Skip Navigation Links.

2001 Ford Expedition 5.4L

This example starts us out with a 2001 Ford Expedition. It was misfiring badly an it was determined that it needed new spark plugs and coil boots. After the installation the misfire was gone but the vehicle still exhibited a mild lack of power. A test drive and a few quick tests with Escan quickly hones in on the problem. 

Our first test was for Volumetric Efficiency.

As you can see in the picture, the Actual airflow that was measured is lower than the Calculated airflow, or the airflow that was expected from this engine. Either this engine didn't breathe correctly or the Mass Airflow sensor incorrectly read how much air was entering the engine.

We'll use these results with the results of our next test to formulate a conclusion

In this next test we will look at the Fuel Trim Chart gathered from the test drive.
As you can see in this Fuel Trim Chart at the lower RPM's on both banks the Long Term Fuel Trim or LTFT is -9 and-10, taking away fuel. At the Higher RPM range you can see the the addition of fuel as noted by a positive LTFT of 11 and 10. We can see that whatever is causing the difference in trim of 20% is affecting both banks of the engine.

This trim pattern is indicative of a dirty Mass Airflow Sensor. We can confirm this with the results of the Volumetric Efficiency test which showed at Wide Open Throttle that not enough air was being measured by the MAF sensor. It was under reporting at higher RPM and over reporting at idle RPM. The LTFT was compensating by changing the fuel calculation that was determined using the dirty MAF sensor.
Copyright © 2006, 2007 OBD2Scanners.com
The EScan is a trademark of Automotive Test Solutions, Inc