new one. Expect to be down for a couple days if a shop does it. Be prepared for a tough job if you do it yourself. Search the forum, read up on the pump install, make up your mind if you think you can do it or not.

Millertime1987 · 08-26-2009, 07:24 PM

Before reading Situation 2 I thought might be because of elevation and the truck wasn't getting enough air to properly mix.

*ranger7ltr* · 08-26-2009, 09:15 PM

My 99 Sport has had the same tendencies in the past and I installed an electric fuel pressure gauge to monitor it... I could watch the fuel pressure drop as I put more demand on the throttle to accelerate.. I could also get the engine to run when this happens as the fuel pressure would drop and the engine would run like crap...

I finally dropped the tank and checked the in-tank pump since I had gotten rusty fuel from the external filter and found the in-tank filter was not on the pump!!!

I cleaned out the tank in May 09 and put in a new pump and filter set so I have no clue how long the in-tank filter had been off the pump but I do know the pump was pumping any dirt and rust that was still in the tank...So I replaced the pump and in-tank filter from Autozone for 123.00 and so far so good...

I did the external filter swap every couple of weeks and kept getting higher levels of rust on the input side of the filter until I pulled the tank again and found the missing in-tank filter...

Changing the pump on a 2wd Sport can't be that bad...I know I have dropped the tank a few times but if you have a couple of hours you can change the pump, filters, and reinstall tank and get the truck running again...Depending on the first number of the vin your truck can be made in the US, Canada, or Mexico...Vin 1 is USA made, Vin 2 is Canadian, and Vin 3 is made in Mexico...Oh and the Mexican made truck also has a return type fuel system.. The US and the Canadian trucks all have a returnless fuel system... The differences in the pumps usually is the terminal size and placement.. The AZ pump covered that with the harness that is included..

08-25-2009, 02:46 PM	#3
knappy Wannabe Elite Explorer steamboat CO 2000 Explorer 2 Dr. Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 4 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	oops I forgot to mention I put stabilafule in my tank in between situation 1 and 2 so I'm just not sure whats up? thanks for the input!

08-25-2009, 03:53 PM	#5
nssj2 Elite Explorer Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 997 Vehicle Specs	my vote is a fuel pump. all of the trouble conditions are after its been running for a while, and not on a full tank. grab a pressure tester so when it dies, you can get a reading. also listen for the pump to prime when it dies. __________________ -Jim --97 Mounty (SOLD) --2007 Volkswagen MKV (daily driver) --05 Honda Shadow

08-25-2009, 04:24 PM	#7
Spdrcer34 Speed Bremerton, WA 1992 Explorer XL Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 3,884 Vehicle Specs	Replace the Fuel Pump, and the Fuel Filter. Ryan __________________ 1992 Ford Explorer XL - with a few bolt ons...

08-26-2009, 05:15 AM	#10
2000StreetRod Elite Explorer Greenville, SC 2000 Sport SOHC 2WD Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 5,574 Vehicle Specs	Check your gas tank cap vent. You should be able to suck thru the cap but not blow thru it. Or the next time your Sport falters pull over, unscrew the cap to vent the tank and then screw it back on. __________________ My Helpful Threads, Registry, 16.4/23 mpg, 3900 lbs, 5R55E, 3.73:1, 175 rwhp, Henson custom tune, CAI, Spectre air filter, Lightning 90mm MAF, 75mm throttle body, A/F ratio meter, synthetic oils, Accusump, 2 row radiator, 3+1 leaf springs, .75 inch drop, Edelbrock IAS lowering shocks, engine oil & ATF temp gauge & remote filters & coolers, remote crank

08-26-2009, 02:03 PM	#12
John H. Wannabe Elite Explorer Longmont, CO 2000 Mountaineer Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 35 Vehicle Specs	Remote but a very real possibility...! Knappy, I had the exact same thing happen 3 days ago when driving back into Colorado from Nebraska on I-76. Mine is a 2000 Mountaineer 4.0 V-6...made it to an exit ramp where it stalled completely. Restarted it but, it started bucking and then stalled. Checked under the hood, everything was in order, but noticed the passenger side ground wire from the firewall to the hood (at the hinge) had broken off on one end. I had my wife try to start the engine while I held the wire to it's connection...it started and ran normally. Took the wire off and the bucking and stalling took over again. Now, why would losing the ground to the hood cause this? It shouldn't. But, I duct taped the wire back on in order to get home to Longmont. On Monday I installed a new ground wire strap and all has been fine so far. Again, there is no reason for the engine to react to the lack of the hood grounding to the body but....who knows! John H.

08-25-2009, 01:03 PM	#1
knappy Wannabe Elite Explorer steamboat CO 2000 Explorer 2 Dr. Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 4 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Here's one for all you Exploder heads (help!) a little background on my exploder first. I'm driving a 2000 2 door exploder with the 4.0 sohc 119,000 miles. Canadian made situation #1 driving from Denver CO up to the mountains in the summer time climbing a big hill. my rig kind of stutters in power so I think nothing of it and keep driving. The situation gets worse and I have to stay down shifted in 3rd gear to keep the rpms up or else I'm going to stall out. By the time i get to the top of the hill (in the tunnel) my rig breaks down and I need to get pushed out by one of the tunnel workers) embarrassing and scary! I take a look under the hood and cant find anything wrong ten minutes later i start it up, runs fine. so i decide to go down the other side of the mountain, sure enough it stalls and I coast into the gas station on the other side of the hill. fill up with gas and have no problems for the next 1000 miles or so. situation #2 driving out to the desert on a relatively flat road after about an hour I'm cruising through a small town, so i slow it down to 30 MPH. my exploder starts to not respond to my peddle again. so i grin and bear it and push on to the camp spot. I let it rest for the night and it runs fine the next day all 100 miles home. after situation 1 I thought it was bad gas but according to situation 2 that rules it out (right)? the way it feels is like right before you run out of gas you get those last few squirts of gas before your all out, except it happens when your at 3/4 tank. or it feels like the trans is engaging and disengaging, engaging and disengaging. when it idles with the problem it has a really eratic up and down idle and wants to stall. Please help! I'm going to the Grand Canyon in ten days and need to figure this out!

08-25-2009, 01:58 PM	#2
Fabbed4d88 Wannabe Elite Explorer Grand Forks North Dakota 98 XLT 5.0 Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 283 Vehicle Specs	Any codes? It may indeed be bad gas. You may have some water in the tank an after your fill up it mixed it up enough to run okay. Before you look into any big repairs try running some HEET through the tank. __________________ 1998 2WD XLT 5.0, Mac CAI, Mac catback, Torque Monster Headers, 1" Trick Flow intake spacer, 2" drop with keys and blocks, Sens-a-Trac shocks, Energy Suspension bump stops, Black 17x9 03 Cobra deep dish wheels, 255x55x17 Michillen Pilots, Wheel Spacers, Removed emblems/door guards/pinstripes and roof racks, painted grill, Clear corners, Black ANZO tails.

08-25-2009, 03:51 PM	#4
t-thom1979 Wannabe Elite Explorer Solsberry, IN '99 xls Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 5 Vehicle Specs	It sounds like your fuel pump may be going out.

08-26-2009, 04:05 AM	#9
chance942 B Las Cruces, NM 2000 Sport sohc con trac Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 244 Vehicle Specs	What octane gas do you get regular in the springs?

08-26-2009, 08:12 AM	#11
my98nnj Wannabe Elite Explorer Boonton, New Jersey 1998 XLT Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,294 Vehicle Specs	Check the fuel pressure, also check for a failing or clogged cat.

08-26-2009, 04:49 PM	#13
knappy Wannabe Elite Explorer steamboat CO 2000 Explorer 2 Dr. Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 4 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	keep em' comming I did try the gas cap thing. I checked the hood ground and it was fine. Has anyone out there had a fuel pump fail on them? If so at what mileage, what did it feel like? How hard is a fuel pump install and does anyone know a good online manual that shows how? thanks guys I really appreciate all the input keep it coming!

08-26-2009, 05:29 PM	#14
gmanpaint Torsion Bar Free since 2010 94 XLT-95 FX4 Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 6,926 Vehicle Specs	A friend got some estimates for a new fuel pump installed, the cheapest he got was $850.00 Agreed on checking the fuel pressure. There are diff fuel pumps as well, so wait till the old one is out before getting a new one. Expect to be down for a couple days if a shop does it. Be prepared for a tough job if you do it yourself. Search the forum, read up on the pump install, make up your mind if you think you can do it or not. __________________ The Black Hole Pugly

08-26-2009, 07:24 PM	#15
Millertime1987 Wannabe Elite Explorer Excelsior, Minnesota '99 XLT Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 391 Vehicle Specs	Before reading Situation 2 I thought might be because of elevation and the truck wasn't getting enough air to properly mix.

08-26-2009, 09:15 PM	#16
ranger7ltr Elite Explorer Great State of Texas 1999 Sport Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 1,139 Vehicle Specs	Could be rust in the tank... My 99 Sport has had the same tendencies in the past and I installed an electric fuel pressure gauge to monitor it... I could watch the fuel pressure drop as I put more demand on the throttle to accelerate.. I could also get the engine to run when this happens as the fuel pressure would drop and the engine would run like crap... I finally dropped the tank and checked the in-tank pump since I had gotten rusty fuel from the external filter and found the in-tank filter was not on the pump!!! I cleaned out the tank in May 09 and put in a new pump and filter set so I have no clue how long the in-tank filter had been off the pump but I do know the pump was pumping any dirt and rust that was still in the tank...So I replaced the pump and in-tank filter from Autozone for 123.00 and so far so good... I did the external filter swap every couple of weeks and kept getting higher levels of rust on the input side of the filter until I pulled the tank again and found the missing in-tank filter... Changing the pump on a 2wd Sport can't be that bad...I know I have dropped the tank a few times but if you have a couple of hours you can change the pump, filters, and reinstall tank and get the truck running again...Depending on the first number of the vin your truck can be made in the US, Canada, or Mexico...Vin 1 is USA made, Vin 2 is Canadian, and Vin 3 is made in Mexico...Oh and the Mexican made truck also has a return type fuel system.. The US and the Canadian trucks all have a returnless fuel system... The differences in the pumps usually is the terminal size and placement.. The AZ pump covered that with the harness that is included.. __________________ When in doubt, use a bigger hammer! 2008 Dodge Charger R/T 2003 Ford F-150 XLT Supercab 1999 Ford Explorer Sport [new playtoy] 1983 Ford Ranger V8 [soon to be gone] Last edited by ranger7ltr; 08-26-2009 at 09:44 PM.