Hi Everyone

This is my first post here, but I've been reading these forums for a while.


I recently bought my wife a 1998 Expedtion 5.4L. 150000 miles. Its got the E4OD transmission in it. When we got the truck it was in a total mess. On the drive home the truck shuddered as the torque convertor locked up (50-60mph), and also at low speeds and as you pulled off. The engine pulled well if you floored it, and the trans didnt slip at all. Don't laugh at me we only paid 2 grand for it.

So far I've changed all the plugs, the drive belt, the oil, air filter oil filter, fuel filter. I also drained the trans and torque convertor, changed the filter and filled them back up with 15 quarts of mercon. During the plug change I visually inspected each of the Coils. They looked OK. Two have been changed in the past with aftermarket COP's. Oh and all the plugs had carbon build up on one side which I believe indicates leaky valve stem seals. I have also replaced the hose from the PCV valve because it was perished. I tested the fuel <NOBR style="COLOR: darkgreen; FONT-SIZE: 100%; FONT-WEIGHT: normal" id=itxt_nobr_3_0>pressure</NOBR> and its 30psi at idle and it rockets up to 40 if yuo take the vacume regulator hose off, so thats good. I bought a bottle of injector cleaner, but I havent used it yet. When I took the fuel filter off what can best be described as mud came out of the intake side of the filter.


One other interesting thing is that the 3rd plug from the front on the drivers side bank was burnt up the side as if the exhaust was blowing past it, but there weren't any codes coming up on the OBDII reader.


After 4 days and loosing nearly all the skin on my knucles the truck is running a lot better.

HOWEVER.... There is a slight shudder at about 1500-2000 rpm. This only occurs under partial throttle or trailing throttle. Floor it and it pulls OK..... no slip. The shudder seems to worsen as the truck warms up. After 50 miles of test driving I pulled the 3rd plug again and it looks fine to me. No burn marks up the side.


Anyway, this shudder. Does anybody know of how I can test if its the motor or the tranny? If you rev it up in neutral its pretty smooth, although it is a little rough from 500-800RPM. Put it in drive and rev it up with my left foot on the brake and it shudders, so that rules the drive shaft and differential out..... but does it point to the trans?


I really want to fix this truck myself rather than turn it over to a mechanic, but at the moment I don't know what to fix!!

 

Have you since checked the tranny fluid again? I ask because you only put in 15 quarts. You didn't mention if your's is 4WD or not, but in 98 the E4OD tranny took 16 quarts for 4x2 models and 16.5 quarts for 4x4 models.

From your description, it sounds more like the shuddering issue is a low grade skip and not an issue with the tranny. A set of 8 COPs can be bought off eBay for under $100. You might want to think about getting a set and swapping them out rather than getting stuck having to pay $60-$70 each locally. If you'd rather not, you can get a set of 8 COP boots at an auto parts store for around $25. These boots can crack and allow spark to jump to the side of the spark plug well. Lastly, my best guess is that you're having an issue with dirty/sticking fuel injectors. The build up on the plugs is a sign of this.

 

Alloro

Its a 2WD. The tranny only took 15 quarts to fill back up. I assumed that the lines and the oil cooler were holding the extra quart and a half. I've checked it hot and cold and both readings are within the marks on the dip stick.

I'll try the COP's, since Ive read about that a few times and they dont sound too expensive. I forgot to mention earlier that some of the boots didnt look to great, although they arent torn or anything. I'll also try that bottle of injector cleaner and see how that works.

I did not know that the carbon build up could indicate dirty injectors.... but that does make sense.

 

I agree with Alloro in his assessment. New COPs all the way around may be in you future along with new boots and springs. When I first got my Expy, I had the same thing - a low shudder (in second gear especially when accelerating at a normal rate) that got worse as the vehicle warmed. However, my vehicle threw a CEL for cylinder 6 and it turned out that the wire connecting the COP and plug needed to be changed. Once replaced, all was well. BUT, since you said it disappears I would look into figuring a set of Ebay COPs, boots, and springs along with a set of reman fuel injectors in your budget. You'll be looking at roughly $250. If it was my truck, I'd replace all one time instead of tracking down one item.

Sorry that you have to tear into your truck again and spend more money!

Just some thought...

 

My 1999 Expedition had the exact same symptoms. No fault code was set. I felt sure it was the transmission. I was wrong, it was the number 4 COP.

 

Just an FYI here...the coil, spring, and boot, all come as a complete COP assembly, there is no need to buy the springs or boots separately.

 

i had the same problem and thought it was the transmission so i took it to a transmission shop and he pulled a code for #3 cylinder missfire.
i replaced all 8 coils with the ones from ebay and they work excelent.

 

Hi Everyone.

It's been a while since I posted here, but I wanted to close this thread out & thank y'all for helping me out.

For $180 I got a set of reconditioned injectors and 8 new COP's off eBay. Changing them out took about 4 hours and now the truck runs perfectly it revs sweetly up to the red line and pulls in any gear at any speed.