2002 expy showing it's age?

[Les Reed]

Hey all, over the last year the repairs on my 1st gen expy have been mounting up and i'm having trouble knowing when to say when. The truck is in great shape and has received all the TLC it has required. Just got it back from my mechanic for a water pump, tensioner pulley, and idler. For the second time he flushed the heater core in an attempt to get more heat. On the way home it started stuttering and had a hard time staying up to speed. The check engine light came on. Mechanic stopped by and ran the codes as cylinder 2 misfire. He felt there may be some water in the pack so he removed it from the plug and cleaned it up. Took it out for a pretty good ride and it seemed to get better but what I noticed was at a stop light the idle would get choppy almost to the point of stalling. The engine light did not come back on but when he read the code it also showed that there was a cylinder 8 issue pending. Never heard of a pending code before. The truck has about 194k on it and a major issue could certainly be coming. I'd love some input and suggestions. I've had a lot of fun with this truck since I purchased it almost three years ago and would love to keep it a lot longer. It's a 2002 xlt, auto with the 5.4

 

[71Rcode]

They choppy idle sounds fairly minor (may need new COPs on several/all of your cylinders). How long has it been since you've changed all the COPs versus cleaning them? You may do that as a next step to rule out any COP-related misfires. After I changed my intake manifold gasket (passenger side plug wells were filling with engine oil due to leaking valve cover gasket), I was experiencing choppy idle (COPs have probably 20k on them) and I'd forgotten to reconnect one of the injector plugs... so little things like will affect the idle.

Also, did your mechanic have any opinions to the source of the moisture in that cylinder causing the misfire? Had you gone offroad or washed the engine compartment? Hoping it's not related to a coolant leak. You might ask him.

 

[Machete]

Knowing when to say when on these ole gals is tough.

I just did fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs and boots. Did my normal trip Illinois to Florida and back approximately 2000 miles and got a P0442 code which is EVAP leak.

Pissed me off.

So happens fuel vent rubber hose was disintegrated and small vapor leak.

My coil n shock kit to replace my air ride needs replacement and there’s another $500-$600.

So the question is when is a $500 mo payment better?

 

[Plati]

Knowing when to say when on these ole gals is tough.

I just did fuel pump, fuel filter, spark plugs and boots. Did my normal trip Illinois to Florida and back approximately 2000 miles and got a P0442 code which is EVAP leak.

Pissed me off.

So happens fuel vent rubber hose was disintegrated and small vapor leak.

My coil n shock kit to replace my air ride needs replacement and there’s another $500-$600.

So the question is when is a $500 mo payment better?

My 2003 … is averaging $800/year in repairs … and I could easily sell for $1500.
But it's not just a ca$h question.

I like having 2 vehicles, the 2003 is my BEATER, and I loan it out to friends as needed.
I can haul manure in it and not worry if someone dings it in a parking lot.
I use it for short trips in the salt bath & avoid wear & tear on my 2014EL.

I stopped fixing things that I can live without (like quarter panels).
Blower only runs on high.
Rear diff has slow leak so I top it off every 1000 miles.
It might run for years like this? Its kind of an experiment.

The next mandatory $1000 repair bill … it goes to the junkyard.

 

[Machete]

Yup. But mine is a cream puff. No dings, no body rust, maintained w open check book. Original paint that shines like it came out of the assembly plant.

 

[Machete]

 

[Vancouver Bob]

They choppy idle sounds fairly minor (may need new COPs on several/all of your cylinders). How long has it been since you've changed all the COPs versus cleaning them? You may do that as a next step to rule out any COP-related misfires. After I changed my intake manifold gasket (passenger side plug wells were filling with engine oil due to leaking valve cover gasket), I was experiencing choppy idle (COPs have probably 20k on them) and I'd forgotten to reconnect one of the injector plugs... so little things like will affect the idle.

Also, did your mechanic have any opinions to the source of the moisture in that cylinder causing the misfire? Had you gone offroad or washed the engine compartment? Hoping it's not related to a coolant leak. You might ask him.

+1 on the COP replacement. I had similar symptoms and finally replaced all COP's and plugs. I think I had close to 200K on the originals so figured it was overdue. I was a little intimidated by the stories I read about plugs breaking and a couple being a bear to get to but the job actually wasn't too bad. Ran great afterward.

 

[Killer Ride]

Also check to see if it has a clogged cats.
Take it to an exhaust guy and have him do a back pressure test. When codes start jumping around like that it could be time to replace them. You could just take the top 2 out instead of replacing all four

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[Killer Ride]

Unless you in California

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[Les Reed]

Hi All, thanks for the great feedback!! The moisture was caused when he flushed the heater core foe the second time. All 8 plugs were changed within the last 10k miles but the packs have been replaced as needed. My mechanic just picked up all new packs and will replace them all at once