Problem with fuel pump and Anti Theft Problem

[krazk1]

Please forgive me if I am posting in the wrong area I am new to this site. I bought a 1999 Ford Explorer XLT in February (2010) of this year. I bought it from an elderly co worker who bought this car brand new and took very good care of it. It has 121,000 miles on and she has never had a problem with it. She wanted to buy a new Acura. Recently I started having problems with the Anti Theft Light continually blinking and the car would not start. My 23 year old son trying to look at it for me moved the steering wheel and it started. So now if i move my steering wheel my anti theft light will start blinking and it will not start so I guessing I have a short in the steering column. Right after this I noticed while on the interstate having problems with the car bogging while accerlating even with the cruise control on and my car was making a noise and I had horrible gas mileage. The car would not hardly run so I was told it was the fuel pump and had it replaced. I was told that the fuel pump and filter was full of all kind of trash. The tank was taken out and I was told it had all kind of dirt in it. It was cleaned out and put back in. It helped for a short while but now it has started back again the loud noise, the bogging down, the terrible gas mileage and a mechanic has changed my fuel filter out three times since having the new fuel pump put in and every time it is stopped up. This weekend I went out of town and it started again bogging but this only happens after the car has run for about 30 minutes, going up hill, if I take my foot off the gas and then give gas it seems to pick up again. But this weekend it did something different it felt as if the motor was winding out and the OD light starting blinking. Is this somehow all connected? Do I have mutliple problems? My husband is begging me to get rid of it but I can't see how I can with these problems and I really liked the car before I started having all these problems. Please help. Thanks for listening. Thanks,

 

[Gabe96Explorer]

You need to change the filter if there was trash in the tank AND run some injector cleaner.

Check Fuse 15... it seems to cause all kinds of crap in our trucks. It tends to not sit tightly so you'll have to spread the prongs out on the fuse to make it sit firmly.

The Anti Theft problem won't be fixed until you pull the covers off the column to locate the short. If your not good with 12v, take it to your local pro-audio installation center and ask them to find your short.

 

[JBubbs]

My explorer wouldn't start this morning. The Theft light just kept flashing, any idea what that's about?

 

[my98nnj]

The tank was taken out and I was told it had all kind of dirt in it. It was cleaned out and put back in.......

a mechanic has changed my fuel filter out three times since having the new fuel pump put in and every time it is stopped up.

I think it's time you find another mechanic. I smell a rat somewhere.

How is it possible that the fuel filter still becomes clogged after the pump was changed and the tank was dropped and cleaned out.

Doesn't make sense, I think you're mechanic is taking you for a ride.

 

[ranger7ltr]

This is the problem with metal tanks in the explorer...

Dirty metal fuel tanks routinely have rust in them as well as dirt...And cleaning out the tank even when it is done in a caustic vat and boiled out doesn't always work...I went through that with 2 old tanks...I would get about 3 months on a fuel filter before the crap that was STILL in the tank would work its way into the pump and the fuel filter...

I even coated the second tank with POR-15 tank sealant...Since the Explorer tank has a few areas that sealant didn't flow into the tank still rusted and clogged the filters...

When I cleaned my tanks out the first time I used acetone, MEK, and industrial aluminum cleaner and I thought I had gotten all the rust and dirt out...I even flushed the tank with water and alcohol to see if there were any traces of rust or dirt...Didn't see any but the gasoline did...3 months later the filter clogged up and the truck died...

I would recommend replacing the tank on your truck...That was the only way I found to deal with the rust and dirt in my tank...

And one other thing to remember that any particulate that comes into the filter and clogs it has to come through the pump sock and the pump and the pump does not like to pump solids...Not for very long before it dies too...And yes I have had to replace the pump for that reason as well...