My expedition is hesitating when starting and the gas milegae is going down.

I put fuel injector cleaner in it and that helps but the next tank o gas with out it has the same problem.

Thnink it needs a fuel filter or the fuel system cleaned?
Got quote for bth $100....what to do?

 

How much mileage? Plugs changed recently?

 

It never hurts to chage the fuel filter fairly frequently. They are cheap and easy to do. I am always surprised at how much gunk is collected.

 

Change your fuel filter every 30K miles. wvuny2, it would be helpful if you provided information about your vehicle when asking a question. If it has 10 miles on it, I would say you have a lemon. If you had 150K miles on it, and never tuned it up, I could provide all kinds of advice.

See what I'm saying?

 

Sorry, I just bought the 00 expd 5.4L EB in Nov it has 76,000 miles on it. Not sure if the fuel filter was replaced before or what. I figured it wouldnt hurt to change it and see if it's made a difference. No, havent changed the plugs yet but will do that as well if that will help the performance & fuel economy...I know those arent expensive either. Love the truck but the avg milegae dropped from 18 when I bought it to almost 12/gal and it's hard to start unless i put the fuel injector cleaner in it. Think I should have the fuel system cleaned or just change the filter first??

 

Sometimes it's the dumbest thing - are you getting this mileage info from the overhead digital readout? You know this thing has different read-out modes and may even switch between imperial and metric (mine does). And I believe 12 mpg is just about 18 litres/100km. Could you be reading the wrong read-out mode after wife/kids played with the mode switch?

 

I am the wife and no-its mpg. Tried that

Like I said its hesitating when it starts up and the mileage drops, when I put fuel injector cleaner in it the milegae gets better and the hesitation stops.

Figured its either the fuel filter needs changed or the fuel system needs cleaned-I guess it can't hurt to do both but if I can save a little money that would be pretty kicka$$ seeing as we are expecting our first child in like 3 weeks.

And by the way, may husband doesnt know his head from his butthole when it comes to vehicle and maintanence....my father has been in the car business and races so I grew up with some understanding of how things work.

I appreciate your in put and know you all are way more knowledgeable then I am when it comes to these trucks so Thank you all for sharing.

How hard is it to change the fuel filter on these trucks?
The shop wants $50 for it, figured if I can do it myself we could save that & use it to get the fuel system cleaned.
What about changing the spark plugs?

 

Filter is easy, plugs require a lot of patience (see the many posts on this forum). The fuel filter is under the driver's side. You will need a disconnect tool -autozone? - and do it after the truck has been sitting overnight without starting unless you want to relieve the fuel pressure. I have found that the residual pressure after sitting overnight is low enough that gas does not go all over the place. Here is an excerpt from my service CD (sorry I could not include the pictures):

«2000 Expedition/Navigator Table of Contents»
«Group 3: Powertrain»
«Section 310-00: FUEL SYSTEM — GENERAL INFORMATION»
«GENERAL PROCEDURES»


Hairpin Clip Fitting


Removal

WARNING:
Do not smoke or carry lighted tobacco or open flame of any type when working on or near any fuel related component. Highly flammable mixtures are always present and may be ignited, resulting in possible personal injury.

WARNING:
Fuel in the fuel system remains under high pressure even when the engine is not running. Before servicing or disconnecting any of the fuel lines or fuel system components, the fuel system pressure must be relieved.

CAUTION:
Do not use any tools. The use of tools may cause a deformity in the clip components which may cause fuel leaks.

µ 1. Remove the shipping tab by bending it downward.

µ 2. Spread the hairpin clip legs and push the clip into the fitting.

µ 3. Separate the fitting from the tube.


Installation

1. Inspect the fitting and the tube for damage. Remove any dirt or obstructions.

2. Apply a light coat of clean engine oil meeting Ford specification WSS-M2C153-F to the male tube end.

µ 3. Insert the hairpin clip into the fitting.

µ 4. Align the tube and the fitting.

µ 5. Insert the tube in the fitting and push together until a click is heard.

µ 6. Pull on the connection to make sure it is fully engaged.

I know, it is about as clear as mud!

 

I'd definitely change the fuel filter myself should only be about 15.00 for a motorcraft filter and it's easy enough to do. Plugs on the other other hand I wouldn't do that unless you absolutely have to. I'd get some prices from a dealer or good local shop. If you have a local shop do the plugs I highly recommend that you make them use motorcraft plugs. It's pretty time consuming and difficult. I recently changed mine and said every cuss word known to man. Even my two dogs were scared to be around me. Plus you'd be getting off to a bad start by teaching your unborn all those bad words.

 

I made the mistake of trying Bosch Platinum's. Bad mistake. Put the Motorcraft's in and and everything worked wonderfully.

Randy B

 

an oil and filter change along with you fuel and air filter would be a start. the plugs might be a little much unless you have alot of patience, extensions and swivels I would let a dealership do it. you got to remember most of us do it or selves for the challenge (and most of the time its fun) not because we have to

 

Thanks Guys,

Appreciate it. Will have the plugs done professionally then since they are a lot of frustration-I dont deal well with frustration...especially not right now!
Will get the fuel filter & do that myself...doesnt seem too trying of a job.

 

With only 76k on the plugs, they shouldn't need changeing yet. Most people get way over 100k out of plugs. Getting them changed at a dealer can run from $200 to $400 or more from what I have seen here.

 

Hey, don't have the plugs done professionally. You can do it. At 76K they don't need changing yet. I pulled mine at 100K and they weren't too bad. Change oil/filter, fuel filter, air filter and stop using fuel injector cleaner. It's not good for your engine on a regular basis. Change the coolant as well. If you follow the Ford service schedule you'll be fine. When you do change the plugs, put a little anti-seize on them. Have a computer check done on the system by a dealer; their computer can go into depth that other shops can't, and see if you have a weak sensor or coil-pack somewhere.

 

If my wife spoke that impolitely about me to others, I wouldn't take much interest in her problems either.