Engine stalls while driving?

DANA PAINTER

MEMBER
2006 FORD EXPLORER
4.0L
6 CYL
4WD
AUTOMATIC
89,000 MILES

It will sometimes start bucking and jerking on takeoff and it will act like it might stall, then it will surge and lunge forward and sometimes will kick in and start running good and other times it will continue to buck and jerk. If you turn it off and back on it will sometimes clear up but not all the time. None of this ever happens regularly, it might drive fine for hours and then the next time you drive it it runs terrible. It usually only starts acting up after about 20-30 minutes of driving and usually not until we get stuck in traffic or at a light. If you can accelerate enough to get through the rough takeoff and it can get up to a good and consistent speed it seems to clear up and will usually run fine until you stop and idle. You can always feel kind of a slight stuttering during any type of driving. It always idles stutter and slightly shaky. This all kind of started a few months ago when we had to have the harmonic balancer replaced, because it practically fell out of the truck. We ended up having to go back to have the crank shaft sensor replaced because as soon as we left the shop it started doing almost what I have explained above and after all of that was done it ran pretty good for about a month or so. Once all of the problems started we had a neighborhood mechanic try some things. He changed spark plugs and wires, nothing changed. Next we changed the fuel filter, nothing. We cleaned the mass air flow sensor but did not replace, nothing. Then we replaced the crank shaft sensor again because that's what code came up, not fixed. I forgot to mention that whenever we have the problems, the check engine light and sometimes the wrench symbol will come on. We also replaced the crank shaft sensor plug, nothing. The last thing we did was replace the throttle positioning sensor and it still isn't fixed, actually almost feels worse and is now doing it a little more consistently. It is now at a Ford dealer trying to see if they have any luck diagnosing it, but called us and said that they can't find the problem and they can't replicate what we say it's doing. We don't know where to go from here. I know it's a lot to read but I wanted to give you all the information. Any thoughts or suggestions?
The lights stay on but do not blink and if you turn it off and restart the truck, sometimes the lights will go off. Bucking and jerking
The only code that ever comes up is po320. Also we did unplug the battery to try and reset the computer.

10 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
42,861 POSTS

To me it sounds like you need a new MAF sensor because cleaning them doesn't always work if the sensor is too far gone. Next is the P0320 crankshaft sensor code, I am wondering when the harmonic balancer got replaced if they messed something up, also is the new sensor OEM? if not I would replace it with Motorcraft. Here is the instructions for changing the sensor below.

This guide can help as well

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-stalls

Check out the diagrams (below). Please let us know what you find. We are interested to see what it is.

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Monday, June 17th, 2019 AT 10:40 AM

DANA PAINTER

MEMBER
5 POSTS

Hey Ken, wanted to give you a follow up on our truck repairs. The new PCM and a fourth new crank shaft sensor seemed to fix the lunging and bucking upon acceleration and the choking, almost stalling, when at an idle. BUT, it did not fix the terrible idle. It was so bad that things in the truck would vibrate and if you had a door open, it would visibly shake. We took it back to Ford and they told us that the idle was normal for a truck with high mileage and ours was much better than others they have seen. We don't have high mileage, there is 88,000 miles on it and it is 13 years old. Well, Ford was done with us and refused to look into it more unless we paid more. Guess they got their money from us and they don't have to stand by their warranty. They said that this problem wasn't related to the problem that was "fixed", even though the rough idle was part of our original complaint. Well, about two weeks after all of that, the harmonic balancer completely fell off the truck, which was most likely the cause of the rough idle, still Ford would not help, even though they told us they had checked over the entire truck for anything that could cause the rough idle, don't you think they should have noticed that something wasn't right with the harmonic balancer, they were working right in that area when they replaced the crank shaft sensor. Was probably the whole problem to begin with and they ripped us off by replacing the PCM. Anyway, by this point I was completely done with the truck, so much so that I refused to drive it. It was just too unreliable for me. Fixed or not we sold the damn truck as is and bought a used 2010 Nissan Sentra with 65,000 miles on it for exactly what we sold the truck for and I love it! Should have done this a long time ago, we ate a lot of money over the 13 years with that truck, it was a true piece of crap from day one. We will never buy Ford again, we are sticking to Nissan/Honda/Toyota from here on out. Thanks for your input and I'll be in touch if we ever need help with the new car. Take care!

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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019 AT 7:47 AM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
42,861 POSTS

Thanks for getting back to us on the issue sorry to hear it did not turn out as good as it could. It does sounds like the harmonic balancer was the problem. Use 2CarPros anytime, we are here to help. Please tell a friend.

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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019 AT 9:48 AM

DANA PAINTER

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5 POSTS

I will Ken, thanks for your time!

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Tuesday, September 3rd, 2019 AT 3:09 PM

CHASEZUC1

MEMBER
1 POST
2006 FORD EXPLORER
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
240,000 MILES

Hi, I was driving home today and noticed the temperature rise suddenly and as I was almost home I went very slowly (one to two mph) for about a quarter mile and heard what sounded like loose bearing rattling noise as I gave it gas. I shut off engine and noticed a loud thump thump noise and the radiator hose was caving in and out. The coolant reservoir was full. I started it again and I made it to the driveway where the engine stalled out. After it cooled I opened the radiator and no water that I can see. I tried to start and it will not turn over. It tries to very hesitantly. I fear what has happened is the thermostat failed and ultimately seized the engine.

Any input would be great and thanks in advance.

Best,

Steve

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Friday, October 9th, 2020 AT 9:55 AM (Merged)

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,737 POSTS

You have not verified the engine is damaged, but if it is, it is because you continued driving the vehicle after noticing the temperature was too high. It might have even been too late by that time. The way you described how quickly the overheating started, a failed thermostat is not a good suspect. A sudden leak is more likely because even if the thermostat suddenly closed, once the engine cooled down, coolant would have been drawn back into the engine and the level in the reservoir would have been low. With a leak, no vacuum will be developed in the cooling system to draw the coolant in from the reservoir when the engine cools down.

I am not clear on what the engine is doing when you try to start it. If it is cranking too slowly to start and run, try to turn the crankshaft by hand to see if the engine is tight. You should be able to turn it with a socket and large ratchet. If it seems normal, we will have to look at the battery and cables first, but it would be quite the coincidence to develop an unrelated problem at exactly the same time.

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Friday, October 9th, 2020 AT 9:55 AM (Merged)