Absolutely AMAZING! - Rough Idle Issue on 5th Gens

[beauboy]

I just can't believe it! I've searched about 20 different posts on 20 pages in the 2011-2019 5th Gen forum on this Rough Idle issue. Everyone is complaining about it but no one seems to have gotten it fixed, except for O with his Ford Edge (he replaced his purge valve).

Everyone else just complains and says they'll go to the dealer, but evidently nothing has been discovered or fixed because there are no resolution posts after that.

Should we just trash the 5th gen Explorers and move on to another model or make? I don't know.

Sorry about the rant. Guess I'm going to the dealership like everyone else.

 

[Turdle]

I just can't believe it! I've searched about 20 different posts on 20 pages in the 2011-2019 5th Gen forum on this Rough Idle issue. Everyone is complaining about it but no one seems to have gotten it fixed, except for O with his Ford Edge (he replaced his purge valve).

Everyone else just complains and says they'll go to the dealer, but evidently nothing has been discovered or fixed because there are no resolution posts after that.

Should we just trash the 5th gen Explorers and move on to another model or make? I don't know.

Sorry about the rant. Guess I'm going to the dealership like everyone else.

Have you replaced spark plugs?

 

[peterk9]

I just can't believe it! I've searched about 20 different posts on 20 pages in the 2011-2019 5th Gen forum on this Rough Idle issue. Everyone is complaining about it but no one seems to have gotten it fixed, except for O with his Ford Edge (he replaced his purge valve).

Everyone else just complains and says they'll go to the dealer, but evidently nothing has been discovered or fixed because there are no resolution posts after that.

Should we just trash the 5th gen Explorers and move on to another model or make? I don't know.

Sorry about the rant. Guess I'm going to the dealership like everyone else.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for members to say they are going to the dealer to have an issue checked out and then not following up on their initial post.

Peter

 

[Sparkn]

You haven't really said what you have or what you've done. Have you even tried to recalibrate the throttle body yet? How many miles on the spark plugs? Are you getting low battery warnings on the dash before starting and after stopping the engine?

 

[beauboy]

Sorry Spark. I didn't. In a previous thread I detailed all that I've done so far. I'll summarize here:
- Cleaned throttle body
- Replaced Purge valve
- Cleaned MAF sensor
- Recalibrated throttle body

I haven't done the spark plugs or coil packs because when the AC is turned off, it idles perfectly. Only when the AC is on does it idle rough and threatens to stall (RPM drops to around <500 RPM).
Although, I did buy the truck used and looking through the previous maintenance logs, the plugs and coils have never been changed. I'll do that next whether it has anything to do with this issue or not.

Other than that, I'm at my wit's end.

Beauboy

 

[Sparkn]

Ah, OK. I see you haven't checked the PCV yet. If you find it's bad, that's a pain. I had to get the plastic very hot to slip it out of the hose. If it's ignition, it'll show up on FORScan. It won't throw a code until 5%, but you'll start feeling problems between 2-3% when you apply heavier throttle.

 

[beauboy]

No, I haven't replaced the PCV valve yet. But at only $7, I'll replace that 1st thing tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Sparkn]

Never heard of this causing a problem like that before, but at least one person had a transmission mount issue that cured a bad idle when repaired. 2015 3.5L XLT with Rough Idle - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Before I traded mine '13 in, it would rattle at low rpms and dip and recover at stop lights. I drove it like that for 30,000 miles. Even after replacing the chains, guides, water pump, oil pump, phases, etc. as part of a refresh the behavior continued. Last thing I ever replaced on that was a failing fuel pump and it did nothing to to cure the problem.

You may have to hook up FORScan and do some digging for yourself. '13 isn't too bad for tracking live engine data.

As a side note to the mods: I keep getting a message saying my email can't be verified and my ability to post ability is getting turned off. I've checked and retyped my email. It is correct and working. I don't know what the software is looking for.

 

[FordFlintrock]

I just can't believe it! I've searched about 20 different posts on 20 pages in the 2011-2019 5th Gen forum on this Rough Idle issue. Everyone is complaining about it but no one seems to have gotten it fixed, except for O with his Ford Edge (he replaced his purge valve).

Twenty pages out of 500,000 or more units sold does not sound like a common issue to me. But what do I know? What have you done to diagnose the issue?

 

[BrettS.]

Start with new plugs. Coils should be fine. How old are O2 sensors. Could be getting lazy and slow switching. Next monitor your data. You have rough idle under load. Watch the live data. What does your O2 sensors, fuel trims, misfires, idle rpm, vacuum, etc. That will narrow it down if it's mechanical or engine/trans mounts. Also check for a vacuum leak. My best guess is old spark plugs or a vac leak. But I wouldn't rule out O2 sensors or fuel injector until I did some diagnostic work. But I wouldn't be looking there without other symptoms as well.

 

[beauboy]

Thanks to everyone for their input. As an update, I replaced the spark plugs and coils as Turtle suggested, and replaced the PCV as Spark suggested. This seemed to fix the occasional dip in RPM when idling. Still idles around 600 RPM, which I think is a little low, but I can live with that. I went ahead and replaced the coils since I couldn't find anywhere in the service history where they had been replaced before. Needless to say, it went without a hitch. I may or may not investigate my O2 sensors, but for now, I'm fairly happy with the performance.

Again, thanks to all for your inputs. I'm a lot smarter now about my ride.

r/ Beauboy