6 weeks in a garage for loss of power

[UK 4.0 Explorer]

Hi, I have searched nearly everywhere for an answer with no success and hope that there is an expert on here with the simplest of answers.... here goes:
1999 UK Spec 4.0 (face lift north face model) AUTO.
35000 miles.... only just run in! (genuine miles, family have had the car since new).
Was running perfectly, until 6 weeeks ago when it just died pulling off the motorway at about 70mph.
Engine management light came on.
The engine starts as sweet as new, revs reluctantly, but you can get it up to 5000 if you do it a bit at a time. it pops and bangs at 5000 but only a misfire, nothing too noisy.
Put it in gear.... push throttle.... dead.
Put it in gear, ease throttle about 1% and it will sneak upto about 10mph. if you over throttle it, it will die, no chance of easing off and recovering.

Sort of seems to run on 3 cylinders (one side) as its revved with no power at all once in gear.
Local Garage (non ford) thought Catalytic converter had colapsed choking half the engine.... tried removing cat it and its not that.

3 engine codes....
p0743 TCC system electrical failure,
p0750 Shift solonoid no1 failure and
p1747 EPC solonoid short circuit.
All reset.

Garage has had the car 6 weeks now and is about sick of it. Im stuck too.

There is also an air sucking noise as though the air pipe has a hole in or the air intake is partially blocked.... the garage has smoke tested the inlet system and they say its fine no holes, no blockage.
Local garage is about to drop back to basics and try coil, leads, spark plugs next... but as it died like hitting a switch i cant see it being those. It runs so well at tick over that you wouldnt know it had a fault!
Please help. Garage dont even consider the only idea i have found online,by typing "explorer loss power air suction noise" into goocle then hitting page 176 or something like that..... the rear timing cassette loose. They think im mad.
ANY ideas would be welcomed. and i am very sorry if this has been answered, but i have looked... for 6 weeks.

 

[Ilikemice]

Sounds exactly what happened to mine when I forgot to put one of the vac pipes back on the inlet pipe from the air box. It idled beautifully but any throttle in gear and it'd die.

I had no engine management light though.

 

[chrisquelch]

have they checked the fuel pressure. if the pressure is low would run fine at tick over but not have enough fuel when under load. cheers chris

 

[kevin p]

If it died suddenly, I would think it is electrical rather than mechanical.
The Haynes manual describes how to check resistances/voltages on majority of the sensors.

The codes you mention seem to relate to the gearbox. If something is wrong there, perhaps its stopping the engine revving to prevent further damage. [doubtful].

I would check throttle potentiometer values first because it controls engine and gearbox.

Good luck.

Kev.

 

[n2epv]

I agree with Kevin, it's an electrical fault and not mechanical. I got a Lincoln cheap a few years ago which had the same exact symptoms (a V8, but same engine management system). Turned out to be a trashed MAF sensor.

I don't remember if it had a 'check engine' light or not - I was too frightened trying to drive it across town in traffic to remember. The only way to get it to move without stalling was to push the gas petal very slowly. And when it did move, there was a popping noise and a loud air suction sound. The previous owner had the cat's replaced and he said that it didn't help at all. I believe the bad MAF sensor fooled the computer into not injecting enough gas - thus the popping and loud sucking sounds. 18 months later, it's still running great without any other repairs.

 

[janolsson]

Sounds like tranny problem ie the shift solenoid and epc codes.
The problem with power could be a kind of limp mode. Check the tranny fluid level and condition and all the fuses associated with the tranny. Also have a look at all the connectors on the tranny and the connectors for the tranny loom at the rear of the engine (Go in thro the wheel archs).
There is a tranny section in the US part of the site and the guys there may have more of an idea what those codes point to. But my guess as its 2 solenoids is that its a control/elec prob.

EDIT: Just did a bit of reading and found this. Look at your codes and the symptoms. The 1747 code limits engine torque!!!
http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/muddyford/2008-12-19_013359_1121.pdf

 

[fast_dave]

UK 4.0 Explorer -

OK - I re-read your post.

You have a SHOC Engine that was RUNNING and then SUDDENLY went south.....

OK - Those SOHC engines are notorious for having a number of plastic cassette timing chain tensioners that get brittle with AGE (not mileage dependent). So although your X has low miles - the plastic parts, due to AGE, get brittle.

The plastic chain tensioner cassettes have a tendency to self destruct w/o warning, thrrowing off the camshaft/engine timing. Usually, after one explodes, you find white plastic bits in the bottom of the oil pan (or the oil that has been drained from the pan).

I'd have a mechanic that is competant with the nuances of that particular engine check out the plastic cassette tensioners.

Report back and HTH!
fast_dave

 

[janolsson]

Hey fast_dave
With the guides disintegrating there is an accompanied rattle. I would be surprised if a guide broke then the timing jumped a tooth (tho could be possible under engine braking). Also the OP says it starts fine and idles ok so if a guide had broken and jumped a tooth then it would idle rough.
This thought process coupled with the codes leads me to look at the tranny controls. But i only really have mechanical experience on the explorer on the engine so i could easily be way off mark lol

 

[SB98UKexplorer]

maybe try ron 98 with red ex and give it a good motorway run, it sounds if it could be electrical, maybe check all your earth straps, clean the contacts on the battery terminals.

 

[briwayjones]

I would post in the regular 2nd gen section, you will probably get more responses from people with a lot of experience there.

 

[Explorer Junky]

IAC? Coil pack? Wire burnt or shorting? Sometimes its the easy fix.

 

[JCat]

Clue - Happened while decelerating.

My guess: Timing Chain

What are the compression readings in each cylinder?

 

[janolsson]

Clue - Happened while decelerating.

My guess: Timing Chain

What are the compression readings in each cylinder?

whilst decelerating the tranny will try to down shift and had heck the fluid condition and level. flush if burnt and remove the battery for 10 mins to clear the codes. I would still do a visual inspection of the harness and connectors. Also look at the solenoid covers for fluid leaks. As it idles without rattle and smooth i'm convinced it's tranny related.
Regads

 

[briwayjones]

I'm not greatly knowledgeable but based on my past experience it sounds like a vacuum leak to me.

 

[jcasey007]

reading through the initial post even when stationary and reving it does not do it cleanly so does not sound like transmission related.

my money is on loss of vacum or low fuel pressure. You have to assume the local garage has tested each component in a methodical way.

cheers

jim

 

[briwayjones]

Hopefully the garage would find a vacuum leak. However I took mine to a local mechanic my dad recommended for a check engine light and he couldn't find anything wrong. He supposedly did vacuum tests. I then took it to my mechanic who has a lot of experience with Explorers and he found it had a bad lower intake gasket. So all mechanics definitely aren't equal.

 

[mrboyle]

Odd the shop didn't find a vacuum leak when they smoke tested it, as that would be the first thing I would suspect with the discription of what happened. I'd also recomend checking the MAF and make sure it is clean.

 

[Aspire]

Have you checked the fuel filler pipe, is this corroded and has it let water / mud into the petrol tank as mine did this and would tick over and sound like it was running in 3 cylinders its a very easy check and at least then you know the petrol is right!

 

[regorsmith]

I had a similar problem on my ex.
No power, would tick over lovely then die as soon as the throttle was put down. With my ex i went the route of the EGR as this allows exhaust gases into the plenum chamber to be recombusted and keep the emmisions down.
I checked the EGR valve, just unbolt it and suck on the top to see the diaphram moves up and down. Then check the EGR solenoid is clicking on/off and the vacuum pipes from the EGR solenoid, little black plastic unit at the rear of the left hand rocker cover; not the side with the coil pack, are not broken as they become quite brittle with time. Also make sure they are not disconnected.
The next peice to look at is the DPFE sensor.
It's on the opposite side to the coil pack and is mounted in the middle of the rocker cover.
It's a black plasticv, metal on some models, with two pipes that come off and connect to the EGR pipework.
This controls the amount of exhaust allowed into the plenum via the EGR valve and EGR solenoid. It sends a signal, i think its a variable 5v, to the ECM that in turn opens or closes the atcivates the EGR solenoid and valve.,
If this has gone south, then it's likely that you'll be pulling in more exhaust gas than air into the plenum chamber.
I changed DPFE sensor, thanks ChrisQ, and it's run perfect ever since.
Worth a look, as mine lead me down the path for weeks...

 

[UK 4.0 Explorer]

Well.... it went to a gearbox specialist, and apparently it was a spring and a solenoid in the auto gearbox. I can pick it up tomorrow. Wasnt cheap and took 7 weeks, but if i had let the mechanic at the garage go with the reported transmission codes it would have been half the price. Thanks for all the advice. as you can tell from the different options it was never going to be obvious... apart from the obvious ford codes... why the hell would a gearbox cause an engine to run badly in neutral?
And to those who said transmision, maybe I should have listened sooner, but if I listend to the timing chain theory, it would have been engine out to check the back cassette, £800 and no fix. I was never paying for that done, hence most of the delay.
Thanks all x..