2001 E250 5.4 sudden loss of power

[rob_gendreau]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

On a 5.4l? Nothing. That's the beauty of a 5.4l. I would do the plugs if you haven't and replace the coil BOOTS, not the entire coil, when you do the plugs, unless you are having coil trouble. The boots are only about $2 apiece and that's what usually needs replacing. Otherwise, filters and regular maintenance. Remember to do the coolant and brake fluid at least every 100k or so. Hardly anyone does those and they should. Ever tow a trailer? If so do the rear diff fluid too.

Thanks. Hadn't thought of plugs and coils; will check 'em out. Have done coolant, and just replaced rear diff fluid. And BTW, if you've got 4WD check the transfer case: the change interval on mine (can't remember brand; Salem Kroger) is only 15k. Due to a miscommunication between my mechanic and myself I once skipped that by a long shot, and kinda had pudding in there—yikes. But got it in time. And of course the front diff.

My tank is modified, so I don't entirely trust my fuel gauge, so I pretty much stay above ¼ anyway. And besides, being an older guy my own um tank often needs a drain and hence might as well fuel up while doing that.

[JWA]

Scotty's post reminds me your E250 might benefit from a full transmission flush, one that replaces all the ATM at one time, a whopping 15+ quarts when done correctly. Here's an article by a former Ford transmission engineer who devised a relatively simple and one-man DIY process for this: http://https://www.ford-trucks.com/a...-transmission/

If its helpful here's my own write-up doing this in my driveway: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ans-flush.html

HTH

[arctictraveller]

[QUOTE=JWA;232199] Since you're on your 3rd pump now does this seem to be issues with each pump or could something within the fuel system after the pump(s) causing problems?[QUOTE=JWA;232199

Hard to say, but I'm thinking that the aftermarket pumps are pretty crappy.

[QUOTE=JWA;232199I had the benefit of discovering a leak in the tank that was so well hidden it didn't present itself until one of the straps was being removed. [QUOTE=JWA;232199

Yup, I found a hole in the top of mine the first time I pulled the tank. It was where the tank had been rubbing on the frame.


[QUOTE=JWA;232199 Since the actual pump portion of the fuel pump is separate from the motor the cooling effect might not be as effective as proposed? Can't say either way but its a good discussion. [QUOTE=JWA;232199

I thought the fuel passed through the pump motor. I'll have to pull out my spare pump to check it out.



[QUOTE=JWA;232199Another good thought and yes perhaps debris would be or is kept in motion while driving but what's the downside to keeping at least 1/4 in the tank?[QUOTE=JWA;232199

The only downside is reducing the range. With a cut down tank, it's already reduced quite a bit. It's common for me to arrive at a gas station with empty jerry cans and a nearly empty fuel tank after traveling in remote areas for days.

[QUOTE=JWA;232199A very, very likely or possible scenario---great observation! One way to test that would be an in-line amp draw of the pump while in operation.[/QUOTE]

A possibly better way would be to measure the available voltage under load, (I.E. while running) I've never seen any current draw specs for the pump, but voltage should be very close to system voltage. I'll add this to my extensive "to do" list.

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by JWA

Scotty's post reminds me your E250 might benefit from a full transmission flush, one that replaces all the ATM at one time, a whopping 15+ quarts when done correctly.

I've heard in the past that it's risky flushing a transmission that has not had regular maintenance because the new fluid can loosen up all the debris that may be adhered to various parts of the interior. I don't know if this is true or not, but I decided to flush mine anyway, and I doubt it had ever been done in the past. Prior to the flush, there were no issues what so ever, but a few hundred miles post flush, and it began doing occasional odd things, like dragging out a shift or, when starting up from a full stop, taking a second to engage. That's to say, when I step on the accelerator, the RPM's raise a bit prior to movement beginning, and then there is a jerk as it starts moving. It never did this before the flush, but does it quite often now. I have no idea if the problem is related to the flush, but it never did this before.

[JWA]

AT I had those same concerns, having heard all the horror stories of transmissions failing after full fluid exchanges. With the helpful advice of Mark Kovolsky on FTE I bit the bullet and performed my first exchange on an "extra" van I have: 2000 E250 w/275+ K miles at the time, 5.4 gas motor. It now has at least 12K miles on that service and has worked perfectly for almost 2 full years.

(I did have a bit of a scare within a few days of the exchange, the OD light on the gear selector stalk began flashing, code saying it was a bit low on fluid. Adding about 1.5 quarts cured that issue, fine ever since. This isn't uncommon as it turns out.)

The second full fluid exchange was performed on an '03 E250 5.4 gasser with 211+ K miles back in September of 2015; same van now has just a bit over 265 K miles. Not a bit of trouble since.

The link to FTE I shared might go a long way towards easing any concerns about this sort of service work---if not I understand that too. The general thought these days is the full flush won't cause or cure any issues not already present in a transmission but again YMMV, comfort level purely subjective and personal.

Also fully agree about aftermarket pumps---I paid a full $430 from Ford for their pump. Could have found the same part through eBay for almost $100 less but didn't have the luxury of time to wait--had it next day from the local dealer. I did have a brand new Airtex from Advance Auto sitting in its box on hand but didn't want to take the chance.

HTH

[vanislevan]

I had one similar and the Cat had a melt down

[electricwitness]

First thing I thought was check your cat.

[MadScience]

Originally Posted by rob_gendreau

check the transfer case: the change interval on mine (can't remember brand; Salem Kroger) is only 15k.

I've heard 15k for heavy 4wd use and/or heavy towing. Otherwise 30-60k on a typical part time chain driven case.

On the van, I put in fresh fluid early this year, but it was due to a leaking slip yoke. The leak handily recycled the old fluid into an undercoating.

[rob_gendreau]

Just to add closure here, we think we've figured out my problem.

Had my mechanic test fuel pressure, and it was low. Replaced fuel filter; test again, significantly higher. Van seems way peppier, like we have it some viagra or something. Can't say for sure that was my loss of power, but I wouldn't be surprised if it contributed. And everything else checks out fine.

Did plugs, belts, some hose stuff, and generally a bunch of early maintenance.

Now all I gotta do is maybe replace the darn hood latch. Aargh.

[MadScience]

Hood latch? Well, that's that:

https://xkcd.com/2033/