EGR Valve

[sbdsteve]

Hi Folks

I'm having gas milage and PING problems with '92. After reading the articles at this forum l'm going to try out some of the thing that were stated. However, with all the shop manuals i have on my explorer, i cannot locate the EGR valve. Does anyone know were it is located? If you have a diagram please e-mail a copy.

Thanks
sbdsteve@msn.com

 

[Eneurb]

You probably don't have an EGR valve. Not all early first gen. had them.

 

[Robb]

Your '92 doesn't have an EGR Valve. They didn't pop up in Explorers until mid-'93.

 

[410Fortune]

Bam! nailed it right on the head.
You do however have a single 02 sensor and a MAP sensor on that there 92

 

[sbdsteve]

Thanks guy's. Now it makes sense. Even the dealer could not find one on the truck or print a diagram on its location. OK, any ideas on what to do about my poor gas milage and my engine "PING".

 

[monkeydude3]

well.... what gas are you running in there? anything above regular from what I know actually is bad for the early explorers. How are your plugs and wires? Any recent tuneups of any kind?

 

[MrShorty]

Various problems that cause ping on the early 4.0. Carbon buildup in the cylinders, dirty MAF, and loose lower intake bolts seem to be the most common. It's a common topic, and been discussed many times. Try looking at Singleton's site (link in useful threads forum) as he's got some good information in there.

 

[prozachappy]

I had really bad ping for a number of years. As long as I ran 89 or higher..it was fine. Tried seafoam, FI flush, intake cleaners, etc. Quick fix, but ping always came back and so I just got use to running 89 all the time.
Finally got around to changing fuel injectors over the holidays. There was a good 1/8" of carbon build-up from the upper intake on down!!! Scraped it all out, put in the new injectors, and now...no more PING !!! I'm back to running 87 now and haven't had any more Ping. Just something to think about

 

[Kevin Kuiper]

OK, Well I am Looking for the Same thing?? Can any one Send Me or tell me were to Find it on My 96 V-8??? My Manual says Nothing...

Thanks All!!!

Kevin

 

[sbdsteve]

I’m running 93’ octane gas now. At first 93’ helped but after a while, the PING returned. Plugs are platinum for 7000 miles. Wires, 15000 miles on it. Also have K&N filter. I run 10/30 synthetic blend oil changed at 3000 miles. I also add in a bottle of Gumout gas treatment. My mileage right now is 200 miles on a full tank (10 mpg).

So what you folks are saying is;
Clean the MAF
Clean the throttle body
Change the O2 sensor
Reset the computer

If this doesn’t work, try tightening the intake bolts and final step is to change the injectors.

Prozachappy; did you take off the intake in order to clean the carbon? Is the intake water cooled?

 

[prozachappy]

Prozachappy; did you take off the intake in order to clean the carbon?

Steve, I removed the TB, upper intake, and fuel rail. Left the lower intake on, just retorqued the lower bolts. As far as cleaning out the carbon build-up...the upper intake and TB both received a scrub down w/ degreaser and brush. For the lower intake ports what I did was stuff a rag down in each port, sprayed and scraped the inner walls...then took the shop vac and sucked all the debree out before removing the rags.
If your running 93 and still getting ping...you need to get it fixed before you do some real damage. Next to running an engine without oil...there is nothing worse than engine detonation. Especially if it last more than a second or two.
Since you don't have an EGR valve the next thing I'd try is plugs and wires along with the things you listed.

Here found this on another site:

Pinging is like... taking a cutting torch to your combustion chamber. Your engine can stand anywhere from less than one second to perhaps minute of pinging before it suffers permanent and serious damage, depending on conditions. Anything that will raise temperatures in the cylinder will help promote detonation.
This rise in temperature could occur many different ways: very lean air/fuel ratios, heating of the charge air prior to entering the combustion chamber, compression of the air molecules from forced induction. Increase of cylinder pressure will also prompt detonation. Naturally, spark timing and fuel quality round off the list.

The hotter your engine is, the more likely your engine is to ping. The farther your timing is advanced, the more likely your engine is to ping. The higher your compression ratio is, the more likely your engine is to ping. The lower the octane of gas you use, the more likely your engine is to ping.
SOLUTIONS

Check/replace the EGR valve
Replace the spark plug wires
Change to cooler spark plugs
Replace a leaking intake manifold
Use fuel system cleaner
Change O2 sensors

If none of this helps...then I'd replace your injectors. Don't know how many miles you have on your X, but injectors normally last between 150-175K...after that your just spinning your wheels w/fuel cleaner quick fixes.
If your only getting like 10mpg then you have some issues. I'd def try the O2 sensor first.
FYI: when I did change the injectors...not only did it eliminate ping and allow me to go back to 87...but I went from about 13hwy/mpg to about16-17hwy/mpg.
Good luck...keep us posted. Jason

 

[sbdsteve]

Hi Folks

Well, I performed the following;

Cleaned the MAF sensor (when I removed it for cleaning it looked new, not a spot of dirt on it.)
Tightened the lower intake manifold nuts & bolts. They were so loose; I was able to turn some of them by hand.
Cleaned the throttle body
Filled the tank with 87' octane (I was using 93’)
Reset the computer

So far with 10 miles on the clock for the computer reset, the "PING" continues. For those who may wonder, I have 92,000 miles on the truck. Next I will do the following;

Change the O2
Clean the motor for carbon deposits according to the suggestion made at Singleton's forum.
Change the plugs to the standard brand (not Platinum)
Change wires.

After this I am lost.

 

[sbdsteve]

Hi Folks

I need advice what to do here. With all the work I’ve done to the truck so far my 92 Explorer still PINGS. So far I;

Retorqued the lower intake manifold according to spec’s.
Cleaned the throttle body.
Filled the tank with 87' octane
Cleaned the MAF sensor
Changed the plugs
Changed the Wires
I used 2 cans of Seaform (according to directions)
I used 1 can of Deep Creep
Reset the computer

So far The truck still ‘PINGS’, less than before but still PINGS. This is driving me nuts. I cannot believe the geniuses at Ford, developed a motor like this that does not have an EGR valve or a knock sensor. Its enough say I will never buy another Ford product again (except for the Mustang). The last thing I’m going to do is change the O2 sensor.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

 

[MrShorty]

You've mostly covered the common causes and fixes. Basically, assuming the cylinders are free of carbon (there are some who claim the only way to properly decarbon a cylinder is to pull the heads and scrape it out with a razor blade), ping is caused by the engine running a little lean. So here are more ideas:

1) Sometimes, just torquing the lower intake manifold isn't good enough. The gasket is so far gone that it needs to be replaced.
2) Any other vacuum or air intake leak? Doesn't necessarily have to be a large leak, so it will take some effort to find.
3) I've heard of cases where the fuel injectors needed a good cleaning. They may have to be removed to clean them well (best done in conjunction with replacing lower intake manifold gasket, since they are together on the engine).
4) Most sensors have an effect on fuel mixture. The first thing I would do in checking sensor is perform the self-tests (aka pull codes see tests at www.dalidesign.com/hbook/eectest.html). The EEC-IV system isn't perfect at detecting bad sensors, but it's still the best place to start. If you get all pass codes, then you can work on sensors one at a time from there.
That should give you some more stuff to do, though it isn't as easy as the common fixes for ping.

One other thought. This all assumes that what you are hearing is, in fact, engine ping. The 4.0 OHV is also prone to other noises that an inexperienced person (I don't know your level of experience) could confuse with ping. Piston slap (which is supposed to be harmless) as well as lifter noises are pretty common. Just wanted to mention that, take it or leave it. As long as you call it ping, I'm going to assume you can tell the difference, but if you're uncertain... just a thought.

I find it interesting that you singled out the Mustang. I don't know all the specifics over the years, but it seems that the Mustang has often shared many of the same drivetrain components as Ranger based vehicles like the Explorer. Those that I know of: Didn't Mustangs use (with modification), the same 5.0 V8, the same transmissions ( the A4Ld I'm pretty sure was in Mustangs), the 8.8 and 7.5 rear axles, the little 2.3 L 4 cylinder, the 4.0 SOHC, the new 4.6 V8? I'm not real sure on some of these, but it seems that, on occasion, someone will ask about swapping diff parts, or ,"what modifications for a Mustang engine will fit the Explorer variant of the same engine."

Anyway, let us know how it goes.

 

[sbdsteve]

Hey MrShorty, thanks for your response. In my earlier days I was an auto mechanic so yes I know the difference between a piston slap, lifter tick, bearing knock and of course the ‘PING’. This is a ‘PING’ for sure. After reading all the responses at this forum on the ‘PING’ problems with the 91’ – 94’ 4.0L OHV engines, I did not realize that the lower intake was a main cause of vacuum leak into the piston chamber. I have checked all the vacuum hoses for cracks or for holes and all is good.

With all the cars I have owned and worked on this is the first time I’ve see an engine when the intake gets loose by itself. This goes along with the loose valve covers leaking all over the place. I guess Ford had a better idea with this truck. I also found it very useful that folks at this forum pointed to cylinder #5 as the first place to look. When I changed the plugs, they all came out clean except for #5. The carbon and oil deposit on the plug was very evident. So I did as everyone suggested in this forum. The last thing I did is change the O2. I went as far as re-torque the intake again and found that it indeed needed to be re-torque again. This tells me the intake gasket is reseating again. I also notice my oil consumption is dramatically reduced. At this rate I will not have to add oil between normal change intervals.

The issue I have is Carbon. Based on the sounds I’m hearing, it’s coming from one piston chamber. Of course this had to be #5. One thing I should tell you is my Ping problem has been reduced because I am over-dosing the truck with Seafoam. I’ve also been using Gumout and Deep Creep directly into the TB. Doing this is helping a lot. My PING sounds used to start at 30 MPH and up. Now I don’t start hearing it until 60 MPH. So it is getting better. Also what seems to be working is this procedure.

Find a curved end thin vacuum hose about 12-18” long.
Remove the #5 plug.
Place the hose into the piston chamber thru the spark plug hole.
Feel for the top of the piston
Spray Deep Creep onto the top of the piston (not too much)
Turn the hose around and feel for the intake/exhaust valves.
Spray Deep Creep again onto the valves (again not too much)
Let it sit for 5-10 minutes at the same time clean and replace the plug.
Start the engine and spray Deep Creep into the TB.

By following this procedure I have experienced a big difference with the ‘PING’ problem. I will continue to do this until the noise is gone and I can cleanly run on regular gas again. The last thing I want to do is take the head off to clean Carbon.

The Mustang is one of my idol cars since it was first produced like the Vette. And yes the Mustang does share components with the explorer, but not from the 91’- 94’ model years. The Mustang never had the 4.0L OHV engine. The engine was designed for the truck series only. Today, it does share many components because Ford like many other companies use the same parts bin.

My point was this. Ford has been building cars, trucks and engines for 100 years. I can’t believe the engineers in there designs and testing did not find these problems before they massed produced this engine. This is just some of the reasons why Americans are buying Japanese and German vehicles. With today’s technical knowledge, the American car companies should never have produced this engine. With today’s knowledge, The American vehicles should be bug free when they are rolled off the assembly line. If this trend continues as it has been for 20-30 years, Americans will continue to look overseas for reliable and durable vehicles.

 

[mrregina]

1994 Ford Explorer 4.0L OHV engine ping on acceleration

Hello,

I own a 1994 Ford Explorer XLT with a 4.0L OHV engine. The vehicle has 140,000 kms on it and for about 40,000 kms, I have noticed a ping in the engine when I accelerate on the highway. Once I get up to cruising speed, it goes away. It does not ping all the time, only on hard acceleration or when going up a hill. Basically only when the vehicle is under a load. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

 

[MrShorty]

mrregina: not sure if you are looking for something different, but your situation is the typical 4.0 engine ping that we started with here, and I would suggest the exact same things suggested to sbdsteve. If those things fail to bring about improvement, then come back with what you've tried and haven't tried and we'll go from there.

 

[mrregina]

hey mrshorty,

I decided to try the Induction flush kit Ford has to rectify the problem tomorrow. I am also going to retorque my lower intake bolts tomorrow at my shop ( I am a mechanic). I was also suggested to replace my fuel filter in case it is a little plugged and restricting fuel supply. Being a mechanic, I should have realized the obvious problems but I owned other Fords with the same problem and most of the time it was the timing chain or lifter noise. But I have another question that purtains to my ABS system. This problem only happens in the summer during very hot days and extensive driving. My ABS light will come on and stay on. When I scan the codes, I get a code 67 ( I think) which is telling me the ABS motor has failed and the ABS system stops functioning. But after letting the engine cool down or after 3 consecutive starts, the light stays off. The code stays in memory but everything works properly. When it is cold out like it is here in Canada right now, the ABS light stays off and does not come on at all. I noticed that the ABS motor is positioned right near the radiator so I figured it has to do with to much heat getting to it and overheating the motor. I checked all wire connections as well as sensors on the front and the one on the diff. but cannot find a problem. If it were a sensor then I would get a corresponding code but I do not. I also flushed and changed the brake fluid to a higher DOT spec as per Wagner's (Brake manufacturer) suggestion but that did not work either. I called Ford and they told me that they have not heard of the problem before. I was told to reposition the motor but there really is nowhere else to put it. So I am stumped. Has anyone else had this problem???