My 2004 Explorer

[delexploder]

I got mine from summit , they have tons of exhaust stuff

 

[4pointslow]

Thanks for the input guys!
I think both solutions are better than the flange I have now.

If it blows out again (which I think it will), I will go in search of yet another exhaust shop.
I do have one in mind. When I worked for Goodyear we used to deal with a muffler shop down the road.
They welded all kinds of stuff for us. I even had a catalytic converter welded on to my 1988 Dodge Caravan.
I had just failed emissions for NOx, drove right to the muffler shop and they welded in a new cat and I was back at the inspection center within an hour and passed.

 

[4pointslow]

Del, what are your thoughts on the step band clamps?

I had a Magnaflow stainless exhaust on my Ranger that I loved. The stepped clamps seemed to work well and seemed like they would allow separating the two parts quite easily since there was no crushing or distorting of the pipes.
Just like to hear your thoughts since you used them on your custom application.

Also, did you weld that stuff yourself, if so what kind of welder did you use? Was it 110 or 220 volts?

 

[delexploder]

I have magnaflow ranger tailpipes that i modified to fit lol , the band clamps are great , i can have my whole exhaust out in about 30 min , and it all goes right back together , i chose the ball flanges between the cats and muffler because the pressure and heat are higher there, keep in mind my whole setup is stainless , the welds are scratch start tig , my friend did them i just did the cutting and fitting,

 

[CDW6212R]

The common band clamps are very good for anything, but eventually many years later the pipes may bond together to some extent. It's even a factory connection on some Fords, didn't the 1st gen's have that after the cats?

The V-band flanges provide basically zero restriction, and the rest slow the exhaust down depending on how much they intrude into the pipes. The ball connections are pretty bad, the ball end is often much smaller than the pipe size.

Shop around too for differing prices and quality. Some V-band connections you can get for $25 or so, while others can be $60 or more. I think there are some quality differences among them.

 

[4pointslow]

I just got a notice that my Elite status expired?
I am supposed to be good until 11/2018,
What is going on?

 

[4pointslow]

I have been driving my 2004 for weeks after making my new EGR tube.
The EGR monitor still has not run, the evap monitor has not run also.
There is some information about IAT temps being over 140 causing the EGR monitor to not run, so I switched my IAT reading to be the one from the maf and not the one in my lower intake manifold.
Drove it to work and back today, still did not run.
So now I am wondering why.
I did turn everything back on in the tune, maybe a glitch in the Advantage3 tuning software.
I am thinking of creating a fresh new tune and adding all my changes, but with never having the EGR turned off.

 

[4pointslow]

New problem with transmission, it is now slipping when going from 2-3.
Going to post in transmission section.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...ping-on-2-3-shift-5r55s-2004-explorer.466367/

 

[4pointslow]

After some transmission work I was inspired to look to see why my EGR monitor was not running.
The old factory scan tool called the WDS told me to come to a complete stop and accelerate at 50 to 75% throttle up to 45 MPH to get the EGR monitor to run.
It still would not run.
My IAT readings were a little high so I plugged in an IAT sensor with long pigtail and stuck it in front of the grill to grab some fresh air.
IAT readings were lower but the EGR monitor still wont run.

I decided to drive with the WDS hooked up and monitor the EGR stuff.
I found out that the EGR is never being commanded on, the EVR duty cycle sits at 0 all the time.
There must be something in my tune that is preventing it from running, it may be the baro or map readings.
With a boosted vehicle they tell you to lock the baro reading at one setting and leave it there so the PCM doesn't miscalculate baro from having boost in the intake.
I plan to look into it further and try to figure it out. I only have until February of next year to get it straightened out.

 

[4pointslow]

I forgot to mention that I used output state command on the EVR at Idle and the EGR valve opened and the engine ran rough.
The DPFE sensor on the ESM (egr system module) assembly showed an increasing voltage indicating an increase in EGR flow.
So the EVR and EGR valve function and so does the feedback sensor. Got to be something in my tune.

 

[4pointslow]

Transmission worked for a day after replacing the solenoid pack. Now it is acting up again.
Back to the drawing board.

 

[4pointslow]

Tried a valve body, problem still there.

 

[Joe in NY]

The actual slipping is caused by the worn out servo bores and the painfully slow shift speeds of ford transmissions. I put a shift kit in my VB and that definitely helped with shifting. However, this is a band-aid/prevention solution. It will help as it speeds the shifts up but the bores already have some wear in my trans.. :/

 

[CDW6212R]

The actual slipping is caused by the worn out servo bores and the painfully slow shift speeds of ford transmissions. I put a shift kit in my VB and that definitely helped with shifting. However, this is a band-aid/prevention solution. It will help as it speeds the shifts up but the bores already have some wear in my trans.. :/

Yes, that could be it. I've read on the Sonnax site of their many special parts, and the tools to install them. You/we hope that you don't ever have case wear issues, or VB bore issues, because those special tools are very expensive, for each unique part they sell.

 

[CDW6212R]

Tried a valve body, problem still there.

Was their any evidence of gasket wear at all, in the center areas? Sonnax suggests that movement of the case itself(the deep fluid channels in the case(side to side)), vibrates and damages the gaskets. They describe installing set screws down into those channels in 2-3 places, to keep them from moving. I'm aiming to do that with my 5R55E very soon.

 

[Dono]

Thoughts on this fix?
http://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/

http://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/store/p1/2002-2010_Servo_Kit_(Explorer,_Mountaineer,_Aviator,_Explorer_Sport).html

Sounds like it might be an alternative to the expensive tools and a boatload of time and energy.

 

[4pointslow]

The servo bores were already sleeved with bushings, I was just afraid that one might have broken or something.
I did not do them, they had previously been done.
You can even buy a case on eBay that has already had the bores sleeved, for about $150.00-$200.00

 

[4pointslow]

Transmission problem solved.
It was the intermediate servo piston.
The brand new one from Ford that I installed, it lasted 1 year and 4 months.
Where they sit they are not far from the cat and there is a heat shield there as well.
I am sure there is a little more heat coming from my cats since I have a supercharger on the engine.

I had a used one laying around, it was from this transmission, I put it aside soaking in fluid when I rebuilt it.
I have not had time to clean my garage since then and I am glad as I might have thrown it out.
I ordered a new one (another OEM) off eBay to keep in stock. lol.

Here is the bad one.

 

[4pointslow]

I am having a celebratory beer now.
I am also going to let a cat out of a bag.
Check my thread on My 98 supercharged Ex.

 

[4pointslow]

So time has been running out for me to figure out why my EGR and Evap monitors have not been running on this 2004 Explorer.
In the past I noticed my EGR was never being commanded on and I have experimented with tune settings with no luck.
I have to have it inspected by the end of February and time is running out.

Tonight I finally figured it out.
There are two things in the tune called Baro Pressure Max, and Baro Pressure Min.
The tuning software says to set them both to 27 if you are boosted or have a highly modified engine, so the PCM doesn't learn a false Baro reading.

On older cars(2003aprox) that didn't have a baro sensor the PCM used the MAF(at wot) to calculate baro.
In one of the older engine performance diagnostics classes I used to teach, it was stated that you could diagnose a dirty(contaminated) MAF sensor by looking at the baro reading and comparing It to a chart in the PC/ED manual under the pinpoint testing for the MAF sensor. If the battery was disconnected you would have to road test the vehicle at WOT for it to relearn or it would sit on a preset value that looked extremely low.

On vehicles with the ESM(egr system module) type EGR system, the DPFE sensor on it is used for a baro reading at key on engine off. In the newer engine performance class I teach it mentions that you can not use the baro reading to diagnose a dirty maf anymore since they are using the EGR sensor instead.

Anyway, I set the Baro min and max back to stock and the EGR is now being commanded on and the monitor runs and passes.
The stock settings are 18 for min and 31.87 for max.
I will play with them some more if time permits but for now I am going to drive it around to get all the monitors ready and get a new inspection sticker on as soon as possible.