Just another reminder to myself to keep it simple and never trust a dealer

[EaOutlaw1969]

Hi guys, once again I almost got bit by making my easy to solve problem hard yet someone was looking out for my dumb ass.

My new to me 07 CV Sport started to stumble and surge at idle plus it seemed to lack power and I thought I could hear a light spark knock under light acceleration not to mention a rattling at idle like I had really loud injectors or carbon bouncing around in the cylinders it also had a miss at idle that seemed to coincide with the noise under the hood.

When I bought this car all the maintenance records were up to date the car had new fluids, Battery and other things done and was supposed to be Ford Certified.
Well anyways I knew for sure Ford or the previous owner would have changed the air filter so I was not even going to look at it.

To start my diagnosis the first thing I did was scan the car for pending codes and I didn't find any, So I removed the plastic engine cover to check for vacuum leaks and of course dropped the nut under the air filter box.

I wanted this nut back so I stopped the diagnosis and I pulled the air cleaner housing off revealing the worlds dirtiest air filter and the lower housing was filled with leaves and other debris. ( like this car has never ever had a new filter ) in fact the filter was so plugged up it was deformed and sucked up into the top air filter housing lid allowing it to bypass some.

After I removed the lower housing and cleaned it up also locating the nut I dropped I tested the car without a filter at all and the car runs like new. ( no more noises and it runs like a fine Swiss watch )

Had I not dropped that nut I am not sure how long it would have taken me to inspect the filter ( sure I would have got around to it but I had no clue it could have been that bad because of the clean engine oil and transmission fluid and other signs maintenance was up to date )

I guess I would rather be lucky than good at this point.

However now I have to wonder just how much debris made it past the filter in to the cylinders.

I ordered a new filter but I think I will have someone change the engine oil and filter even though it still looks new just to be on the safe side.

Hopefully any debris that got in the cylinders has already passed through and will just get burnt up in the front of the cats.

After the oil change I plan on replacing the spark plugs and coils and I will inspect the cylinders and pistons for damage with my lighted Otoscope, I am not expecting much if any damage since the debris I found was soft and I did not drive the car very long once I noticed the symptoms.

If there is anything else you would do if this was you car please feel free to share your thoughts. any help would be appreciated.

[DerekTheGreat]

I mostly watch Scotty Kilmer videos for entertainment but I agree 100% with his video on "Certified" vehicles and buying cars from dealers in general. Also, Chris Farley's bit from Tommy Boy about taking a dump in a box & slapping a guarantee on it come to mind as well..

[gadget73]

curious if any of those records actually say there was an air filter replacement and how long ago. Possible someone was billed for a new one that it never got. I have a receipt for my Mark VII that says it got a new rack less than 10k before I bought the car. The rack was worn out and the inner tie rod ends were bad. No way that was a recently installed item. There was another receipt for one 10k miles before that. I doubt that one was done either. The car drove f'd up because the control arm bushings and the strut mounts were wiped out.

[87gtVIC]

Damn. Sometimes its the simplest things.

[EaOutlaw1969]

curious if any of those records actually say there was an air filter replacement and how long ago. Possible someone was billed for a new one that it never got. I have a receipt for my Mark VII that says it got a new rack less than 10k before I bought the car. The rack was worn out and the inner tie rod ends were bad. No way that was a recently installed item. There was another receipt for one 10k miles before that. I doubt that one was done either. The car drove f'd up because the control arm bushings and the strut mounts were wiped out.

Lots of records showing Maintenance inspections, safety inspections plus normal services, fluids and filters even a fuel filter but no records of a air filter ever getting replaced. I will have to clean the old one just to find out if it is a Ford part or not.

Someone replaced that battery this year and that does not show up in the records either.
I think it is a case of the car looked well maintained so no one bothered to check it.

[Pvt.Hudson]

I have had more bad luck at Ford dealers over the years then the GM dealers I've been too. A lot of it isn't just the tech's fault, its the entire pay scale (flat rape) for techs, warranty times that expect you to have telepathy, constant upselling of either dubious or unnecessary services and owners whom don't follow the manufactures outlined maintenance schedule.

Out of the numerous visits to Ford dealers I find that try to upsell like crazy. Mark up their parts to a degree that would make a retail autoparts store blush and generally just want to parts cannon whatever issue your having.

[Rodentkiller]

Most "certafied" cars that are used are not checked over at the dealer but at a independant shop and I know this for a fact I did some of the checks on the used cars.

[Tiggie]

How many miles on it again? I’d surely check the other maintenance items too.

The wife’s 12 Escape was a certified preowned. Biggest rip off but I did buy in because of the warranty. Used it about ten times too. It’s had the engine out twice because of leaks all over. Axle seals replaced. Fuel filler neck replaced. The A/C can only be used on Max/recirculate (I have the paperwork) as three different dealers and over two months couldn’t make it work without freezing up otherwise.
Never again will I buy anything from a dealer.
I’ve considered shopping for my cars in the grocery store parking lot on senior discount day. The 10-15 year old vehicles that look mint with the seats covered and the sunshade up. That’s the one I want.

[DerekTheGreat]

I'll never buy a used car from a dealer. Over priced and they're purpose is to make money. All they focus on is making the car look good & clean. Any money they invest in the vehicle is taking away from their profits. I haven't seen anything which indicates the extended warranties you can buy are actually financed through the specific dealer, I wouldn't be surprised if they're a third party company. Too much risk if they sell a car like Tiggie's '12 Escape.

If I'm going to finance a car, it'll be a new one. No way would I want to finance one of these late model plastic shit heaps that were designed to be disposable. I see the prices on the windshields as I drive by, absolutely deplorable. Any person I've known & talked to who bought a late model used car hasn't had good things to say about them. New is another story, at least there you know what you're getting into and while pricier, you have a bumper to bumper warranty so aside from normal wear & tear you pay nothing extra out of pocket.

[EaOutlaw1969]

I am still happy with my purchase and the dealer, So far this a minor oversight. my repairs to date have been 2 bucks for o-rings to fix the AC and a 17 dollar air filter.

I looked the car over before I purchased it, all the fluids are new, No leaks any where, Good Brake pads New tires ETC. The only thing I noticed was old Brake fluid that needs to be flushed out and I was going to replace the master cylinder for good measure.

I honestly think when the mechanic looked the car over He must have thought the same thing I did ( Low miles great maintenance history the air filter must be good ) why bother checking it.

It is either that or someone drove this down a very long dry dirt road tailgating someone for miles sucking up sand and debris along the way.

I just feel dumb for not checking it myself when I brought the car home. I am really glad I did not spend countless hours trying to troubleshoot the symptoms when the solution was such a easy fix.

[knucklehead0202]

Shit happens. At least you caught it before some fuckin' scheister tried to charge you for a bunch of unnecessary work. Overall i'd call it a win. Oh, and don't bother changing your coils, they damn-near last forever. Just throw new plugs in it and call it done. Sometimes the boots on the coils go bad, and can be replaced, but my understanding from a lot of people is that factory Ford coils are the best out there, so if they work, leave 'em alone.

[EaOutlaw1969]

Shit happens. At least you caught it before some fuckin' scheister tried to charge you for a bunch of unnecessary work. Overall i'd call it a win. Oh, and don't bother changing your coils, they damn-near last forever. Just throw new plugs in it and call it done. Sometimes the boots on the coils go bad, and can be replaced, but my understanding from a lot of people is that factory Ford coils are the best out there, so if they work, leave 'em alone.

Thanks right now it seems to run like new so maybe I will just do as you suggest and leave them alone for now.