Water Crossing Issue

[ZacTanner]

Hey guys i'm a new Ford owner and also new to this forum. Yesterday I went camping at Bankhead National Forest with some buddies of mine. The next morning we did a little trail riding before we came to this water crossing. It wasn't too deep, maybe 2 feet, but after i went through it my engine started stalling on me. I was able to get it running and drove it the 40+ minutes home and let it sit for about 5 hours. I drove it for a while around town doing errands and such,it was fine for the rest of the day, but when i'm pulling in my driveway the check engine light comes on. Any ideas guys?

 

[Blee1099]

Check your intake/air filter/MAF sensor area. The intake on the Explorer sits very low, right below & behind the headlight so water could have gotten sucked in. A wet MAF sensor can throw a CEL light

 

[ZacTanner]

Thanks for the fast reply, where is the MAF sensor and how can I check it?

 

[Blee1099]

MAF is right after the air filter.. Remove the air filter and see if its wet.. If its wet, the MAF sensor probably got wet too. Get some electrical spray to clean it and let it dry. You should be able to remove the MAF sensor with a allen key screwdriver. May need a security bit one though.

 

[MidnightRebel07]

I agree with Blee, unless you have a well sealed snorkel don't go scuba diving with any type of vehicle. Even just driving thru deep puddles or going thru water fast enough to splash it up into the intake can suck it in and stall it and throw a CEL. Hopefully this is it and no internal damage incurred. This has happened to me driving before back in my muddin' days, one of the reasons I don't go muddin' anymore. I say take your intake tube off, clean and dry it and the MAF, air filter (replace if not washable) thoroughly. There could be other causes but this would be the first to check out. Check the entire underside and engine bay for anything out of the ordinary.

 

[05dakotatrac]

did you rip through the water? i.e. the wall of water? if you did then you ingested water if you crawled through it with no huge wall of water or any water up over the hood then you have probably shorted something.

check your intake and filter and maf for condensation and/or standing water

first things first check out what the CEL code is then let us know and we can pin point a little bit better

 

[ZacTanner]

Thanks guys, tomorrow im going to go have the code read, ill probably pick up some MAF cleaner while im out and see if that solves the problem, when I went through it I probably hit it a little too hard but it wasn't a huge wall of water or anything, one of my friends took a video on my phone if that would help. Just an idea.

 

[Clusterpup]

Thanks guys, tomorrow im going to go have the code read, ill probably pick up some MAF cleaner while im out and see if that solves the problem, when I went through it I probably hit it a little too hard but it wasn't a huge wall of water or anything, one of my friends took a video on my phone if that would help. Just an idea.

We like videos

 

[ZacTanner]

Here is the link to the video...I apologize for the weird sounds in the background, my friend is a dumb ass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa9lOcxyNLI

enjoy

 

[colintrax]

Watching that video I get the feeling you sucked up water. Have you checked the intake for water yet?

 

[ZacTanner]

Yea i checked the air intake,replaced the air filter, cleaned maf sensor, even checked spark plugs and replaced the old factory ones but the cel is still on, next im probably going to change the oil, looked kinda dark.

 

[colintrax]

Dark just means dirty, not water contaminated. Honestly, the check engine light could be completely irrelevant and there's no damage from the water. If it's running good, I wouldn't be to concerned.

 

[ZacTanner]

Okay, thanks, its running fine now, just a little worried at the time.

 

[swshawaii]

Yea i checked the air intake,replaced the air filter, cleaned maf sensor, even checked spark plugs and replaced the old factory ones but the cel is still on, next im probably going to change the oil, looked kinda dark.

Did you get a DTC number?

 

[ZacTanner]

No, im going to get one tomorrow though.