I recently drove my 2008 Ford Expedition (5.4L engine, 56,000 miles) about 100 miles out of town (45th HS Reunion). When I pulled into my motel parking lot, it would barely idle. (I had made one stop on the road with no idling problems.) After checking into my room, I restarted - still rough idle and check engine light came on. A fellow grad who still lived in the area had a diagnostic and checked the codes. It threw a P0012. An online search convinced my friend that it was a more complicated problem than he was comfortable dealing with. Two days later a rollback towed it to a local mechanic who merely reset the computer (did not just clear the code, if I understood correctly) and it idled perfectly. I drove it home the next day, stopping once for gas - no idling issues, no check engine light. My question: could this have really "fixed" the problem? I am a 63 year old female and afraid to drive this vehicle. Should I take it to my Ford dealer or neighborhood mechanic? I know that restarting my laptop can solve many a problem, but can it be that simple with a vehicle that wouldn't run well enough to drive to the repair shop? Your opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
May 25, 2014 at 2:37 PM