Explorer :: 1998 4L 6Cyl 4WD 5 Speed Auto - Engine Unexpectedly Surges From Idle
Jul 20, 2014
1998 Explorer 4L 6Cyl 4WD 5 Speed Auto
This engine unexpectedly surges from idle up to as much as 3 or 4 thousand RPM. It can be frightening. The IAC valve was buzzing loudly so we changed it out a couple of times with wreckers parts. With the third replacement valve in there, it hasn't surged yet but we are very leery to drive it for fear of uncontrolled acceleration while in heavy traffic. Is this a known problem or recall with these vehicles. I think it is ridiculous that the design would allow such a dangerous condition!
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I have a 98 ford Explorer that has some serious trans problems. It all started a while back when I was pulling a small 10 foot trailer and when I go to where I was going the trans puked out what looked like all of its internal fluids. It was a hot day, and these problems seem to be exacerbated by the heat but who knows. Yes the check engine light is on. I also have the occasional O/D OFF light blinking at me. As of late the vehicle has started to act like it has a stall converter on it. I have to rev to nearly 3k RPM before it will engage.
I changed the fluid and filter about 2 months ago and the fluid is already grey and nasty. The vehicle has also started going FORWARD in ALL gears, Reverse, Neutral, etc. all are forward gears now. The trans occasionally overheats and pukes out a large amount of fluid but I cannot tell where it is coming from. At road speed (55 MPH) the engine surges when it is at a constant 2500 RPM. I know my outlook is grim but if I just need a new torque converter I would like to know before I go the the Salvage yard for a different transmission. BTW. The engine WAS replaced around 12,000 miles ago with a donor engine from a flipped vehicle.
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I have a 98 Explorer Eddie Bauer edition with electronic climate control w/ steering wheel temp and fan controls.
Just yesterday, I was running the a/c set at 74 degrees and it was working great as usual. Then suddenly the fan went from high speed to nothing. The auto control was still on, just the fan stopped blowing. After about a minute when the inside of the vehicle heated up some, the fan kicked back in on high speed. I tried to adjust the fan speed via the steering wheel switches and found that the fan only has high and off speeds.
What should I look for that would cause the fan speeds to stop working or only work on high?
1998 V6 4.0L
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My 1997 Explorer with a 5.0 will surge making the truck lunge forward unexpectedly. If I drop it into neutral the RPMs drop right down.
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have a 98 rodeo, with a V6 & Auto trans. have an intermittent problem - as I am driving engine will occasionally drop to idle speed and then pick back up to driving speed. Engine keeps running smoothly, just at idle speed.
CEL does not come on / no codes
Replaced Throttle Position Sensor - and thought I had found the problem, but since it is so random, it just didn't happen again for 1 1/2 weeks.
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I recently had intake manifold gaskets replaced in my 98 gmc sierra 4x4 pickup 5.7 . The day I drove it home from the shop it ran fine, even day after but the next day I noticed it seem to idle a little rough and even at normal driving, sometimes seems worse than others. No service engine light has yet to come on. Could there be vacuum leak, trash in intake or bad wires and plugs. Plugs, wires, rotor button and distributor cap are only year and half old.
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We have a 2003 Passat GLX, 43000 miles, V6, AWD. I've noticed recently that when driving at constant speed the engine will surge about once every second or two. It's very regular, and on a smooth road I can also notice a bump in the drive train, very similar to road bumps.
I've taken it to a dealer, since I believe it is a transmission issue, and therefor covered under warranty. There are no computer codes stored for faults in the transmission, they've said. However, they started by pursuing the fuel injection system (though no code was stored), and then wanted to fix a faulty coolant sensor (since found not to be faulty).
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I recently bought an '09 Santa Fe Limited. I want to love the vehicle, but I've got a problem with how it drives. Basically, here are the symptoms:
1. Engine RMPs dance around about 200 RPMs at idle. (I was told this is normal. I don't think it should be.)
2. Under normal acceleration, it bogs down immediately after shifting into 2nd gear and after a couple of seconds there is a surge and acceleration seems "normal."
3. Occasionally, I feel subtle fluctuations or surges in the engine under both acceleration and/or cruising speed (any speed, really.) It's like I'm feathering the throttle when I know I'm not. This is most pronounced when under a load, such as taking off from a stop sign at the bottom of a hill and accelerating up the hill.
So, here's what the dealer has done to address the issue.
1. According to the Carfax report, the previous owner had the throttle position sensor replaced at 22,000 miles and again at 27,000 miles. I bought the vehicle with just over 30,000 miles (certified pre-owned).
2. On the day that I bought the vehicle, I noticed the issue and the service manager took it for a test drive with me. He told me it was wind buffeting that I was feeling. I thought that was bunk, but with it being a higher profile vehicle, it put some doubt in my mind. He went ahead and flashed something to reset the adaptive learning module that supposedly adjusts something in the engine based on how you drive. It seemed better after that, so I went ahead and bought it.
3. After a few weeks of driving it, it became clear to me that it was definitely not wind buffeting, so I scheduled a service appt. It was taken for an "extensive" test drive (according to the service record) with a diagnostic computer connected. Apparently, the service technician said they were only able to find one small blip with the mass airflow sensor, so they replaced it and called it fixed. I should also note that at no time, have any codes ever shown up when they check for error codes.
4. Although it seem slightly better, the problem still exists. Just for kicks, I dumped a bottle of Seafoam in the gas tank with my last fill up, but that doesn't seem to have made any difference.
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Car now unexpectedly jumps to high fan speed when first started. Doenst matter what the temp is set to or if it was previsouly on Auto or Manual when last shut off. Did I change some custom setting? or has a gremlin appeared after so many years and care free miles? (05, 78K)
Its not a big deal but rather is annoying to get in and hear that immediate rush before I can turn the dial down.
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What should my idle speed be ? 2010 F150 4.6 2v, 4spd auto. Did not see anything under the hood on the stickers, maybe I missed it.
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Just replaced a badly worn Hub on my 98 AWD Explorer. The grinding noise is gone but now the steering is binding/shaking during stopped or low speed turns. What is going on or what I might have done wrong?
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1998 saturn SL2 idle speed changes low, high, back to low. Some times the car dies, can happen any time a few times in traffic. Once the engines dies the idle stays low for 5 minutes, then the problem goes away for a while (a week). You never know when it will happen.
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I have tried playing with screw that controls throttle plate it does work at first allowing to reach 1200 rpm at idle however after stopping car and starting again it does go down to ~600rpm again like computer adjusts it back to desired level. There's also **** on Idle valve however turning it does nothing.
Is there way to reprogram computer to make 1200 a desired RPM?
Like try this yourself reach about 1200 rpm and then hold your leg still not looking at the rpm your once you hold it for a while it goes down to normal rpm, only way to hold constant 1200 RPM is to play with gas pedal.
I want to raise RPM to avoid misfire.
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ok, 3 times now I've been extremely close to being hit head on by oncoming traffic due to a seemingly uncurable stalling problem. It idles rough sometimes, and other times it seems fine. BUT when sitting at a light, waiting to turn left after the oncoming traffic has a quick opening, I start to go, I get halfway across the intersection and then without warning, it dies completely. Now its too late to stop and back up- and the cars are flying head on towards you locking up they're brakes. One time I would have been killed by the 18 wheeler that was coming if I hadn't gotten it started and moving again just in time.
I replaced the IAC, the plugs, filters and wires, and the EGR valve. I checked everywhere for intake leaks and found nothing. Changed the O2 sensors since they had plenty of mileage on em. It idles like crap still, even after 30+ tanks of every kind of injector cleaner they make. We used the snap on scanner tool to monitor things and it never acted up then. The TPS seems to move smoothly, and fuel pressure was checked and found to be around 25-30 psi. Don't know if that's normal. The intake air temp was reading a constant 120 degrees F. I also checked the fuel cap to make sure it was closing completely. The dealer checked the TB for excessive clearance and said it was ok.
It seems to only stall like that after driving on the highway and then stopping at the first light after that.
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I have a 1998 blazer 4x4... I had a issues with the car before and I had to turn the idle screw up until I fixed my problem. I now fixed my problem and I need to know what my idle rpm should be at.
After I fixed the original problem after about a day of driving I had a P0507 Idle speed High/Low. I turned the set screw down and lowered my rpm. After about 5min of driving the code went away on its own.
About 1 week later I am now getting the P0507 again and now it has a buddy. P0446 Evap System.
Questions what would my idle rpm be? Can the high rpm cause the EVAP code as well.
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My 98 1.8t Passat is throwing a P1565 Idle Speed Control Throttle Position Lower Limit Not Obtained. I have cleaned the throttle body with no improvement and cleared the code many times with no luck. The car only has 114k on it car runs fine although some times will give me problems starting it ill have to sit and crank it for 40 seconds or more and also will idle on rear occasions 1300 vut normally between 850 and 900.
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1998 Explorer 4x4 4L
The drive train freewheels when going down hill in 4x4 Low, and 1st gear. Shouldn't the engine be braking the vehicle when in 4x4 Low, and in 1st gear? It is free wheeling which is very hard on the brakes; I had to ride the brakes the whole 2 miles down (a lot 45 degree grade).
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Today, while about to take off after stopping at a traffic light my engine unexpectedly died. I noticed that the "red battery warning signal" (something to do with the electrical systems) lit up at this time.
I restarted the engine without trouble but since then I have noticed that the car feels a bit more jerky to drive and is not as stable at idle.
Upon leaving the car, I also noticed a burning smell coming from somewhere in the rear. The weather here is fairly cool so I would rule out high temperatures as the cause of the problem.
I have read the lengthy thread below about people having hiccup issues with their R, but I think it is time to start a new one as that is very confusing and still inconclusive.
From what I have read, there seem to be two possible problems to why engines unexpectedly die or hiccup. 1. Faulty stock ECU, or 2. Faulty fuel pump and canister, or both.
I'd like to know whether people who have similar experiences, who have since
A) reflashed their ECU with an aftermarket one, or
B) installed a new fuel tank/pump from VW - have solved this problem.
My R only has 100 miles on it, and it is very disappointing to know that it is not running as it should.
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Symptoms:
-Car "Surges" at any speed. Loss of power is significant.
-Check engine light is on , DTC code = P0420
Tried:
-Fuel injector cleaner
-Spark plugs replaced around 40k miles ago
-Checked for leaking valve cover gasket (oil in plug wells) None
Can a clogged fuel filter cause this? At idle the car is fine, the symptoms seem to only occur when car is under load (In drive). My son drove this car an it always seemed empty meaning he never put much gas in it.
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What is the difference between the 2 wire & 3 wire cam sensors. I am installing a 98 4.0 in my nephews Explorer-engine build date of 12/98. The replacement engine build date of 5/98. There have been quite a few differences during this process and thought I had them worked out but the old engine had a 3 wire cam sensor and the replacement has a 2 wire. I have already changed the harness over due to other differences but my main question is will I have to swap the synchronizer or will the sensors interchange? The synchronizes look different as does the cam sensor.
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Engine idles erratically after it warms up. Strong sucking air sound from throttle body as engine idles from low to high. I have no codes on ODB II.
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