I own a 2004 4x4 Explorer and sometimes when I am slowing down to a stop the rpm will drop below 1000, and it will stall. I can start the car right back up and it will be fine. I don't get any check engine light before it dies. This only happends when I am slowing down. It doesn't do it all the time. I have brought it to the dealer 5 times and each time they have told me they cannot find any codes. Someone mentioned to me that it is probably the vapor managment system. Has anyone else had this problem. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

 

I have the same problem with my 98. I get a pending code for a bad cat converter.

 

Well it wasn't my cat converter. I removed the idle air control and gave it a good cleaning with a small brush and lots of carb cleaner. I was careful not to let the cleaner run down into the solenoid.(the end the harness clips to) Then I cleaned under the plate after the IAC. (the butterfly looking thing the dashpot turns.) It took about an hour and it runs great now, it idles again!

 

I had the same problem with my 03 Explorer. There is a TSB that the dealer should be able to look up.

 

Also there has been some that need the upper intake gaskit replaced ,runs ok cold , but when warmed up likes to die out , basically its a vacuum leak . you might want to try spraying a lil carb cleaner around the upper base an see if the idle changes , if it does you need a new gaskit . as cleaning the IAC may only be a temp. fix

 

I have the same problem. My Explorer has stalled intermittently for the last few months. Always when slowing down or coming to a stop. My mechanic has not found any TSBs and I am afraid that the dealer will either not find any problem or try a bunch of expensive fixes that don't do anything. The last time i lost power truning onto the freeway. It was a little scary because of the speed and lack of control. Anybody have any answers?

Thanks

 

Ditto here with a 2004 4x2 V6 explorer. It happened coasting down hill from 40MPH, twice down the same narrow winding road. Once at around 80k miles and the other day at 85K miles. I've had the vehicle since new but will no longer let my wife drive it until I get this fixed. It is a bit frightening going down this road with no power assist to the brakes or steering and it takes a bit of calmness to put the vehicle in neutral and start the engine while facing two lane traffic. I have the Ford ESP warranty to 100K and I will take it in with as many on line complaints as I can print to show them that this is not a one in a million incident.

 

I have been living with a stalling problem now for about 3 years. On the second drive of the day and after sitting for about 2 hours and you take it out, as you approach a stop the rpm goes to about 400 rpm then surges, then stalls if left in drive. After a restart it runs just fine. The dealer could not duplicate the problem after 3 times having my Explorer for days.
I changed the IAC (Inlet Air Control) to no avail. I have noticed this year the problem is not as common during the winter months when it is cooler but now is getting more often. If coming to a stop after getting an indication it will stall, and if I hold the thottle and keep the rpm up with the gas pedal, it will keep running for a couple of miles, with no stops and then will become normal. One time when it wanted to stall and while moving I shifted to neutral and the engine would keep running at about 400 rpm then by itself the rpm, after a few seconds would pop up to the normal 625rpm and then drive normal. I remember the dealer had a V6 Explorer doing the same thing but they never could duplicate that either.

 

My first guess would be a vacuum leak.... Vacuum lines or gaskets become more flexible when they wrm up and tend to leak more..so if it runs better in cold weather...rubber components stay firmer in cold weather........check PCV valve vacuum hose and other vacuum lines with a "wiggle" test (look for cracked or soft rubber lines that leak more when you wiggle them)...also check the air inlet snorkle between air filter and intake manifold for cracks or leaks if you have a vehicle with a plastic/rubber one.....

do a "carb cleaner test"....get a big can of non-flammable carb cleaner...fire up engine and after it warms up spray the heck out of the top of the motor to see if it sucks in carb cleaner thru a leak.....The motor should die suddenly...because a vacuum leak will suck in carb cleaner..then kill the motor.....or at least cause it to run crappy......just be sure not to spray about carb/air cleaner inlet..this defeats the purpose...

dont worry....carb cleaner trick wont damage engine...if carb cleaner is sucked into engine...you just need to allow excess carb cleaner to evaporate and then crank over the engine a few times to cycle carb cleaner thru cylinders....

My second guess would be the IAC.....I know you replaced it but make sure to check all related IAC components....make sure to check the mechanical operation of the IAC to rule them out..(bad harness/pcm signal...etc)

Pull IAC off of manifold when engine is cold....leave harness plugged in....have a helper turn ignition off and on (no need to start motor)...and look inside IAC to make sure the piston inside is moving and sealing the bypass....it wont move very much...just enough to seal the bypass...if it doesnt move at all you have a problem with something in the circuit..etc

Try cleaning the mass air flow sensor....you could have buildup on the MAF filament...this is a common issue with these vehicles...

Also check spark plugs and replace if needed....a bad plug could throw off air flow mixture due to unburned gas and cause engine to run bad at low rpms due to incorrect air/fuel mixture


good luck....

 

I was told that the Mountaineer had the same issue and had a recall I can't find a recall anywhere for that, same issue here, last WE on the expressway going about 65 miles per hour, I watched as I continued to give it gas nothing was happening, the car's miles per hour started dropping, luckily I was able to pull to the brakdown lane stop and restart the car, I am in the same boat with being totally nervious driving it, i was told that there is a Throttle body that might need to be replaced, someone said that it is a computerized part that is malfunctioning, so can probable tell I am not a car expert, but don't want the dealer to replace something that might not even help.