I just bought my first 2001 Ford Excursion! It has 170k on it. Question 1 -When I ease into acceleration, my truck starts kicking/ jerking. But if I step on the gas to punch it, it gets up and goes, no kick. While the kick/ jerking happens, the tack doesn't move and the speedometer don't do anything abnormal! Does anyone know what that might be? Question 2 -this truck came with a VHS player in it, and it doesn't work. The VCR is turning on, but not the screen. Is there a certain way to turn the screen on?

 

First, because the 2001 Excursion could be had with a choice of three different engines, we need to know what kind you have.

Second, do you have adjustable pedals?

Stewart

 

Assuming you have a gas motor. Possible misfire? I had a slight miss on mine shortly after I bought it. Did they detail/pressure wash the engine compartment? Maybe start with pulling the COP's and make sure they are clean and no water down the boot. Also not a bad idea to put new plugs in while you have the boots off especially if you dont know the history. I did that, found and dried the two with water down there (use shop air to blow out the holes real good before you remove the plug, dont want water down in your cylinder) and cleaned the rest and my miss went away. My plugs definitely needed changing at only 75k miles. As for the VHS, I dont know about that one, mine doesnt have have one...

-Thor

 

@Thor thanks for the advice!
@Stewart its the 5.4 Triton gasoline, and I have seen anything that controls the pedals!!

 

Ah, the good ol 5.4! I had one in my Expedition and I loved it. Got the 6.8 in my Excursion though and I really like that motor too! The only notables i had on my 5.4 were 2 COP's go bad, PCV system hoses rotted away and a couple of exhaust manifold studs that rusted/broke off. From what I understand these are fairly common issues but easy to fix yourself. Does your miss happen when you rev the engine in neutral or just driving? Unfortunately a miss will rarely throw a code unless it is really bad like the coil is completely toast, but water in the boot or a failing coil can be hard to find... A few more hints I have if you change out plugs (look for any plugs that have excessive wear or is an off color compared to the rest if it is not wet from unburnt fuel) and check for water would be to buy a new coil and then just put it in on the cylinder with the most questionable plug and see if it goes away, if it doesn't then just rotate the coil through the rest of the cylinders until hopefully it does. I've never had a bad fuel filter cause any problems but i suppose it could cause some stumbling, but you'd think that would be when you punched it not during gradual acceleration. Anyway I'm rambling a little bit. Here's a simplified list of what I would do:

1. Have someone scan for codes, may have some even without CEL
2. Change plugs/check for water etc...
3. Change fuel filter because it's cheap
4. If the miss is noticeable while revving the engine you can try unplugging one coil at a time and note which one does NOT cause the engine to miss even worse.
5. Maybe try the coil rotation with a new coil.

There's probably other things that could cause this but I cant think of any right now, only what I've experienced and my solutions but maybe someone else will chime in later.

-Thor

 

Do you have the Audiovox overhead monitor with TV tuner? If so, is there power going into it or is it completely dead?

 

@??

There's no "@" sign before my name, it's just plain 'ol Stewart.

Just so I'm clear, you have seen pedal controls, or you haven't seen pedal controls?

Stewart

 

He would know if he had pedal controls, it's hard to miss that switch. It was an option that was availble late, late 2001. It was meant for the 2002 MY more than it was 2001...

 

I'm a female! LOL! No it doesn't have pedal controls! And the "@" just means that comment is ment at you! I'm thinking its a Mis fire cause at idle, u can hear the tick. But I wouldn't even doubt water in the boot either. I know they washed it before I drove it off the lot, I hate that people don't know u can wet the motor when its hot for fear of breaking the coil! So at least I know where to start!

 

* can't wet the coil. Sorry, my phone is weird.

 

Its just the factory system. It doesn't look like its been modified. Um, the VCR has power, I can turn it on and off and put a VHS in it, but the screen doesn't turn on. There is a red light on the console above the screen and there is a red light on, but not the screen.

 

The mis only happens when I'm driving. If I Rev the engine, it sounds normal. But if I slowly ease into acceleration, it starts jerking.

 

I assume it is the Audiovox unit, same as mine with the VCR under the middle row seat.

The power button on the monitor does break (pin inside). I had to buy a remote control from Audiovox. They don't make it anymore, so I bought the refurbished one they had laying around.

It's almost impossible to fix that button on your own. Sending it back to Audiovox to have them fix it is cost prohibitive. I bought another one off flea bay and replaced mine. I may have an extra remote somewhere. I'll have to look for it.

 

Yeah, I knew that. I guess my slight sarcasm didn't translate well.

I figure when someone uses a name to respond, it's kind of a no-brainer that the response was meant for them.

Stewart