There is a 2005 EB Expedition at the auction with 160k miles on it and codes P0453, P0208, and U2023. It starts, but I have not been able to drive it yet (maybe tomorrow).

I have looked up the codes and the first two could be related to each other (P0453 - Evaporative Emissions Control System Pressure Sensor High Input and P0208 Cylinder 8 Injector Circuit Malfunction, but the last one was a communication error - "Fault Retrieved From External Node".

Of course I guess it's possible that all are related to a bad PCM?

Anyone care to take some educated guesses?

 

Why would you jump right into a bad ECU? Both of those codes could also mean there's an open in their circuits or the coil in the sensor or injector is open.

 

I guess I am just looking at worst case scenario (although it could be worse that that), and my limited experience with my 99 expy that would only throw P030X codes when a COP was bad.

With these two codes, and the exclusion of a 300 code wouldn't both the injector and coil circuits have to be faulty? If so, I guess I was thinking that it would be unusual for both to have a problem (another reason I was leaning towards ECU), but I could be (probably am) wrong.

The good thing is that this is a repo, so I am not inheriting a dealer's problem car.

 

I had a P0453 on mine, turned out to be bad wiring which was shorting to ground on top of the fuel tank, had to lower the fuel tank to fix it.

P0208 could be bad injector or unplugged, or bad wiring.

U2023 is more difficult to say, you need a better scantool, most likely at least an MS_CAN supporting scantool which means minimum an OBDLink MX with the app FORScan or a professional or dealer level scantool. You need to find out which module is setting the code. Most likely that module will have set a different code as well, but a generic scantool won't be able to see that code, which is why the U2023 is in place. The cheapest option is to get yourself an OBDLink MX and use it with FORScan.

Bottom line, none of these codes point to a bad PCM. The U2023 could potentially mean a problem with another module, but most likely it's something going on with one of the systems in the truck. Are there any warning indicators in the dash? I assume CEL is on, but what about ABS, air suspension or airbag light?

 

Good to know on P0453.

For P0208, I thought about it being unplugged (some dealers do that to discourage other buyers), I'll check for that.

U2023 scares me a little. CEL stays on after starting, but the other lights do not. I double-checked the airbag and ABS lights to make sure they were lighting with the key on, I did not see a suspension light, but I don't think it had an air suspension. The reason I checked for those lights is that sometimes a seller will try to hide a problem with Airbags or ABS and they will find a way to disable the light. Since this is a repo, the chances of that are less likely, but I still checked.

I'm all for a better scanner if I can get the setup for under $100. I have an Elm BT ODB adapter and I am using the Torque app on my phone, but it only provides DTC codes from the ECU from what I can tell. My mechanic has a scanner that can read misfires before a code is set, will the setup you mentioned show me that as well? Also, is FORScan available on a mobile device, or is it PC only?

P.S. I am not a dealer, my friend has a dealer's license and I am hoping to purchase this as my personal vehicle so I really appreciate the help. My '99 Expy is getting a little long in the tooth...

 

I just answered my questions about FORScan. The app is available on Android for about $5 and my existing ELM BT adapter works with it. It provides much more data than the Torque app, so thanks for the suggestion.

Now I just need to go to the auction and see if I can get any other codes out of that truck.

One thing I noticed when testing with my 99 Expy, I saw some DTC codes that have been cleared on my truck recently (I have no CEL showing) and some other codes that I had not seen before on my truck. Are these just historical codes, or are they codes that are being thrown but are not at a high enough frequency to turn on the CEL?

 

You are most likely viewing "Pending codes".
In order for some codes to trip the CEL,
they need to occur in two successive "trips.
When the first failure occurs, the DTC is
stored in the "Pending" file.
On the next "trip", if iit fails again the DTC
is moved to the active file and the CEL is turned on.
If it passes, the DTC is cleared from the Pending file
and all is good.

 

It appears that I need to modify my adapter though to read the MS_CAN data. It also sounds like MS_CAN is only available on the PC version of the software which is free, so I'm not complaining.

FORScan forum ? View topic - How to access MS CAN bus using FORScanV2 and modified ELM327

 

Me too! The 2005 MY contained four networks (SCP, ISO, MS-CAN, and HS-CAN).
There can be up to 14 different modules spread across those four networks. And just to make it more complicated, for example, the PAM module lives on the ISO network on the Expedition, but lives on the MS-CAN module on the Navigator!

Your going to need a scanner that can access all four networks from the DLC, and can also query each module on its network to determine where the network fault is.

On the other hand, you may not need to correct the network fault. For example, the fault may be isolated to some function that you don't care about, like the Navigation System.

 

MS CAN works from the Android app, I use it all the time on my 2005 Expy. The OBDLink MX supports all the networks and talks to all the modules, which is why I highly recommend it. The Chinese obd scanners have varying results, which is why it is difficult to recommend them, but you might get lucky and have one that works well. I wouldn't be too scared of the U2023, but its best to find out what it is. It could be an easy fix, but it could also be expensive. Its probably not something serious, since safety related faults like ABS or airbag will give warnings in the instrument cluster, but it might be one of the features being inop.

 

Cool, good to know it works from the Android app.

The ODB adapter I have works great, and I just took it apart and it looks like the manufacturer took their time putting it together.

I was going to attempt to add the switch to my existing adapter so I could switch between MS_CAN and HS_CAN as in the article I linked earlier but alas I suck at soldering. The combination of working all day, failing eyesight, unsteady hands, and small parts are just too much to overcome.

Anyways, I will use the new software with my existing adapter and get all the info I can before the bidding starts tomorrow.

 

Just FYI, I've got the OBDLink MX (wireless version, instead of bluetooth), and it does work great. My biggest problem is that I'm not smart enough to understand half of what the thing is telling me.

 

I have the bluetooth version of it, which also works really well. I also installed an Android head unit to replace the factory radio, Works really well, but that's a little off topic.. hehe..

Other than that, I also bought a Ford dealer level scantool, the Ford VCM2. I got a chinese knockoff version of it which was much cheaper, it works really well with Ford IDS. Obviously, it should only be used for personal stuff, if you run a shop or use it commercially, I think it would be illegal to get a knockoff...

 

Actually, I may be interested in more details if I can win the bid on this car. Actually, I will eventually end up with another Expy from the auction, so I will be interested either way (unless I get one with built in Nav). Which unit did you choose? I replaced the radio in my '99 with a Pyle DVD unit, I rarely use the DVD function, but I originally had planned on hooking up a backup camera to it, just never had the time. Do the newer 2005+ Expy's have that same 1.5 DIN limitation, or did they finally go to 2 DIN? Also, are you mentioning this because you can install FORScan on the Android head unit? That would be cool...

Thanks for the info on the VCM2, is there something that it does that the FORScan app does not do? I am not a shop, but sometimes I feel like it. I have two sisters and a Mother who all own either Expy's or Navi's so I will get good use out of these tools.

 

I picked up a aftermarket head unit install kit with pigtails, then I bought this one: https://www.carjoying.com/joying-new...-multimed.html

It's a great setup, the Android head unit connects to my ODBLink MX and supports Torque and FORScan, so full access to everything. FORScan even allows you to program keys, but that requires the Windows version, just thought I'd mention that.

I also hooked up a rear view camera, which I think is a must in these. There's lots of kids and dogs in my area, so it's great to be able to see what's behind when backing up. If you're interested in the setup, I could probably take some pictures of it. The head unit fits in height, but width is a little narrower than the stock unit so I just zip tied some plastic pieces which I cut from the aftermarket install kit to cover the opening on the sides.

As for VCM2, you can check these out: V98 VCM2 for Ford with WIFI Wireless Card Best Quality
V100 VCM2 for Ford Support Wifi Best Quality
That's with or without wifi. Basically the same thing, just one has the wifi dongle included. There are cheaper options, but these are the only ones which has full support, the other cheaper ones has cut corners in they way they're made.