Automobile / Ford / E Series Van

MORE: Ford E-Series Van Repair Questions

Question: 1994 Ford E-150 Club Wagon mileage: 178,000. The van has an intermittent miss while accelerating. The van has had a recent complete tune-up, complete with new oxygen sensor. It has been to Ford garage four times and checked on their analyzer with EGR problem. EGR valve and positioning sensor has been replaced twice with no results. Ford cannot seem to get it fixed. They say it is internal carbon buildup and would have to go into the top end of the engine to correct, very difficult in the tight space on top of engine in a van. I have run several cans of fuel system cleaner thru the gas but has not helped. Ford said they disabled the EGR system and the van ran fine. But, of course, they cannot leave it disabled. Is there a way to dissolve or remove carbon buildup without actually going into the inside of the engine?

Answer: Unfortunately, there is no other way to remove the carbon but to disassemble the engine. A note of caution: Be careful with the fuel system cleaners...some have been noted to burn out oxygen sensors.

Question: 1999 Ford E-350 mileage: 40,000.  I have replaced the pump on bottom of block, replaced electric inline fuel pump on frame, replaced from fuel tanks all the way up to motor all of the fuel lines. This truck is almost impossible to start, and when it does start, it runs for just a few seconds and shuts down. We live in tropical climate so cold start is not a problem. Does this engine have an electric shut off valve that I might have over looked or don't know about. I have taken the fuel filter off and there will be about a half inch of fuel gone from it and then it shuts off. If you could offer any suggestions at all, it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer: We would suggest that you disconnect the fuel line from the tank and substitute a small fuel source (gallon can) to eliminate any possible problems in the tank. If this does not correct your problem, you may have a bad main injector pump.

Question: 1998 Ford E-350 Motorhome mileage: 45,000.  After driving 50 to 200 miles. the truck will gradually lose power on uphill grades until it will only go about 15 mph on level road. Problem goes away after truck cools down at least two hours. Mechanics can't get problem to repeat because it sometimes takes several hours of driving before it shows up. In-line fuel filter and fuel pump in tank have been replaced.

Answer: You may have a pickup coil in the distributor that is failing or a fuel supply problem. Try installing a temporary fuel pressure gauge and drive the motorhome until the problem occurs so that you can check the fuel pressure.

Question: 2002 Ford E-150 mileage: 34,000.  The vehicle lacks power, especially when it is cold. It also has to downshift to maintain a set 65 mph with cruise on. This has gradually occurred over about three months. I ran a self-test scanner on it, the response was code 225 "Knock sensor signal not detected". I am not sure what that means. I recently put cap, rotor, plugs, and wires on the van but this did not help. Thanks for any advice.

Answer: Code 225 knock sensor signal not detected would indicate the knock sensor is not functioning. Replacing it should fix your problem.

Question: 2001 Ford E-250 mileage: 45,000.  I am getting fuel in the oil and we tried the fuel pressure regulator and replaced the purge vacuum solenoid and checked the vent line to make sure it was not plugged. Got any Ideas? We have two vans that are doing this. Thanks!

Answer: We would have bet that you had a fuel injector that was leaking while the engine was off. It also could be that the charcoal canister may be drawing raw fuel into it and then when the van is started, releasing it into the motor. Try replacing the charcoal canister to see if that solves your problem.

MORE: Ford E-Series Van Repair Questions

Model / Ford / E Series Van