BennyTheButcher
Member
- Joined
- June 12, 2019
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
- 2
- City, State
- Oklahoma City
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2006 Ford Explorer XLT
2006 Explorer XLT with 150,000 miles. 4.0 SOHC 6-cylinder
I bought the truck in March of this year and I have only put a couple thousand miles on it. I don't know much about the history of the vehicle. However, it looks like it has been very well taken care of and is in great shape (zero rust, very little carbon build-up, vacuum hoses are in great condition, original owner had perfect dealer maintenance schedule up until about 2012).
Since I bought the truck the RPM's are hunting during cold idle. When the vehicle heats up it is much better, but it still idles a bit rough. I've tried a bunch of things to fix it, but I haven't been able to pinpoint what's causing the rough idle. My next step is to pull out the fuel injectors, then check the timing chain - both of which I really, really, really don't want to do due to how intensive these projects are. This is my first Ford, and this is my second "weekender" vehicle. I'm looking for things I could have possibly missed during my wrenching around trying to fix the idle. I don't particularly want to pull out the fuel injectors (they're freaking buried!). Even worse for me is the timing chain and cartridges. Looks like the easiest way is to disconnect and lift the engine. Yuck! What am I missing here? Here are the repairs/maintenance I've done to the truck to address the hunting/rough idle:
1. New plugs and wires. Just checked the plugs today and they have consistent burn patterns
2. Cleaned MAF sensor. Wasn't dirty anyway, but cleaned it
3. New PCV valve
4. New throttle body (original was in great shape, but got a good deal on one)
5. Checked for vacuum leak with smoke machine and couldn't identify one. Doesn't mean there isn't one, but I'm 99% sure there isn't one
6. Replaced EGR valve and gasket. Re-insulated power harnesses due to degraded insulation
7. Replaced fuel injector sensor and intake manifold gasket. Verified good fuel pressure from fuel pump after
8. Verified compression at each cylinder. Consistent compression of 165-175 psi at each cylinder
9. The insulation on a couple wires coming out of the MAF and a couple wires out of the throttle body were degrading. I carefully re-wrapped them in electrical tape
10. Replaced coil pack. The original was in good shape, but I got a good deal on one
11. Fuel filter replacement
Here are a couple of other specifics:
The above repairs had zero effect on the idle. It is still as rough as it was when I bought it in March. Having driven this truck for about 2,000 miles the vehicle has not thrown any trouble codes. Although the idle is rough, it has not stalled once - which makes me think the PCM is doing its job. There is a very, very slight odor of gasoline present while running. The vehicle has good acceleration and decent fuel economy (15.5 mpg city). The transmission has never missed a shift. Other than the rough idle this truck has been a great, dependable vehicle - and a great deal (paid $1,700).
That's about it. Looking for something I may have overlooked. I'm a novice-ish mechanic, but I'm willing to dive in and throw a wrench around. Any ideas?
I bought the truck in March of this year and I have only put a couple thousand miles on it. I don't know much about the history of the vehicle. However, it looks like it has been very well taken care of and is in great shape (zero rust, very little carbon build-up, vacuum hoses are in great condition, original owner had perfect dealer maintenance schedule up until about 2012).
Since I bought the truck the RPM's are hunting during cold idle. When the vehicle heats up it is much better, but it still idles a bit rough. I've tried a bunch of things to fix it, but I haven't been able to pinpoint what's causing the rough idle. My next step is to pull out the fuel injectors, then check the timing chain - both of which I really, really, really don't want to do due to how intensive these projects are. This is my first Ford, and this is my second "weekender" vehicle. I'm looking for things I could have possibly missed during my wrenching around trying to fix the idle. I don't particularly want to pull out the fuel injectors (they're freaking buried!). Even worse for me is the timing chain and cartridges. Looks like the easiest way is to disconnect and lift the engine. Yuck! What am I missing here? Here are the repairs/maintenance I've done to the truck to address the hunting/rough idle:
1. New plugs and wires. Just checked the plugs today and they have consistent burn patterns
2. Cleaned MAF sensor. Wasn't dirty anyway, but cleaned it
3. New PCV valve
4. New throttle body (original was in great shape, but got a good deal on one)
5. Checked for vacuum leak with smoke machine and couldn't identify one. Doesn't mean there isn't one, but I'm 99% sure there isn't one
6. Replaced EGR valve and gasket. Re-insulated power harnesses due to degraded insulation
7. Replaced fuel injector sensor and intake manifold gasket. Verified good fuel pressure from fuel pump after
8. Verified compression at each cylinder. Consistent compression of 165-175 psi at each cylinder
9. The insulation on a couple wires coming out of the MAF and a couple wires out of the throttle body were degrading. I carefully re-wrapped them in electrical tape
10. Replaced coil pack. The original was in good shape, but I got a good deal on one
11. Fuel filter replacement
Here are a couple of other specifics:
The above repairs had zero effect on the idle. It is still as rough as it was when I bought it in March. Having driven this truck for about 2,000 miles the vehicle has not thrown any trouble codes. Although the idle is rough, it has not stalled once - which makes me think the PCM is doing its job. There is a very, very slight odor of gasoline present while running. The vehicle has good acceleration and decent fuel economy (15.5 mpg city). The transmission has never missed a shift. Other than the rough idle this truck has been a great, dependable vehicle - and a great deal (paid $1,700).
That's about it. Looking for something I may have overlooked. I'm a novice-ish mechanic, but I'm willing to dive in and throw a wrench around. Any ideas?
