hey Rod,

You know, I would think you'd get more than 9 months out of a fuel pump,
I am going to call one of our local Ford dealerships, we have a contact there that is going to try and help us with this since they think the part's got a 1yr warranty.
It was replaced in Sept of 2011.

And, in the process of trying to start it this Sunday, it was pretty freakin hot, It started, and stumbled and cut off and wouldnt restart again, I managed to jam my knife in my finger, pinch my finger once I got the pliers trying to get the stupid 15 amp pos 26 fuse out!

Needless to say In my dispair I did not get the manufacture date for you.

Stay tuned I'll advise on how this goes.

Thanks for all your assistance!

T

 

Ouch! I don't think the build date matters considering the wiring diagrams for the non-FFV fuel pump circuit appear to be the same between early and late builds. The build month/year should be identified on the door sticker, but since this Explorer was purchased in 2001 that would be an early build, no doubt.

-Rod

 

Hey Rod,

Good news!

we contacted the Ford dealer who did the fuel pump install last year,
they said that we have 12months on the part warranty, they will replace for free if the pumps truly bad.

Hopefully that's all it is.

Now if we can get it started!! or tow it, hopefully this week we can get
this fixed, and Dad can decide to keep or sell it. I think he actually wants a Escape, we'll see.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions!

Cheers!
Tom.

 

Good luck, and hopefully the new pump will take care of the issue!

-Rod

 

Hey Ron, Thanks,

I had to tell you this today, Dad called me this morning, the dern thing started! After sitting for 2 days with nothing, it had been kinda hot and dry, it was real cool and muggy this morning, bit of rain even, and it started!

Does that sound like an Electrical corrosion related issue?
could just be happenstance, but you would think with the pump being bad it would stay bad.

anyways, he drove it to the Ford dealership right away, so it's in their hands now!

Stay tuned, I'll try to update as they tell us what it is......

Thanks again!

Tom.

 

We have the exact same problem with a 2004 Escape with the 3L v6. Getting an Escape won't solve the problem Did you ever figure this out?

 

hey there,
sorry I completly forgot to repost the fix, we've gone from 1 project to another.

it endedup Ford replaced the fuel pump as it was still in the 12month warranty from the last fuel pump install. So this is the 3rd pump for this truck.

As to the cause: my best guess is 3 things:

Cheap watered down gas (That dad swears is fine)
Sitting, not driving much (this Explorer maybe has 35k on it and its a 2002)
3rd china made pumps?

Our buddy at the Ford place told us, it's too much work for them to chase it down, he said if it fails again, he'd put in yet another pump and sell it.

It could be linked to going 4wheeling in a salt enviroment (Cape Hatteras NC) cause dad did have to get some of the 4wh drive stuff replaced due to the electric 4wd on/off switch quit working the solonoid or whaterver is under the vehicle had to be replaced due to corrosion.

well for what it's worth, sorry there's no smoking gun here.

T

 

Hey Folks,
long time no post, hope all are doing well.


Dad's explorer did it again yesterday, left him in the grocery store shopping center.
wouldn't start (no fuel pump whirr) for over 2 hrs, called the tow truck, it started.


no blown fuses this time, we put a new fuel filter on it to be sure it was good and are just as stumped as before.


The ONLY idea that's a maybe is the fuel safety switch on the passenger side floor kick panel, I (in the middle of testing/filter replacement) happened to read the sticker under the hood "if vehicle wont start, press the fuel cutoff switch to reset".


well, I pressed it 5 times, it did start on the next try but we did so many things we cant honestly be sure that was it.


it wont start with that switch unplugged and if it's running and you unplug that switch it cuts off the fuel pump.


Very interesting as this "could" be a culprit as well as what some of you all mentioned about wires rubbing/shorting out or dirty connections elsewhere.



The other "odd" thing we noticed that could be related is how he parks it,
facing one way nose down, when it rains the floor gets wet,
reverse it and park it somewhat level to nose elevated, floor stays dry.
No clue if it's the windshield leaking or if those body lines on the roof that run into the front windshield (about 1 in wide or so) could be leaking water into the windshield gasket, thus onto the floor.. hasn't done this in a while tho, since he started parking it different.

Just curious if anyone else has had this occur since my last post, or any new information.


Right now, we're waiting for it to occur again and try the button and see what happens.
Dad's to the point if it breaks again its getting towed to Ford and he's buying something new.


I wish he didn't have to do this at his age, but he's still able to get around and he should without worrying so much about it.


(I have a feeling if Mom were still alive she'd have bought a new one by now, she didn't putz around with stuff like that, much to dad's dislike, he said she just liked spending his money! LOL)


Thanks guys!


T

 

The fuel pump shutoff / inertia switch is kind of like a circuit breaker. If it's tripped, you'll feel it when you reset it. If it's not tripped, pressing the button won't do anything (good or bad). So pressing it 5 times and then it started would just be coincidence.

It might be worth the cost to just replace the fuel pump relay at this point. They can become intermittent and should be less than the cost of a fuel pump since this 3rd one should be out of warranty by now.

As for the puddle when parked with the nose slightly down - does his Explorer have a sun roof? If so, the water on the floor may be due to a plugged or restricted drain at one or both front corners of the sunroof. When parked level the water may never get above a level that the rear drains can handle. But when parked nose down, the plugged or restricted front drains may allow water to pool up and flow over the channel. If this happens, the head liner near the sun visors will likely get damp as well.

-Rod

 

Hey Rod,


Thanks for the response, I'll try the relays and see how it goes.


Yes it does have a sun roof and gets rained on constantly by pine trees, needles, and the little fuzzy cones.


are those drains something you can run a wire thru?
(will investigate)
Thanks man!
T

 

It might be easier to find the bottom end of the drain and blow (gently/regulated) compressed air backward through the line. But I have to admit, I'm not sure where the front drain hoses exit the truck.

-Rod

 

Hey Folks


Hope are are doing well...


Well you all are going to love this one,


Dad's explorer finally did it one more time and he's done with it.


fortunately (I guess) the same fellow that towed us a few months ago
showed up the 2nd time just about a week ago.


Same problem, Dad drove to the bank, cut off the Explorer, went in, did his business, came out, crank, no start.
by that evening when I got there, we both tween the 2 of us had managed to at least try that thing 35 times minimum.


And I tried it quick, slow and in-between, nothing.


The tow guy shows up, and in 3 turns of the key managed to get it to start.


He claims he's been seeing a trend of sorts, said it started with the windstar's that he's towed before that the Theft deterrent system light
was either blinking or on solid on the first 2 of his try's and the 3rd one he turned on the key and let it sit till the light went out and she started!

Dad let a few GD's and F bombs fly to say the least, he was pissed!



But for any of you all out there that experience this;


The "gotcha' is we don't know what's causing it to get into this "condition" that turning the key on to ACC and watching the Theft deterrent light go from blinking to solid (or reverse I'm not 100% sure, it was kinda fast that we did this) and bingo, she started.


Well dad said "F-This dam thing" and went our local Ford dealer Bill Talley Ford and the nice fellows there "Mike and Billy" helped us out big time
and helped Dad find a 2015 Fusion, and he's never looked back!


Well, I hope that helps someone, I know it's not really a fix but apparently
the tow man know's his stuff!


(funny name too it was like "I'm broke down towing" or something like that).


Take care yall,



T

 

did you ever find the culprit? mine just did the same thing

 

The list:
Fuse 26 is generally the fuel pump fuse.
If the fuse is ok, your best bet is to first test the inertia switch output for 12 volts. Connecting a test light at the inertia switch output and seeing that everything prior to this switch is operational will show a fuel pump failure most efficiently. If you do see the test light come on at the inertia switch output, at least you know everything up to this point is working properly.

Test lamp not lit? Try these:

Fuel pump relay connector tabs are often found corroded. Dielectric grease coating prevents this condition.
Try cleaning all relays and coating with dielectric grease as a potential option and as preventive maintenance. Swapping relays is always a worthwhile option.
Additionally, the ground at each relay can be tested by using ohms or continuity testing with an ammeter from the ground to a ground on the engine or at the negative battery terminal.
This is usually tab number 85 on the bottom of your relay and if a test from that connector to the negative does not produce continuity, the ground is bad. Sometimes the female terminal in the fuse block opens up so that the connection becomes loose or it can also get pushed past the lock tab and not remain in place to connect to the relay. Sometimes this connector can just be pushed back into the fuse block and snaps into place but it can also show a broken wire or a corroded terminal beneath the block.

The inertia switch is always worth a check. It's generally under the dash glove box to the right side floor panel. Often the plastic panel does NOT need to be removed and switch will commonly be accessed via a cutout to get to the switch.
The switch can be kept 'ON' by using a jumper wire across the harness connector if the switch is suspected. Using a jumper wire at the switch connector for the inertia switch will eliminate the switch from the circuit, and/or the suspect list. Again, the inertia switch output can be verified by connecting a test lamp to the output and when the key is turned on the test lamp should light for 2 seconds as the pump runs its prime cycle. If you see the test lamp illuminated for 2 seconds connected at the inertia switch output then you know that everything leading to the switch is operating properly.
If you do not see the test lamp illuminated then an apparent electrical problem prior to the inertia switch for the pump is obvious.
If any of the above solutions allow the vehicle to start, the fuel pump is no longer the issue! All of the above items should be tested prior to fuel pump replacement, as well as being far cheaper than replacing the fuel pump.
If none of the above solutions produce a working fuel pump that can be heard, an oddball solution may be to check the crank position sensor and connections there. Crank position sensors are not a common failure, however, a bad connection at the sensor or sometimes even a dirty sensor probe/end may cause a no-start issue....

This would be a great place to have early and late build 2002 Ford Explorer fuse block wiring diagrams posted if anyone has them.....

If you've read this far you probably have all of this information already however hopefully this list is helpful to have a comprehensive rundown to begin your testing.
If I missed anything please feel free to add.

 

I've been dealing with this same issue for about two years. I'll drive to the grocery store and come out 15 minutes later and the truck won't start. I'll let it sit for a good hour and it will start up right away. I dread the summer months because this problem only occurres when it's hot. All winter long I have no issue whatsoever but once the temperature starts to warm up I have to make my trips to the store with someone with me to stay in the car while leaving it run so I don't get stuck. I was debating heavily on replacing the fuel pump two days from now but after reading this I just can't afford to spend the money for it not to solve the problem. I will also check the relays to see if my problem is there.
I honestly think it has everything to do with the outside temperature where something gets too hot and shuts down because once you let it cool down it starts right up with no problem. It's very annoying to say the least.
Any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated!!!
Thanks