Tires were rotated and balanced about 2 months ago. It is such a random shudder between 50 and 60 mph that I'm certain it isn't a tire. its not so much a vibration issue as more of a "jerking" issue to put it simply. It really feels like a very mild misfire but its only in a small rpm and speed range. And it still seems to only happen in 6th gear.

Service manager said they are going to monitor everything while they drive it for the next few days and take recordings. He said they will monitor it in 5th gear and in 6th gear to see what differences there are.

This explorer shifts into 6th gear around 45 mph but the problem doesn't really start until about 50-55 and on up to 60 under light load and then it goes away.

So far, PTU was replaced and a new TC was put in a few weeks ago with no change.

 

Emailed the service manager today and asked for an update. He said the transmission tech found nothing abnormal when monitoring PIDs while driving in 6th gear.

I don't understand how this issue could happen every time I am behind the wheel but the ford dealership has been unable to find ANYTHING that could cause this problem.

I'm all ears if anyone has any suggestions.

 

The only thing left to do is to ride with the tech while he is monitoring and point out the shudder to him. Maybe it's occuring and he is not picking it up. He can turn off the torque converter clutch with ids while the shudder is happening to verify if that's it.

 

I found an f150 ecoboost forum where people were having issues with a 55mph shudder. They were cecking the spark plug gaps and finding variances from .030 up to over .040 between cylinders. They were re-gapping them to .035 and several of them had success in eliminating the shudder. I have asked them to pull the plugs to check and re-gap if necessary. We will see what happens, its woth a shot at least.

apparently there are a lot of f150s on the road with a weird shudder or misfire around 55. There is even another thread started with drivers submitting the model, engine, wheelbase, etc of their f150 to show the problem seems to be widespread.

 

Disclaimer: I know nothing about your engine, take this for whatever value you choose to assign it. If you choose to ignore it completely, you won't hurt my feelings a bit as my experience is on older engines.

Your stated symptoms are completely reminiscent of the common low-grade misfires that have plagued the COP-equipped engines since they were introduced 20+ years ago.

I'd only hope that someone has monitored the Mode $06 misfire counters WHILE THE EVENT OCCURS (or during the same ignition-on cycle) to see if a misfire is causing your issues.

 

Well, they claim they were checking mode 6... who knows at this point.

 

Mode 6 is a history of data I doubt it will show anything in real time. IDS has a misfire monitor that does run in real time so the tech should be looking at that. It sucks they are having such a hard time finding the problem I hate vehicles like that. Again I would suggest riding with the tech and point out what you are feeling. I have found some people are more sensitive to things that I would dismiss as normal. Not saying what you are feeling is normal at all though. I have been a tech for 17 years and have seen a lot.

 

That is not quite correct. Mode $06 is the data for the continuous monitors which includes the current and previous drive cycles. Actual TID to check has varied over the years, but, for a 2014, is probably $0B, $0C, $80, or $81 with MID $A2-$A7 corresponding to cylinders 1-6 (for a V6).

 

Well, according to the service manager, nothing shows up in mode 6 or during real time monitoring. Could something like too large of a plug gap, or cracked plug cause a slight intermittent misfire during a certain rpm/ speed/ load range that won't throw a code?

 

"Throwing a code" requires that the rate of misfire exceeds a certain limit. If the threshold is not reached, there will be no DTC and no MIL.

 

Update: Dealership replaced all plugs last Friday and gapped at .035. The previous plugs had some worn to .040 but otherwise looked in ok shape. Took the explorer on a road trip over the weekend. The first 100 miles or so I still had the same issue, however, after driving it over the weekend and today I have noticed that the shudder/misfire between 50 and 60 appears to be gone. It may still have a little hiccup every now and then but it is much less than before and it doesn't seem to stumble like it had been. I tried everything I could this morning to recreate the issue and wasn't able to.

 

New update. Well I must have spoken too soon. Explorer seemed fine for a couple of days but the issue is back. Strange. I guess I'll be scheduling a ride with a tech when I have some time.

 

twayne85, Thanks for this thread. I bought a 2017 Explorer Sport and have the SAME EXACT issue you describe here. It is very informative and helpful as I thought it was just me feeling the small hesitation from 50 to 60 MPH on 6th gear. So after reading this, I took it to the dealer. To my surprise the Service Manage acknowledged a "rough ride" and attributed to the AWD. He said "loading" the vehicle will help/solve the issue. I am not convince but will check when some load (people) in the back.

Have you had any more luck with this issue?

 

One thing to note when checking for misfires in Mode $06 is that the misfire counters get reset every time the ignition is shut off. You have to check the counts during the same driving cycle that the perceived events took place before shutting down the engine. Realistically, that means you need your own monitoring setup which is easily done with an Android device, a $20 BT-OBDII adapter, and a $5 app.

 

Unfortunately I have not had any more luck. I gave up after the last go around with the dealership.