Stalls out in any forward gear, but goes in reverse

[Pelabius]

Three times in the past three months, my '05 Explorer has stalled at a light. It restarted easily, but stalled again immediately when shifted in any forward gear. It would go in reverse and run just fine. Each time, after the vehicle sat on a lot for an extended period of time (hours in one case - a weekend in two others), it would start and drive normally.

The transmission was rebuilt last year and after the first two times this happened, I took it back to that shop and they could find nothing wrong. The local dealership had it for several hours and reported I needed a whole new transmission. Right before the last two times, I noticed the engine running a little rough and it seemed "weak", like it didn't have the power it should on hills.

Spark plugs have been replaced and Sea Foam has been run through it with no real obvious improvement. Idle speed seems a bit low at 700 or 800 rpm.

Tow bills are bad enough, but blocking traffic on an undivided 4 lane during a busy Saturday could get someone hurt. Thanks in advance for any thoughts and suggestions!

 

[Everdream]

Had any misfiring recently? check the cat converter, my old 92 had a small misfire for a bit that hurt the cat and it got damaged / plugged and it would do exactly this, down to a T.... it would stall out when slowing down or stopped, drive fine in reverse, sometimes refuse to start, sometimes idle low and lumpy (like 400-600-900)..... worth checking out atleast.

 

[Pelabius]

I could see where a partial blockage of the exhaust could cause intermittent stalling. There's been no misfiring though. However, when it does stall, it has sometimes made some really odd noises. The guys at work have been trying to help with this, so I'll mention the idea to them. Thanks!