Ok, in fairness some of that money was replacing the spark plugs and tensioners on the timing chain which was loose, but anyway.


A month or so ago my 2005 Expedition started dying or not starting. I have a good battery, etc. Then it completely didn't start. They cleaned various filters and said it was fine. Well guess what--that wasn't the problem. Mechanic changed out the corroded fuel pump driver, the fuel pump and the fuel pump filter. Seemed ok. A week later, getting ready for towing I had the spark plugs done (5.4L with 110,000 miles on it) and I won't get into how much fun they were when the tool broke off in one, but anyway I got it back and here's what it's doing now.


I drove about 30 minutes on the interstate (80 mph) and when I got home I got out (left it running) to open a gate. Got back in and put it in reverse and two seconds later it just died. No chugging, or anything. Today, nervous as heck, I hauled to the vet clinic (so about 30 miles again) and as I was just about to park, it died. It has not died when I was going along, just at super low speed, but that could be coincidence too. It starts back up fine. Towed great. No check engine light.


I did search the forums and saw mention of a fuse box issues? I can't afford to put another $1,000 into the wrong stuff. Please help!


The only other weird issue I have ever had with this truck is that every single time it needs a jump (once because I left lights on, and once when it was 40 below parked outside) it blows the fuse and I loose 4x4. But that's working fine right now. Just mentioning it.


Thank you in advance!

 

Just to clarify, it just suddenly dies as if you're turning the ignition off, and it starts right back up when you turn the key after?

 

I don't even realize it died until all the dash lights came on because the key is turned (going so slow not a lot of engine noise so I didn't notice either time). Just dead. Running perfectly right until it dies. Put it in park and turn it right back on.


I did let it sit for about 10 minutes today, just because I needed to unload a horse and was not in the state-of-mind to turn the key and have nothing happen (which luckily wasn't the case). I was at the vet clinic for an hour, left the horse trailer there in case I needed a tow, and drove home with no issues.


Before the fuel pump stuff was all replaced (over a month ago) it wouldn't restart. It also sounded like it lost fuel (not sure how to describe).

 

Well, that's weird. Do you have any type of OBD scanner available?

 

Do you get any check engine light while driving? not after it stalls, does the idle seem high or does the idle go high and low at times? With the car running and hood open, bang on the MAF sensor. it's inline to the air cleaner, of the top of my head it sounds like a bad or dirty mass air flow meter, they have cleaner at pep boys ect. it works unless the wire is broken, so start with banging on it while the engine is running if it does anything, stumble, stall, idles up, any thing, clean it and if that doesn't help replace it. Start there and get back to me!

 

I just spoke to a former ford mechanic and he thinks I'm losing oil pressure and may be looking at an engine replacement. Obviously, he wants to look at it and test it, but he said he has seen this.


So if anyone has any other thoughts shoot.


I imagine that runs about 5k?


He can't get to it until next Wed. I can't stop jumping ahead to "what to do" mode. The body is in decent condition, but not exceptional. But I looked online and I can buy a 2 years newer Tahoe XL for $16,000--with more miles!


Edited to add--posting at the same time. No check engine light. It's idling like normal.

 

If it runs fine before and after it suddenly dies, I don't think you need to jump to a conclusion that you need a new engine just yet. There's a lot of things that could cause this, both electrical and mechanical.

A new engine would probably be about 5k including labor, but you can find good used engines for a lot less if that's needed. But I wouldn't jump to an engine swap just yet, there's a lot of diagnosing to do before yanking the engine out! lol

 

I like your positive thinking. I will try to embrace that.


Now I'm wondering if I should bring it to Ford. Last time they saw it they wanted to spend thousands on replacing things that were leaking a little bit (I forget what--not oil or transmission fluid or anything important like that). So I asked my regular mechanic about it and he laughed and said whatever it was was very normal for something that age. Our Ford dealer is very expensive compared to basically everyone else, and I feel like they are always pushing to fix more than what's wrong. (I do not mean to imply that all the dealerships are like that or anything, but that has been my local experience). I know I would be out $100 no matter what but waiting a week sucks too.
I will try the other suggestion too. Mechanic number one said he did clean all the filters on his initial foray under the hood about a month and a half ago, but I don't recall anything about an air mass flow meter. I will look into that.


He didn't come out and say it, but would it have something to do with the timing chain "slipping a tooth?" If it was the engine, I mean.


I am not very mechanical, so bear with me. This has really been stressing me out. I guess I've never had a problem getting 200k miles out of a vehicle before (and still selling it for something). I always do the maintenance like I'm supposed to. Ugh.


If it is worst-case-scenario, what is the transmission life like on an '05? I have the standard tow package (with cooler) and never get close to my full weight--only tow a few times a year. I'd hate to replace that too. But I'm supposed to be positive--I forgot.

 

A normal running engine has not jumped timing, or slipped a tooth as your mechanic called it. A mechanic that thinks an engine has jumped timing just from it stalling sometimes and otherwise run normally is not a mechanic I would go near with my car. Hehe.

And yeah, I guess theres a reason why people likes to call them "stealerships". If you dont know much mechanics and have to rely on hired mechanics, things can quickly get quite expensive, but on this case I think your problem is much simpler than a worn out engine that needs replacement. Not easy to say where to start without checking it with a scanner, but try the simple things first like inspecting the mass airflow sensor. It should run with a bad sensor though, and normally that would set a check engine light.

 

That is the poorest advice I have ever heard, I wouldn't let him within 10 feet of my vehicle.

 

I would've gone with a sticking or bad IAC valve except that 2005 was the first year they did away with them. My second thought is the torque converter is locking up and stalling the engine. That would make it a tranny issue instead of an engine issue.

 

Wouldn't there be other issues with the Torque Converter? It shifts gears very smoothly (even if I floor it). Just curious.


I know the consensus is that it might not be the oil issue, but I guess I still don't understand why an engine would loose oil pressure? I get that oil thins out in a hot engine, but that's normal, right? My husband drove it to town today, no issues yet, so it will be interesting to see if it dies when he gets back and is idling. He's going to watch the gauges, although I don't know if they will register anything since it dies so suddenly.


If the timing chain had been loose for awhile, is that something that could cause engine failure? What if it was re-installed incorrectly, driven, and then fixed?


Thanks.

 

If the timing was off, it wouldn't be an intermittent issue, you would have very rough operation of the engine and very low power along with high fuel consumption.

Oil pressure may drop if the engine is worn. If the crank journals and other bearings which are fed with oil develop too high clearances, the oil will not be able to build up a pressure but rather flow through them, potentially starving the rest of the engine. Think of it as a garden hose, you open slightly and the water will have high pressure coming out, but open it fully and it will just flow out with almost no pressure. Not easy to explain, but hope it makes sense somehow.

If the timing chain and other components has been taken off and reinstalled incorrectly, i.e. not with correct timing of the engine, it would result in engine damage almost instantly if you crank it and try to fire it up. The valve may hit the pistons and that is pretty much it for that engine and it would have to be either completely rebuilt or replaced. An engine out of timing is a very serious condition and it's something that is very noticeable if it jumps a tooth on the chain.

Depending on how much you're able to do yourself, it's difficult to point in any one direction. There's so many things that may cause an engine to stall ranging from simple electrical issues to more complex mechanical issues. When it does not stall, does it run normally? Shift gears normally? The engine is able to provide power during acceleration? Is there anything at all other than just stalling suddenly? Does it ever stall while driving or is it only when it's left idling?

 

Thank you that was helpful info.


When it does not stall, does it run normally? Shift gears normally? The engine is able to provide power during acceleration? Is there anything at all other than just stalling suddenly? Does it ever stall while driving or is it only when it's left idling?


Running completely normally. Hauled normally with good power. Normal acceleration. Has not stalled yet when driving. My husband drove it 60 miles today and said it was fine the whole time, except on the return trip he drove through a car dealership and coasting he though it was about to die and gassed it. He also said he is being hyper sensitive and it could have been his imagination. He never saw the oil pressure gauge drop.


I asked about the timing chain because when the engine was opened to get the tool out of the spark plug he saw the tensioner was loose. Said it was a good thing that the tool broke off after all. He replaced the tensioners and then drove it and it ran horribly. Redid it and it was fine. I'm wondering if it got damaged at that point and no one is saying it... This is a mechanic who is a close friend and was just going to change the spark plugs for me at home--it really should have been a pretty simple thing (well except for the fact that changing the spark plugs in this model is a pita).


I think I'm getting an ulcer. I was just trying to be proactive on maintenance. I can't get it looked at until next Wed.

 

Whatever he did wrong in the first go may not have caused serious damage. If he missed the timing of it, and it crashed the pistons into the valves, it would never been able to run again without rebuilding it. Oh, and just forget that oil gauge in the dash, it's not really an oil gauge. It's just a decorative needle gauge that functions like an oil pressure light, and it only has two settings - "Normal" and "Low". There's no actual oil pressure sender in the engine, only a good 'ol standard oil pressure switch which is on or off and nothing in between.