Truck died suddenly
 

2004 Expedition 4.6L 4x2 81K miles

We went shopping last evening and the truck was running beautiful as usual. Came out of the store to go home, turned the key and she started but had no power what so ever. Then she stalled. Then all she would do it spin over.

It sounds to me like she's either getting no spark or no fuel.

I don't have a scan too and I'm not going to spend $500 in unnecessary parts to see if it fixes the problem so I had it towed to the dealer. She'll probably be down for the weekend.

This will be the first issue that I've ever had with it after nearly 7 years of ownership and numerous trips up and down the East Coast.

I'm very thankful that we were close to home.

After 7 years and those symptoms, I think you're looking at a new fuel pump.

I had a similar problem with my old van and it turned out there was 5 gallons of water in the fuel tank and we needed a new fuel pump. After all that was fixed we also had to have a new distributor cap but I think the water in the tank was causing the most problems.

The problem was so random, it would start and drive just fine and then just leave us stranded. After several tries to get it started it would sputter and stall unless we could get it opened up on the highway.

How the heck did you get 5 gallons of water in the gas tank?

You would be correct sir. I got a call from the dealer this morning and they diagnosed the fuel pump as having failed. So, the dealer is changing the fuel pump and filter on Monday and we'll be rolling again.

Apparently my wife had experienced some symptoms the other day and just didn't think about sharing it with me.

This truck has been awesome and I can't complain about one damned thing even though IMHO, the pump failed prematurely.

Just an FYI for you... Fuel pump life is directly related to how much fuel is normally kept in the tank. Pumps last longer when fuel tanks are kept more than 1/2 full most of the time. This is due to the fuel pump being submerged in the fuel, dissipating pump motor heat and running cooler.

Actually it rarely gets less than half full as even at $2.25 per gallon, it's a chunk to refill. I did ask the tech if there was something that could have been done to prevent this early demise and he said no, not really Sometimes it happens he says but rarely this soon.

Again, better near home than somewhere in BFE.

what are they charging you to replace the pump and filter if you dont mind me asking

My dealer wanted a kilo-buck between their: i'm-semi-sure-what-the-problem-is diagnosis and the $800 for that and me taking the Expy elsewhere.

Same symptoms, same wife problem-reporting (love her I do). Fuel pump was the solution. Check valve failure allowing pressure bleed-down, first in a few days, then overnight and then while it's just sitting at a store, being the actual failure.

Unfortunately it's an integrated unit so you can only replace the whole thing. A tech that has an ounce of knowledge will know that pressure bleed-down over a short period of time (overnight even) would pin-point this.

Yes I switched dealers and my diesel truck oil leaks went away because of it!

Bottom line for me was when these folks on FTE tell you to switch dealers, do it and be thankfull. Our Expy is back to the wonderful truck it's been since we've owned it....:-jammin

Sorry for the rant and hijack....}>

I had the pump replaced, filter replaced and the fuel system / injectors cleaned for $1000 out the door. It was a painful check to write but the truck was dead. I could have had it towed to my favorite mechanic for another $60 just to save maybe $100.

The good part is that the truck runs so damned good now. She's smoother, quieter and feels more powerful.

It's time for me to buy a scan tool as she's getting a little age on her.

I saw this on T.V. the other night and it looks like a good tool. You might want to check it out; CarMD.com

Looks like it's worth more investigation. Thanks for the link.

where do you get gas at $2.25 a gallon i want some

That was probably a month or so back...:-yeahrigh

The timestamp on his post is: 03-20-2011, 06:15 PM :-wink