Help- Ford Expi 5.4 not getting fuel

[hertfordnc]

Not so much an RV question but i know the folks on this forum are quicker to provide good answers than the Ford Forums and I am in a jam.

Truck was running great then it stalled a light and would not restart.

I jumpered the fuel pump at the inertia switch and it still would not run.

Changed the fuel pump. No change. It gets enough fuel to cough and sputter, runs a little but never gets above idle.

COuld be fuel filter but in my experience a fuel filer will allow it to run fine until you load it. And I need the ford fuel line tool and the stores are not open yet.

So, where else can i look for a fuel flow problem?

Prior to this I got a code for "LEAN FUEL" - i fixed a vacuum leak and it went away. Then i got a code saying fuel was too rich. But the truck was still running fine.

My next move is to open the fuel line at the filter bu I dont think that's the problem.

[hertfordnc]

Don't you hate it when someone posts a question, gets all kinds of help from the group and then doesn't come back to tell what happened?

In my research i found lots of threads like this going back several years but none had useful conclusions.

I had fuel at the rail but not enough.

I changed the fuel filter and it was pretty blocked up but it did not solve the problem.

I took a cheap bug sprayer filled with gasoline and put it to the fuel line aft of the filter and the truck fired right up. This is a great trick. About half the time the gas will melt the seals in the sprayer so it may be a one-time use, but it puts out about 45 psi and rules out a lot of trouble.

So then i knew it was in the tank. My first thought was that I got a bad pump (it was really cheap) so i went back and got a Bosch.

Still didn't work. THat led us to look at bad grounds because 80% of electrical problems on older cars are caused by bad grounds (Dave's rule)

SO i fount the ground and put it directly to a cleaned surface - still didn't work.

But I knew the problem was in the tank so finally I pulled the tank all the way out and found the hose going from the pump to the pump housing had a crack.

This never occurred to me because I had changed the pump and hose just six months ago.

But I don't remember the last time i changed the filter and it being clogged created the back-pressure that shortened the life of the hose.

I cheated and tried to change the pump without dropping the tank. THere's enough room in there with spare tire out of the way you can just drop a couple bolts and lower the tank without disconnecting everything. But in this case, the lack of visibility led to missing the damage to the hose.

So, to some future backyard mechanic who finds this thread via google some years out form AUgust 2015, I hope you found this mea culpa helpful. I also hope Bernie Sanders is president.

[_40Fan]

Unplug the mass air flow sensor, located in the air intake right by the air filter and see what happens.

[jerem0621]

My 2000 4.6 in my Lincoln had a similar issue with dying, but it would restart...it would also howl at me like a trumpet from time to time. I had to replace the IAC to fix it.

Cold weather exasperated the issue. New IAC and it's been great.

this may or may not be your issue.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[hertfordnc]

It's a 2001

Turns out this can be a very complicated problem. I've been reading assorted Ford forums for 24 hours and Lots of people have had identical symptoms with different solutions.

[Fordlover]

if you give it throttle while starting will it run? Mom's mountaineer wouldn't idle when the Idle Air Bypass went bad, but ran fine as long as you were giving it gas. After replacing, it idled fine, no codes before or after though.


What year and miles on the Expy? The Expedition has had the 5.4 from 1997 through 2014 Model year.

[jus2shy]

#40Fan wrote:
What year? If it is late enough, there could be a fuel pump driver module that is causing this issue.

Yep, a known issue for fords: .

They had a recall on these a while back. But it seems like this is an issue that takes many years to occur, mostly due to moisture and corrosion occuring over the rear axle. Here's an owner's experience.
Ford trucks

[_40Fan]

What year? If it is late enough, there could be a fuel pump driver module that is causing this issue.

[BenK]

enough exhaus gets by...till the CFM exceeds the now constricted orifice

And/or the metal/material expands to further constrict the orfici

My experience has it getting worst and worst till it totally plugs...or you
have a 'piece' moving around in there to open/constrict as it pleases...

[hertfordnc]

it does reassemble a clogged cat I had on a vw jetta. But how does it go from running great to not running at all.

[path1]

Keep us posted.

[BenK]

Consider plugged exhaust system

[hertfordnc]

incremental progress. I found the fuel filter to be clogged.

Changed it, car seemed to start easier and idle longer before it died.

Likewise, pressure at the rail seems higher than before

[hertfordnc]

I was about 3/4 of the way through a tank form a good source.

I don't have a fuel pressure gauge but when i press the shrader it gurgle out, definitely does not look like 45 PSI.

Would a fuel filter do this?

[dodge_guy]

Did you fill it prior to the no run condition? It may be possible that you got a tank of bad fuel! Did you actually check the fuel pressure? You want a minimum of 45psi.