Any advice or info is very much appreciated. A friend of mine has a 2004 Explorer (I think) that he is wanting to get rid of due to lacking energy and space for it. I will basically be taking it off his hands and finishing what he thinks is the last issue. He has fixed everything that he knew of with the exception of what he thinks is the fuel injectors nozzles or pump. He's not 100% on that being the issue though. He says if you try to put it in gear and drive right after starting it, it will sputter like it is not getting the fuel but if you let it sit for a minute after starting it will drive fine with no issues. Anyone have any ideas of what the problem could be or if it sounds like he could be right? I'm not looking at it as the main vehicle just something that I can use to haul some things around that I can't in my car.
Could be the part that holds the fuel injector coming loose or not working. Guessing... because I've seen it happen in slightly older explorers.
It's the fuel pump. From what you're describing I would test the fuel line pressure 1st (I don't replace parts without confirming the issue so that's why I'm saying to test fuel line 1st). If it's not the pump it's then the fuel filter possibly, I can't recall off the top of my head on that year but you can probably test it at the pump and in the engine bay, the issue with the fuel pump is usually you have to drop the tank to do the job correctly on most cars (so you want the tank to be low on gas). Also, you can attempt to prime the pump and listen for it when you turn the key to the acc position. With that said, are there any check engine/codes? And what size engine 6/8? The reason I am not thinking fuel injection is because you have 6/8 and it's controlled by the computer so it would be causing a misfire directly from the injector not delivering the gas and only impacting one cylinder unless it's a major issue. Let me know if any questions, I don't think they're bad cars vs some of the other stuff I've worked on lately... Depending on condition/price and ability to work on cars you can do a lot worse than an older explorer in my opinion. And it could be loose as mentioned above but I would check fuel pressure, and the reason I am stating to check it at a few spots is there can be other issues causing this between the fuel tank and the injectors. All of this is assuming not other major failures/symptoms. If no errors/injectors/pump all good and tested, then verify it's not exhaust... I have seen some really crazy issues over the years working on a lot of cars from late 70s to present and typically the computer would catch this but it could be something silly like like even a vacuum hose where the car will do various things and not trigger enough of an issue to trigger the engine light.
I'm having someone verify if the pump does need replacing this weekend and the owner says no check engine/codes show up. The SUV is the XLT V6 flex. In the meantime, I was looking on amazon for prices on fuel pumps and there is a big difference in the price I'm getting there vs Oreilly's. I'm wondering if I'm looking at the same/right things or if it is just a name brand vs the cheapest knock-off brand. Here are the two: >>Amazon Fuel Pump<< $76 >>Oreilly's Fuel Pump<< $199 Thank you again
Also, check the fuel filter, there's a few other things but that's why I was mentioning 2 points to test. Will you be doing the work on your own or paying someone on the fuel pump? The reason I'm asking is because sometimes saving the money is worth it going cheap on a part, but it's not always worth it if you have to do the job again if it took hours to complete the 1st time. Like for example on my cars or someone's car I'm working on, I'll weigh the options and explain to them what could happen - ie if it's a 5 hour job and they're saving money but the part is questionable it might not be worth the savings if it fails in a year and needs to be done again. Personally I'll go cheap but I do all my own work... , with that said if it's a safety thing like brake components/tires etc I won't bother going cheap especially if someone else is driving the car. Fuel pumps I have gone both cheap and expensive and have had good luck with both (knock on wood). With that said let me check something on the parts.
I would take a look here: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...fuel+&+air,fuel+pump+&+housing+assembly,10147 I like that it sometimes breaks down the parts easier for people so you know what to expect, I also was going to tell you another trick but couldn't find an example to save money - but if it's not a tough part to change (this unfortunately is a tough part) - I have sometimes found crazy deals on Amazon buying used like-new directly from Amazon, I only suggest this if you're doing the work yourself and it's a part you can do quickly - so this really depends on how much you work on cars and if you do your own work, but if you do - I have mainly found crazy deals on like-new brand name parts (50-75% off sometimes) vs having to pull a part elsewhere/pay more for brand. This really depends on what you're doing though, and unless I am getting a true OEM part for a fuel pump I would probably not risk going used here (unless you make major modifications to get to the pump in a few minutes and I don't recommend doing it and won't do it for people). So on this car you need to look at the manufacturer date on the door, there looks to be different versions of the pump based on when it was produced in 2004. I am not certain on this since somehow have managed to skip this year but that is what it looks like to me. Regardless of route, if it is the pump replace the fuel filter too.
One last thing for anyone that comes across this and decides to do a job like this that is fuel related, make sure you depressurize the fuel system and also keep the air moving for safety (more on this below). I also really think everyone can probably do this job with enough time, but if for some reason you have to do this with a full tank of gas and don't remove the gas prior to the work..., please be extremely careful! Whenever I am doing work related to a fuel pump and working over a tank that has some gas in it, I always am in an open environment or have a way to vent the fumes away and keep the air moving. I also take the whole spark thing a lot more seriously, this isn't like a gas station pump type warning where they can worry the consumer over certain situations of static discharge, here though it can be a life changing thing. So for example, if a pump was able to be replaced under a seat etc. I will have a fan blowing the fumes away and bringing fresh air in to the car (so multiple doors open or a breezeway across from a fan moving the air. I realize a lot of people know this, but it's not the liquid that is overall dangerous (I mean yes it is too for other reasons, but it is the fumes that ignite). The last thing you want to do is be in a closed garage, or place with little air movement and then open up the tank to remove the pump... Also, disconnect the battery/keep heat sources away and I recommend making sure no static buildup on you, because unlike the situation at a gas station pump you can easily create a dangerous situation. This post isn't meant to keep DIYers away from working on cars it is just something you want to be cautious on. There are various other safety steps depending on the situation, but I think the fuel system is where things need to be followed a lot more carefully - similar to having a few safety measures in place when jacking up a car - ie have a few things in place in case the car falls - so keep your floor jack activated some, your jack stands, and if taking a tire off throw it under the car too. I like to have 2-3 fail safes because if you have ever seen a car fall it's not something you will have time to react on and a tire or something else that breaks is a lot easier to replace than you.
