My voltmeter (91 Explorer) bounces with loads, i.e. when sitting at a stop light with the brake lights and turn signal on.
Revving the engine up doesn't seem to work. What does this indicate? Bad battery? Bad alternator or voltage regulator?
1991 Ford Explorer XLT, 4X4, 4.0L push-rod motor, 315,000K
Problem Part 1: Excessive fuel consumption
Codes for O2 sensor, system lean, some black smoke, unburnt fuel smell, some slight hesitation when accelerating from a stop
I replaced the 02 sensor, replaced the IAC, cleaned the MAF, replaced the coil pack, replaced the plugs, replaced the plug wires, replaced fuel filter, replaced air cleaner, replaced the PVC valve changed brand of fuel, checked tires and "brake binding" - NOTHING. Truck ran "fine" other than excessive fuel consumption. I decided to replace the fuel pressure regulator and before I could get to the parts store we have...
Problem Part 2:
Truck begins to lope along like there is one bad cylinder. It sometimes "fixes" then comes back (all this over a period of 3 days).
Day 4 it's dead - no start.
The motor cranks, the fuel pump "pumps" 3-5 secs KOEO fuel line is clear, return line is clear, filter is clear. There is fuel at the Schrader valve (do not know pressures) and the electrical system seems OK (sparks to all 6cyl). I believe the crank position indicator is OK because the CEL is on KOEO but goes out when cranking. I have no codes because I needed to remove the battery to re-charge. Fuel pump fuse is OK.
Only other information that may (or may not) be relevant is that lately it is slow to heat up. It does not come off "cold" (for the last 4 days). Maybe it's the thermostat or temperature sending unit? Maybe it's because its -30C here. It heats up fine if I block the airflow across the radiator (the old carboard solution).
I have not checked the relay. Where this unit is on the 1991? Don't say fuel pump.
Have a 91 Exp 4.0 v6, has a no start problem only in the cold weather. Last year, replaced coil pack, fuel pump, crank censor, this winter...same problem. Just will not start when it is cold. No codes, no ck engine. Checked it today...it has no spark. What could cause this? Fuel filter has also been changed. told him to ck crank position censor connector.
View 7 RepliesMy 1991 Explorer 4.0 4x4 overdrive not working, so far have checked ohms on sensor at trans and it appears to be ok. Also looking for the pinout of PCM under passenger kick panel to see if voltage is being output to the sensor at trans.
View 1 RepliesAnyway I have a friend with a Mazda Navaho. 1991, 5spd transmission
It jerks intermittently, and sometimes quite severely. Myself, and 4 other ASE mechanics, and 1 "old ford guru" are stumped. We know we have ruled out the clutch for sure....
We think It started when my friend put a clutch in it. He did not have the flywheel turned . When we looked at it, we were all convinced this was the issue....drive test and dumping the clutch in and out at cruising speeds could replicate the issue. However, he had just bought the truck, and it needed a clutch, however the jerking we think was happening before, but we didn't know as we couldn't drive it till we put the clutch in it.
So we re-did the clutch...had flywheel machined, and got a warranty replacement clutch just in case, and put it back together.
Same issues. so we checked, and tested.
1. Fuel pressure test- passed, no issues
2. Checked fuel regulator for leaks - none
3. Checked for and found no vacuum leaks-none
4. Swept, and actually replaced (3 times) the TPS -is working fine
5. Replaced the MAF - Thought we had it, as we disconnected the MAF and jerking seemed to go away instantly...however few days later jerking returned, and driving with MAF unplugged still jerking.
6. Replaced Ignition Module, checked coils, plugs etc...actually replaced plugs and wires as well
7. Disconnected Transfor case plug to make sure it wasn't the issue as well.
I really don't know what else to check. The motor runs fine, the trans shifts smoothly...the clutch is new and was done correctly. I run a small auto shop, and we have access to Mitchells, All-Data, and Identifix....all were no dice. It seems you try and research jerking and hesitation all the hits come up for Auto trans and Torque converter lockout issues. This truck is a 5 spd .....
I have owned many Aerostars back in the day (loved em, same 4.0) and I have never seen this
The jerking is random and intermittent...symptoms would be similar to a small child flicking a light switch on and off rapidly when it does it. power, no power, power, no power, and rapidly...it feels like someone herky jerking on the clutch but we have ruled that out....its definitely electrical.
Also, and naturally, even though it is Obd I we have checked and there are no pending nor stored codes....PCM thinks everything is hunky dory. No backfiring, no smoke, no misfires....runs like new except this perplexing issue.
I just got a '91 Explorer. It has no brake lights at all. I've checked all the fuses and everything's fine there.
What's the next thing to look at? I can't say I've seen this problem before.
I just bought it off my friend yesterday and I noticed the back door doesn't lock, the glass part doesn't either. How I could fix it?
View 7 RepliesI'm fixing up my 1991 Ford Explorer Sport. I've replaced door panels, handles, center console, seat upholstery etc... I'm now looking for a replacement headliner. I've already checked LMC without any luck. Also my windows will not roll up/down even though the electric window motors are working. I can push and pull the windows up and down by hand while pushing the corresponding direction on the door control so it seems the mechanism is just slipping against the window. What exactly is this mechanism? what do I need to fix this problem?
View 3 RepliesAt highway speeds above 60 mph on a smooth road, the vehicle runs fine. But if the road has any bumps at all, even small ones, it starts to vibrate very fast as long as there are bumps. The steering wheel almost becomes a blur. It's like it's going into oscillation.
The wheels have been balanced and rotated. The movement the steering wheel is not side to side, like I have experienced with imbalanced wheels.
The shocks look fine and I am told that they are OK by the tire dealer . I have never had this kind of a problem with bad shocks. The vibration is just too rapid.
Before I take the truck in for the mechanic to inspect it, I would like to know what the problem might be.
The other day, my father-in-law was driving my '91 Explorer and it just died on him. I assumed that the fuel pump quit becuase it wouldn't come on when the switch was turned on. I had a brand new lying around so I dropped the tank and put it in but it still won't work. I checked the inertia switch and it wasn't tripped. There is no power coming to the new pump at all. When the switch is turned on, there is a noticeable "click" inside the engine bay. Would that be the fuel pump relay making that "click"?
View 7 RepliesAfter sitting on a steep driveway for three years, no starting done all that time,I filled all tanks, started it up, drove it on and off 8 times for 50 miles, air in top radiator tank along with rusty water, dare we flush the system being 280k miles old with 40k on new radiator/ also is there a socklike screen over the fuelpump in the tank that may need cleaning to start quicker than two to three starter attempts?
View 4 RepliesMy 99 Ranger charges intermittently. Sometimes it is just fine, sometimes the voltmeter drops and the light comes on. Might go a mile, might go all day without an issue. Alternator was replaced 2 weeks ago. Where to look? I haven't ruled out the possibility of a bad "new" alternator, but I haven't been able to get it to act up when I actually have time to start diagnosing it. Is there a relay somewhere that could be causing this?
View 14 RepliesSo I went to Target with my wife yesterday and after about 30 mins of shopping, left the store and tried to start the Ex and will not start. The engine tuned over slowly like the battery did not have enough juice to start the truck. So I had it jumped and it started right up. So I went to autozone and the battery and alternator tested and both and in good working order.
Today it happened again. After stopping at a fast food joint to grab a quick bite, same thing it did not start. But before I started the truck the voltmeter showed about 12.6 volts. When I tried to start it, the engine turned really slow and did not start. By that time the volt meter showed about only 6.5 volts. So trying to start it just drained the battery. I had it jumped and it started right up. Went back to Autozone and had the battery and alternator tested and both are fine.
Once the truck is running, the volt meter shows ~13.5 - 14 v volts. No other electrical issues while driving. What's happening? What should I check for? The battery is about 3 years old. I will charge the battery over night and see what happens tomorrow.
Problem with my 2006 F150 5.4 4x4... Voltmeter spikes, battery light comes on, grinding noise as 4x4 engages on its own then everything returns to normal after about 60 seconds. Took to Ford who replaced the alternator and battery, still doing it so they replaced the alternator again...they checked the wiring and replaced some other misc parts and don't know what the problem is. The problem occurs once every few days, after only a few minutes or after a few hours, completely random.
View 6 RepliesI have 2004 w12 phaeton and when i start car voltmeter shows like 13 volts and when it takes like 20 seconds to reach 13.8 and if I push on gas little bit it goes right on 13.8 or 13.9
So my question how many volts should be if all system works fine? and how long after start should take to go 13.8? Could be that my batteries going bad?
2002 F-250 tries to die when I shift from drive to reverse. Usually first 10-15 minutes after starting. After it has gone a few miles I haven't noticed it. Seems to be getting worse but just really started a few weeks ago. I don't drive it everyday so it has been a while.
View 2 RepliesMy 2000, F150, 4X4, 4.6V8, five speed manual idles great and sounds great and throwing no codes. It doesn't have a lot of zip, but it really never has, at least since I bought it at almost 60K miles.
I've never towed much of anything with it until recently. I started towing a 6 1/2' X 10' trailer with a 1,600 pound side by side or a 1,300 pound mower with a large grass collector. Both of these loads have lots of wind resistance.
The lack of power is REALLY showing up pulling these loads at highway speed. Sometimes, even on pretty flat ground, the cruise control will hold the throttle on the floor at 60 or 65 MPH and it can't pick up speed.
I have maintained the truck well, but there is something amiss. It is due a fuel filter, so I will change that. I've never replaced the O2 sensors, so I'm considering replacing the front ones.
I am thinking about using a vacuum gauge to see if I can detect plugged cats. As I recall, there are two on each bank. I have a scanner, so I was thinking about monitoring front and rear O2 sensors and see if I can get the 100 degree difference that indicates a properly functioning converter.
I'm thinking of cleaning the throttle body.
Something else that is odd about this truck. Being a stick shift, it does not want to go all the way back down to idle speed unless the vehicle is stopped. For illustration of what I'm saying, you can kick the transmission in neutral and coast, and it will stay above idle speed until the vehicle stops, THEN it will idle down normally. I have always thought that this might be because so few manual transmission trucks were built that this is something in the chip for an automatic that they didn't take out for the manual.
2005 Mercury Grand Marquis, 102K miles
I noticed the other day that the voltmeter on my instrument cluster was indicating a bit low from normal (dead center). Knowing better than to blindly trust a cluster gauge I checked voltages with a multimeter, and it read 13.3V at the battery, and 13.4V at the alternator. This was after a 35 mile drive home from work with the A/C running virtually the whole time. Later on that evening I ran an errand, and noticed that despite the car sitting for a couple hours, the voltmeter was in the same low-ish spot. Checked voltages again with the multimeter, and they had not changed either, still 13.3/13.4V.
This morning I drove to work, and saw that the gauge (and voltages) did NOT drop off. Meter was dead center like it should be, and testing showed 13.9V all around. Today I drove home and kept the A/C off, and once again everything stayed right where they started, 13.9V. As an experiment I then turned on the A/C once I got home and rechecked voltages: within seconds it was back down to 13.3V, and it did NOT recover back to 13.9V after shutting the A/C off. It looks like once the voltage drops, it stays there for a while regardless of A/C being on or not.
Seems to me like it's possibly a slightly weak alternator (I don't like that it never quite reaches 14V under any circumstances). Another thought I had was that perhaps the belt tensioner is weak, as I did notice that when the A/C compressor clutch is engaged, the tensioner wiggles back-and-forth a bit, then returns to steady and solid when the clutch disengages. I should also add that the battery voltage when off is always good, 12.5V to 12.7V.
Have a 2007 Chevrolet Suburban. The voltmeter reading varies from 13 to 16 volts, no obvious reasons for changes in the reading. Chevy says there are a number of different inputs that determine what the reading should be, such as battery temp, etc. On older cars you could use the voltage to determine when something was going wrong with the electrical system. Other that a complete loss of alternator output, can you use the reading to diagnose electrical problems, such as a bad or dying battery?
View 4 RepliesI have a 1989 Ford Mini van. Has a very strange thing happening in front end. It sometimes bounces right and left and pulls hard to the left to the point I have to pull over and stop. It only does this "rarely" that's the weird thing. I have brand new tires yet it did this before the tires. I am not sure if its coincidence or not but it seems to do it more in hot weather. I feel like the shaking is maybe a tie rod? or why would it be only intermittent and not all time? It has done it about 2 times in 5 months that's how rare this is. Right now I get in and it drives fine . straight down road.
View 3 RepliesI thought my brakes were sticking........don't think thats the issue. My rear end bounces....you can see it, and its only certain times...mostly when its hot, or I've been driving for a while (an hour maybe)
I have been taking notes on the symptoms, and finally got some noise today. When the rear end starts to hop it sounds like you are riding on rims and it will actually slow the truck down if you let off the gas.
The brakes aren't hot beyond reason, and I've noticed that it occurs mostly after making a sharp turn???? Or a fast medium turn such as a quick merge.
I think something is either coming loose in the rear or ?????? Not sure Also, when I pull my camper I haven't had it happen yet.......may be a coincidence.....? Or the fact that I take turns slower when its attached.