[Cedar Rapids Ia]

My daughter has our old 2001 Explorer, every year when it gets cold (like right now) when she starts it, she has trouble with it, it will just barely start, when it does... it chugs and sputters and after a couple of minutes of "nursing it" it'll take off and run pretty good. The chugging and sputtering are getting worse and taking longer to go away...anyone ever have this problem and what did you replace to fix it??

Thanks in advance!
Jay

 

[AZCAT]

My daughter has our old 2001 Explorer, every year when it gets cold (like right now) when she starts it, she has trouble with it, it will just barely start, when it does... it chugs and sputters and after a couple of minutes of "nursing it" it'll take off and run pretty good. The chugging and sputtering are getting worse and taking longer to go away...anyone ever have this problem and what did you replace to fix it??

Thanks in advance!
Jay

4.0 or 5.0?

I would start be cleaning the Idle Air Control Valve.

My first car was a second gen Explorer.

 

[Cedar Rapids Ia]

Ooops....5.0... guess that would be good info to know

 

[AZCAT]

http://www.moddedmustangs.com/cleaning-your-iac.html

 

[Bad69cat]

+ 2 to AZ cat --Check the EGR tube for soft/crappy fit too...they get funky over time.

 

[Cougrrcj]

Ever clean the Mass Air sensor?

 

[Cedar Rapids Ia]

I myself have never cleaned it before...and I don't think that my daughter has done it either. Her husband means well, but he knows little to nothing about cars.

 

[Cedar Rapids Ia]

http://www.moddedmustangs.com/cleaning-your-iac.html

VIOLA! It turned out indeed to be the intake gaskets, replaced uppers and lowers. Went thru 3 cans of carb cleaner and a half gallon of lacquer thinner. Cleaned a ton of carbon and muck from the intake and the throttle body. Thanks for the website tip, it cured it!! I am just tickled over the fix. It has had me puzzled for years, replaced every sensor in the past, and never thought about replacing those gaskets. It runs like a new truck now.
So, if you have a 4.0 and it is having troubles with cold starts, this link is the fix. THANKS AZCAT! You made my day!!

 

[Bad69cat]

VIOLA! It turned out indeed to be the intake gaskets, replaced uppers and lowers. Went thru 3 cans of carb cleaner and a half gallon of lacquer thinner. Cleaned a ton of carbon and muck from the intake and the throttle body. Thanks for the website tip, it cured it!! I am just tickled over the fix. It has had me puzzled for years, replaced every sensor in the past, and never thought about replacing those gaskets. It runs like a new truck now.
So, if you have a 4.0 and it is having troubles with cold starts, this link is the fix. THANKS AZCAT! You made my day!!

Glad you got it - They do get gunked up. My sis's Freestyle got to where it liked to surge intermittently and it was the TB on it as well. It's a design flaw that just needs occasional attention to keep it cleaned of carbon buildup. I think there is supposed to be an improved TB for the thing but it was kinda spendy I thought.....