Dreaded wrench light

[Digitalgp]

My ‘07 4.0 Limited seems to be having an issue with the wrench light coming on periodically. It seems to be every so often if it rains overnight and then I go to drive it the next day, it will have a slight shudder here and there like an occasional misfire then the wrench light will eventually illuminate. Then it will drive perfectly fine and the light will go away when I restart it. The last two times this has happend the abs and traction control lights illuminated, but those went off on their own and of course the wrench light stayed on and then went off again when I restarted it. Most of the time it won’t come back for a few months.

My scanner isn’t picking up any codes. I hate to bring it to ford because all the ford dealers around here seem to have very sheisty service departments.

Anybody have any insight into this issue?

 

[ThunderbirdSport]

You probably have a barfe bones, basic scanner. You'll want to get a better one, they're around 50 bucks.

Or drive down to an oreilly or autozone and they'll likely let you scan codes in the parking lot.

Your Expl V6 or 8?

Sounds a bit like rain getting down in the plug wells...if it's the 4.0, though, we can rule that out

 

[Digitalgp]

It’s the 4.0 v6. Definitely seems like rain water is getting in somewhere. I took it to advance and their scanner is even more basic than mine, but I do have an autozone around the block from my job I will give a try.

 

[06EBMG]

I had a similar issue with my 06 EB. The issue I found was that the harness insulation had worn away at the throttle body sensor connector allowing water to drip onto the connector from the firewall. I removed the loom and repaired the wiring harness. All has been well ever since with plenty of water soaked cold starts under my belt. The connector is at the back side of the engine, up against the firewall. A bit of a pain to get at but I bet if you disconnect that connector and check it you will see bare/exposed wire. Be sure to check your MAF connector and DIS connector. I ended up with 3 connectors all showing bare wires. Good luck.

 

[Digitalgp]

I was able to pull a favor and get it scanned on one of those high-end snap on scanners. Its coming up with driver side wheel speed sensor. Is that something that is going to be as easily replaceable as it looks or one of those surprise headaches? and would a bad wheel speed sensor set off the wrench light?

 

[06EBMG]

Yes it would. The wrench light monitors the drivetrain. The front wheel speed sensors are not that bad to do. The rears are a PITA. Go with factory or Motorcraft hubs. The aftermarket cheapies are just that.

 

[Explorer_PL]

It depends. Is it the speed sensor with the wire or the speed sensor inside the hub ?
How can you tell ?

 

[Digitalgp]

That makes sense about it setting off the wrench light then. I hope it doesn’t screw up my transfer case.

The sensor is in the hub bearing, but do I have to replace the actual hub bearing? It was replaced about a year and a half ago, but unfortunately is now out of warranty. It’s not making any noise. I saw the sensor is available separately and I see where the wire from it connects under the hood. I just can’t see behind the wheel if I can get to the actual sensor part of it if I put it on driveway ramps

 

[Beachcomber86]

SLOW DOWN!!!!!

Not saying those changes aren't the the culprit. BUT, before you spend that money, check out the Ghosts in the Machine thread, Found my ghosts in the machine. Inspect the MAF, TPS, distributor, and fan clutch wiring for exposed connectors. This is a $10 job that might fix a lot of your issues.

 

[Digitalgp]

I changed out the driver side front wheel speed sensor. Wasn’t as simple as I had thought. The wheel and the brake caliper had to come off then I was able to access the single bolt holding the sensor into the hub assembly. The sensors wire runs right up and connects inside the engine bay with a couple clips holding it in place along the way. That was it! No more lights