07 Explorer Amber Check Engine & Wrench Red Battery Light

[Yogi2018]

Intermittent lights. Rewired throttle body wire, replaced throttle body and pcm. Lights go out for a few days and then typically its check, followed by wrench and engine dies. Easily restarts. Latest code is Throttle Body Position Sensor P 2135. Mechanics will not work on it as they can’t find a reason for intermittent lights. Suggested $1000 dollar used wiring harness next steps. Only 130,000 miles. Suggestions? Throwing money at the problems has not been a solution. Thank you!

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum.
This is the 5th gen (2011-2019) Explorer forum.
Although you may get answers here, the correct forum for you would be Stock 2006 -2010 Explorers

Peter

 

[94Eddie]

Intermittent lights. Rewired throttle body wire, replaced throttle body and pcm. Lights go out for a few days and then typically its check, followed by wrench and engine dies. Easily restarts. Latest code is Throttle Body Position Sensor P 2135. Mechanics will not work on it as they can’t find a reason for intermittent lights. Suggested $1000 dollar used wiring harness next steps. Only 130,000 miles. Suggestions? Throwing money at the problems has not been a solution. Thank you!

I have had code P2135 pop up occasionally for a few years. It lights up once maybe a 2-3 times a month depending on how many miles I drive. Initially, I replaced the entire throttle body with a Motorcraft part that included the TPS. This kept the code from coming up for around 6-8 months. Every time it pops up I just restart the engine and it goes away for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. When the code trips it is an orange wrench code. If I keep driving then it will eventually put the vehicle in severe limp mode. A restart has always cleared it.

I have checked for wiring issues, etc. but haven't found anything wrong. The problem with diagnosing it is it always comes on at a time when I am out driving. As soon as I turn of the engine, the code is gone on restart so diagnosing is nearly impossible. I might try replacing the accelerator pedal sensor at some point since the code happens when its sensor doesn't jive with the TPS sensor readings. If their reading are off from each other by a certain amount, a code is tripped. One of which is P2135. Right now it doesn't come on often and a restart has always cleared it, so far. Sorry that I don't have any fixes but I know your frustration.

 

[Yogi2018]

I have had code P2135 pop up occasionally for a few years. It lights up once maybe a 2-3 times a month depending on how many miles I drive. Initially, I replaced the entire throttle body with a Motorcraft part that included the TPS. This kept the code from coming up for around 6-8 months. Every time it pops up I just restart the engine and it goes away for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. When the code trips it is an orange wrench code. If I keep driving then it will eventually put the vehicle in severe limp mode. A restart has always cleared it.

I have checked for wiring issues, etc. but haven't found anything wrong. The problem with diagnosing it is it always comes on at a time when I am out driving. As soon as I turn of the engine, the code is gone on restart so diagnosing is nearly impossible. I might try replacing the accelerator pedal sensor at some point since the code happens when its sensor doesn't jive with the TPS sensor readings. If their reading are off from each other by a certain amount, a code is tripped. One of which is P2135. Right now it doesn't come on often and a restart has always cleared it, so far. Sorry that I don't have any fixes but I know your frustration.

Thank you! That was the same problem at the shop. They would go out and start the car...no warning lights. The other issue is it appears to shift into first awkwardly when both lights on.

Welcome to the Forum.
This is the 5th gen (2011-2019) Explorer forum.
Although you may get answers here, the correct forum for you would be Stock 2006 -2010 Explorers

Peter

How can I switch to the suggested Forum? Thank you!

 

[94Eddie]

Thank you! That was the same problem at the shop. They would go out and start the car...no warning lights. The other issue is it appears to shift into first awkwardly when both lights on.

Do you have a code reader in the vehicle at all times? I use a Blue Driver Bluetooth reader that I leave plugged in all the time. It records and stores tripped codes. Also, I can delete them even while driving, if needed, but the P2135 code only clears with an engine restart which is likely due to it being an orange wrench code. My engine has never died from the P2135 code. The worst is it will eventually go into severe limp mode. If you have a shifting problem too then both might be related to PCM software being out of date. AI told me that the P2135 code might be due to out of date software and that Ford did address issues with the P2135 code through a software update. I will probably do a software update soon if one is available for the 2010 models.

Edit:
The P2135 code exists due to Ford switching to controlling the throttle body by electronics instead of mechanical controls. To keep from having runaway acceleration, they added software monitoring, through the TPS and accelerator pedal sensor, to put the vehicle in severe limp mode when these two sensor reading are out of sync. I haven't seen where this code pops up on other Ford models like it does with 4th gen Explorers and Mountaineers. Personally, I think there is a glitch in Ford's software for this gen Explorers and Mountaineers which is why I think a software update might be a fix.

 

[peterk9]

Thank you! That was the same problem at the shop. They would go out and start the car...no warning lights. The other issue is it appears to shift into first awkwardly when both lights on.

How can I switch to the suggested Forum? Thank you!

Just click on the link in my post.

Peter