Engine Bogging

[keithisg]

Okay so I started to notice a problem recently after wheeling a little bit the other day.

I had been flooring it and keeping the rpms high, then when i was finished i went to leave the area and if i punch the throttle i get no response just engine bogging. I already have HORRIBLE throttle response and just a general lack of launch.

It happened to me again today, after hitting a little mud hole and cutting a donut I went to drive away and my engine started bogging again when i punched the accelerator.

Any ideas as to what this could be? I didnt start noticing the problem until that time i was wheeling and after I changed the engine to Castrol Syntentic High Mileage that very same day. I have no clue what it was running before since this is the first oil change since I've owned it, maybe that has somethign to do with it.


While I'm on the subject my transmission is acting weird or maybe just weird for me. 1st ALWAYS runs to about 4k rpms then shifts quickly into 2nd and 3rd, then runs up to about 2.5k and shifts into a real low fourth about 1.5k@55mph with me doing the least acceleration possible. Is this just how explorers are? because my moms explorer a 2001 X 4.0 2wd will shift at about 2k every time, but she also putts it around.

 

[walterd140]

How sealed is the exhaust system? Wonder if water is getting in

 

[keithisg]

That could possibly be it, I think it might have rubbed on some dirt and stuff going up some steep little hills.

Would that affect engine performance if an exhaust pipe was compromised?

I wanted to put a whole new system from the headers down anyways so that will be like killing two birds with one stone if that is the cause.

 

[walterd140]

water in the exhaust will do what you say. My system is not the best & when I hit a deep puddle it will bog down. Sometimes the 'Check Engine Light' comes on for a mile or so.

Just saying the odds that EVERY time you hit water does bad things...... does it make sense? Can I get a confirm on this?

 

[keithisg]

That would make perfect sense, I was thinking about it and I never knew that water getting in the exhaust could be a problem. Thanks I'm going to inspect my exhaust to check for some leaks or somewhere that water could enter.

 

[keithisg]

For anyone who cares I found this on here, it might help some of you, im going to try it today and see if my bogging improves, because I've had lots of dirt fly up into my engine compartment and may be messing with my MAF

I did NOT write this:


Fix for a Missing Engine

Posted by: Jack Lobdell

Many Explorer owners have experienced "bogging" or "missing" or just unsteady performance in their 4.0 engine and have been frustrated by lots of expensive "non-fixes". After riding on a plane next to a manufacturing trainer from a company that builds OEM replacement auto electrical components for places like AutoZone and CarQuest, I tried his tip. He says that Ford have these problems more than other makes and the 4.0 engine seems to be more susceptible to the problem than other Ford engines.

It seems that a "missing" engine culprit is actually the computer's sensor inside the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF). It eventually just gets a little dirty or builds up its own patina in the filament wires. A dirty or slightly patinated filament will send the wrong air reading to the computer, saying it is getting more air than it really is and the computer will tell the EFI to send in the wrong mix of fuel, thus, the bogging. The patina seems to form faster if you live in a damp climate. I don't so here in New Mexico mine went 82K before it developed a small "flat idle spot"…it would run just fine but the idle began to drop every few revs from 700 to 500. No big deal.

If you have had bogging or missing or idle spots, about every 25K miles plan on this quick cleaning job:
When your engine is cool, remove the wiring clip from the side of the black plastic sensor part of the MAF aluminum body. To remove the MAF interior sensor wire, you will need a Security Star (Size T15 or T20) screwdriver or screwdriver bit for a power screwdriver. Remove the two security star-head screws and carefully remove the sensor. You will see the two sensor filaments…they look almost like the filaments on a light bulb. Carefully spray the filaments with an O2 safe carburetor cleaner, such as Gumout. Let it dry thoroughly. I help mine along with a careful blast or two of canned dry air. While it is drying carefully wipe the aluminum mount surface of the MAF body if there is any dust there, but be careful not to get dust in the mount hole. When the sensor is dry, replace the sensor back in the MAF body and secure with the security star-head screws. These don't need to be torqued down, just simply hand tight. Replace the wiring clip. Then start up your engine. You should have solved any bogging or missing problems. My flat idle spot is ancient history.