I am out of ideas...please help!

[Drebo1]

Hello All,

I have a 02' Explorer XLT with 195,000, which was driving fine until the check engine light came on. Received codes PO172, PO301, PO302, PO303 & PO174. I cleaned the MAF sensor, throttle body & IAC valve. I changed all spark plugs, checked vacuum hoses, cleaned up coil pack, changed air & fuel filters, and changed oil 2wks prior. After those repairs the truck was hard to start but eventually did but ran rough with very little power so I parked it. Next day it would not start, alternator was dead so I changed it out. My battery is less than a month old so it's good. Fuel pump works fine also. The vehicle will not start at all. The fuses & relays are good. I depressed the IFS switch as well. Any & all ideas are welcomed at this point if you have any. Thanks!

 

[Number4]

The alternator going bad may have killed your new battery. Take it to where you bought it and have them test it.

Was the engine making any noise at startup? Like a rattling noise. P0301-303 is all the cylinders on the passenger side. If the timing slipped, it would have taken out the whole side of the engine.

The P0172 would probably coincide with the P0301-303.

 

[Drebo1]

I cant recall any extra noise at startup, however, I did a fuel pressure test anyway & it was only pushing 10psi. I put a volt meter on the battery & it read 11.9. Hope changing the pump will do it. I will post it as soon as i find out. Thank you for your info Number4. Much appreciated!

 

[Number4]

Just to clarify, at 11.9 volts your battery is discharged. Needs to be charged then tested. You may have known that.

I'd say, once the battery is back at 12.7 volts, re test your fuel psi.

 

[Drebo1]

Ok, I sure will and thanks again!

 

[Gavin Kamp]

Your air filter sensor or any electrical parts try getting a new air filter sensor it should have two screws and should be located right on top of your air filter cabin. A few days ago I changed that and its running better then ever. Another trick is to start the vehicle and unplug your fuel injectors and and if you unplug one and the vehicle runs the same then that fuel injector is bad if you unplug it and the vehicle runs rough or shuts off its good. Just a little trick.

 

[Drebo1]

Thanks Gavin, I will try that as well.

 

[wataboy]

Has any of the above worked? Couple months ago I got my truck shipped from Germany back to states and it had similar issues. Prior to shipping I bought new battery, alternator, and starter because it was having starting issues. Any whew, my truck arrived and a week later it would not start, then it would start, then it wouldn't again. I had the battery tested and charged at Advanced Auto. It would work great for about 3 days. I think I did this cycle of events for a month. Finally, I took the optima yellowtop out got a refund and bought another optima yellowtop. Truck started fine and has had no issues since (knock on wood). They claimed my batter was good, but batteries can get destroyed quickly and sometimes will hold a charge until its back in your vehicle and has to start.

**Quick way to test if its your alternator or battery... Start the vehicle then unplug the battery if your truck continues to run your alternator is good and your battery is going bad. (Knowledge I learned from an old man talking to me with a cig hanging...lol)

Good luck!

 

[2Trux]

**Quick way to test if its your alternator or battery... Start the vehicle then unplug the battery if your truck continues to run your alternator is good and your battery is going bad. (Knowledge I learned from an old man talking to me with a cig hanging...lol)
Good luck!

Pulling the cable on the battery while the engine is running is a bad idea for newer cars. The battery works like a big capacitor and keeps the DC power clean. With all the electronics/computers installed it is a bad idea to use the dirty power direct from the alternator.
Check your alternator with a volt meter to see if it raises the voltage at the battery from 12V to 14V when engine is running.

 

[Drebo1]

Nothing has worked so now im going to chg the fuel pump do to the low pressure test.

 

[Drebo1]

Still not starting after changing pump. However the old one was shot. Going to do a spark test hoping its the coil pack & not a timing chain malfunction.

 

[Number4]

Did you blow the lines with air? Before hooking up the new pump?

Always possible the line has debris in it.

 

[Drebo1]

No, didnt even think abt it. Will do another pressure test before dropping tank again.

 

[Drebo1]

My truck has now started but has a constant rattle
sound coming from engine. Has low power & wants to shut off when put in gear. The rattle almost sounds like a card hitting the spokes on a bike rim. Could this be timing chain?

 

[Number4]

Buy a $10 mechanics stethoscope and pin point the noise. Run it as little as possible.

 

[Drebo1]

Coming from front of engine...pretty loud.

 

[Number4]

The noise is typical of a timing chain issue. If enough slack is present, the chain will skip teeth on the cam gears and possibly ruin the engine. The valve covers aren't so easy to remove, but if you can, you can get access to pull on the chains. There should be no chain slack. Do this after its sat for a few hours. The driver side vc is easier to remove, but I want to say the the passenger side usually fails first.

 

[Drebo1]

Passenger side is where i got the misfires from. I know engine has to be pulled. Im pretty much done trying to tackle it myself. Looking to buy something to get from a-b & back till i can afford to buy a honda.