Water in the tailpipe

[FitzMatt]

When I rev my X, water comes out of the exhaust pipe.

With the rev, a popping kinda sound comes out right when I hit the gas, then it sounds normal no matter how high I go. On the way back down, it has a deep gurgly loud and soft sound (almost like a muscle car when the revs come down).

Do you think I blew a head gasket? I have 88,000 miles on a '92.

WHAT CAN IT BE??

Thanks guys, Matt

 

[IAMCDN]

Water coming out of the exhaust is normal, water is a normal by-product of the combustion of gasoline in the engine.

Sounds to me like you just have a bad muffler.

Head gasket usually means antifreeze in the oil, which looks white and foamy on the dipstick or when you change the oil.

 

[Mike]

Ya, its not the Head gasket... you would have white smoke... water is totaly normal

Mike

 

[FitzMatt]

What about the sound then guys?

The tailpipe fell off about a month ago, it broke clean off of the second muffler (closest to the end, I think its the resinator?) Anyway the tailpipe got replacedby Midas. I'm not sure if it was just the tail, or the tail and the second muffler (resinator). I know the rest of the stock system is still there: 1st muffler...connecter, etc.

I was also looking at getting new catbacks, but just spent $250 at midas for the repair.

What are your suggestions?

Matt

 

[IAMCDN]

Well, if your tailpipe fell off, obviously there is a little corrosion there, must be a new hole that has opened up since the work was done.
Suggestions...Looks like you have another trip to Midas(or whereever) in the near future. Might have been a good idea to do the new catback last time if you were thinking about it anyway, but that is in the past, so nothing you can do about it now but replace whatever is needed now.

 

[FitzMatt]

I also seem to be experiencing a high end lag at about 2750+. I just put in a K&N...but I think it supposed to improve performance right? I think that's why I paid $50 for it. Anyway, I dont know what's wrong, sounds like there could be a hole somewhere, which would account for the better sound, but why would there be a power lag??

Thanks guys, please help me out.

Matt

 

[IAMCDN]

A hole in your exhaust will definately affect your performance. Less back pressure, which will take a big chunk out of your low end torque.

Get the exhaust fixed, then take it home and reset your computer, due to the changes in the exhaust and intake.

 

[Rhett]

Maybe your fuel filter is becoming a clogged. This can be one cause of 'flat spots' in power, especially if you're moving toward WOT (wide open throttle) as you describe...

 

[FitzMatt]

Do I change the fuel filter or is there a way to check it to see if its dirty or not (if so, can I just clean it)

Matt

 

[IAMCDN]

I recommend to just replace it, for what they are worth, you don't want to dick around trying to clean it. I haven't replaced mine on my Ex yet, but on most vehicles, they are around $5-20, depending on the type.

 

[Rhett]

FitzMatt, I agree with BlueOval in that it's not really practical to clean a fuel filter. Ford says they fuel filter should last "the life of the vehicle" and "the fuel filter should only be replaced if clogged". Others have told me they change theirs every 20,000 miles. So I don't know. The fuel filter could be the source of the flat spot but maybe not. It's a pretty straightforward procedure to change it (although you will have to rent a special tool), so you might consider it just to rule out the fuel filter as the cause of the problem.

 

[FitzMatt]

Originally posted by Rhett Browning
FitzMatt, I agree with BlueOval in that it's not really practical to clean a fuel filter. Ford says they fuel filter should last "the life of the vehicle" and "the fuel filter should only be replaced if clogged". Others have told me they change theirs every 20,000 miles. So I don't know. The fuel filter could be the source of the flat spot but maybe not. It's a pretty straightforward procedure to change it (although you will have to rent a special tool), so you might consider it just to rule out the fuel filter as the cause of the problem.

Thanks, what's the deal with the special tool?

 

[Rhett]

At least with our vintage of Explorer (91-94) Ford decided to use a sort of "quick catch" mechanism to connect the fuel line to the fuel filter itself. To undo this thing, you have to have a special tool, sometimes called a "Ford Fuel Line Quick Release Tool" or something like that. You will have to rent it from an auto parts store. If your auto parts store doesn't know what you're talking about, then you should not go to that store. ehehe

Anyway, the procedure is
1. disconnect the bracket around your fuel filter. It's a metal bracket and i believe it has 13mm bolts holding it on, so you'll need a ratchet and 13 milly socket.
2. almost forgot..depressurize the fuel system. Either pull the fuse and crank it over a few times, use a fuel bleeder at the test port, or hit the inertia switch..
3. use your special tool to pull out the line
4. put in new filter...you won't need the special tool for this...just push the line in and it should "snap" in place in there.
5. replace bracket..and so on...

The fuel line fittings can be a pain...some are duck bill type, etc.
Probably I would use new fittings, many fuel filters come with them but sometimes no..

I am sure my description of the procedure is woefully inadequate, because I did not go into details esp. regarding the relief of fuel pressure step. Do you need a more detailed description? A Haynes or Chiltons manual will tell how, and you can also do a search here to find lots of help. Also be sure to look at the links section of this site, and visit the "Explorer Owners Maintenance Reference Page" as I think there might be a writeup on chaning the fuel filter there. If you need more info I can really do a long writeup on it though...

 

[espnfreak]

thats perfectly normal to happen on the X's, i get quite a bit of water out of my pipe actually. I'll have to see what happens after i put my Borla exhaust in later this week. water should be fine on a big vechicle like this. school busses have lots and lots of water that come out of them.

 

[FitzMatt]

Well the water isnt the problem, we've established that, but the exhaust still sound different (better for that matter), I think there's a hole somewhere. But there is also that power lag..........

 

[01EB5.0]

Power lag could be caused by:
-Clogged injectors
-Dirty MAS or TB
-Bad gas
-bad spark plugs or wires
-bad O2 sensor(s)
-engine needing tuneup
or many other things. I would check the items listed above in my post and in previous posts.

 

[FitzMatt]

Well I dropped it off at the dealership today :-(

I told them about the power lag and exhaust, I specifically said to check the MAS and Fuel Filter, but I'm sure they'll run a full diagnostic.

I'll let you know what they find.

Matt