1992 Ford Explorer racing and lugging

1992 FORD EXPLORER
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WATERDOG74
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Engine Performance problem
1992 Ford Explorer 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Manual 130K miles

1. Turn on ignition and tac jumps immediately to 4K rpm, without the engine running.
2. Hard starting. Usually 3 tries or more, and engine catches/dies. Eventually starts but engine races, high revs.
3. Engine continues to race when out of gear, but if I step on the accelerator it will usually lug down, lose power, sputter. If I hit the "sweet spot" with the accelerator I can get it to gradually get up to speed, but the racing engine will keep it accelerating until I have to step on the clutch to keep it at the correct speed. At a stop, usually revs high, but occasionally rpms will drop down to a more normal idle (temporarily).
4. Tac never seems to go below 3-4K unless the key is turned completely off. But this seems to have little connection to reality.
Sep 22, 2009 at 5:16 PM
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MERLIN2021
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Is the check engine light on? Try reading the codes this way: Do this and count the flashes...Count the flashes, a 22 will flash as 2 flashes then a short pause, then 2 flashes, if more than one code is stored, the pause will be longer. The codes will display three times and end with 11 or 111. Write them down and post here. First do this with the ke on engine off, then again with it running.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_Ford_Self_Test_95_5.jpg

Also disconnect the throttle cable and operate it by hand, if you now get a normal idle, the cable needs to be replaced.
Sep 22, 2009 at 6:00 PM
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WATERDOG74
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Do I need a scanner to do this?
Sep 22, 2009 at 6:22 PM
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WATERDOG74
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Never mind. I see now how to connect the jumper to get the flashes from the MIL. I will post results.
Sep 22, 2009 at 6:39 PM
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WATERDOG74
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I was able to use a test light at the self-test connector. I first tried with the key on/engine off, but all I got was a steady light. I then tried with key on/engine running and got this:
412, 116, 411, 538, 412, 116, 411, 538

I shut off the engine and turned the key on and got this: 116, 539, 116, 539, (at this point I got confused as to where the breaks were between codes. It seemed to go like this, which does not seem right: 1113, 121125.

Then back to 3 digits: 157, 172, 181, 113, 121, 125, 157, 172, 181
Sep 22, 2009 at 8:32 PM
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MERLIN2021
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OK I need to look all this up and see what it means, but you either use the check engine light on the dash, or a voltmeter with a needle(analog).


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_1_22.jpg


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_2_22.jpg


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_3_23.jpg


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/62217_4_12.jpg

Sep 23, 2009 at 2:30 AM
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WATERDOG74
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[quote:f3f7a0d969="waterdog74"] (at this point I got confused as to where the breaks were between codes. It seemed to go like this, which does not seem right: 1113, 121125.

Then back to 3 digits: 157, 172, 181, 113, 121, 125, 157, 172, 181[/quote:f3f7a0d969]

Looking back it seems that the sequence mist have been 113, 121, 125, 157, 172, 181, and then repeated.
Sep 23, 2009 at 7:02 PM
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MERLIN2021
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You have two problems that probably are causing most if not all your troubles, the MAF and IAT sensors on your air filter box are both reading voltages too low. Unplug the MAF and go for a ride, if it improves, replace both sensors, clear the codes and see what happens.
Sep 24, 2009 at 3:32 PM