Ford :: 1998 - Engine Stumbles In Warmer Weather
Apr 12, 2015
I am 2nd owner of 98 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer V6SOHC. Vehicle is almost showroom condition w/ 70,000 miles and properly maintained.
Problem: engine seems to stumble quite frequently and is most noticeable when ambient temp is above 60*. Highway speeds , 40MPH doesn't matter. RPMS drop but it has completely shut down only twice in the last 9 months.
There are no codes. Plugs and wires changed several months ago, fuel pressure checked by Ford and it's ok, injectors cleaned at dealer, MAF seems ok so I am at a loss. Since there are no codes diagnostics don't work. Except for the issue above, this is a very nice reliable vehicle.
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I've got a 2001 F150 and lately, since the weather has warmed up, I've had a problem. After a few minutes on the road, the engine seems to be lacking power and is running hard. It also seems to shake a bit too. It's not overheating and the gauges don't show signs of high temp. My drive to work is 40 minutes and by the last 10 or 15 minutes it seems to be OK. ... A month or so ago when the weather was cold, I had problems keeping coolant due to leaks but that problem seems to have diminished. I don't know if any of that is connected to the original problem or not.
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Above 0 Cel.(32F.) 145 F-165 F. even in summer towing. Winter when it gets -20 my trans temp gets warmer (not towing 165.F or higher) When it gets to -30 my trans temp gets to 175 F. or higher I have never looked at trans temps before on any vehicle that I have owned. I like that these trans get warmer when it is cold out and colder when it is hot out.
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I think I'm getting the hang of this car after 3 months. My mileage has been steadily increasing as the weather has gotten warmer and as I've adjusted my driving a bit. If I drive fairly normally i get about 55 mpg (HSI, ~52 mpg actual). If I'm more careful I get closer to 60 mpg HSI. If I'm really careful I get over 60. My last tank was 61.8 (HSI), and 59.6 mpg from the fillup (see attached). I put 10.13 gallons in the car for 604 miles. I call that 60 mpg, and I'm pretty pleased. This is for a week of normal commuting which includes lots of hills, about 1/3 surface streets, 1/3 state highway, and 1/3 interstates with occasional stop-and-go. It is pretty hot here these days so the AC runs constantly. I have only seen my mileage get better with time so I haven't seen it roll over as the weather has gotten really hot, but that may be that any affect is counteracted by my learning to drive this car.
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I have a 1998 C1500 Silverado, with the 4.3 vortec engine, with 88k miles.
Upon initial acceleration the truck stumbles, sometimes even dies when taking off. I have had the codes read, and have gotten a P0102 and a P0404. I have swapped the MAF and EGR Valve out with a known good ones from the parts store; cleaned the throttle body; looked for vacuum lines that could be the problem but can't find anything.
I have even changed out the fuel filter since the engine sounds like it is starving.
Also, the transmission doesn't want to shift unless I let up on the acceleration pedal. I can get up to about 55 MPH and the RPMs sky rocket before it shifts, and the engine begins to ping before shifting.
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So I have a '98 cavalier with the 2.2l and 4sp auto. Anyway, it runs great when dry conditions, but when its wet from rain or any moisture it runs terrible. It stalls and stumbles and the cab fills with a gas odor. I changed the coil packs and plugs and wires and it still does it. I have a P0301 cylinder 1 misfire detected and a P0200 injector circuit problem. I'm having a hard time believing this because it runs fine most of the time. Is there something else I can look at that is feeding this problem? Is this a common ocurrance?
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I have had the truck sitting for almost 2 weeks now and live in the Midwest. It is about 35F outside today and finally got to drive it. When I started the truck and let it warm up for about 3 minutes I backed out and started driving. in total the engine ran 6- 8 minutes and the transmission temp moved off cold but the engine was still reading cold. Is this normal in this truck? Mine is a 5.4 gasser with the 3.73 rear.
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It got down to the low teens the other day and I thought I would use my engine block heater to see how well it works. But when I got in the oil temp was basically the same as the air temp (it may have been 5-10 degrees warmer but still not above 20*F) after being plugged in for 2-3 hours. Is something wrong here? I would have thought it would have warmed it up or does it not affect the oil temp? If not, what does it warm up?
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This problem showed up this summer, different times under load: on hot days, going uphill, AC on. Also, always happens when the temp gauge is just above halfway. Even after a stall, I am able to limp home, and it improves the longer the car runs after the problem starts. First I replaced the fuel filter which was pretty dirty, the problem didn't improve, so had the shop run codes -- low ignition voltage. They replaced the coil, and that seemed to work for a while. Now, in109 degree heat, it's starting to hesitate again, but the engine light hasn't come on this time. I had to replace the radiator about 4 months back, when it was cooler, and don't know if it's somehow temp related. Also, haven't replaced the timing belt since I bought it with 90K (its has 119K now).
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I have a 1998 Ford Explorer. 215K miles. Original Owner. When it is cold there is a very light leaking of brake fluid at the base of the master cylinder where it meets the brake booster. This morning it was 14 degrees and there was a much bigger leak. Filled it back up and went to work. I'm thinking its about time I took care of it. I've had the the master cylinder replaced once at Goodyear Auto Service Center years ago.
I'll post a picture later but having the leak where it is. Would that be a replacement of both the master cylinder and brake booster? How can you tell? Or is it better just to change out both. Having done more work on my car over years I feel I can do the work myself. Plus the master cylinder is only like $50 and $60 for the brake booster.
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I have a 5.0 Explorer 1998 and it has a problem for which I cannot find a definite solution, everyone says a different thing. The problem is that when the weather is hot, sometimes the engine does a strange thing. You ride the car for some time, especially if you do it on a high speed so the engine is really hot (but no overheating symptoms) - and then you kill the engine and leave it for a few minutes - to walk into a store, let's say.
After that you attempt to start the engine... sometimes it starts, but there were several times when it refused to catch, it cranks, at first tries to start, but stalls... then it just cranks without even attempting to start. And I had one occasion when it stopped working right in the middle of the road while crawling in traffic, but it was really HOT outside. Luckily, all other cases were in our town, so I could at least walk home. So, the problem seems to overheating of something, as in normal or cold weather it never happens. And every time, after the car is left to stay in place for some time, an hour or more, cannot say exactly - it starts perfectly!
I am really tried of this and want to eliminate the reason. But I am hearing so many different opinions about this problem. I thought that it could be the overheating of the fuel pump. But then it would stop working while moving, not after you shut the engine off and the pump cannot be still working and overheating. The only place where the heat can build up when you stop and turn the engine off is under the hood, as the fan stops, the coolant pump stops and the air isn't blowing as the car isn't moving. But the pump is in the tank! And I never ride on empty fuel tank, I always keep some level, lately I tried to keep it even higher, but yesterday it refused to start when the tank was almost half-full. Also, if it was just dying - a dying fuel pump gives certain symptoms like slow acceleration, engine shaking and trying to stall when you press the pedal, sudden stalling, uneven idling etc. In this case, nothing like this. The car's behavior is absolutely normal, acceleration good, normal idle. It happens ONLY under certain conditions, involving heat.
Other people say that it can be due to low pressure in the fuel ramp and the gasoline is starting to boil at some moment, when the temperature under the hood rises to a certain point. As a reason they name the pump (but as I said, I doubt it) or the fuel pressure control valve - don't know its exact name, it's a valve which maintains a certain pressure in the fuel ramp and releases excessive pressure by returning some fuel to the tank. However, when this valve gets stuck and doesn't maintain pressure, it mostly influences the cold start, as the fuel pressure drops and you have to crank for a long time while the pump is building the pressure again. But my car has never had any problems with the cold start, it's always instantaneous. Also, when this problem occurs and you start the engine after it cools down, it catches instantly which means THERE IS pressure in the ramp. So I don't believe in low pressure, gasoline boiling and resulting vapor jams.
And finally, I read that it may be caused by defective/dying engine temperature or crankshaft position sensors. As for the temp sensor, I will replace it tomorrow anyway. I am also thinking of having a look at the crankshaft sensor, where it's located on 5.0 V8?
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Is there an alert setting to signal when a regen starts? My engine stumbles badly a few seconds after a regen starts. The dealer hasn't found the problem. Right now I just keep an eye on the soot level gauge.
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2001-F150 5.4 Eng. bucking/stumble. I think my problem is slightly different than what I am reading about. Here is what I get (125k miles):
* Engine only bucks/stumbles intermittently and not at idle or at harder acceleration (this bucking is really harsh and makes the truck feel like a learner trying to drive a manual transmission and it is jumping down the street). The engine stumble is not a regular timing such as a cylinder going out and staying out for a period of time. It is quite a random pattern to the jumping
* Originally thought it was humidity related, but now I realize it happens in any climate
* No stumble in neutral at any rpm... only at a stop if I put it in a power brake load.
* When the stumble shows up, it seems like the throttle is around 10-25% (my best guess)
* Sometimes goes days without issue, but sometimes every ride and virtually every acceleration.
* Normally no stumbling at highway speeds, unless going up a hill.
* Every time it stumbles, it can be eliminated by either backing off on the accelerator some, or hitting the accelerator harder.
* No engine codes or CEL has ever come on
* Fuel mileage appears to be the same before and after the trouble started
Here is what I have done to try to correct it:
-> Fuel related (bad gas)... tried to run the tank as close to empty and fill it with fuel from different stations... when this didn't work, I have added HEET to it to dry up any water in tank.
-> Fuel delivery... replaced the fuel filter... seemed to work for one day, but then the gremlins came back.
-> Fuel delivery... ran multiple injector cleaners through tanks of gas.
-> Intake... replaced the filter.
-> Electrical... I don't believe this is related, but my battery died... parts store tested the system and stated the alternator was bad... replaced it, and took the old one to the parts store for bench testing and it was 100% OK... even thought the old showed OK, I left in the new one as a precaution. Only other item was a set of plug changes around 30k miles ago... I think I put in the super duper Bosch plugs with a lifetime warranty.
Current thinking and items I don't understand:
A) The bucking is so severe, it appears to be a random harsh loss of either fuel or ignition. A component that has failed electrically should give me a fault code with this level of severity. No trouble codes or indicators to electrically sense this disturbance...
B) For the fuel path, the most likely item is bad gas and I emptied my tank by running it as close to empty as possible and then used different gas and HEET to eliminate water. THIS MIGHT STILL BE THE CAUSE???
C) Another one for the fuel path is an intermittent fuel pump electrical connection or a weak pump from a pressure point. But if this is the cause, then why does it dissappear upon harder acceleration?
D) One last fuel thought is injectors... perhaps one or more have a range of delivery that they don't work properly... but this doesn't make much sense as at idle and harder accels are fine
E) From an ignition standpoint, perhaps I have failing COP's. I have not just gone out an replaced them due to my limited budget and the difficulty I read about changing them. Again, if one of these is failing in an either open or short condition, the computer should set a code for a misfire for the related cylinders. I get nothing. Hence my hesitation in making this change so far.
One thing i don't understand from the various posts is that the cops can fail under loading. what makes this happen as electrically, i don't think they can detect a load or not? it is hard for me to also understand why my truck would allow me to back off on the throttle or hit it harder and the issue disappears.
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'03 Excusion 6.0psd....new batteries a year ago, new starter a month ago, head gaskets etc a year ago....
Today I go out and start it up, no problem. Gather up the kids and head out to load up. When I climb in, I hit the unlock button to make sure the kid's doors are open and the engine stumbles.
I thought maybe I was imagining things so I hit it again and the same thing happened but it died but fired right back up. Drove the kids to school and it ran fine, no problems.
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I have a 2000 Explorer 4.0 SOHC that I'm having a persistent problem of cylinder 3 misfire. I've changed plugs with Motorcraft plugs set to the proper gap, put on new wires and have checked the resistance across the ignition module, both primary and secondary without change. I doubt that the problem could be the ignition control module as only cylinder 3 is affected. I have Auto Enginuity that I use to read the codes, attempt a repair and then clear the codes only to have P0303 appear again. Obviously the engine stumbles and has poor acceleration.
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Have a 98 S-10 4 cyl. Sometimes starts very hard in wet weather. Tries to catch and finally does after a minute of cranking. Any obvious things I should check/replace first?
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My daughter bought BIL's jetta and loves it. Already had to replace the seal on the oil cooler which wasn't too bad to do. But now she's out of town with the car and it won't start. Said it did start and run for a bit, long enough to get half way down the driveway and then die. Won't start again for her. Called BIL and he said it had done that to his daughter also during high humidity times. Well we have been foggy all day, guess that counts for high humidity .Could this malady be from condensation under the cap or is it something more sinister?
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My 1988 Volvo 240 DL often has trouble starting in the rain (I've usually managed to get it going, but it often takes several attempts). I have been told by a friend that he had the same problem with his '86 and replaced the distributor cap, solving the issue. My mechanic told me that he would need to replace the cap and wires. He said that replacing the cap alone won't solve the problem, and would just lead the cap to wear out faster. He told me this without looking at the car. Just want to know if he's right--do I need to replace the cap and wires? Is it possible that changing the cap alone will solve the problem? Could I change the cap and see if there's still a problem, or is it better to just do it all at once?
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I have 57K miles on my 1.8t. It runs great except for the first start of the day. About half of the time, first thing in the morning it runs rough for the first 30 seconds. Like it is running on 2-3 cylinders. Then it sorts out and runs great the rest of the day. I took it to my dealer where they charged me $200 to replace the spark plugs. I would prefer to fix this myself if I can.
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Okay so I have a 2003 Nissan Maxima 150k and the problem that I'm experiencing is that when the vehicle is in drive my foot on the brake for example at a red light and I have the AC on the engine will begin to stumble similar to a misfire however no check engine light will be displayed if I were to turn the AC off and sit at a red light in here with my foot on the brake the car idles fine and smooth the car currentl drives fine accelerates fine idles fine it's only when I'm stopped with my foot on the brake and the car and in drive with the AC on that the engine stumbles accelerating or cruising any speed above idle with a/c the runs smooth its only at idle and the simple is not predictable it happens often but at random intervals
What I've done so far 1.5 years ago I put in iridium spark plugs Recently cleaned the throttle body its a electronic throttle body Fuel pump and filter were replace in March 2016I tested the alternator put a load on it to see if the engine would stumble but it didn't
My a/C blows cold air and everything in the car works.
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I am a laid off mechanic doing some side work. I friend of mine has a 98 blazer that will not start in damp weather. Here's the kicker, it has spark to the plugs. New cap, rotor, pick up coil, and wires. Fuel pressure is around 60psi. I think it might be in the fuel injection. I drove the SUV into my garage, While the engine was running I watered the distributer down along with the wires. It ran fine. I shut it down and tried to start it a few minutes later with no luck. I took the distributer apart to inspect it for water and found nothing. I reassembled it and still had a no start situation.
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