Wow! It could be anything! grrrrrrrrr

[pony4896]

UPDATE UPDATE: 9/21/09. Driving home from work today it finally broke down on me. Took off from stop light and "Sputtered out to next to nothing as far as power goes". Im guessing "LIMP MODE"? Ok, i coasted into the parkinglot of the nearest establishment, "resturant", and before i could even get it in a parking spot it completely died and i coasted in barely making it. I remember at the stoplight taking off right before it started "limp mode" hearing a muffled sounding garble and a kind of hisssss sound like the exhaust was barely flowing out? After it died in the parkinglot i immediatly noticed a VERY strong Sulfer smell and a burning fire smell.... I got out and Goshdamn, the smell dang near knocked me over it was so bad like sulfer. Here is my thoughts on the final prognosis so to speak. Im guessing that the Fuel Pressure Regulator must have gone bad, which would explain the bad gas milage " about 6 miles to the gallon", and it would also explain the RAW fuel smell, and the probabilty that the improperly burned RAW fuel dumping into the engine which caused carbon to build up in the catilatic convertor. This clogged convertor in turn caused the engine to completely stall out due to its inability to breath.... Now its sitting in that parking lot due to the fact that i just started a new job and havent gotten paid yet, and i just last week spent every last cent i had "$1400.00 on this Explorer. Now i have no money to call a tow truck, no money to fix any of this stuff, and the city bus system doesnt run early enough to get me to work in time... Im new to this town and i know nobody here to kinda help out. Grrrrrr.... I called my boss a little while ago and explained the situation. He sounded less than sensitive to my problems and was like, well you need to try and get to work tomorrow. Man, i got four kids to feed, my freakin wife left me last month for another man and left the three older kids with me. Last month i had to get rid of my van because the transmission went out and i couldnt afford to fix it. Today after the Explorer left me stranded i had to walk home 8 miles, and it freakin started STORMING outside so yea, dude, i got drenched...Grrrrr. Monster blisters, probably gonna loose the explorer to the impound before i can get it home, which ill never be able to afford to get it out!! Not to mention im thinking more and more that the spot its parked in isnt lit-up very well and might get broke into. WHAT A MESSED UP FREAKIN MONTH!!!!!! HELP!!!!! Anyways my head is pounding, eyes buldging from stress, and im about to totally give up. I know whine whine whine... Sorry. Whats next?

:roll:Update: Today 9/18/09, Today i started it up at work and the engine was very arratic and wobbly. I slowly gave it some gas till it reached about 1300RPM and noticed something odd. Every time i would rev it up to the RPM in a second or two i would here a "click", or a "snap" and then immediatly following the RPM's would suddenly dramaticly drop off to around 400 to 500 RPM's, then it would kick back up again, and then a few seconds later the "Snap" or "click" would happen again with the same out-come. This went on for about one minute or so and then all of the sudden it "sputtered out" and just completely died on me. I immediatly tried to start it again and it would just turn over and not start. I popped the hood and wiggled some wireing and the little valve sensor that i believe is called the ECT sensor. And went back and tried to start it up. It started right up this time, but i dont know if that was really due to me messing with the wireing or if it just decided to start up this time?? I went back to the engine bay and tried to here that "Click or snap sound", but it wouldnt so it while it was idleing at around 600RPM or idle speed with giving no gas at the pedal. Hmmm. I left work figureing that it was gonna break down on me on the 8 mile trip home, but it didnt... It ran like hell though, well relativly like hell. It spuddered along, off and on having normal power to having barely enough power to make it move.Like it was cycleing through. I noticed that my check engine light came on again about 3-5 minutes after i was driving. Slowly but surely the engine started feeling a little better with less of a stumble, little to no hesitation at stop lights, but a noticeable lack of power none the less. I went to Auto Zone and asked if they had a code reader they could hook up to my 92 explorer, but they said they dont go back past a 1996 vehicle. Hmmm. One major thing that i have noticed as well is that i am getting absolutely horrible gas milage!! I drive to work 8 miles, and back 8 miles and it uses an entire 1/4 tank of fuel to do this twice (2-days) or 32 miles and there is few stoplights. Ive filled the tank and only went about 110 miles and it was almost empty again. I do smell fuel at idle, but its not stinkin too bad, i mean not like a carburated vehicle like my old ford truck that i used to have (1978 with 460). Hell my old truck got better gas milage than this little 4.0?? I need to know whats going on or were is the most likely area to start looking?
My '92 Ford Explorer 4x4. Im haveing some idle issues upon start-up and they seem to get a little bit better after it warms up a bit, but the weird thing is the check engine light comes on like within 5-7-min after driving and it runs better when the light comes on??? Ive done some research on the net and a lil on here and MAN, it could be anything!!! These are the possible problem areas that ive found, please tell me were to start i havent tried to repair anything yet, but this is what info i found that could be wrong---
1)CPS. $45.00
2)Fuel Pump. $112.00
3)Coil-$120.00
4)EGR Valve- $80.00
5)TPS sensor- $60.00
6)IAC sensor- $70.00
7)FPR-$???
8)MAF SENSOR-$???
9)O2 sensors-$100 for two.
10)ECT sensor-$???
11)Sea Foam treatments?
12)Gas additives???
13)Starting to think the FORD V6 lol?
I just cant believe that this many things, and probably more can cause the idle to be rough and the surging of my RPM's from 600 to 1100 rpms. Smells like raw fuel, and the check engine light coming on. I just bought this thing last week and when i bought-it it ran fine. He did mention that it had previously had a idle problem when i bought it, but he said the gas cap was bad and he replaced it with a new one to take care of the seal that was causing the pressureised gas system to leak. He said after he did this it ran fine and it wouldnt die at stop signs anymore. When i bougt it it ran perfect idle... Im only slightly machanicaly inclined. Ive changed out a water pump, motor mounts, O2 sensors before, but not much more, and not in this vehicle. What should i do?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the stock 91-94 section. What is the code number?

 

[Anime]

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, there's a lot of possibilities when it comes to idle issues since fuel, ignition, and air systems all come into play, not to mention all the other electronics and sensors associated with them.

You can save yourself a lot of headache by just pulling the codes a check engine light indicates, either by getting a Ford/OBD I code reader (currently about $25 online) or just going to an auto parts store like Advance/Autozone that will plug in their code reader and pull the codes for free. Usually the codes will point to one component or multiple codes will involve the same system so you'll know where to look.

Also, if you don't know the maintenance history of the Explorer since it's new to you, it's always a good idea to just go through things and see what's what. Small maintenance issues like spark plugs, wires, air filter, a Mass Airflow Sensor cleaning, etc. can make a difference, especially if they weren't properly maintained, or were replaced with cheap parts long ago. Brush up on how things are under the hood and you might also find obvious things (loose wires, unplugged sensors, leaking vaccum caps, etc.) that would cause engine issues.

 

[deadbird]

That sound like how my problem started out right donw to the running better when engine light is on?. I think mine is narrowed down to the EGR.

 

[doonze]

You can also pull your CEL codes (check engine light) with a paper clip. If you can count it's pretty easy. See my sig for a link to how to do it!

 

[pony4896]

Update:

Update: Today 9/18/09, Today i started it up at work and the engine was very arratic and wobbly. I slowly gave it some gas till it reached about 1300RPM and noticed something odd. Every time i would rev it up to the RPM in a second or two i would here a "click", or a "snap" and then immediatly following the RPM's would suddenly dramaticly drop off to around 400 to 500 RPM's, then it would kick back up again, and then a few seconds later the "Snap" or "click" would happen again with the same out-come. This went on for about one minute or so and then all of the sudden it "sputtered out" and just completely died on me. I immediatly tried to start it again and it would just turn over and not start. I popped the hood and wiggled some wireing and the little valve sensor that i believe is called the ECT sensor. And went back and tried to start it up. It started right up this time, but i dont know if that was really due to me messing with the wireing or if it just decided to start up this time?? I went back to the engine bay and tried to here that "Click or snap sound", but it wouldnt so it while it was idleing at around 600RPM or idle speed with giving no gas at the pedal. Hmmm. I left work figureing that it was gonna break down on me on the 8 mile trip home, but it didnt... It ran like hell though, well relativly like hell. It spuddered along, off and on having normal power to having barely enough power to make it move.Like it was cycleing through. I noticed that my check engine light came on again about 3-5 minutes after i was driving. Slowly but surely the engine started feeling a little better with less of a stumble, little to no hesitation at stop lights, but a noticeable lack of power none the less. I went to Auto Zone and asked if they had a code reader they could hook up to my 92 explorer, but they said they dont go back past a 1996 vehicle. Hmmm. One major thing that i have noticed as well is that i am getting absolutely horrible gas milage!! I drive to work 8 miles, and back 8 miles and it uses an entire 1/4 tank of fuel to do this twice (2-days) or 32 miles and there is few stoplights. Ive filled the tank and only went about 110 miles and it was almost empty again. I do smell fuel at idle, but its not stinkin too bad, i mean not like a carburated vehicle like my old ford truck that i used to have (1978 with 460). Hell my old truck got better gas milage than this little 4.0?? I need to know whats going on or were is the most likely area to start looking?

 

[nitro71]

There are some threads on how to pull codes with a paper clip or something like that. You have to get those codes pulled unless you just want to replace things one at a time. I'm betting on O2 sensors or MAF but it could be a ton of things.

 

[mikeinri]

Yes, as mentioned, start with the codes. Once you get the numbers, post them here for advice, or better yet, search and see what others have done to remedy the various codes.

One other tip: If you take the code number to AutoZone, they should be able to print out a diagnsotic procedure (on a long cash register tape). This will include various tests to try, including voltages on various wires, etc.

Good luck!

Mike

 

[doonze]

Pull the codes, you need 10 mins to figure it out and a paper clip.

 

[pony4896]

WOw, i dont know that i have the right stuff to do the paper clip thing. Not to mention all that lingo/terminolagy might as well have been writen in greek to a novice like myself. Paperclips, im not sure it even mentioned paperclips once in that entire paragraph? I could be wrong, IDK

 

[doonze]

Hmmmm.... Well, Ummmm......
I'll post some pics this weekend maybe, once you've done it it's easy, but I remember I had to really dig through all that stuff a couple of times before I got it figured out.

Maybe I'll do a simple how too with pics.... I will admit that thread is a little advanced at times.

Maybe I'll just do a how to for your KOEO codes and CM codes. Then once someone has those steps down the rest should make better sense....

Course there may be a simply how to already...IDK, try a search.

 

[pony4896]

Thanks Doonze. Ill try that search. I appreaciate your trying. jason

 

[MrShorty]

WOw, i dont know that i have the right stuff to do the paper clip thing. Not to mention all that lingo/terminolagy might as well have been writen in greek to a novice like myself. Paperclips, im not sure it even mentioned paperclips once in that entire paragraph? I could be wrong, IDK

Can I assume you are referring to the link in doonze's signature? If so, I intended that thread to be a help to novices like yourself. Can you tell me specifically what doesn't make sense or where you are stuck, so I can improve it?

a paperclip is just a low tech jumper wire, used to make the connection between the test connector and pin #2 in the diagrams at troublecodes.net/Ford

 

[pony4896]

Lol, ill put it this way. When i say novice, i mean never messed with electric systems ever... Half that stuff ive never touched nor heard of before, thats all. I can understand concepts, but what i meant was i have never actualy utilized those diognostic tools before. If i seen the video on youtube i could probably get it. Im very visual though. I am greatful that people like yourself and Doonze are on here tryin to make it easier for the un-knowing like myself. Im eternaly greatful. Thanks, Jason

 

[Anime]

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3145-Ford-Digital-Reader/dp/B000EW0KHW

$24.99 plus free shipping over $25, you can add a hose clamp or something cheap to get the total over $25 for the free shipping.

The paper clip method is the best budget code reader, I figured grabbing the OBD I reader with full digital readout while they still made it was a good move, before OBD I diagnostics are only available on high end OBDII tools with an adapter.


Sounds to me like you're looking at something a lot more major than just a sensor, maybe a clogged fuel filter, failing fuel pump, etc. Reading codes should still help and point you in the general direction of where or what system the issue is with.

 

[doonze]

I figured it out MrShorty, and have since pulled my codes many times. But I will admit, I was a little confused by the linked pages... they gave the digrams for how to use the lights and was great if you were going to use a seperate test light, but for just using your CEL.... was a little confusing.

I don't know, you instructions were spot on, but the linked pages.... seemed a little confusing.

I think I ended up doing a google search before I felt I really understood what I was supposed to do... and someone had a pic of the jumper. Then I was like "AHHHH OK"

 

[pony4896]

Im surprised its even running with that much fuel pouring in?

I dont think its the fuel pump, unless having a bad fuel pump causes a vehicle to use way to much fuel. I mean it costs me like $10.00 to go 20 miles! I had just always assumed that a bad fuel pump meant "week", or "no" fuel getting to the injectors? I think that possibly if someone knew maybe what would cause a 4.0 to be sucking to much fuel and to little air, which is what im guessing is causing the sputtering out, bad idle, and terrible gas milage, i might could figure this out maybe? Any ideas yall? Thanks, Jason

 

[shaggymane]

here's my .04
Mine started getting 8mpg. had to learn how to pull codes and use a DVOM to test parts too. Got codes about MAF and 02 sensors. The MAF tested OK. nothing wrong with the 02 either. bad fuel pressure reg.

There won't be code for bad FPR. There are no codes for mechanical failures like the FPR. You have to interpret what the codes mean that you do get.

What ever you do don't start throwing parts at it just cause you got a code that says the MAF is out of range. TEST it.

And Harbor FR8 had the $10 special on FPR testers.

here's a more direct link to doing the paper clip self test
http://www.fordfuelinjection.com/?p=13

 

[shaggymane]

Amine,
I"ve never ordered from amazon. Reading the rules for free shipping:

1. Place at least $25 of eligible Amazon.com products in your Shopping Cart. (Eligible items will say "eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping ..." next to their price.)
*If you qualify for FREE Super Saver Shipping but your order also contains one or more ineligible items, you'll be charged shipping fees for those ineligible items.
* Excludes items that do not include a statement that they are eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping next to their price.


So if ya ordered the Equus 3145 and a .49 hose clamp they'd charge shipping for just the hose clamp? seems like it wouldn't be much difference. Is there? What's the skinny on this?