engine hesitation

[97sport]

My 4.0L ohc has a problem when accelerating hard from a stand still... it will start to move and then just stop running, most of the time i take my foot off the gas before the engine starts back up ( it will just pause).
the engine runs great except for this, and i have had some close calls because of this... any ideas as to the problem?

 

[Robert]

It used to be widely reported a couple of years ago that a lot of people with '97 & '98 SOHC Explorers were experiencing hesitation when flooring it from a start. The most common thread was that most people were turning left. I have had it happen 6-10 times on my '97 SOHC Explorer. Ford issued a Technical Service Bulletin 2 years ago that attributed the hesitation to the transmission staying in 5th gear after extended cruising at 45-55 MPH and coming to a stop, quickly followed by rapid acceleration. They said a "perceived lack of acceleration could result". Anyway, the fix was to reprogram your PCM. I had mine reprogrammed 2 years ago and haven't had mine hesitate since. It is covered under Ford's 8 year/80K extended emissions warranty. If you are within the limits, talk to your dealer. If they can't find it let me know and I'll e-mail you the TSB.

 

[97sport]

I will check with the dealer thanks for the info robert

 

[dralin]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the great posting ! I had such a hard time finding this specific problem. The hesitation only occurred a few times a year, but my wife is very afraid to drive the car in case it hesitates or stalls in an intersection.

Of course the dealers cannot find the TSB. Overall, love my explorer and don't want to junk it.

Please let me know the TSB number.

Thanks