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although it seems the twin scourges of the industry now are head gaskets and paper mache transmissions.
In OBD II you can look at some things with a real time scanner - a good one would be long term fuel trim and short term fuel trim. Long term fuel trim is typically a few percent negative - say 3 to 5 percent. If it is more than 5% positive, you should suspect a problem. It caps at 20% I think - the cap could be higher. Bad O2 sensors, bad MAF, other issues can cause these problems.
Also, you need to check the operating temperature of the engine. If the engine does not fully warm up, then the computer will run the engine slightly rich cause it thinks the engine is cold, when in fact its ok. Bad thermostat, bad coolant temp sensor are possibilities.
Search the internet, read up on these things a little so you are educated, then go in to your service advisor and ask them to check these items and report the readings back to you.
If you want to really perk their ears up, tell them you want the mechanics notes on what he did to check your problem out. This is what is sent to Ford so Ford can decide whether to reimburse the dealership for the warranty work. Obviously, he should talk about the things you asked them to check in his notes.
Stay friendly, stay persistent, get educated (you should be able to talk to them at a little more on their level) you will probably get results. Expect 4 or 5 visits. I would ask to talk to the service manager if it is not fixed after the third visit. Service advisors often get rated based on how many of their customers end up going to the service manager - they are not anxoius to have you do that.
I get about 15 around town with my V8, unless the air is on, then 13. Just think, you coulda had a V8!
I did replace the two O2 sensors upstream from the catalytic converter as the dealer said that they had generated a check engine light. The left side had the two white wires insulation removed from a heat shield that came away from the exhaust pipe and was resting on that spot of the wire. Can't say whether this was the cause of the shut down or not, will have to do some driving and see what happens.
I am still considering the subscription to alldatadiy.com. Anyone got some positive or negative feedback to share with me?
Thanks , chris
Ford is useless in trying to find the problem. The dealership (not just one, two of them) tried to get me to pay to have the computer hooked up to scan for problems if they didnt find anything wrong with it. They know the mpg in the V6 suck, and aren't helpful at all in figuring out why!
At least you probably got the employee discount. I bought mine at the beginning of the year right before ford started offering them. If I had known about the piss poor mpg, I would have gone ahead with the expedition, it gets relatively the same as my V6 explorer.
If you find out the reasons behind the low mpgs. please let me know
As far as paying to have hooked up to the computer, I guess this isn't covered by the warranty? If not, it may be worth an hours labor charge to find out if it's your driving style or the car.
So far a really good service advisor and manager. Many thanks again for the quick response.
Like I mentioned, I had an '01 equipped the same as yours. These are identical vehicles. I got 14/city-20 hwy. So it may be a flaw in your particular vehicle. But these motors generally get 1 to 2 mpg better than the V8. I traded mine in at 45K. I needed a tow vehicle. The motor was reliable up to that point. The rear-end and it's issues are a different story.......
You have to ask yourself if the approximately 2 mpg you are getting (less than everybody else) is worth the frustration you are experiencing. If the dealer said it's within specs, then you are at the end of your rope. You can't evoke the lemon law or bring a court case over this issue. These things are so judgemental. it's nearly impossible to solve by legal action.
My advice would be to accept the current situation and move on-or simply get rid of the vehicle. I know it's not what you want to hear, but it's reality.
Good luck to you!
The pressure regulator has a vacuum line on it - pull it off and see if there is gas in it. If there is, its bad.
Dying when you take your foot off the gas is another clue that the idle air control valve is not working right. I would replace it - about 50 bucks at the parts store, held on by two small bolts, and sits right on top of your engine - very easy to do yourself.
I had the resister jumper installed as part of the recall but cannot tell if the GEM was. Does anyone know about the numbers on it that may help discern if the dealer skipped over this install or not? I still get the occasional inoperative rear wiper and the unexpected front wiper coming on.
Janell
They probably can fix it, are you under warranty?
However, putting a new fuel filter in it is a good idea. Idle air control valves are often the cause of starting problems, so you can remove yours and clean it and see if that improves the situation. But your symptoms seem more like a fuel pump issue.
The engine may be small, but they compensate with 5 speed autos and gearing. 5 speed autos hardly existed 20 years ago.
Just for fun, stop the vehicle on a downhill, shift it into neutral and make sure it coasts normally - nothing drags or holds it back.
If you have been in three times with out getting it fixed, I would suggest taking your problem to the service manager, Ask him to take over getting the problem resolved. Firm but nice -
And do some research on the net about lemon laws in your state, there are some things you need to do to document your case if it comes to that.
Also, research heater blend door problems on explorers - repair or reinforce the blend door while you have the dash apart. If it breaks later, you have another repair that is quite difficult, but easy while the dash is out.
Check the seal carefully for cracks - it is not hard to replace.
Got on the highway last night and when I got between 65 and 75 mph, experienced an incredible bouncing vibration coming from through the steering wheel, felt like the front right was bouncing. Any ideas what this could be?