Hello. I have a problem with my Explorer. I have a 2011 Explorer with 180k miles. It has developed a knock on heavy acceleration. Mileage has dropped off about 10-15%, and throws codes 304, 305, 306. Any ideas to get me going in the correct direction?

Thanks!

 

First of all, those codes are telling us that cyls 4,5 and 6 are misfiring. Maybe not all the time but still misfiring. Now, that can and will destroy the catalytic converter if allowed to continue.
Do you know what engine you have in your vehicle? Maybe we can suggest some direction .
Can you tell us what maintenance has been recently done on the vehicle?

 

3.5l ti vct

Nothing fancy done to the engine over its life. Plugs and COPs have recently been replaced. No internal engine work.

I have replaced the VCT solenoid and cam sensor on that bank since they were cheap and relatively easy to get to....no change.

 

There is evidently a problem with that bank. It would be unusual for all 3 coils or plugs on that bank to all be troublesome at the same time.
So,,,,,,,,,,, I think we are back to the cam control.
I get very nervous when we get parts cheap because if we replace a defective part with another defective part, that kinda stings our confidence.
I hope that isn't what happened here. It might be a good idea to run a compression test to see if the mechanical parts are all good. If they do check out, there could be a problem with the newly installed cam sensor or the piece on the gear that activates it. You might want to look a little closer at the gear and pin..

 

Possible.

What about stuck cam phaser or jumped timing chain?

 

The compression test should show a jumped chain problem. If the phaser happens to be in the right place when doing the compression test you won't be able to tell.