1998 Ford Explorer Stuttering After Replacing the Starter

[CynthiaK]

I changed out the starter and now I have an inconsistent stuttering - which may be a coincident. It stutters but does not stall.
It happens sometimes when I press on the gas on a straight stretch of road, sometimes when I near the top of a hill, sometimes when idling, sometimes a lot and sometimes not too much.
I have no codes. I have cleaned the MAF, replaced the fuel filter and checked the air filter which was fine.
I have read other posts about stuttering but I have no other issues except the fact that this vehicle goes through gas quickly.
Anyone have any idea?

 

[J_C]

I'd start by hooking up a code scanner caplable of live data, looking at it all but especially the long term fuel trims.

Also check the fuel pressure. I do think it is coincidence about the starter unless you knocked some connector loose/stressed wiring, or somehow dislodged or stressed a vac line and now have a vac leak. That is unless the problem was a poor battery clamp connection or ground and the starter was just the first fault to see from that and now it's gotten worse and shows itself under load, except for it happening while idling too.

It's now approaching 23 years old so some consideration of past repairs might help, though I see your 2019 signup and have no idea how long you've owned it to gauge that if you aren't the original owner or don't have all past maintenance records.

For example, by now it probably had needed the IAC cleaned or replaced, more than once depending on mileage, but this is more of the idle issue not at higher RPM. It might also need new plugs and wires if there is an infrequent misfire, though I don't know what you are comparing it to with the statement "goes through gas quickly", as they do get poor mileage but if it has dropped within your ownership then it's more considerable. If highly intermittent you might check for a plug wire shorting out against the exhaust manifold.

I could throw other ideas out there, like a possible fouling of the cat from misfires or heavy oil burning but until you rule out other things, it isn't time to focus on that yet. That can be checked but beyond most DIYers by measuring exhaust pressure before and after the cat at the O2 sensor bungs.

Ultimately the thing I'd focus on most is having a scan tool showing live data while it's happening, but with any recent repair, in the back of my mind is the question whether some vac tube was disturbed and leaks now.

 

[EB4X]

Sounds like it could be a bad plug wire....I'd go out there now (dark out) start it up and move the plug wires around with a long stick and see if you see any sparks jump from a wire / and or hear it miss upon doing this...

 

[CynthiaK]

Thank-you for the reply!
Would I not being getting codes if I had a vac leak? I have no codes. I will have to find a scan tool that shows live data.
It was definitely the starter that was bad.
The IAC was changed in 2019.
It seems to go through gas more quickly than when I first got it.
Spark plugs were changed last fall. I will check for plug wire shorting out against the exhaust manifold.

 

[CynthiaK]

Sounds like it could be a bad plug wire....I'd go out there now (dark out) start it up and move the plug wires around with a long stick and see if you see any sparks jump from a wire / and or hear it miss upon doing this...

Thank-you for the reply. I will check out the plug wires.

 

[96eb96]

I changed out the starter and now I have an inconsistent stuttering - which may be a coincident. It stutters but does not stall.
It happens sometimes when I press on the gas on a straight stretch of road, sometimes when I near the top of a hill, sometimes when idling, sometimes a lot and sometimes not too much.
I have no codes. I have cleaned the MAF, replaced the fuel filter and checked the air filter which was fine.
I have read other posts about stuttering but I have no other issues except the fact that this vehicle goes through gas quickly.
Anyone have any idea?

Can you download forscan and run it? It can show you misfires on individual cyls. You could have a coil or tuneup issue but these trucks also have minor head cracks causing misfires, there are products that may be able to fix it.

 

[CynthiaK]

Can you download forscan and run it? It can show you misfires on individual cyls. You could have a coil or tuneup issue but these trucks also have minor head cracks causing misfires, there are products that may be able to fix it.

Thank-you for the reply - I will check into that.