timing is off

pbrtrails · May 31, 2016

Help, I'm a women, I've recently purchased a 2004 Ford Explorer. I've had to put in a new transmission, 2 harmonic balancers, new spark plug wires, throttle body, coil pack and now my psych meds because it's still not fixed. I've had it towed several times and have put thousands into a $5000 vehicle.
It has 128,000 miles on her. Here's the problem. intermittently, as soon as I go from a stop to a start, there is a loss of power, the car has a jerking or slipping feel to it and then it will go back to a normal speed. 2 dash icons will appear ,(wrench and service engine soon). All fluids have been changed several times. I cannot afford a $20k vehicle. help help
Jill

Tedybear · May 31, 2016

pbrtrails said:
Help, I'm a women, I've recently purchased a 2004 Ford Explorer. I've had to put in a new transmission, 2 harmonic balancers, new spark plug wires, throttle body, coil pack and now my psych meds because it's still not fixed. I've had it towed several times and have put thousands into a $5000 vehicle.
It has 128,000 miles on her. Here's the problem. intermittently, as soon as I go from a stop to a start, there is a loss of power, the car has a jerking or slipping feel to it and then it will go back to a normal speed. 2 dash icons will appear ,(wrench and service engine soon). All fluids have been changed several times. I cannot afford a $20k vehicle. help help
Jill

Jill:

Suggest you might want to find a different mechanic. You're tossing a lot of money around and not getting anywhere. The dash icons will provide "Direction" on what the issue(s) could be. It takes someone with skill to decipher that information and do the correct repair. What codes have been pulled? (Even an advance auto, or auto parts house should be able to code-scan for you free of charge)

I know the frustration, but this forum has a lot of brain power. What code(s) where pulled that prompted all the aforementioned repairs?

(That should give the group some direction as well)

S-

RonD · May 31, 2016

Welcome to TRS

2004 is a 3rd generation Explorer.
It will have either a 4.0l SOHC V6 or a 4.6l V8

I will assume 4.0l V6
And a 5R55 Automatic transmission.

Spark plug wires last about 10 years so not a bad thing to change at 12 years.
Coil pack wouldn't need to be changed, and fairly easy to test
Throttle bodies are Cleaned, not replaced

TWO harmonic balancers, really like to hear the story on those

Yes I would ask around, friends and family, for new mechanic.

Yes, like Tedybear suggested a stop at an autoparts store to get them to Read the Codes, for free, would be a very good idea, have pencil and paper handy to write them down, always WRITE THEM DOWN.
And NEVER buy anything at the autoparts store because of a code number and the parts guys interpretation of the code.
Codes are in computerese, 1's and 0's, not english, the english translation is way to limited to spend any money on at that moment.

Loss of power from start to ??, about 10MPH, 20MPH, 30MPH
Or when you push down on the gas pedal, do you instantly feel the lack of power?

Does it recover power if you let off on gas pedal and then push back down?

Do you have a tachometer on the dash?
Do you see or hear RPMs going up but don't feel as much forward motion, so loss of power but in torque converter not engine.

New throttle body should have come with new Throttle position sensor(TPS) did you see that part on the bill?

pbrtrails · Jun 1, 2016

Code was 2106

RonD · Jun 1, 2016

Well the the replacement of the throttle body may now make sense.
2004 is a "drive by wire" gas pedal setup.
There is no throttle cable.

When you press down on the gas pedal a small electric motor(actuator) starts to open the throttle plate to allow more air into the engine which increases RPM.

P2106 is a safety code, and fairly generic in that it doesn't point to a specific thing, it is a "reaction code" to prevent a "run away engine" since there is no direct mechanical connection between gas pedal and throttle plate.
P2106 means computer has put throttle into "limp mode" because voltages/sensors are not giving correct readings for throttle position.
Limp mode is why you feel the loss of power.

And P2106 was the only code??

Does the speedometer seem to work OK, no jumping around or dropping out?
Especially at lower speeds

Is the ABS light on?

Transmission can cause P2106, since yours was rebuilt recently and should be under warranty I would take it back to the shop and have them check for transmission codes which often don't come up on regular code readers.
Could just be a loose wire on transmission connectors

This is a longer video but worth watching for P2106: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_io9rYErdNE

pbrtrails · Jun 1, 2016

I think 2106 was the only code, no ABS light just the little wrench and the service engine soon, speedometer did not jump around
thank you for the video. this is just so aggravating. I'm going to have it scanned again at a different place. I called around to several different shops and finally found someone with the correct diagnostic tools for another $75. I'll let you know how it goes

pbrtrails · Jun 10, 2016

ok, well after taking this car finally to the Ford Dealership it was found to have a bad crank shaft sensor. This sensor had been replaced back in march when the harmonic balancer was replaced. Thank goodness back in march the mechanic out in Oregon replaced every thing with genuine Ford products because the crank shaft sensor was under warranty .
I want to thank everyone that helped me through this crisis with my car. I really do like this car and it rides very nice

RonD · Jun 11, 2016

Thanks for the update, glad you found the problem.

timing is off

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