Major problems with 1997 expedition electrical????

[Stacey13pa]

I have a 1997 expedition with 94,000. Since June of 2004 I have been having nothing but problems and nobody seems to know what is wrong. 1st my check engine light came on and I used one of those code readers and it told me that the spark plug was bad; Fixed this was fine for about a month then came problem number 2. Check engine light came on again and Code machine and the mechanic’s machine says my throttle position sensor was bad, Replaced twice still did not fix this. It just went in for an inspection (would not pass because of check engine light) and my mechanic sent the car to a ford auto person. He said the wiring harness to the throttle position sensor was bad. He replaced it cleared my check engine light was fine for a week and now we are back to square one. The problem is here again although it is not as bad.

The problems my car is having is when it is going up a hill it has no power and car shifts very rough (sounds like something is dropping.) Car originally would idle very high when in park, but that has resolved since my last car visit. Also, the 4 wheel drive seems like it is clicking in, but does not work. Does anyone think this is all related? My mechanic seems to think it is all electrical, but then again the problem has not been fixed. Occasionally when you first get in the car it says door ajar and no doors are open. This leads me to believe something major in the electrical is wrong!!!! I know this seems weird, but when I put gas in the car the check engine light goes off and stays off until I have like 10 gallons of gas left and then the car seems to run worse.

Forgot this the other code that came up originally had to do with a sensor on the petal in the car. A friend of mine who does auto repair work called ford and ford said that the expedition did not have this sensor on the petal. So how in the world could this code kept coming up.

I hope someone can help or has anyone else had these crazy problems? I have already spent over $1000 and the car is still not fixed????? Thanks in advance for any help!!!!!!

Stacey

[FortFord]

I own a '97 Expedition with 119,00 miles. I am having a similar problem with my "door ajar" message. I have recently been experiencing problems with my brakes I believe is directly related to this electrical problem. I know that the ’97 Expedition was recalled for a 4-way electrical switch I believe under the dash. The only problem is I do not know the name or location. Please let me know if you find a solution.

Found this thread under “Expedition GOing haywire?”
Had a similar problem but more electrical things were going wacky. Door locks, lights, displays, and radio. Also this would only happen in drive and reverse, everything worked fine in park and neutral. Took it to several places and spent thousands to figure it out. Turned out water was getting in the fuse box and wasn't able to get out. Drilled a hole in the box and haven't had any problems since except the digital mileage display doesn't always show.

[FortFord]

Originally Posted by Stacey13pa

I have a 1997 expedition with 94,000. Since June of 2004 I have been having nothing but problems and nobody seems to know what is wrong. 1st my check engine light came on and I used one of those code readers and it told me that the spark plug was bad; Fixed this was fine for about a month then came problem number 2. Check engine light came on again and Code machine and the mechanic’s machine says my throttle position sensor was bad, Replaced twice still did not fix this. It just went in for an inspection (would not pass because of check engine light) and my mechanic sent the car to a ford auto person. He said the wiring harness to the throttle position sensor was bad. He replaced it cleared my check engine light was fine for a week and now we are back to square one. The problem is here again although it is not as bad.

The problems my car is having is when it is going up a hill it has no power and car shifts very rough (sounds like something is dropping.) Car originally would idle very high when in park, but that has resolved since my last car visit. Also, the 4 wheel drive seems like it is clicking in, but does not work. Does anyone think this is all related? My mechanic seems to think it is all electrical, but then again the problem has not been fixed. Occasionally when you first get in the car it says door ajar and no doors are open. This leads me to believe something major in the electrical is wrong!!!! I know this seems weird, but when I put gas in the car the check engine light goes off and stays off until I have like 10 gallons of gas left and then the car seems to run worse.

Forgot this the other code that came up originally had to do with a sensor on the petal in the car. A friend of mine who does auto repair work called ford and ford said that the expedition did not have this sensor on the petal. So how in the world could this code kept coming up.

I hope someone can help or has anyone else had these crazy problems? I have already spent over $1000 and the car is still not fixed????? Thanks in advance for any help!!!!!!

Stacey

Stacey:

Talked to a auto parts store manager and he said to correct the "door ajar" message open all doors and spray latch mechanism with WD-40 or other penetrating oil. Hope this works.

John

[FortFord]

Stacey:

My "Door Ajar" message was corrected after I sprayed the door latches with penetrating oil.

In another thread it is suggested to change out the range sensor on your transmission. I am not sure if this will correct your problems, but it may correct both the rough shifting and the electrical issue??. I believe you can remove the range sensor and have it tested. My expereince is to have it tested a few times by different people.

Here is a copy of the thread to which I refer above:

j0hnny_5 (original thread)
Okay it all started a few days ago, the doors locked on thier own, and then the windshield wipers went off on thier own, and then now, when you turn off the car and take the key out, the air conditioner remains on. Also when I drive, i will get 5 audible beeps, stop, 5 audible beeps, stop, 5 audible beeps. what is it trying to tell me! is my expy possessed?

irish30 (reply)
Have your trans range sesor tested or replace it with a known good sensor. The PCM gets inputs from different sensors through that. If there is a fault in it the result is going to be incorrect inputs and incorrect outputs to other sensors and motors. B.S. in B.S out.



John

[al52269]

Hello!

Hope your well...
I had the same problem with the door ajar light. after taking everything apart and no luck. A old timer mechanic told me to spray WD-40 on the door jams and locking device guess what it work. hope this helps. Sincerely, Al