Oh Lord I need help

[rmunley]

I could really use some advice on a 2002 Explorer XLT 4.0 I bought last week. It has 190,000 miles. I'm the 2nd owner and the original owner had it maintained just by a dealer. It has the most complete carfax record I've ever seen and NEVER went more than 4000 between being serviced. The vehicle runs very well except for 3 intermittant problems that may or may not be related.

#1 Maybe one out of every 10 times I go to start it, it will just crank but not start. I have discovered that if I floor the gas, it will fire right up. Once it's running it runs just fine but has a very slight rough idle. I checked all over yesterday and there are no vacuum leaks I could find. I'm thinking maybe IAC?
The dealer cleaned the EGR valve and hoses and also replaced the pressure switch for the EGR. They also put on new plugs and wires before I bought it.

#2 Today for the 2nd time since I've had it, when I went to start it, it wouldn't crank at all. I found that by moving the steering wheel it would start. Some sort of switch??

#3 Yesterday at one point it started just fine but as I drove off the O/D light started flashing fast and it wouldn't shift. The engine reved but there was no acceleration until I let off the gas and reapplied it. I pulled right over and shut it off. After sitting for a minute or so, I restarted it, no light came on and I drove off just fine. I've driven more than 100 miles since then and it shifts perfectly and the light never came back on.

After 40 yrs of driving this is the first Ford I've ever owned so I'm not quite up to speed on Fords. I'm hoping these are a series of smaller issues I can take care of myself.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Bobmbx]

#1 Maybe one out of every 10 times I go to start it, it will just crank but not start. I have discovered that if I floor the gas, it will fire right up. Once it's running it runs just fine but has a very slight rough idle. I checked all over yesterday and there are no vacuum leaks I could find. I'm thinking maybe IAC?
The dealer cleaned the EGR valve and hoses and also replaced the pressure switch for the EGR. They also put on new plugs and wires before I bought it.

#2 Today for the 2nd time since I've had it, when I went to start it, it wouldn't crank at all. I found that by moving the steering wheel it would start. Some sort of switch??

#3 Yesterday at one point it started just fine but as I drove off the O/D light started flashing fast and it wouldn't shift. The engine reved but there was no acceleration until I let off the gas and reapplied it. I pulled right over and shut it off. After sitting for a minute or so, I restarted it, no light came on and I drove off just fine. I've driven more than 100 miles since then and it shifts perfectly and the light never came back on.

1. Doesn't sound like a problem, really. However, it could be your fuel pump isn't coming up to pressure quickly, or the fuel filter needs changing. I wouldn't put more than $50 into solving this one. I wouldn't floor the throttle on a fuel injected engine, either.

2. Sounds electrical, certainly. Loose wire on the ignition key switch maybe?

3. Start by checking your fluid level and fluid quality, and have someone pull any codes.

All in all, these problems don't sound unusual or unexpected. The tranny would be my first priority.