I have a 4WD 4.6L 2000 Exp. that I have loved for the first 3 years that I've owned it. I have run into a string of problems and was hoping someone here might have seen something similar.

First, I should say that since September of 03, I have had the following work done on the vehicle. I had to replace the Solenoid in the starter in September 03 and also replaced the transmission in September 03. Since then, I have had a recurring problem with the Service Engine Soon light.

I also had it die on December 03 and replaced the IAC but that did not fix the ongoing problem with the Service Engine light.

The light comes on and goes off seemingly when we get gas but mostly stays on. I have had the EGR passage cleaned and that didn't help.

Now, it has developed a miss(feel a jerk periodically and mostly going at slow speed uphill). It has occured going downhill but primarily uphill. I had a Ford mechanic drive the vehicle and he said it was the DPFE which I replaced but driving home, it did the jerking on 3 separate occasions going uphill.

Any ideas on the miss and if it might be related to the Service Engine soon light? I feel like the mechanics are just guessing and it is getting frustration so any help would be appreciated.

While I'm mentioning problems, 3 other things that you might have come across. The Wipers always start and go up when the vehicle is started, the Child Locks in the rear seat periodically locks passengers in(only on the passenger side) and the gauges(fuel, temperature, oil), all the gauges immediately go up and then drop back down when it is started, the gauges then slowly rise back to the normal level. This is something that I did not notice until the Solenoid was replaced back in September.

Again, appreciate any insight and help you might be able to give. Thanks!!

 

start with a new battery. The voltage is dipping when you start the truck. Go from there.

 

Thanks Fordcr,

I checked the battery and it was bad and I have replaced it. That seemed to fix the problem with the gauges and possibly the wiper problem.

I also had a response on another board that told me how to fix the child protection locks.

After replacing the battery, I'm still getting the miss(periodic jerking). It seems to happen when it shifts into overdrive and the RPM's drop to around 1100 and I'm going about 45 mph uphill.
That seems to be the main problem now.

The Service Engine light has been off for a couple of days since I reset it but I'm not ready to say that it will not pop back on as it has in the past.

Thanks again for the help and please let me know of any thoughts regarding the hesitation problem I mentioned.

 

MrLogic,

How did you fix the child lock deal? My wife's 2000 XLT has the same problem, drives the kids or anyone else sitting there nuts. I'd appreciate it if you could pass on the info.

Thanks.

 

The child proof locks problem is an easy one to fix. It appears that everytime you open the door from the inside, it causes the Child Lock to inch up and enentually engage. The Child Lock is connected to the interior handle by a linkage and some springs. If you work the interior handle, you should see the Child Lock rotate upward.

The fix is simple, remove the cover plate around the child lock lever. It just pops off, you can pry it off with your fingernails. Take some WD-40 or any kind of penetrating lubricant and spray the linkage. The linkage is visible when the cover is off the lock. Work the handle back and forth a few times and then spray again for good measure. The fix seemed to work great!!

Does anyone have any ideas on the missing(jerking) problem I mentioned earlier? It is still happening when it shifts into overdrive and the RPM's drop to around 1100 and I'm going about 45 mph uphill.

Thanks again, this is a great forum. A lot of good information. Really appreciate everyones time.

 

As far as the miss and jerking and the check engine light go.....that's gotta be a bad coil?? My F250 did the same exact thing, started jerking and missing, etc. Then the check engine light came on. Dealer couldn't find an error code. Finally next time the light came on, I went to the dealer and never shut off the truck while he put the code reader on it.

Bad #8 coil. They replaced the coil and spark plug and it's been fine since. You will see many posts in the 5.4 and V10 sections about misfiring and bad coils, etc.

Good luck

Tony in AK