Please help me. I just bought a 2003 Expedition XLT 4.6L last week. It only has 41,000 miles and appears to be in good shape. I had the local Ford dealership pull a warranty claims report on it and there have never been any warranty claims for the SUV. I also have a perfect CarFax for it.

However, the day after I bought it, the power mirrow switch stopped working. I purchased a new switch for $20 and replaced it myself. I am NOT a mechanic, but I can handle the small things. The next day the power driver side window would not go down. I tried about 20 times and it started working and has worked ever since. Around the same time, the alarm stopped setting. It gives two honks, even though every door is closed tight and double checked. Also, the alarm goes off sometimes when I try starting the vehicle even when it has been disabled or not even set the night before. Occassionally, if I try to set the alarm it just goes off.

The local Circuit City says they will give me free installation on an aftermarket alarm and disable the factory one if I just purchase the new alarm from them. I'm tempted since Ford won't tell you how much anything will cost until they charge you a hundred bucks to "diagnose" the problem.

Oh, I almost forgot, the windshield fluid indicator is also coming on sometimes, even though the resevoir is full.

Now, today, just to top it all off while driving home from the movies, the check engine light came on and the Expy will barely idle at stop lights or when in neutral. When I give it just a little gas, the revs shoot up to 3000 and stick there for about 20 seconds. Then it drops back down and idles very rough.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to the site!

Sorry to hear that your "new" Expedition is having problems.

First thing that stands out is your discussion of the alarm. There is no factory alarm on any Expedition. It might have a "Ford" alarm system, but it was installed after the vehicle was delivered to the dealership. I'm not mentioning this to be an azz, but so that you understand what you are dealing with in regards to problems.

If there is an alarm system of any kind on the truck, I'd have it removed to see if it is causing your problem. At this point, I think having an aftermarket alarm installed is only going to complicate your problems.

The two chirps when locking the truck indicate an open door somewhere. First, make sure all the doors are closed tight... including rear liftgate & window. If they are all shut properly, give all the latches a good shot of something like WD-40. If the lube doesn't solve the problem, pull the door panels off & check the wiring. Since you've already had a couple of issues with the driver's door, pay special attention to that one.

For the idle problem, a very common culprit is the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve. They are relatively cheap and easy to replace. Many have reported great success with just cleaning the old one.

 

Thanks for the advise. I'll check into cleaning or replacing the IAC.

As for the alarm, I had heard that some of the wiring in the C pillars can get pinched/rubbed and cause similar problems. So, I had already checked as much of the wiring as I could without removing the door panels. I'm going to try checking all the contacts today as you suggested.

Being a novice, I think I may need to purchase a book. Any suggestions on a good book with details on removing door panels and other wiring problems? If it contained info on the IAC, that would be a big plus! I've noticed on eBay that some people are selling what they claim to be the factory service manual on CD-ROM. Are those the best? Or should I just stick with a book from the local autoparts store?

Thank you so much for the help. The fees that dealerships charge makes it hard to take a vehicle in for things like this.

 

NoMo,

Well, after a Saturday spent trying to fix the problems, I gave up and took it to the local Ford dealership today. The problem was a broken coil on #6. They wanted $855 to fix it. After a few questions, I found out they were charging me an extra $50 to "flush out the engine" and another $150 to "clean the heads and throttle body." I had them leave those last two off and got the price down to a little over $600.

The sad thing is that the Expy is supposed to be covered by the Ford 75,000 mile powertrain warranty. The dealership says coils aren't covered. My wife is an attorney, so we'll be looking into this a little closer...

As for the alarm, you were 100% correct (not that I ever doubted you). It was not a "factory" alarm. So, they wanted an arm and a leg (and my first-born) to even try to diagnose it.

Thanks for your help. I'm thinking about trading my Expy in on a new Toyota with a warranty....

Anyone want to buy a 2003 Expedition XLT? $18,000 41,000 miles.

 

Sorry to hear that it was a more expensive repair than just the IAC. At leat that problem may be resolved.

As for the alarm-related issues, check with some of the local stereo/alarm shops to see what they may be able to do for you.

Of course, if you're getting a new vehicle, it doesn't really matter.