Shaking and Check Engine Light Blinking
Asked by Damsel_N_Distress May 02, 2016 at 02:24 PM about the 2004 Ford Freestar
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My Ford Freestar has started shaking while idling
and now even when driving. I noticed the RPM
gauge bounces up and down as well. Then just
recently my Check Engine Light has started
blinking. I went to AutoZone for a diagnostic and it
returned codes: P0171, P0316, and P0302. The
technician said he thought I may just need a tune-
up but everything I am reading makes it sound
much more urgent. Just would like to know anyone
else's thoughts before I take it into the shop. I saw
something that said it could be a vacuum hose leak.
Do you think it is possible based on the codes that
were returned? A friend who doesn't really have
experienced looked under the hood and said he
could hear some hissing, but couldn't find a hole.
10 Answers
The P0171 is a lean code that could be caused by a vacuum leak, but that would not cause it to shake and the engine light to blink. The the shake and blink are mostly likely caused by the P0316 and P0302, which is a cylinder 2 misfire. A simple tune up could fix that, it could have a bad coil, or a more serious issue like low compression. I can't I would take it in to have it looked at asap. It is not good to drive it like that. The engine light flashing is a sign that it needs to be serviced immediately.
firebird338 answered 7 years ago
Sounds like you have a clogged muffler or catalytic converter.
Damsel_N_Distress answered 7 years ago
Is it weird that my friend unplugged the battery for a while (to reset it - something he read online), and it's running a lot better now? The check engine light is now off and it's not shaking as badly (just a minor tremor is still present when in drive and shaking when applying brakes). The shop isn't ready for it for a couple days, and I'm wondering if I can/should be driving it. Hate for something more major to be going wrong.
Did you find out what was going on? The same thing is happening to mine!
I own a 2005 Ford Freestar, and also feel the uncertainty of driving this minivan. Recently I have noticed that my minivan started acting up after a few days of heavy rain. Ford is aware of this issue, and for this reason they issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 06-14-10.) Seems to be that a lot of the issues with this vehicle are related to this problem, water in the ECM. Once the ECM is waterproofed, then you can consider other minor problems like a bad sensor.
FordTough69 answered 7 years ago
I own a 2005 Ford Freestar as well and it does the same thing after Rain or water splashes up on the under carriage. One of our techs, not a ford mechanic, is suggesting its something electrical getting wet and causing a short? It started happening after i was forced through a rather large puddle, but now it only takes a small amount of water for it to start acting up....any suggestions?
Mine is a 2004 Freestar and did after a car wash but didn't act up until 100 miles down the road in heavy snow.
I have a 2004 ford freestar, I can run it for about 10 or 20 minutes and it runs great but the second I turn it off, Then go to start it again, it starts but dies in a few seconds, i try restarting it and it does the same, I have to let it set for a while and then it will start up again and i can drive for a little while again.
How is your oil and trans fluid?
Dbmorsejr1 answered 4 years ago
It wouldn't hurt to check your ignition coil. I had problems with my 2006 freestar and did that technical bulletin, tune up and it ran better a little while but returned. Replaced the starter coil after test and it solved all issues
