Advice from Expedition Owners/Mechanics

My wife and I are considering buying a 2009 Ford Expedition with the 5.4 Triton and 98,xxx miles.

We are wondering if there are any common issues that these vehicles have with this mileage range. We plan on owning the vehicle for the next 4-5 years.

Thanks for any input.

I just want to say I have owned a 2005 for the past 5 years. Tons of troubles. The end of this coming summer we are getting rid of it and will get a 2009 or 2010. Based on the research I've done, they are something we can afford and all those troubles did not happen with those years. So I can't, from experience yet, fully endorse one.

I don't know about the 2009 model, but let me give you some insight to my 2006 Expedition, 5.4 3V Triton.

I bought it new in '05 I have 74K miles on it, and recently had the error codes P344 and P340 come up. Swapped out the cam position sensors, light still there. Had my local Honda mechanic check it out, he noticed my positive cable in bad shape (I had a hose clamp on it, because the bolt on it broke). He swapped out the cable ($262, just the part).

Error code still there, took it to a Ford dealership, they said the TSB instructions for testing the alternator was the problem. They replaced the alternator ($486, just the part), light was still there.

Their next diagnosis was that the PCM is bad ($919, just the part) that they have on backorder and apparently no one has.

Since they had promised that the alternator would fix the problem, and it did not. I had them put back my old alternator and paid them the $119 labor charge for pulling the codes, that I already knew.

So now, I can't smog the car (I'm in Cali), and can't fix it either... if in fact the PCM is what is bad. The messed up part about the whole thing?

It idles smooth, shifts smooth, no symptoms whatsoever of it having a problem.

Hey NesOne. A couple of people have gotten P0340 for a bad cam sensor. Another common cause is corrosion in some of the wiring harness connectors.

Thanks, I've replaced them, and checked the wiring. The dealership also verified that there was no problem with the wiring from the cam sensor to the PCM, hence, they think it's the PCM itself that is bad.

I'm going to start knocking out the cheaper items little by little. Like the oil pressure sender/switch, because it has flashed 'oil pressure low' on my dashboard, then I plan to remove and clean out the vct solenoids. I have read some posts about that being the problem.

Any tips on how to clean the wire harness connectors, if they are corroded?

Diet Mountain Dew. I pour some in a cup and dip the connectors in it. Eats right through the corrosion. Diet so that it doesn't leave sugar to attract insects or rodents.

Thanks! I am going to do that.