1996 Ford Explorer Missing and ruff idle

1996 FORD EXPLORER
120,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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JAY80
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
I have a 1996 Ford Explorer XLT. It has the 4.0 v6 and sometimes the check engine light will flash. When it does the car will run really crappy. It will lose all power and spit and sputter and it will idle really bad. Then if you drive it for a while it will run perfect untill you shut it off. It dont matter if you shut it off and start it right back it will do the same thing. My ? is what would make it do this?
Jan 2, 2010 at 2:01 AM
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RASMATAZ
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 75,988 POSTS
Check and test the following below:

Oxygen Sensor
Catalytic Converter
Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
Coil and Rotor
Jan 2, 2010 at 6:01 PM
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