1998 Explorer xlt 4.0L SOHC Project(Don't Run Don't Crank) dead | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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1998 Explorer xlt 4.0L SOHC Project(Don't Run Don't Crank) dead

SCFisherman

New Member
Joined
April 29, 2018
Messages
7
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4
City, State
Danville, KY
Year, Model & Trim Level
1998 Explorer xlt 4.0SOHC
Callsign
KW4YY Vehicle to Vehicle GMRS - WQXP-655
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Three weeks ago I ran across a 1998 xlt 4.0 SOHC on Craig List for $800.00 132k on the body and 75k on the motor. I had to check it out. The truck was bought about 3 years ago from a service station with a broken timing chain and no compression on cylinders with valves closed. The motor was replaced with a 1999 SOHC one owner rollover from years before. The motor had 75k or 76k. The truck had changed hands in the family 4 or 5 times. with no one having the desire to spend the 800-1200 the dealer had estimated to make the 1998 run. This is where I bumbled into the sorted affair. So with a little dickering and an offering of "work on it here if you like" the deal was made.
So boys would you like to hear the sorted tale to present?
 



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Bring it!
 






Can you hear the fuel pump? Does it crank? Do you have a security light on or blinking (pats)
 






The red 1998 SOHC had no battery and the two keys were for different locks. but they both would turn the lock. As a matter of fact so would my Town & Country keys as well as my pocket knife and fingers. More on this latter. The next day an 800 amp Walmart battery I had bought in a fishing emergency was dropped in. I was sure we were just minutes from having the little V6 coughing and spitting to life. Stic-o I think has heard this story before. No fuel pump wine, no crank but the security light(Theft) was blinking rapidly then stopped and flashed a 1 6 err code I was soon to learn. This response from the auto was a little unexpected. No solenoid click and no relays clicking and the battery at 12.6 vdc. There must be a bad fuse right? Well after 2 days 3 so called car guys (me included) gave up and someone looked up the fuse block and the fuse was not blown it was not there. The PCM fuse number 10. Once the fuse (we only had a 30 amp) was inserted the OBD2 port came up and started talking. I only had my bluetooth adapter and Torque apt on my phone. There were at least 10 errs in every module type. So I waited till the next little get together and brought a little heaver iron. My laptop and Forscan software and made a copy of the downloaded data.

Now let me say without question I am not a Ford boy. I am having to learn this as I go. I cleared all the modules and reread the data. At last things are looking up only 6 errs. I picked the PATS to start clearing errs. The keys were causing not read errs. So I eraced the keys stored in the PATS and reload the three keys I had. One could not be read into memory. So I erased and read in the two I had that worked. I turned the key and no PATS err. The starter worked and we had spark. Time for a brew.

Let me stop right here and say a little about Forscan OBD2 software. The software is well done and does not have the overhead that Fords factory programs have and are free of charge to anyone that is for noncommercial use. It was created under open source license. If you like the software please support it. It just gets better and better. I have no dealing with Forscan other than use there software and send them a few bucks at times like this. Thanks Forscan. Next rime that "Dam fuel Pump".

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I keep hearing about this FORSCAN and I have a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter. I think I'm going to look into it a little more!
 






I use it. The program is for Ford products. It is a program written for and by hobbyist for the electrinic part of a modern ford.You plug it into the OBD2 port. It talks to the computer communication buses on board your vehicle. The smart sensors and modules use the buses to communicate. For exsample the anti-lock module may ask the PCM for engine rpm in a calculation with the TCM for wheel slip. The PATS at start is a user of the comm buss. That's where that blinking light on the dash comes from that we all hate so much. To make a long story short Forscan is a program that helps when working with the electronic part of the car. It's free and you may think it is just a scanner program like Torque but it is more and with that more is a learning curve. But it is not bad. Just some scanner use and a little reading and you can be a Ford tech too. The reason I mentioned it was to let anyone who does not know it relies on donations. Just trying to be a good neighbor.
 






A working starter, good spark all we need is gas. After learning the hard way about fuses and a little before hand research I download the hold 5000 page reference from this site. A truly warm thank you "Hacra, J_C, murkinstock, Littlefoott69", I was able to ID the wiring for the fuel pump and unplug the large connector and supply 12 vdc. I could see the motor wiring with my DVM but the pump would not start. So I did something a little reckless and just reverse the polarity of the 12 vdc supply(reversed the + and - leads) just for a few brushes of the leads. One of the other boys said he thought he heard the pump start. So we reconnected the proper polarity. One of the boys I had told to watch the end of the fuel line, that was suppose to be attached on the rail, for a small drizzle. I hoped we could get enough flow to move the truck into the shade. Bang! gas flew everywhere from where I had the fuel line off the rail. The line was quickly replaced and at least two and a half year old gas started the motor but I would not say it would have every took to an idle. We used the fuel pump to empty the tank into two and about a 1/3 old 5 gal. paint buckets with the help of an old ham power supply. This in it's self is a time consuming task. With the waiting not to overheat the pump. The plan is to replace the pump as soon a time permits. We got the Delco pump from Advanced Auto. It and a filter was about $98.00 and in stock. The plan is to drop the tank and not cut a hole. Although I am open to cutting a hole if someone can show me how it can done well.

Don't ever underestimate the engineering prowess of the human mind. We did not have a gas can with any gas. This is in the country and the closest station is only 2 miles away. But three adult male minds decided to engineer a fix for no gas in a can. That was the first mistake. The second was finding the gas in the lawn mower. It was soon decided to fill a coke bottle with a short piece of fuel line through a hole in the top that would serve as a "fuel injector" in to the VIL breather pipe to the air filter. This would allow the engine to run long enough to get the truck to the shade and near the shop. It was soon also decided that the youngest would sit on the motor and squeeze the home made "fuel injector"(the 2 older of us boys knew better). It must have been quite a site. As the truck leaped forward and then slamming on the brakes. The young boy holding on for dear life as reflex shot another shot of fuel and it leaped forward again. Man I wish I had shot some film. After a beer or two we just pulled the truck in place with a chevy truck. The shear power of the human male brain is just astounding. Next "Yes dear it does have Park"
 






This is sounding like a fun project!
 






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