InTech 5.4 32V engine- low oil light came on at high speed, think a bearing may have spun?

D60,

Thanks- I have a long way still to go but getting this far is a positive. When the SUV makes it home, I am going over many things in the engine bay. I suspect I may have a lot of loose bolts, etc.

Are you still getting a CEL for a lean condition?
 
Man, what a story. Once I heard it was in Fayetteville it started to make sense. I've definitely gotten myself in deep on projects but this was on another level.

Also, not sure if it applies here but I learned with a 01 crown Vic that the older ford computers cant correctly pinpoint bad coil packs and the cylinder with the misfire may be just affected by a faulty coil upstream in th firing order.
 
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Arrived home at 520am Pacific Time this morning. Took a three-hour nap in a rest stop outside of Moses Lake, WA. The sun in a SUV for three days straight wore me out. Every day was full sun, I was hoping for some clouds, but no luck. When I pulled over for fuel in Idaho, the temperature at the bank showed 96 degrees.

No issues, the SUV performed well. The engine is pretty impressive. I have a vacuum leak to run down, and a visual inspection.

Drove the SUV about 2100 miles in under 72 hours, while towing an enclosed 16-foot trailer on a hot interstate. I am sure there are things I need to address, but drivetrain, steering, and suspension wise- the SUV seems solid.

I was under a bit of duress to get the SUV home. I work OCONUS starting tomorrow, and I didn't have an opening in my schedule to do this drive until after risk of snow on the interstate.
 
Glad to see that you were able to get home to WA on this trip with the SUV without incident. Hoping this is a sign that the major issues have been resolved and that the trials and tribulations were worth it. Did you ever get a clarification from the transmission shop/Ford dealership as to what was causing the significant ATF leak in your driveway? It seems like that was the biggest question mark after the missing bellhousing bolts were replaced by the dealer.
 
RR,

Yes- I think I know where it likely is- under the battery tray. That is something I will address now I have the SUV at home.
If you happen not be getting air at the dash vents you definitely have a vac leak in that area, but I'm not aware of that exact condition setting codes
 
Glad to see that you were able to get home to WA on this trip with the SUV without incident. Hoping this is a sign that the major issues have been resolved and that the trials and tribulations were worth it. Did you ever get a clarification from the transmission shop/Ford dealership as to what was causing the significant ATF leak in your driveway? It seems like that was the biggest question mark after the missing bellhousing bolts were replaced by the dealer.
NM7,

The local transmission shop said there was no leak after they allegedly drove the SUV for a week- said the ground underneath was bone dry. I picked up the SUV, and checked underneath. Fluid visible:(. The transmission also shows as being overfilled on the dipstick.

The trans appeared to operate properly. This fall I will put the trans on a lift and do a in depth inspection. I will also install a trans inspection plate. My guy leans toward something is not right, and the trans shop didn't want to identify why fluid appears to be leaking. Of course it could be power steering fluid, could be coolant mixing with trans fluid.

The trans just completed a 2100 mile journey with a 16 foot enclosed trailer in tow, across some high grades. No issues noticed with the transmission. So, I just have to do the inspection myself. More and more I am learning technicians like Trav, Clinebarger, wrenchturner, etc are a very rare breed- and likely on the endangered species list. This is not limited to automotive either. We had a new HVAC system installed, the installer can't get the two zones to work, 60 days later. I sense I can get the two zones to work. And I know very little about HVAC. But I can critically think and am up for the challenge. This Lennox installer appears to be over his head, and he installs HVAC as his day job.
 
If you happen not be getting air at the dash vents you definitely have a vac leak in that area, but I'm not aware of that exact condition setting codes
D60,

Correct no air at the dash vents. Air blows only through the defrost and the floor. I think I was about to address the issue the morning the engine blew. Lots of write-ups pointing to the leak being under the battery tray. I am not too worried about finding it, just wasn't a priority.
 
The local transmission shop said there was no leak after they allegedly drove the SUV for a week- said the ground underneath was bone dry. I picked up the SUV, and checked underneath. Fluid visible:(. The transmission also shows as being overfilled on the dipstick.
I'm going to guess they never got it good and hot, but you sure did on your trip. I wonder if it just puked a bit of fluid on some hard pulls, being overfull.
 
So, I just have to do the inspection myself. More and more I am learning technicians like Trav, Clinebarger, wrenchturner, etc are a very rare breed- and likely on the endangered species list. This is not limited to automotive either. We had a new HVAC system installed, the installer can't get the two zones to work, 60 days later. I sense I can get the two zones to work. And I know very little about HVAC. But I can critically think and am up for the challenge. This Lennox installer appears to be over his head, and he installs HVAC as his day job.
It is a shame that this situation appears to be the norm today. Too few individuals take any personal pride and self-accountability for performing quality work, yet they have no problem billing you handsomely for services not rendered or performed poorly. I loathe paying someone to work on my vehicles, but sometimes you have no practical options, expertise, or resources to do it yourself (e.g., rebuilding transmissions, mounting & balancing tires, alignments). While word-of-mouth referrals and online review resources like Yelp! can increase the odds of a positive outcome, I have learned that the general public's perception of quality work can be easily skewed by the social skills and appearances of the service writer/shop that they interact with. For every true Master Mechanic/diagnostician like Trav and Clinebarger, there are hundreds of pseudo-technicians who can turn a wrench and fire off the parts cannon.
 
It is a shame that this situation appears to be the norm today. Too few individuals take any personal pride and self-accountability for performing quality work, yet they have no problem billing you handsomely for services not rendered or performed poorly. I loathe paying someone to work on my vehicles, but sometimes you have no practical options, expertise, or resources to do it yourself (e.g., rebuilding transmissions, mounting & balancing tires, alignments). While word-of-mouth referrals and online review resources like Yelp! can increase the odds of a positive outcome, I have learned that the general public's perception of quality work can be easily skewed by the social skills and appearances of the service writer/shop that they interact with. For every true Master Mechanic/diagnostician like Trav and Clinebarger, there are hundreds of pseudo-technicians who can turn a wrench and fire off the parts cannon.
That's because repairs are diagnosed with electronic equipment-even if it's wrong or not reading an underlying issue. In their defense that's they way they are taught and that's how Dealerships (for one) operate. The majority of time the diagnostic equipment is correct.
 
A little update. Drove the SUV 770 miles today.

The real bad- transmission fluid leak apparently at the transmission:

The bad- a P0171 error. I am hopeful and suspect a vacuum error.

Another bad- the mechanic appears to have done a sloppy job with all the wires, harness, etc. I will need to get in and clean it up.

The good- fixed the driver window stuck down and dead radio (except the CD motor of the radio). Fuse 22, a 10 AMP accessories fuse was blow. Replaced and all is well.

Another good- Fuel mileage without trailer on flat terrain at 70 mph 17/18MPG

Another good- trailer hooked right up, all electrical worked, and the trailer towed effortlessly. I did not exceed 60 MPH while towing the trailer.


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glad u got things going your way even if not all perfect! good luck going forward...............(y)
 
Good to hear you made it home.


Altitude isn’t everything. I know if a few passes that aren’t that high but people die on them all the time. Grade and curves play havoc on drivers and vehicles.
 
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Man, this seems like quite a journey to get this SUV mashed up between junkyard donor and parts. I hope all the stress and risks are worth it in the end. At least you are not relying on it to work every day on time or will lose the job.

This is why I think a lot of vehicles today will be sent to 3rd world earlier and earlier due to labor cost and shortage. If you think $180/hr labor is expensive losing a job over an unreliable car is even more expensive. All those diagnostics and parts swapping would probably cost $180/hr here and only $20/hr there, let you keep swapping things until it is fixed.
 
This is why I think a lot of vehicles today will be sent to 3rd world earlier and earlier due to labor cost and shortage. If you think $180/hr labor is expensive losing a job over an unreliable car is even more expensive. All those diagnostics and parts swapping would probably cost $180/hr here and only $20/hr there, let you keep swapping things until it is fixed.
PandaBear, you bring up an interesting point. How can third world countries support these vehicles when first world techs can't? At some point, boards aren't available, injectors are no longer made, etc.

A lot of the components can be bypassed or ignored, but at some point the PCM, TCM, or the resultant controls associated with those two components are going to fail. I wonder how many fuel injected vehicles have been converted to carburetor, or it is even possible?

Maybe the new Latta will overtake this third world market?
 
The dipstick tube on a 4R100 is a 2 piece tube that has to be separated IOT remove the tranny. Shops get this wrong all the time and bend it at the joint or don't replace the o-rings.
 
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PandaBear, you bring up an interesting point. How can third world countries support these vehicles when first world techs can't? At some point, boards aren't available, injectors are no longer made, etc.

A lot of the components can be bypassed or ignored, but at some point the PCM, TCM, or the resultant controls associated with those two components are going to fail. I wonder how many fuel injected vehicles have been converted to carburetor, or it is even possible?

Maybe the new Latta will overtake this third world market?
They call the US people to pull used parts from junkyard to go with the next containers to the 3rd world. Some boards get manually resoldered. If a car has that much problem then they get crushed in the 3rd world as well.

You won't see a lot of Ford Taurus with bad transmission there, they wouldn't even want them. They would still buy a lot of 80s and 90s Corolla from US though.

I'm sure this bus isn't driving from Tanzania to Hong Kong.

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Grandsons and Daughter arrived Wednesday afternoon at SEA airport.

First time to try the Navigator for its intended purpose- hauling three adults, two car seats with kids, and all the luggage and stuff. 90 minute ride from airport to home because of rush hour. The SUV worked well, but my Wife was not impressed with the SUV....... She prefers her RDX. The RDX can't handle all this without being overly squeezed.


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