Slow acceleartion

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Hey everybody, I just bought my first Expedition, a 2003 4x4 Eddie Bauer. I had it inspected by my mechanic before purchasing, and it has 150,000 miles. I'm here becuase it does not seem that it accelerates as quick as it should. I should note it has the 5.4l. Upon first driving it, I thought it seemed a bit slow, but didn't know for sure if that is just how they drive stock. I looked up the 0-60 times for these models and it seems it should be somewhere in the range of 9.5-10 seconds. When I went out and tested it, I came in right at 13 seconds going from 0-60:confused:. Can anybody help me figure out the reason for the loss of all this power?? The mpg's seem fine so far, the onboard computer reads 13.2mpg for purely city driving. Also, it isn't throwing any codes. I plan on cleaning the MAF, throttle body, changing the air filter, and changing the fuel filter, but I feel as if something else might be the culprit with such a loss of power. Any help would be appreciated!:Rock on:
 

BIG GREEN FORD

Full Access Members
Joined
May 16, 2014
Posts
839
Reaction score
99
Location
loxahatchee Florida
Sound like you are on the right track. Also it would be good to change spark plugs. From being old the gap in the spark gets bigger so you will need a lot more spark (witch means loss of power)
 
Last edited:

GAINMOB

Full Access Members
Joined
May 19, 2010
Posts
14,565
Reaction score
893
Location
Newport News, VA
its prob programmed to be slower like i have mine with my programmer for better fuel economy...get the ecu reset to factory and see what that does...then go into further inspection...
 
OP
OP
D

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
its prob programmed to be slower like i have mine with my programmer for better fuel economy...get the ecu reset to factory and see what that does...then go into further inspection...
How would I go about resetting the ecu to factory settings?
 
OP
OP
D

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Sound like you are on the right track. Also it would be good to change spark plugs. From being old the gap in the spark gets bigger so you will need a lot more spark (witch means loss of power)
Would it be a good idea to just go with oem spark plugs, or are there better, more reliable ones out there?
 
OP
OP
D

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Alright thanks, I'm hoping a combination of all of these will help me regain some power!
 
OP
OP
D

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Well just as a bit of an update...I pulled the air filter and it looked pristine, so that is not the culprit. I sprayed some CRC on the MAF, and I also cleaned the throttle body, but it didn't seem too bad. I took it out for a test drive, and it again hit about 12.7 seconds 0-60. All that's left to do is change the spark plugs and change the fuel filter. Do you think those two things alone could be the culprit, or is there something else going on here? I'm not concerned strictly about the 0-60 time, as I won't be hot rodding around, I just want to know where all this power is going! I appreciate the help guys.
 

JUST4FUN

Admin
Staff member
Moderator Administrator
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Posts
2,104
Reaction score
150
Location
Il
Is it starting out in second gear ? try holding it in first gear and shift it manually
 

stamp11127

Full Access Members
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Posts
6,207
Reaction score
1,246
Location
Temple, Georgia
FYI - read up on changing the plugs on the 5.4 and have your cuss words handy.
You should start with " What dumb azz......."
 
OP
OP
D

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Unfortunately (or fortunately) I tried this, with shifting manually still came up with the same time
 
OP
OP
D

DriverDan

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Posts
8
Reaction score
0
Location
Michigan
Yes like stamp said Its a pain in the ***
So I have heard. Now it's time to decide if I want to bite the bullet and have the shop take care of it, or take the time and do it myself to save the money. And yep, I've read up on all the precautions to take when changing out the plugs
 

JUST4FUN

Admin
Staff member
Moderator Administrator
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Posts
2,104
Reaction score
150
Location
Il
I would deff have a shop do it . one plug breaks off and you need a new tool or a tow to a shop
 
Top