Ford Escape 2005 loses power after 2hours in traffic.
 

Hello FF Team,

Thank you for this amazing forum where I have learnt a lot from. I have a peculiar issue with my Ford Escape 2005 v6 Duratec engine. I usually go through traffic everyday on my way back from work but I have noticed that after about 2 hours in traffic my Ford Escape loses energy to move even when I pump on the gas, until I park and switch off the car engine, wait for about 10 secs and re-start it and then I am good for another 30mins or so before it reoccurs again. This does not usually happen when there is no traffic( I spend less time on road anyway).

I think it might have something to do with Fuel (Fuel Pressure sensor, Fuel pump etc) as the Temperature gauge on the Dashboard does not rise above the usual if not I would have suspected the 'Water Thermostat'.

Any assistance would be really helpful.

Thank you.

Since we have to start someplace, do you know when the fuel filter was last changed?

This may not be the problem, but I have seen where the sock filter in the fuel tank became plugged and the engine starved for fuel. Once the fuel pump shut down it allowed some of the fuel suction side of the supply backflow to the tank and taking some of the debris with it and opening the sock filter enough to allow fuel to pass through again until it picked up enough junk to block the sock filter again. Sometimes water in the tank can do the same thing because the fuel filter will not allow water to pass.They are two separate filters.

A crank sensor that opens when heated enough can produce the similar symptoms. To confirm that is easy ,just throw come cold water on the sensor and if it starts up right away , replace the crank sensor. I don't believe that is the problem here because if the sensor fails the engine shuts off quickly instead of losing power slowly.

Thank you Hanky for your quick response, the Fuel filter hasn't been changed in a long while if I remember correctly, it was the fuel pump that was replaced in 2017. I would do a proper check on this later today and see if i can replace this as quickly as possible.

I would also report back on my findings.

Thanks again.

Hello Hanky,

I am back, here is what I have done so far and still have the problem - it starts to stutter after about 1hr 40mins in traffic. Obviously the Fuel filter had never been changed (thank you for that:)) and it was completely filled with dirty fuel when it was removed and replaced.

What else could it be?

Thanks again.

Hello Hanky,

What do you think? Can you assist?

We could keep throwing parts at it hoping to hit the problem, but the better way to do this is to have someone with a scan tool that can provide "Live data" so we can see what is actually happening. We would want to see fuel pressure readings and that would provide a better picture of what is not up to par.
Because the fuel filter did show some signs of debris , there could be a problem with the filter in the tank. It is a lot of work to drop a tank so we would like to be reasonably sure of a possible pressure problem before doing so. At the time the fuel pump was replaced we would hope the tank was checked for any foreign material and cleaned out.
Under the rear of the vehicle, there is a fuel pump driver module that controls the fuel pump. Those modules were known for corroding under the mounting and causing fuel delivery problems. It is mounted up against a part of the frame cross member. The corrosion can get so bad it can work through the module body and cause all sorts of fuel delivery problems. Many good fuel pumps get replaced when it is the driver module causing the problem. If you choose to check this out and see this, replacement will usually correct the problem.

Hello Hanky,

Thank you for your very much for taking out time to respond on my case.

I would check "fuel pump driver module" under the truck to see if that is the issue as I just saw a video on it today on FordForum from an earlier post.

Secondly, I have an OBDLink MX wifi along with ForScan. Could you direct me on what paramaeters you want me to capture that could help with this case?

Thanks again.

Don't be bashful,
List them all !! The more info the better.

Hello Hanky,

I have attached some of the files here for you to see. I have also decided to buy a replacement Fuel pump Driver Module. I would place the order on Amazon.

Kindly see the photos below and text attached
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...327a51dcef.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...013c885af7.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...f0246ce5c2.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...b3d4482bb9.jpg

The info supplied is incomplete, however, I would not purchase that fuel pump driver module just yet because There seems to be a problem with the oxygen sensor for bank 2 which is the bank facing the front of the vehicle. There appears to be no signal supplied and the sensor after the converter is working overtime. If we could see the voltages for the o2 sensors that would be more helpful. There is a good possibility the o2 sensor is disconnected or malfunctioning. There could also be a potential problem with the catalytic converter which might be responsible for the power loss . Can we get those voltage readings ?