Our 93 ford explorer is totally fucked up

[Tama]

The noise and hesitation

That's a video Al made of the issue we are having. We've already replaced the mass airflow sensor and the fuel filter to no avail. The vehicle is over 200k miles.

Could it be the oil needing changed? I'm not sure. Al is all kinds of upset because of having already replaced two parts, and spending $100 and getting nothing to show for it.

[Seanette]

I'm no mechanic, but noise and hesitation would have nothing to do with needing an oil change.

Hoping others who actually know more about fixing cars than "it's making funny noises and acting weird, would you please check it?" (this being my level of skill) will chime in.

[It's me]

You will likely be able to determine the reason for the check engine light being on. You can trigger it to display a set of flash codes (sort of like Morse code) that indicate the problems. Google is your friend!

Near as I can tell from the video, it idles okay but bogs down under load. That, combined with the age of vehicle, means my first thought is that you have a plugged catalytic converter.

[Tama]

He thought it may be spark plugs rather than the catalytic converter but I'll tell him about it.

Any sort of hill makes this thing hesitate and nearly stall. The amount of hill it can tolerate is shrinking, as is the distance it can cover before giving trouble.

[Buzzard]

For sure, get the trouble code read somewhere. Our modern vehicles have those computers doing diagnostics and storing that info for a reason. Some shops will even provide that service for free (hey, it gets people in the door)

Also, a plugged cat.converter (or any exhaust blockage) would make an engine falter under any kind of load, but idle normal-ish. Might do a quick check to see if something's been shoved up the tailpipe. (or exhaust tubing damaged/bent/kinked)

[dalesys]

... see if something's been shoved up the tailpipe...

Potato bunging the schoolbus...

[Tama]

Well, the guy Al hired came by again today and he says it's most likely the ignition coil.

We wanted to do a code check but the only people around who do that charge $88 for it. If this doesn't work I'll have to gently encourage him to go to that place.

[protege]

He thought it may be spark plugs rather than the catalytic converter but I'll tell him about it.

Pull the plugs, one at a time with a socket wrench. The electrodes should be some sort of brown color. Any oil or black deposits mean something's screwed up. This might help. If the plugs are crap, replace them, along with the wires.

Also, does the Explorer have an ignition coil...or coil packs? A failing coil pack can do some strange things on hills--loss of power, lots of noise, etc. Plus, it will cause the Check Engine light to come on.

Spark plugs, their wires, and ignition coils are usually inexpensive. IIRC, I bought a set for the MG for about $50. Still though, I'd pull the plugs, check their condition, and get someone to read the codes.

[Tama]

Aaaaaand, the mechanic guy Al had out here thinks it is likely the ignition coil. I think my uncle may be able to get a code reader over here for us though, so we can find out what it is for sure before we spend $80 on a new part.

Funnily enough--the check engine light has not come on ONCE. But then again the lighting system for the dash area has always been kinda screwy.

[Ophbalance]

It's a 93. OdbII didn't become required until 96 and you may not even have a port to plug into. You might be able to get it to give you blink codes though. Give the net a search on your exact year and trim and it should pop up.

[wolfie]

Pre-OBDII cars* can be read, but the code readers tend to be manufacturer-specific (e.g. a Ford and a Chevy would use different connectors). You may be able to buy a Ford-specific one at a surplus place (do you have the equivalent of Princess Auto in your area?) or an auto parts store. Check the packaging to see if your vehicle is covered - although '93 is almost certainly new enough to be compatible with a reader.

* Naturally, this doesn't apply to all pre-OBDII cars. For an early '90s model (like yours), there's a very good chance. For something significantly older ('64 1/2 Mustang), forget about it.

[Buzzard]

$88 for a code reading is a bloody joke. A basic reader is about $40 in one of the major parts stores.

With some of the older systems, yes, there are oddball fittings between makers.

On the plus side, it's also possible to manually read codes with a jumper wire (just a plain old wire to connect two points) and (I'm spacing on the name) a meter with a swinging needle instead of slow-digital readout. Going by the repair manual for your rig, you'd hook everything up, have a second person turn the key to ON (not start) and watch/count as the needle on the meter sweeps/pulses. Match up the codes to the chart in the manual and see if it's something easy (see also: DOH!)

[wolfie]

(I'm spacing on the name) a meter with a swinging needle instead of slow-digital readout.

Analog meter. Probably somewhat hard to find due to needing precision parts (i.e. cost doesn't come down as much from economies of scale). You can substitute a low-drain light (I'd go for a decorative LED that comes pre-wired for 12V) and count the flashes.

[Tama]

Aaaaand the ignition coil is not the problem. It was changed and it is still fucking up and stalling and whatnot. And right before it stalls it makes farting/raspberry type noises.

The TPS was checked but the mechanic said to check it again. At this point we are baffled. My uncle will be trying to bring over a reader tomorrow, so hopefully we'll be able to figure something out. I think we're up to $150 in parts that it wasn't...

[mathnerd]

I didn't see this thread until now, and while reading the first page was thinking "I hope she doesn't spend the money on an coil". It really, really did not sound like a coil/coil pack to me. I'm with the others thinking it's got to have something to do with the catalytic converter or exhaust in some way.