njones1220
Member
- Joined
- February 19, 2013
- Messages
- 25
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1998 Explorer
I love my truck. I got it for a great deal from a horrible person who never took care of it. She was a young single woman who was the original owner from 1998-2012, so I didn't expect a flawless ride by any means. I have put in a whole lot more money than I ever would have wanted to, but I love the damn thing and refuse to be defeated.
I don't go to mechanics, because I can do all the work myself once I know the cause of the problem. With that being said, I am tired of chasing my tail and throwing money into this damn thing trying to find the cause of the problem.
To start, it is a 1998 Explorer XLT OHV 4.0. It runs like crap. When idling, the RPMs will hold steady for the most part, but every 15-20 seconds or so, they drop just a hair for a very short time. By short, I mean about a second, and they're right back to normal. When I drive, it starts to stutter a little bit (a lot more if I try to give it too much gas) it struggles a lot going uphill, and it seems like it just takes a really long time most days getting up to speed. And the gas mileage is so terrible I was starting to wonder if my gas was being siphoned.
If I try to give it too much gas all at once, it struggles badly, and the CEL will flash for about 15 seconds, then go back to solid. Starting yesterday, it has now taken on a new symptom. When I hit 35mph, it will start to vibrate. Not a fast vibration either, it'll feel like it would if you were driving and a crowd of people started rocking your truck. A lot of people like to tell me it's the wheels. It's not the wheels. As of last week, they have new hubs, a whole matching set of brand new Goodyear Wranglers, and freshly balanced. Not a wheel problem. Also, I'm not even sure if all these symptoms are even related.
That being said, here is everything I've replaced in the last 30 days. I replaced all of these with brand new parts.
- Fuel Filter
- MAF Sensor
- Ignition Coil
- Battery
- DPFE Sensor And Hoses
- O2 Sensors
- Spark Plugs And Wires
- Tires
- Hubs
- IAC Valve
Honestly, there might be more I've done, but I don't feel like pulling out a pile of receipts right now. I also purchased a new EGR valve, but can't for the life of me get the compression nut off, and have roughly 4-6 inches of room to even get any dookie on a wrench. It just will not move. PB Blaster was useless in assisting me with this. With all that, I still have 5 codes being thrown at me. They are as follows.......
P0135
P0305
P0171
P0174
P1401
Anyone here with experience with these problems have any idea what I could do that I already haven't done? I have new gaskets I haven't put in the manifold yet because it's too damn cold, but I'm sure that isn't the cause of these codes. I need help badly, my truck drives like it's gonna fall apart and die at any minute.
I don't go to mechanics, because I can do all the work myself once I know the cause of the problem. With that being said, I am tired of chasing my tail and throwing money into this damn thing trying to find the cause of the problem.
To start, it is a 1998 Explorer XLT OHV 4.0. It runs like crap. When idling, the RPMs will hold steady for the most part, but every 15-20 seconds or so, they drop just a hair for a very short time. By short, I mean about a second, and they're right back to normal. When I drive, it starts to stutter a little bit (a lot more if I try to give it too much gas) it struggles a lot going uphill, and it seems like it just takes a really long time most days getting up to speed. And the gas mileage is so terrible I was starting to wonder if my gas was being siphoned.
If I try to give it too much gas all at once, it struggles badly, and the CEL will flash for about 15 seconds, then go back to solid. Starting yesterday, it has now taken on a new symptom. When I hit 35mph, it will start to vibrate. Not a fast vibration either, it'll feel like it would if you were driving and a crowd of people started rocking your truck. A lot of people like to tell me it's the wheels. It's not the wheels. As of last week, they have new hubs, a whole matching set of brand new Goodyear Wranglers, and freshly balanced. Not a wheel problem. Also, I'm not even sure if all these symptoms are even related.
That being said, here is everything I've replaced in the last 30 days. I replaced all of these with brand new parts.
- Fuel Filter
- MAF Sensor
- Ignition Coil
- Battery
- DPFE Sensor And Hoses
- O2 Sensors
- Spark Plugs And Wires
- Tires
- Hubs
- IAC Valve
Honestly, there might be more I've done, but I don't feel like pulling out a pile of receipts right now. I also purchased a new EGR valve, but can't for the life of me get the compression nut off, and have roughly 4-6 inches of room to even get any dookie on a wrench. It just will not move. PB Blaster was useless in assisting me with this. With all that, I still have 5 codes being thrown at me. They are as follows.......
P0135
P0305
P0171
P0174
P1401
Anyone here with experience with these problems have any idea what I could do that I already haven't done? I have new gaskets I haven't put in the manifold yet because it's too damn cold, but I'm sure that isn't the cause of these codes. I need help badly, my truck drives like it's gonna fall apart and die at any minute.
