code 173 92 explorer 4.0

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Jul 7, 2003 | 04:10 PM

jruppert00

Thread Starter

4wd Low

Joined: Jun 2003

Posts: 14

Likes: 0

From: Michigan

code 173 92 explorer 4.0

All of a sudden I am getting this code 173 on my 92 Explorer. It all started when yesterday we had a very heavy rainfall. I was out driving around and went through an area where there was approx. 6 inches of water. After driving through this water the car started idling erratically which I figured was the plug wires. Once I had gotten up to around 55 and it shifted into OD the CEL came on. Today I ran codes and got the 173. I wanted to replace the O2 sensor but wanted to make sure it was plugged in alright. When I got underneath the wire was plugged in but the sensor was only threaded in about 2 turns. I tightened it up and still had the CEL. I ended up replacing the sensor and cleared codes. I still get this 173 when it shifts into OD. Anybody have any suggestions?

Jul 8, 2003 | 09:31 AM

mrshorty

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Joined: Dec 2001

Posts: 3,742

Likes: 2

From: UT

code 173 92 explorer 4.0

It seems interesting that it seems tied to the 3-4 shift. Check the wiring carefully to make sure there are no crossed wires or bad grounds, both in the O2 sensor circuit and the OD circuit. Next time you are out with it, when it shifts into OD and the light comes on, manually put it back into D and see if the light immediately goes out. As with any O2 sensor code, you should also check the fuel pressure and make sure it is where it should be. If it happens consistently enough, it also might be instructive to hook up a breakout box/backprobe the O2 sensor circuit and monitor the O2 sensor output to see what it's doing.