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Recently my 2002 Excursion has with no warning begun to just stop going. What I mean is that it doesn’t stutter, there’s no problem I’m just going along and it just goes to 0 rpm and stops. I shut it off for a minute, turn the key and it starts up and goes like nothing is wrong. There is no set frequency to this happening, it is totally random and happens whether I’m going 30 mph or 60 mph. The speed doesn’t matter. It happens with a full tank and anywhere in between. Has anyone else experienced this? It is at the Ford dealer right now and they just called and said they can’t find the problem. Help!
Recently my 2002 Excursion has with no warning begun to just stop going. What I mean is that it doesn’t stutter, there’s no problem I’m just going along and it just goes to 0 rpm and stops. I shut it off for a minute, turn the key and it starts up and goes like nothing is wrong. There is no set frequency to this happening, it is totally random and happens whether I’m going 30 mph or 60 mph. The speed doesn’t matter. It happens with a full tank and anywhere in between. Has anyone else experienced this? It is at the Ford dealer right now and they just called and said they can’t find the problem. Help!
Sounds like the Cam Position Sensor... a well known documented problem.
Never mind... you have a gasser.
Last edited by DavenTn; Dec 4, 2023 at 07:37 PM.
Reason: new information
We know that you have a 2002 Excursion Limited, but we don't know what engine you have, which makes it impossible to offer either experienced or anecdotal suggestions on what to have your dealer look for.
For example, the camshaft position sensor, which is very easy to replace, is not a failure prone item in the V10 Gas engine, but was in fact the subject of a recall with the V8 Diesel engine. So you can see how our not knowing which engine you have could end up steering you toward solutions that may or may not be relevant to the problem your engine is manifesting.
If you do have the 7.3L diesel engine, can you recall if it was slightly raining outside (not heavily, just lightly)? Did you have the windshield wipers on?
These questions are not relevant if you have the 5.4L or 6.8L gas.
In that case, I would ignore the previous suggestions pointing to the camshaft position sensor, and would instead have the dealership check fuel pressure using the procedures outlined in the factory service manual.
The fuel pressure regulator in the V10 is known to exhibit issues over time that result in starving the engine of gas. Without gas, the engine will stop running. Stopping and starting over again may build up enough fuel pressure during the KOEO cycle to fire up the motor and run again, until the fuel command demand signal requests more gas to match the load sensed.
One can be going only 30 mph, but if that 30 mph is uphill in a headwind, more gas will be needed. A technician following the Ford procedure will be able to determine if the regulator is maintaining adequate fuel pressure for different conditions prescribed by the testing.
Gas engines need two things to run... fuel and spark. What you are have described sounds like a fuel problem, however, whatever the problem is should have generated a diagnostic trouble code in the memory of the Excursion's Powertrains Control Module, so the first question to ask your mystified dealer is...
The service advisor said the only code given was P0231. The receipt says P023. There had been a 1000 code from earlier that had been removed. He “suggested” we might replace the fuel pump and sender unit, but it might not do any good and cost $2898. I don’t want to spend $3000 for something that might do nothing. A less expensive experiment would be to replace the relay, which also might do nothing. This is the invoice
How sad is it that the dealer techs can’t fix anything unless a code tells them exactly what part to replace.
No logic, no troubleshooting, just scan and if the scanner can’t tell them exactly what to do,,,fire the parts cannon at it (at the customers expense of course) for maybes .
…
Consider taking it to an independent shop, with an experienced mechanic who you have direct conversational access to, without a service writer "interpreter."
Discuss with that mechanic the following course of action, in this order:
Fuel pressure test
Fuel pressure regulator Fuel pump relay test Injector wiring examination, looking for frayed wires, potential shorts, or intermittent connections at each cylinder, 10 times. Fuel pump test
Note that the fuel pump is dead last on this list, in contrast to being first on the dealership list. Not sure if the $3,000 service ticket has anything to do with that, but the 44 gallon gas tank must come down in order to change the fuel pump, which is immersed in the gas to keep it cool as it operates, and to reduce suction line opportunities to emit evaporative emissions. In addition to the expense of the fuel pump, there is a lot of labor in dropping the tank, and remounting it securely again if frame corrosion is severe.
At minimum, and first thing,. a fuel pressure test should be performed. The results of that test will help rule in or rule out the fuel pressure regulator being a culprit.
Then attention should be turned to the fuel pump relay, even bypassing the relay to verify that the fuel pump works, even if the fuel pump relay is failing.
Had this problem 20 years ago with a Dodge mini-van. After spending a lot of $$$$, a friend walked into the shop, listen to us discussing the problem. He finally says... I'll bet I know what your problem is. Reaches in... yanks the negative battery cable up & down.... sparks go everywhere. The negative cable connection on engine block was loose.
Cleaned the connection and tightened it down... never had it happen again.
Will error code P0231 cause my Excursion to fail state inspection? I live in New York.
Any check engine code will cause your vehicle to fail in NY. When you clear the code how long does it take to come back on? If you can clear the code and then put about 5-10 miles on it and then have it inspected, as long as the code doesn’t come back on you’ll pass, if not you will need to “know somebody “. Good luck
We did take it to an independent mechanic where my husband takes his car. He was able to determine the problem and fix it. The local Ford dealership where I took my Excursion since I’ve had it was recently taken over by a new owner. Apparently, they do not provide the same customer service and care as the previous owner. I will not be going back. BTW, the full cost to the independent mechanic was $465. I wasted $195 at the dealer for a “diagnosis”, which I didn’t even get.
