Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 12150 | 11/01/1998 | 613170 | Information concerning the replacement of the engines on vehicles equipped with a 4.0l sohc that require service. *mjs | 06/19/2000 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 14617 | 01/01/2001 | 617995 | Subject pertaining to broken thermostat. *jb | 04/03/2001 | |
| 14583 | 01/01/2001 | 617968 | Concerns with broken thermostats on engines. *jb | 04/02/2001 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 02221 | 11/11/2002 | 10008304 | Engine-gear driven synchronizers-incorrect installation-camshaft position synchronizer (cmp) installation tool correct application. *mj | 07/27/2004 | |
| 03199 | 09/29/2003 | 10004038 | Rattle/buzz sound from under the vehicle on 4.0l single overhead cam (sohc) engines. *tt | 11/14/2003 | |
| 870197 | 10/22/2002 | 10000592 | Incorrectly installed gear driven camshaft position (cmp) sensor synchronizer assemblies causing surge, lost of power, malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p1336, p1309 and p0340. *tt | 03/25/2003 | |
| 01M01 | 04/01/2001 | 619285 | Owner notification program regarding additional coverage program for front cam chain guide assembly which may wear or break and cause excessive cam chain noise that does not go away after five minutes of engine operation. *tt | 05/22/2001 | |
| 01M01 | 01/05/2001 | 618042 | Subject regarding advance notice on upcoming owner notification program which will provide additional coverage on the front cam chain guide assembly on certain vehicles. *tt | 04/03/2001 | |
| 14560 | 01/01/2001 | 617944 | Vehicles may experience start up timing chain noise. *jb | 04/02/2001 | |
| 00M12 | 11/01/2000 | 616507 | Ford motor company is providing additional coverage for the 4.0l sohc camshaft chain tensioner and lower intake manifold gasket. *tt | 03/01/2001 | |
| 13465 | 11/01/1999 | 6092219 | Information regarding clean air tube retaining clamps / throttle body cam. *tt | 11/28/2000 | |
| 14048 | 04/01/2000 | 613703 | Some vehicles may experience an oil leak at the rear crankshaft area after service. **mr | 07/27/2000 | |
| 8493 | 04/01/2000 | 613654 | Some vehicles may experience an oil leak at the rear crankshaft area after service. **mr | 07/26/2000 | |
| 985148 | 11/01/1998 | 613283 | Some vehicles equipped with 5.0l engines may exhibit an upper engine tapping noise on cold start. *tt | 06/20/2000 | |
| 985144 | 11/01/1998 | 613280 | All vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc that require engine service please note that the xl2z-6m289-aa (drive assembly-camshaft-lh) must be used on 4.0l sohc engines if replacement is required. *tt | 06/20/2000 | |
| 7138 | 10/01/1999 | 6090757 | Service tip information when servicing the 4.0l sohc short block assembly. *tt | 03/29/2000 | |
| 13260 | 09/01/1999 | 6090690 | Service tips information provided to assist when servicing vehicles with short block assembly. *tt | 03/23/2000 | |
| 13170 | 09/01/1999 | 6090518 | Information regarding 4.0 l sohc camshaft bolt torque. *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 13180 | 09/01/1999 | 6090538 | Information regarding camshaft position (cmp) sensor alignment tool chart. *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 6997 | 09/01/1999 | 6090310 | Some service manuals may list the incorrect camshaft position sensor alignment tool for vehicles with various engine sizes. *tt | 03/14/2000 | |
| 6986 | 09/01/1999 | 6090291 | Information regarding 4.0l sohc camshaft bolt torque. *tt | 03/13/2000 | |
| 9810930 | 09/24/1999 | 607488 | Some vehicles may exhibit an engine oil leak from the rear main crankshaft seal. *tt | 09/24/1999 | |
| 9874 | 04/13/1998 | 601343 | A new silicone gasket and sealant. *yc | 07/24/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 01246 | 12/10/2001 | 630515 | Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure. *tt | 04/18/2002 | |
| 0214 | 01/21/2002 | 630001 | Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area. *tt | 04/11/2002 | |
| 01205 | 10/15/2001 | 627927 | Some vehicles may exhibit vacuum or air leaks in the intake manifold and / or engine system causing diagnostic trouble codes p0171 and or p0174. *tt | 02/26/2002 | |
| 070101 | 07/01/2001 | 623810 | Subject regarding owner notification program 01m01 supplement #2: revised technical instructions and new labor operation. nlm | 10/30/2001 | |
| 14489 | 01/01/2000 | 620462 | Some vehicles built through 01/1999, equipped with a 5.0l engine may exhibit a cold start or hot engine deceleration noise coming from the #5 cylinder. *tt | 08/09/2001 | |
| 01M01 | 04/26/2001 | 620173 | Subject regarding owner notification program 01m01 regarding additional coverage for front cam chain guide assembly. *tt | 07/19/2001 | |
| 01M01 | 03/02/2001 | 619443 | Subject regarding additional coverage on the front cam chain guide assembly for rental vehicles with 4.0l single overhead cam (sohc) engines. *tt | 05/31/2001 | |
| 14868 | 04/01/2001 | 619337 | Some vehicles equipped with the 4.0 sohc engine may exhibit a primary chain rattle noise (sometimes described as a spark knock-type noise). *tt | 05/23/2001 | |
| 00M12 | 12/01/2000 | 616816 | Subject regarding owner notification suppllemental program for vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc engines - camshaft chain tensioner and lower intake manifold gasket additional coverage. *tt | 03/13/2001 | |
| 14489 | 11/01/2000 | 616561 | Some vehicles built through 01/1999 and equipped with a 5.0l engine may exhibit a cold start or hot engine deceleration noise coming from the #5 cylinder. *tt | 03/06/2001 | |
| 5272 | 12/01/1998 | 615393 | Brief information regarding engine stall condition. *tt | 01/16/2001 | |
| 5256 | 12/01/1998 | 615373 | Information on vehicles exhibiting upper engine noise. *tt | 01/13/2001 | |
| 4623 | 08/01/1998 | 615160 | Brief information for vehicles exhibiting engine stall. *tt | 01/02/2001 | |
| 13300 | 10/01/1999 | 6092122 | Some vehicles with 4.0l sohc engines may exhibit a vibration / moan / boom at idle. *tt | 11/27/2000 | |
| 13261 | 09/01/1999 | 6091661 | Service tips when servicing a 4.0l sohc short block assembly. *tt | 11/09/2000 | |
| 11530 | 04/01/1998 | 613794 | When diagnosing crank / no start on certain vehicles equipped with passive anti-theft (pats) check the customers key ring for any magnetic objects like the mobile speedpass key which may affect the signal transmission between the pats key a | 08/03/2000 | |
| 985064 | 11/01/1998 | 613200 | Repeat message regarding engine stalling *tt | 06/19/2000 | |
| 5049 | 11/01/1998 | 613181 | Brief information regarding upper engine noise. *tt | 06/19/2000 | |
| 13527 | 11/01/1999 | 610913 | Some vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc engines may exhibit an overheat condition that may be attributed to the thermostat. engineering is currently investigating this issue and is looking for thermostats and coolants samples from these | 05/18/2000 | |
| 7270 | 10/01/1999 | 6090871 | Some vehicles equipped with 4.0l sohc engines may exhibit a vibration / moan / boom at idle. *tt | 03/31/2000 | |
| 13171 | 09/01/1999 | 6090520 | Information regarding 4.0l sohc engine noise (cam chain noise). *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 13172 | 09/01/1999 | 6090522 | Information regarding sohc engine noise (cam chain noise). *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 13177 | 09/01/1999 | 6090532 | Information regarding 4.0l sohc engine repair procedure update. *mjs | 03/21/2000 | |
| 6993 | 09/01/1999 | 6090303 | Subject regarding 4.0l sohc engine repair procedure update. *tt | 03/14/2000 | |
| 6987 | 09/01/1999 | 6090293 | Some vehicles may exhibit engine noise(cam chain noise). *tt | 03/13/2000 | |
| 99223 | 10/18/1999 | 6089683 | A no start condition when vehicle is parked on an incline with the vehicle in a nose down position and less than 1/4 tank of fuel may occur. *tt | 02/11/2000 | |
| 99816 | 05/03/1999 | 606420 | Ford motor company now recommends sae 5w-30 viscosity grade for servicing any ford gasoline-powered vehicle regardless of model year. *tt | 08/19/1999 | |
| 12624 | 03/01/1999 | 605343 | Some vehicles may exhibit a hesitation / lack of power on re-acceleration after decelerating from 45 - 65 mph to a slow roll condition. *tt | 06/08/1999 | |
| 98211 | 10/26/1998 | 603665 | Experiencing a noise and vibration during idle. | 03/01/1999 | |
| 982511 | 12/21/1998 | 603649 | Service tips on composite fuel rail. *yc | 03/01/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||||
| 12755 | 05/01/1999 | 607073 | Some vehicles built before 1/1/1999 equipped with 5.0l engine may exhibit a front accessory drive (fead) belt noise. *tt | 11/03/2000 | |
| 6295 | 06/01/1999 | 606783 | Vehicles may exhibit a front accessory drive (fead) belt noise. *tt | 09/02/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 982010 | 10/12/1998 | 603695 | Experiencing a buzzing or rattling noise from the exhaust system. *yc | 03/02/1999 | |
| 980313 | 04/01/1998 | 603507 | Experiencing idle vibration / exhaust boom. *yc | 02/23/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||||
| 981512 | 08/03/1998 | 609551 | A direct replacement part for the evaporative emission canister and bracket assembly. ak | 04/03/2000 | |
| 982310 | 11/23/1998 | 603724 | Mass air flow (maf)- sensor contamination- service tip. *ak | 03/03/1999 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | ||||||
| DP05005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/22/2005 | 01/04/2006 | SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD | ||
| On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi | ||||||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | ||||||
| DP05005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/22/2005 | 01/04/2006 | SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD | ||
| On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi | ||||||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | ||||||
| DP05005 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 09/22/2005 | 01/04/2006 | SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD | ||
| On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 04/13/2011 | 75000 | ||
| Moved my truck to let another car out of the drive way. pulled back in turned the truck off came in the house and heard a loud boom. looked out the window and fire was shooting up by the wheel. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 07/22/2009 | |||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury mountaineer. early in the morning, the contact smelled something burning and noticed that her vehicle was on fire. as a result, the garage and part of the house were burned. the fire department extinguished the fire and stated that it originated from the engine of the vehicle. the contact feels that this is a safety issue because severe injuries could have occurred. the mileages were unknown. | |||
| 06/02/2008 | 99500 | 1 | |
| Timing chains/timing chain guides failure.*tr | |||
| 08/05/2006 | 69000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 mercury mountaineer. the contact stated that there is a crack in the center of the egr valve. the vehicle is making an unfamiliar noise and gas fumes are entering the vehicle. there were no warning indicators. the vehicle has not been diagnosed. the purchase date, engine size, and a valid vin were unknown. the current mileage is 72,000 and failure mileage was 69,000. | |||
| 03/24/2006 | 132500 | 1 | |
| Dt*: the contact stated a fire erupted from the vehicle. it was parked for over thirty minutes. no previous problems were reported with the vehicle. the fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the fire. the fire investigator's written report stated the fire started in the engine compartment. there was additional property damage to surrounding vehicles. the insurance company inspected the vehicle and deemed it totaled. | |||
| 02/15/2006 | 58000 | 1 | 08/01/1998 |
| When the 1998 mercury mountaineer was running on hwy 121 south merging into hwy 114 west in grapevine, tx, the 1998 mercury suddenly became out of control at a speed less than speed limit. the car was being accelerated even if the accelerator pedal was off. the driver applied break to stop the car but the break did not work. then the driver had to steer the car into the bush off road to avoid collision to other cars. the driver changed the at to p (parking) to stop the car. the engine surged and started fire underneath of the car. then the driver removed the key and evacuated from the car. the fire was extinguished by the fireman. *nm | |||
| 11/01/2001 | 14900 | 1 | 11/15/1998 |
| Ford motor company mr. mike mcmullin district manager august 29,2005 dear sir, i purchased a 1998 mercury 5.0l mountaineer in july 1999 and it currently has some 85,000 miles on it. long before the 36-month/36k miles warranty ran out, i complained to my ford dealer that i heard an engine noise that sounds something like a hydraulic valve lifter sticking. in taking my car into an independent service center lately for some non-warranty minor service work, the mechanic there asked me how long i had been experiencing the engine noise that his trained ear was hearing. i informed him that it had been clicking like that for a good long time. just for curiosity he checked the nhtsa web site for technical service bulletins (tsbs). he found to my amazement and disgust that the nhtsa showed tsb #14489, issued november 01,2000, contained the following: | |||
| 02/02/2004 | 72428 | 1 | 06/12/1998 |
| Ford refuses to honor extended warrenty, program # 01m01 on 1998 mountaineer; vin 4m2zu54e3wuj15928, any other engine damage clearly resulting from a worn or broken front cam chain guide is also covered! rear cassette bad, engine needed to be replaced at my cost.*ak | |||
| 05/22/2002 | 1 | 08/01/2098 | |
| Mercury claims a recall was mailed on two occasions, a year apart. other recalls were received and work completed. other mercury owners reporting same problem and they have never received this recall. nhtsa website has no information about such a recall or warranty on the timing chain of this vehicle.*ak | |||
| 07/26/1999 | |||
| Was driving up a ramp when the vehicle stopped dead after entering intersection. had no prior warning. turned vehicle off & shifted into park to restart. had it towed to dealer & mechanic could not locate cause of stalling. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 08/04/2001 | |||
| Engine compartment caught fire without warning. damage was estimated at fourteen thousand dollars. dealer and manufacturer have been contacted. please provide further details.*ak | |||
| 04/01/2000 | 5 | 03/01/2000 | |
| Vehicle stalls intermittently at any speed. taken to dealer once a month since purchase in march 2000, cannot find cause. *ak *slc | |||
| 11/06/1998 | 8 | 08/01/1998 | |
| I did proceed to the mercuery dealer for seat belts, our right rear seat belt was on order for 10 months and mercury dealer wouldn't do anything about it . i had problems with the front seal bealts not retrating and they would stick, i did follow up with a law suit and lost because they thought my seat belt wasn't a problem. the rear right was on order for almost 10 months and still nothing was done .in nov 1998 i had knocking noise coming from my engine and the dealer ship there was nothing wrong. i complained about it a couple more times and nothing was done. will june 2000 a new engine was put in because uptown could't find a problem. the most i want is to have ford take this truck back and forget that lawsuit. why should i pay for something that the retractor assembleys are not work . its a saftey matter (dot number: vd tiresize: p225/75r75) | |||
| 5 | 11/01/1998 | ||
| Vehicle has stalled/hesitated upon accleration several times. it has done this at least 10 times (stalled 3 thus far...today 8/23/00 was one incident of that) despite efforts by ford to remedy. i've had the dealer replace the recalled throttle, re-orient my fuel lines, and eventually replace my engine without any remedy. this could be a very dangerous issue (once it stalled while making a left across traffic lanes. fortunately it was clear). i've owned explorers in the past with no such incidents.( dot number: ) | |||
| 8 | 05/01/1998 | ||
| Vehicle driven in forward and comes to a stop (i.e.- at a stop sign, toll booth, or traffic light) will stall/hesitate without warning when attempting to proceed forward again. this has happened multiple times since we purchased the vehicle new. vehicle was taken to several different dealerships in three states and they say ford/mercury is aware of the problem but at the current time there is no fix. radio when tuning would not pick up any radiostations due to radio not hooked to antenna. door molding on drivers side door came loose and prevented the door from being opened more than three inches. driver was not able to enter drivers side door to drive vehicle. rear windshield wiper engine burned out and rear wiper did not work. brake stuck when attempting to place vehicle into gear after initial start of engine. *ak | |||
| 04/10/1999 | |||
| Drove vehicle and parked it, had no warning signs, about 5 minutes, vehicle exploded and caught on fire in the engine compartment. the vehicle was totaled. aaa inspected vehicle, and said it was a defect in the engine. please provide further information. *ak | |||
| 06/01/1998 | 5 | ||
| Upon acceleration the engine stalls and loses power ,and completely stops without warning or any prior notification. incident occurred about five times. the dealer cannot duplicate the problem. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 07/12/2006 | 1 | ||
| My check engine light has been coming on. i have had various shops use their computer to find out why the light was on and have paid for cleaning valves, sensors, and hoses as well as having new sensors installed. the first instance occurred at 90,000 mileage on my vehicle. today, the shop where i now take my vehicle for servicing used their computer to see why the check engine light was on yet again and it generated a tsb from ford, article 04-7-5 which supersedes article tsb 03-25-1. this article states the issue as some 1998 explorer/mountaineer vehicles equipped with the 5.0l engine may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with diagnostic trouble code(s) p0420 (catalyst system efficiency below threshold-bank 1) and/or p0430 (catalyst system efficiency below threshold - bank 2). the action listed for correction of this problem is stated as to service, reprogram the powertrain control module (pcm) to the latest calibration using wds release b28.3 or higher. replacement of catalyst's is no longer necessary to address the most common causes of this condition. this sounds like a problem ford installed on these 1998 mountaineers and i believe ford should bear the cost of reprogramming the computer in the vehicle for the vehicle to function properly and safely. the worker at the shop took the time to explain to me what this article meant and the possible ramifications to the functioning of my vehicle because of the problem caused by ford not having the correct computer program running in the vehicle. my mechanic is telling me that this vehicle has 3 catalytic converters and will cost about $3000 for the parts alone. because of this problem my vehicle will not pass emissions or inspection. i went 1 year with this problem and now it is back again. *jb | |||
| 11/09/2005 | 65475 | 1 | 05/06/2002 |
| My check engine light has been coming on. i have had various shops use their computer to find out why the light was on and have paid for cleaning valves, sensors, and hoses as well as having new sensors installed. the first instance occurred at 65, 475 mileage on my vehicle. today, the shop where i now take my vehicle for servicing used their computer to see why the check engine light was on yet again and it generated a tsb from ford, article 04-7-5 which supersedes article tsb 03-25-1. this article states the issue as some 1998 explorer/mountaineer vehicles equipped with the 5.0l engine may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with diagnostic trouble code(s) p0420 (catalyst system efficiency below threshold-bank 1) and/or p0430 (catalyst system efficiency below threshol - bank 2). the action listed for correction of this problem is stated as to service, reprogram the powertrain control module (pcm) to the latest calibration using wds release b28.3 or higher. replacement of catalystst is no longer necessary to address the most common causes of this condition. this sounds like a problem ford installed on these 1998 mountaineers and i believe ford should bear the cost of reprogramming the computer in the vehicle for the vehicle to function properly and safely. the worker at the shop took the time to explain to me what this article meant and the possible ramifications to the functioning of my vehicle because of the problem caused by ford not having the correct computer program running in the vehicle. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | |||
| 04/18/2003 | 33568 | 1 | 11/07/1998 |
| 1998 mercury mountaineer transmission repairs. *mr there was no third gear and the transmission had to be replaced. engine light stayed on and the egr sensor had to be replaced. *tt *jb | |||