metal4life
Member
- Joined
- December 22, 2011
- Messages
- 20
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Idaho
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1996 Ford Explorer Sport
Sorry, this is gonna be lengthly, but the more details the better right?
I've had this truck for almost a year now with 198,000 miles and manual trans, and everything works great, save for it's one, lingering issue. When I bought it it had failed emissions because of a P0304 and another code I can't remember. Basically O2 sensor and cyl 4 misfire. Previous owner claimed to have replaced the fuel filter once if not twice prior.
I replaced the O2 sensor, and took it to the dealer for the misfire where they replaced the filter once more as well as a bad spark plug. Got rid of the codes....for awhile. Since then I've seen a P0171 and P0174 for both banks too lean, which I cleared and I haven't seen since. So there are NO trouble codes as of today.
I should add that on cold mornings first starting up, occasionally she wouldn't get fuel...as in the fuel rail Schreader valve would be bone dry with ignition "on", which is why I suspect a fuel pump issue as when it happened I couldn't even hear the typical buzz. So I'll be replacing that soon anyway.
Yesterday I did tear into the intake and clean out the carbon from the throttle body, IAC valve and MAF sensor, and it ran fine yesterday when I test drove it and flogged it a bit to clear out the crap, and started fine this morning, however once I put it in gear and tried to move her, it was a struggle keeping her running and she didn't wanna rev above 1800 or so regardless of gear.
It seemed like the more gas I'd try and give it, the more it'd choke it, almost like a throttle position sensor. And then sparatically, magically, it'd rev normally for a minute, then try and choke itself again once under load.
I'm gonna take it to the dealer as soon as she flat out won't start, as they said if it's a fuel issue, there's not much point in a diag if it's running...basically gotta wait till it DOESN'T have fuel to troubleshoot.
I did the best visual inspection I could with my knowledge of engines and wiring and couldn't find a single burnt wire or vacuum leak or clogged filter, everything looks and sounds EXTREMELY good for a 16 year old truck. The last owner took very good care of it. She doesn't appear to be burning any oil or losing coolant in any way that I could see and there are no significant smells or exhaust colors that I could tell. I also ran some Seafoam through the engine last winter when it was acting up in the brake booster line, oil, and fuel.
I also noticed when it was warmer, a couple times it'd cut out a bit trying to climb a grade at 55-65, 3000-4000RPM in 4th gear...but rarely. And she still gets OK mileage, around 20ish mpg, though I was told it was closer to 23 when running right.
Any suggestions? Have you had similar problems? How were they resolved? I know there's an ASE 25 year mechanic somewhere on these forums that probably could pinpoint the issue in 5 minutes lol. I kinda feel like the dealer service manager/techs isn't/aren't the most educated/experienced on these millions of old Explorers.
I've had this truck for almost a year now with 198,000 miles and manual trans, and everything works great, save for it's one, lingering issue. When I bought it it had failed emissions because of a P0304 and another code I can't remember. Basically O2 sensor and cyl 4 misfire. Previous owner claimed to have replaced the fuel filter once if not twice prior.
I replaced the O2 sensor, and took it to the dealer for the misfire where they replaced the filter once more as well as a bad spark plug. Got rid of the codes....for awhile. Since then I've seen a P0171 and P0174 for both banks too lean, which I cleared and I haven't seen since. So there are NO trouble codes as of today.
I should add that on cold mornings first starting up, occasionally she wouldn't get fuel...as in the fuel rail Schreader valve would be bone dry with ignition "on", which is why I suspect a fuel pump issue as when it happened I couldn't even hear the typical buzz. So I'll be replacing that soon anyway.
Yesterday I did tear into the intake and clean out the carbon from the throttle body, IAC valve and MAF sensor, and it ran fine yesterday when I test drove it and flogged it a bit to clear out the crap, and started fine this morning, however once I put it in gear and tried to move her, it was a struggle keeping her running and she didn't wanna rev above 1800 or so regardless of gear.
It seemed like the more gas I'd try and give it, the more it'd choke it, almost like a throttle position sensor. And then sparatically, magically, it'd rev normally for a minute, then try and choke itself again once under load.
I'm gonna take it to the dealer as soon as she flat out won't start, as they said if it's a fuel issue, there's not much point in a diag if it's running...basically gotta wait till it DOESN'T have fuel to troubleshoot.
I did the best visual inspection I could with my knowledge of engines and wiring and couldn't find a single burnt wire or vacuum leak or clogged filter, everything looks and sounds EXTREMELY good for a 16 year old truck. The last owner took very good care of it. She doesn't appear to be burning any oil or losing coolant in any way that I could see and there are no significant smells or exhaust colors that I could tell. I also ran some Seafoam through the engine last winter when it was acting up in the brake booster line, oil, and fuel.
I also noticed when it was warmer, a couple times it'd cut out a bit trying to climb a grade at 55-65, 3000-4000RPM in 4th gear...but rarely. And she still gets OK mileage, around 20ish mpg, though I was told it was closer to 23 when running right.
Any suggestions? Have you had similar problems? How were they resolved? I know there's an ASE 25 year mechanic somewhere on these forums that probably could pinpoint the issue in 5 minutes lol. I kinda feel like the dealer service manager/techs isn't/aren't the most educated/experienced on these millions of old Explorers.
