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Last post on May 27, 2013 at 6:07 PM
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#5132 of 6386 ford explorer blowing off vacuum lines
by wend_one
Jul 09, 2006 (11:58 am)
I have a 1994 Ford Explorer. It keeps blowing the elbows off the vacuum lines attached to the intake manifold. It also will occasionally smell like it is leaking brake fluid, but, I can't find any change in the fluid height in the fluid reservoir. It has been into the garage twice, once for a tune up and once because the problem occurred again after the tune up. The first time it happened a year ago and one line blew off, the second time it was six months ago and two lines blew off, and the last time, yesterday, three lines blew off. I originally replaced the elbows because they felt spongy and I thought it was solely due to the material degrading from oil in the lines. The vehicle has about 130,000 miles, could this be a problem with the egr valve or the canister associated with the emissions system? The garage mechanic said it is a normal circumstance and just to zip tie the lines back on the nipples they attach too. Does anyone know what the real problem is and what really needs to be fixed?
Jul 09, 2006 (4:26 pm)
I own a 94 ford explorer limited. 4.0 v6, auto. The car has been really good until about 2 weeks ago when it gave me problems starting. The funny thing is that it only gave me problems starting when i let it sit for more than five hours. I would just crank the gas and that seemed to work. About a week ago in the morning it just stopped starting. The motor turns but not start. I checked the fuel pressure, i'm getting 40psi, the truck is not flooded, i changed the ignition switch, checked the ignition control module, sprak plugs are working and giving good spark, engine coil is good, and ecm is responding. everything seem fine. The injectors are not distributing gas to the engine, and they're not going. It seems as though i might have a short wire, or my ecm relay needs to be changed. Do you have suggestions as to what i should try next.
#5134 of 6386 Re: ford explorer dies when stopping [explorerhlp]
by electricdesign
Jul 09, 2006 (5:02 pm)
Two important things I saw in your post. Obviously the fuel system is all or part of the problem.
First - "i filled the tank it only took 6 gallons and still pegged at empty". It could be a bad fuel sender, or a leaky float that sank. I had the leaky float happen on one of my Explorers. I keep a spare float on the shelf.
Second - "the fuel filter which was full of black soot like liquid". Where did that come from? Be sure to completely clean the fuel system!
Because of the two above complaints, it would seem to indicate that the fuel tank needs to be removed, the fuel sender, pump and filter need to be checked, the tank needs to be cleaned out, to be sure it is clean. Check all WIRING on the sending unit and SENDING UNIT CIRCUIT, if the sender or float is bad, put on new fuel level sender or float. Before installing the fuel tank, turn on the ignition and slowly manually move the sender float up and down to be sure the fuel gauge moves up and down. You need to determine where the black stuff you found in the fuel filter came from. Was it something in the fuel tank? Or did it come out of the fuel pump because of a problem with the pump? You need to resolve that issue before putting it all back together. Remove the fuel filter and check for any dirt or contamination. If any dirt is found, blow out and clean the fuel lines. The engine dying is most likely coming from this fuel system problem. Whenever the fuel filter is removed, the fuel that spills out should be very clean on the side towards the engine, and only slightly dirty on the side towards the gas tank. There usually is no problem with the fuel system, if you change the fuel filter with a new one every 30,000 miles.
Good Luck,
E.D. ISF
#5135 of 6386 Re: ford explorer blowing off vacuum lines [wend_one]
by electricdesign
Jul 09, 2006 (5:17 pm)
Same thing happened to my 91 and 93 Explorers. I tied the boots on tight with some small wire and never had anymore problem. I think it's a small backfire in the engine due to some design glitch in the engine or ignition. Just make sure it's tuned up propery and has good spark plug wires.
Good Luck
E.D. ISF
#5136 of 6386 Re: Won't start [powerplay]
by electricdesign
Jul 09, 2006 (5:41 pm)
If you are sure that the ignition is functioning properly, it may indeed be the fuel injectors not firing. You can check that by buying a "NOID LIGHT" at the autoparts house. They make different ones for different makes, so be sure to get the right one. You can get by using only one Noid Light by putting it on one injector at a time. Unplug one connector from it's injector and plug the Noid Light into the connector. When you crank the engine, it should light every time the injector is suppose to fire. If no light, that means no injector pulse signal is present. Try it on the other injectors to see if they work or not. If you do this, and the Noid light doesn't light, check all the wiring connections. More than that would be too much to post here. You would have to get a good repair manual or an Alldata Subscription, or take it to a shop for repairs.
Good Luck,
E.D. ISF
#5137 of 6386 Re: ford explorer blowing off vacuum lines [electricdesign]
by wend_one
Jul 09, 2006 (7:40 pm)
Thanks for the info, I'll let you know if anyone else comes up with anything else.
Wendell
#5138 of 6386 Re: Front-end Noise [electricdesign]
by mynewalias
Jul 10, 2006 (8:00 am)
E.D.,
The tires were purchased and mounted at Wally World, which does not have the type of diagnostic capability that was required for this situation.
I ended up bringing it in for a service appointment at the new car dealership from where it was originally purchased. The diagnosis and solution was that the right-front hub was shot. The part was about $250.00 and the labor about the same for a grand total of about $525.00. Needless to say, it drives perfectly now.
Jul 10, 2006 (8:03 am)
I should also add that the ABS indicator light on the dash has been lit for several months. The dealership remarked upon this during my service visit and said that they thought the problem was with the "rear speed sensor", which had a parts cost of around $50.00 with labor about the same. I wonder if anyone here has an experience with ABS issues such as this?
#5140 of 6386 Re: Front-end Noise [mynewalias]
by electricdesign
Jul 10, 2006 (8:08 am)
Glad you got it fixed ok!
Can't say much about the speed sensor, it could be the sensor itself, or the wiring or the Antilock module, it has to be diagnosed by someone with the knowhow. If it's just the rear sensor, it is easy to replace and should not be much time or money. I'd first check the wiring, just to be sure the wiring didn't get pulled loose or damaged. It is just a matter of unplugging the wire connector, unscrewing the old one, screwing in the new one, plugging the wire connect back together, securing the wire so it doesn't get pulled loose, and testing it to be sure it is working properly.
Good Luck,
E.D. ISF
#5141 of 6386 Re: rear end problems [electricdesign]
by seres4
Jul 10, 2006 (3:30 pm)
This is good stuff. From what I've been reading on the site, sounds like more problems than solutions. I'm in the same boat with tranny troubles. At 14 months, mine started slipping, grinding and simply not engaging from a stop- but no warning lights. The occurences were so varied I couldn't begin to recreate an instance to demonstrate to my dealer. I was told that without a warning light there was absolutely nothing they could do - even after a test drive. So, this kept on and as I would go back to the dealer I always got the same answer. Then at 40 months (4 after the warranty expired) and about 50K miles I finally got a warning light and the wonderful news from my dealer that the whole tranny needed to be replaced - and only for $6500. All attempts throughout the entire Ford Customer Service chain to have the work done at Ford's expense met the same answer - "No warranty - no service". They've never acknowledged my documented service history as if a transmission should be replaced every 50K miles. Now I'm off to court to have them pay for the repairs I had done at an independent repair site. The same work for less than half the price. Go figure.