What would cause a 2001 Ford Expedition service engine soon light to flash once the car has hit 50 mph for a couple minutes?

Answer 1

have vehicle scanned to determine problem The MIL light flashing is generally because of a mis-firing cylinder. You should be able to feel this condition as well. The truck will hesitate or shake while accelerating. The two common things to have fail on these engines are the spark plugs and / or coli packs. The truck has coil on plug ignition, meaning there is a coil per cylinder. The replacment coild are generally about $50 and the plugs anywhere from $2 - $20 each. You should expect to pay about $700 to have the plugs replaced. The coils are a good bit easier. If this sounds expensive, ask someone who has done it in their driveway and how long it took them (SEVERAL HOURS) to understand why it is so expensive. You would generally pay anout $75 - $85 at a service shop to have the problem diagnosed. You can buy your own scanner for about $100. I would recommend buying a scanner. If the MIL light does not stay lit, the computer did not store a code and you will have to drive it with the scanner plugged in to see which cylinder is mis-firing. The one I bought was from Actron I thin, bought it at Autozone or Advance Auto, do not recall which. If you have any mechanical skills at all, you should be able to do a few of the coils, but the plugs are a PAIN IN THE BUT. If you can find out which cylinder is mis-firing and need to replace a coil, the cylinders are numbered as follws: from front to back, starting on the passenger side front plug (closest to the head light) is #1. So plug/coil #1 is in the front, with 2,3,and 4 following on the same side of the engine. #5 is the front driver's side, with #6,#7 and #8 moving towards the back of the car. Hope this helps Pat