Explorer: Rough idle stall now no start

Kidd-7

4th Gear Poster
Lifetime Supporter
Joined
Sep 22, 2023
Messages
278
Location
RTP, NC
Vehicle Details
96 Cougar 4.6L
Country flag
Posting here seeking some guidance, I'm not getting any hits over at the explorer forum:

2000 Ex v8 AWD: wife came out of a store and wouldn't start. Called AAA jumped it and it start but idled horribly. Towed home. I started it, it ran terrible and stalled after a minute or so. ForScan shows code: P0232 - fuel pump secondary circuit high. no other codes.

I unplugged the MAF, it started and idled OK. Run to the auto parts store and replace the MAF. Now she doesn't start at all. Won't start w/ MAF unplugged, new or old MAF installed.

I swapped the fog light relay with the fuel pump relay, verified fog lights come on. Move KOEO and heard the fuel pump prime once or twice then no more.

I jumpered the fuel pump relay pins 3 to 5 and do not hear the pump.

At this point I'm thinking a bad fuel pump, I do not have a pressure gauge to verify. I'm going to borrow a pressure tester this morning.

Any other thoughts?
 
prime it a couple of times, get out, and press the center of the schrader valve on the fuel rail; f it squirts out, odds are it's ok. If it just dribbles, or none at all, it's bad. The pressure on the lines should make it squirt.
 
Realize you have to drop the tank to replace it. get a walbro pump, from a reputable seller, like summit. There are cheap fakes out there. You can use a smaller gph rated one; unless you have serious mods, a 255liter pump is overkill.Seems like our stock pump is 67lph.
 
Pump is probably dead. It isn't too much trouble to get the tank out of those.
 
Would you put the truck on stands or just drop the tank while it's sitting on the tires?
 
get the car on stands; front and rear of car off the ground. You have to drop the exhaust, most likely. The fuel hat/pump assembly is about a foot tall, and you have to pull it out the hole on the drivers side front side of the tank. Get the pump and a new gasket. With the pump comes a piece of tubing for the pump/hat connection; it's special line, not supposed to disolve when submerged. You need that, a foot of it was 20-30 bux, iirc. get a few pieces of fuel line to replace the tubes between stuff. there's a piece over the drive shaft,that can disintegrate coming off.
Those tubes get gas, so they have to be fuel line. emission hose won't last in the splash.
 
The new fuel hat gasket looks like a flat rubber band, but it's not very stretchy. If this leaks, your car will always smell like gas.
 
found this write up, sharing here For reference
 
I borrowed the pressure gauge from O'Reillys today, but I don't trust it. I hooked it up to the Smurf and still couldn't get a reading, it just wouldn't seal well. Can anyone recommend a good pressure gauge to connect to the Schrader valve?

Also, can you siphon out of the gas tank? I've never done that and the Ex has about a 1/2 tank in it now, the fuel pump isn't doing anything at all. I opened the fuel line at the filter and tried to prime it out with no luck. I guess worst case I drop the tank and open it up then siphon out the fuel so it's easier to lift back up.
 
Your pump is definately dead - with the p0232 code, the PCM isn't detecting voltage as if it's unplugged. You may find a burnt connection on the pump itself. Don't bother checking pressure with a gauge.

As for the extra fuel, I've always dropped tanks and siphoned it or poured it into a container through a funnel .. not as easy as it sounds, and it would help to have an extra pair of hands willing to huff the fumes .. 🙃

Might be easier to disconnect the filler hose directly at the tank and siphon it out there before completely dropping the tank.
 
Would you put the truck on stands or just drop the tank while it's sitting on the tires?
Put the rear on stands at least. Give yourself some room to maneuver
 
Might be easier to disconnect the filler hose directly at the tank and siphon it out there before completely dropping the tank.
That's a good idea, the write up I found leaves the filler hoses connected and drops them with the tank. I was under there last night spraying some PB blaster and thinking why would you not just disconnect those hoses at the tank?
 
Just be careful with the 30 yo plastic. :)

Let me guess; the Explorer forum went Verticalscope, and is dead now? :rofl:
That sux; Glacier 991 on that forum wrote the best rebuild guide on the 4r70w I've seen, it has all the fixes.
 
That's a good idea, the write up I found leaves the filler hoses connected and drops them with the tank. I was under there last night spraying some PB blaster and thinking why would you not just disconnect those hoses at the tank?
Did you get to this? I apologize, I've been offline for several days..
 
All good, I siphoned about 5 gallons out of the tank and going to work on this some more this afternoon. Parts arrived yesterday.
 
All good, I siphoned about 5 gallons out of the tank and going to work on this some more this afternoon. Parts arrived yesterday.
I'll drop a tank full if I have to. I just pour it into gas cans or buckets before putting it back in. When the tank is empty it's pretty easy to maneuver.
 
I'm doing the same thing. I was pulming using the fuel pump, and it clogged. :) So, I'm going to have to drop the tank and see what kind of crap is in it. I'm kicking myself for ditching the tank I had.A swap is easier than cleaning one out.
 
Be careful with preserving the position of the float assembly; I got mine in the wrong spot going back in, and now after it passes the 1/4 tank mark it falls off scale. I learned, there were 3 gallons left, or 1/6 of a tank. I can live with that. But I mention it because it will change what you are used to.
 
Back
Top