Idea's? - 95 Explorer 4.0L OHV overheated

[410Fortune]

I have a cam sensor for a 95 model
I used the 97 model
you can buy it cheap if it comes to that, say $595 hahahaha kidding

I have the complete 95 engine minus upper intake & accessories in fact, I have the crank sensor too


the computer wont send fuel codes, only 02 sensors lean or rich
the fuel pressure is vacuum controlled, not computer

95 is an odd year for all makes and models in the US

 

[bam_bam1ca]

Lol... I hope that I don't have to take you up on that offer!!

I'll let you know how it goes after I replace the crank sensor. It died again today after a hot start. Interesting enough it started great went a few yards and then died, but started up right away again.

I also priced out a new connectorfor the crank sensor ($55.00). I think I will try the wreckers tomorrow to see if I can get one a bit cheaper.

OK, so I'm new to owning a 4.0L Ford. I just got over owning a 96 C2500 Chevy Diesel, what a money pit they are!!! The design of their fuel system is complete JUNK, with the fuel driver module failing yearly. You have to take the whole upper end apart to replace it too.

There is a module on the 4.0L (vacuum controlled switch?????) on the passenger side of the motor with two long braided lines running to it. I can see it in one of your pictures from the build-up of your 97 in the engine bay. What is the proper name for that module? Mine is leaking coolant and I have to start hunting one down sooner or later.

Thanks again for your help so far.

 

[410Fortune]

heater control valve, hahahaha very common to have a coolant leak there.

All this sucker does is flow coolant through the heater core, or bypass the heater core depending on your tempature setting on the dash, the thought here is in the winter time hot water running through the heater core is counterproctive to air conditioning.

10 minute job, do a search on this forum, I have a few of those laying around too, when I see them at the junk ayrd I grab them, since I have them in two trucks.

4.0L OHV is a very reliable engine, you will be pleased once you get rid of your code.

Also check your battery cables, if they are OEM consider replacing them, the intermittant running and starting, the die, etc point to a bad OEM ground cable and 12V+ feeds

You can search for that as well

 

[bam_bam1ca]

Good afternoon!!

BTW, my name is Jim.

I thought the heater control valve was in the heater lines running to the core and are large diameter lines. I am talking about a small vac controlled valve mounted on the passenger side of the intake with two really long braided lines that re only 1/4" in diameter or so that run across the lower intake to the driver side of the truck. Are we talking about the same thing?

I hope you are correct about the dependability of this truck, cuzz I have had my share of lemons lately. I had constant problems with the Chev diesel, and had to tear down our 2000 Impala because of that known intake leak/problem, and then it had an intermittent in the dash where it would lose the signal lights. The only car that hasn't let me down latelyis my 70 Olds 442, and that old girl is hibernating for the winter.

I cleaned all of the grounds that I could find this weekend on the Explorer. Removed the bolts and polished everything with a wire brush and then put conductive grease on all the connections before tightening down.

I scored a plug at the wreckers today. It came out of an Aeropig that they were just sending to the crusher. It was up in the air so I didn't even have to get on my back to get the plug. For ONCE in my life lady luck was smiling.

 

[bam_bam1ca]

Tonight was tear-into truck night as the charging system was intermittent on the way home from work last night. Today it worked fine until I turned on the headlights and added load.

1) Replaced alternator; charging system now seems to work again.

2) Replaced crank sensor and plug from wiring harness. Old sensor has a bit of white corrosion on the contacts but didn't look too bad.

3) Replaced ECM temperature sender. Both contacts on old sensor were severely corroded and looked like they were not properly contacting the plug side of the harness.

4) Removed main ground wire and cleaned all contact points at the battery and the starter housing.

5) Cleaned and installed newer MAF sensor.

6) Looked around fuel pressure regulator to see if I could find the coolant leak that has been spraying the pressure regulator, but didn't find anything. I may have to put a pressure tester on the system.

7) Checked EEC port for codes, and only found happy codes 10 and 111.

It may take a day or two to see if the truck has a hard time starting when warm again. If it does, I am going to replace the temperature sensor plug with another one from the wreckers.

 

[410Fortune]

nice work!!

 

[NHale623]

I thought the heater control valve was in the heater lines running to the core and are large diameter lines. I am talking about a small vac controlled valve mounted on the passenger side of the intake with two really long braided lines that re only 1/4" in diameter or so that run across the lower intake to the driver side of the truck. Are we talking about the same thing?

Are you referring to the Fuel Pressure Regulator?

 

[bam_bam1ca]

Good morning.

Lol....yes, I figured out that it was the fuel pressure regulator after I had some time last night to trace the braided lines back to the fuel lines. I didn't even THINK that is what it was because every other Ford I owned the regulator was on the fuel rail, and not the manifold. Sooooooo..... the regulator is really green (coated with ethylene glycol), and the manifold has a little puddle. It's kind of in front of the bypass valve, but maybe the valve is spraying forward and onto the regulator? If not, I'm just going to have to check every coolant hose near there.

I did one "hot" start this morning and it started, but it wasn't exactly pretty. Caught, ran up to 1K and then went to 400rpm as if it were going to stall and then levelled out at 800. I'll try again shortly. I think that the ECM engine temp sender was part of the problem because the contacts were completely green and covered with corrosion. I put it under the microscope at work and couldn't see anywhere that the plug contacts were touching the pin in the sender.

Next project is a new filter for the tranny and some fresh fluid.

 

[410Fortune]

did you reset the computer after swapping all these sensors?
You need to clear the computers memory so it is ready to re-learn

While it is re-learning you may notice a slightly high idle for a bit, some relays and sensor clicking, etc.

Also what "newer MAS" did you install? from what year?

Have you cleaned the IAC valve and throttle body?

 

[bam_bam1ca]

Yup; resetting the computer was the first thing I did before I started up the motor since doing the work.

The mass airflow was from another '95 with less mileage. I got it really cheap ($6.00 on ebay) so I just put it in while I was kind of "tuning up". It's the correct sensor for the motor.That gives me more time to clean up mine and then have a spare.

The IAC was the first thing that I cleaned when I was having driveability issues. I removed the throttle body when I installed the new TPS and cleaned the assembly with plenum cleaner, and was careful not to get it near the plastic upper intake.

I hope that this is the end of my "issues" with the Explorer for a little while. I really like this truck, but it's been giving me a rash lately.

Tonight I am supposed to be putting a T400 tranny in my friend's 71 Camaro so that it's ready for the spring racing season. It ran 10.1 last year with a stroked 350 on "the bottle" with small jets.

 

[bam_bam1ca]

I stopped on the way home to get back my core charge from the alternator and the truck started afterwards, but ran rough again for about 10-20 seconds.

I decided to put the code reader on it when I got home and it spit back a code 214 That is kind of narrowing it down to the cam position sensor, the connector to the cam sensor. or possibly the main engine wiring harness connector.

I hope that I can get at the plug for the sensor without too much grief to try that first.

 

[410Fortune]

I have that sensor, it worked in the 95 when I pulled it!
cheap cheap send me a PM if you want it

 

[93TwotoneXLT]

Coolant on the regulator...Sounds like either the heater hose that runs into the lower intake manifold in front of the regulator or maybe the hose that runs into the thermostat housing at the front of the engine. BTW, the regulator does plug into the fuel rail on the 4.0 OHV. The way the intake is set up it does kinda look like the fuel rail is part of the upper intake. Check for a split in the heater hose in front of the regulator. Hope this helps.

 

[bam_bam1ca]

Good evening guys.

I spent a couple of hours on the little truck today. It has been missing a shift from second to third every now and again so I figured that it was time for new tranny fluid and a filter. As I suspected, the fluid was pretty dirty and about twice the viscosity that it should have been. I changed the filter, blew out the cooler line and put it back together with five litres of fresh fluid. That should give it a new lease on life for a little while.

This is nuts, I was working on the tranny in my driveway, the middle of January in Ontario..... with just a jacket on.

I think that I found the coolant leak. I noticed some fine misting near where the upper radiator hose joins the thermostat housing. There are some wires running under that hose that were soaked with coolant. My best guess is that the coolant was running down the wiring and onto the intake runners as well as the fuel regulator. I ran my hand over every heater hose and the bypass valve, and they were all bone dry, plus they didn't show signs of weeping. I tightened the hose clamp, so only time will tell.

Now for the cam sensor. It looks like the worst offender for getting in the way is the air conditioning line. Do either of you know how hard it will be to remove the line with the engine still in the truck? The compressor is fooched anyway and I was planning on doing that in the spring.

Next question, how hard is it to do the timing adjustment on the cam sensor, and does anybody know how expensive the tool is to do the job?

 

[Gatemann]

Cam sensor

410Fortune - Hi,do you still have the 95 sensor? I see it has the same flat metal top as my 94,but could a person use the black cap style if they swap shafts, is it 2 or 3 wire?

 

[pnf]

Well, good evening!

I didn't expect to hear from you so soon.

I am experiencing an intermittent no-start. The truck starts every time when cold, but will give me problems about once a day after it has been run up to operating temperature. When I get back in and try to start it immediatly after shutting down (like after filling with gas, or a short trip into a store) it will start. If I give it 15-20 minutes to partially cool, then this is the time when it will most often give me a problem.The truck kind of pops and misfires while cranking. If I am persistant enough it will eventually "clear" and run like nothing was wrong.Unfortunately this makes me think of the cam sensor first as it is probably more prone to heat dwell being protected near the firewall and not out on the front of the engine like the crank sensor. It's also a b*tch to find because it is intermittent and has never happened when I am near my house with a meter and manuals handy to do a diagnosis of some type.

The fact that it starts every time cold also tends to lead me away from wiring... but hey, who knows, mebbe.

The crank sensor plug is held up at the moment by a piece or tye-wrap. It is bending the wires at a nasty angle, so I'm not sure that I trust the wire to just take the pins out of the shell. I was thinking of getting a connector from a wrecker and soldering it up a few inches so that I know (or can be maybe more confidant) of the wiring to that sensor. The crank sensor is only 25 dollars, so I am going to try it first.

bam_bam1ca - Did you ever get this problem fixed? I followed this thread but never found out. This is the exact problem I am having with my 94 Ranger 4.0! It has been doing this for years and I would love to fix it.

 

[fordexplorerSWAP]

im looking for some help doin a engine swap in a 99 ford explorer a buddy got a older engine think around the same year as the one you swapped. im running into the same problem with the CAM synchronizer bein differant on both engines. one is longer as you pictured and is a two wire. The one on the 99 ford explorer is a two wire. the one that came with the engine is a three wire. i see that you said that you wired a wire plug on the end. i wanted to know what wire you had to wire in to get this two wire to a three wire? and where you go the plug at? THANKS!!