Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice » Escape, Mariner

Exploding EGR valve on Ford Escape V-6

Rick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:04:33 +0000

An engine backfire can produce enough pressure to make an EGR valve explode. However, if the engine is running rough and lacks power, suspect a plugged exhaust system or destroyed catalytic converter. When those exhaust and emissions system components fail, the increased back pressure can force additional exhaust through the EGR valve. That can burn a hole through the EGR valve which eventually weakens the valve and then it's Ka-Boom!This is a common problem on these Ford V-6 vehicles.

Unscrew the oxygens sensor and install an exhaust back pressure gauge to check for pressure. Or you can use a regular vacuum gauge to see if intake vacuum is too low at idle and higher RPM's. But if your engine lacks power, you can just about bet on a plugged exhaust component after an EGR valve failure.

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ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

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Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

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Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Ford door switches—a known problem

Rick — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Remember the pin/plunger switches that car makers used to install in the door jamb? Well, you won’t find them in Fords—some brilliant engineer had a “better idea.” They decided to place the switches inside the door right under the latch mechanism. When the door latches, a lever deactivates the switch and the body control module turns off the interior lights. Good so far….. The problem is that the switches gum up with grease from the latch mechanism or corrosion. That’s when interior lights stay on.

Some shops have reported success by saturating the latch mechanism with a rust penetrant and opening and closing the door about 20 or 30 times. That works the penetrant into the mechanism and some of it finds its way to the lever and switch. You really don’t have much to lose by trying this method because the only alternative is to remove the door trim panel and replace the switch.

I’ve tried this on a few Ford vehicles and had success. However, it’s not a long term fix. You will have to do it about twice a year.

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Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

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ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

P0351, P0352, P0354, P0355, P0356 – Misfire Codes under load or acelleration on Ford Escape 3.0L

Rick — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 01:09:00 +0000

At first glance this would appear to be a coil problem—coils are under the most stress under load. P0351 means a misfire on cylinder #1. Power is provided to the coils on the white/violet wire. The PCM provides ground to each coil on a different color wire. Start your diagnostics by checking for 12 volts (key in RUN position, but engine off) on the white/violet wire to the coil shown in the trouble code. If you get 12 volts on that wire, move your digital meter to the ground wire for that coil. You should still see 12 volts because the coil is not grounded. If you don’t see 12 volts, you have a bad coil. If you do see 12 volts, swap the coil with a different cylinder and check for misfire again. If you still see a misfire code for the original cylinder, you most likely have a broken grounding wire near the PCM. Shops have been reporting a broken coil ground wires in the harness to the powertrain control module (PCM) (the computer). Check for voltage on the coil ground wire at the PCM while flexing the wiring harness. The broken wire is usually located within 3” of the PCM. You will have to carefully cut open the harness and find the break. Repair it and insulate it with heat shrinkable tubing.

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eautorepair.net

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Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

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ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Slow Fuel Fill—Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner

Rick — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:32:00 +0000

Ford has issued a TSB #05-18-4 with a fix for slow fuel filling. If the fuel nozzle shuts off frequently while filling, you may have to perform this fix. Ford has identified the fuel tank filler pipe as the problem. The revised pipe has a better curvature to speed the fill rate and prevent the automatic nozzle from shutting off too soon.

The new fill pipe takes about ½ hour to install. Ford cautions that this fixes the problem in most cases. However, if the gas station’s nozzle have a flow rate beyond that recommended by the Dept of Transportation, you may encounter the same problem. In that case, notify the gas station operator or switch to a different station.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Leaking Coolant – Ford Escape

Rick — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:39:00 +0000

Ford has issued a TSB (06-7-2) for the 2006 Escape V-6 3.0L. The bulletin contains a fix for a leaking coolant degas bottle. The degas bottle is an updated version of the older “coolant reservoir.” The main difference between the two is that a degas bottle is pressurized by the cooling system. Any air pockets in the engine vent into the degas bottle (theoretically).
Ford is known to have a problem with degas bottles on several of its vehicles. The coolant leaks from the seal of the bottle. However, often it’s difficult to see the leak unless the system is at operating temperature and the cooling system pressurized.

If you notice that you are losing coolant, but cannot see a puddle under the vehicle, check out the degas bottle seams while hot. If you see any coolant on the outside of the bottle, replace it with an updated style. The TSB applies to certain build dates and you may still be eligible for warranty repair on this item.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I've written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you've had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use