What could make my Ford explorer act up
Asked by crystal12345 Nov 05, 2015 at 07:38 AM about the 1996 Ford Explorer 4 Dr XL 4WD SUV
Question type: General
I have a 96 Ford explorer well 2 days
ago I was driving it and it started
skipping and running rough so I keep
driving it I had someone check the
coil pack they said it was good could
it be bad spark plugs because they
have never been changed and also
while I'm driving it my check engine
lite flashes on n off then it stops can
someone please tell me what it could
be thanks.
3 Answers
Driving with the check engine light flashing can damage the catalytic converters. A flashing check engine light indicates a miss-fire and raw fuel will be sent into the exhaust where it will ignite and overheat and some times melt the structure in the converter rendering it useless. If you have over 100,000 miles on your Explorer, then I would change the spark-plugs and probably change all the plug wires. It is possible the spark is escaping the plug wire or boot and arcing to ground due to excessive spark-plug gap. Once this happens there is nothing you can do but replace the affected parts. There is no guaranty that this will fix the problem, but that is where i'd start. Keep us posted.
Just something for thought. I have driven Fords exclusively since the mid 1960's. I find they are rather picky, even more so recently, when it comes to ignition components. Use Motorcraft plugs and wires, never had a problem with them.
Another note: Most people believe plugs become pre-gapped, Check the gap on the new plugs. I just tuned up a 1999 explorer and all the plugs were gaped at .045 from the factory. The 99 explorer gap is suppose to be .054
