Actually, that wasn’t a bad way to buy that car, then. I was just picturing you as the prototypical soccer-mom who could’ve fit everything in a Civic but still got a tank.
Anyways, this really isn’t that bad a problem in itself, but you should take a look around under the hood - check for loose wires and the like. You can also check the fuel return line - it’s the one that runs from the fuel pump back to the fuel tank. If it’s clogged, it’ll produce poor gas mileage (not that you’d notice on an exploder) and it may also cause dieseling.
By the way, a 95 explorer doesn’t have a distibutor it has a ‘coil pack’ and does it all electronically, so you don’t need to have your distributor cap and rotor replaced as it doesn’t have one.
Side note: Diesel engines don’t have spark plugs; they use the heat of compressed air to ignite the fuel. When you turn the key to “off”, you cut off the flow of fuel, forcing the engine to stop.
Gasoline engines use spark plugs to ignite fuel, so when you turn the key to “off”, they just cut the power to the spark plugs. That’s why the key thing is called the ignition switch. But if, for whatever reason, the engine keeps running even without a spark, it’s acting like a diesel engine - dieseling.
Uh, I’d advise against this in any modern car. As soon as the motor stops running, you lose power steering and power brakes. For the '53 Ford F-100, it’ll work nicely!
I’ve heard the three main causes of this are carbon build-up (already mentioned, and the most expensive to repair), inferior gas, or timing too far advanced.
First of all, I didn’t say to kill the engine while the car was still moving. I said to turn it off while it was still in gear. Meaning to pull up to wherever it is you are going to park the vehicle, then while you are in gear with your foot on the brake and/or the parking brake is set. Simply turn off the key before shifting into park or neutral. While the car is in gear it will die without dieseling. Then shift the transmission to park or neutral depending on whether it’s manual or automatic.
I wouldn’t recommend ever killing the motor while you still might need the brakes or the wheel, at least on power steering and brakes. Unless you are really on top of things and it’s an emergency.
the MG Midget I drove used to/still does, for all I know, do this. You just put it in gear before you turn the engine off and, if it does it, let the clutch up (and say “stop it, you pig.”) Manual gear shift, of course (automatics are for cripples and people who can’t drive properly)
I was bedevilled with the same problem for several years with my 1984 Jeep Cherokee. Several mechanics looked at the problem and were unable to solve it. Finally for some reason we checked for vacuum leaks which we were able to confirm but had a hell of a time to locate. It turned out that a very shitty reinstallation (prior to purchase) of a preheater for the fuel- air mixture entering the intake manifold, subsequently failed to maintain the seal, and the vacuum loss in the intake was the cause of the problem.
The term “tune-up” has never had a universally understood or consistently applied definition. It means what the speaker intends it to mean. The one fairly constant aspect of it has been replacing the spark plugs, and nowadays that’s often all that is meant when a shop advertises a “tune-up.” Many shops now don’t even use the term, as it is now essentially meaningless and obsolete.
Spark plug replacement intervals on modern engines are 30,000 miles for conventional (non-platinum) plugs, 60,000-100,000 for platinum ones.
I’m sorry to single out one post for useless advice but…the last car with a carburetor sold in the U.S. was the Subaru Justy over 20 years ago. Changing the fuel filter means getting underneath the vehicle, and wouldn’t affect running on. The vehicle in question doesn’t have a distributor. Electronic ignition cars do not normally experience changes in ignition timing, and on many of the more recent ones there’s no way to adjust it anyway. This is a case where there’s a world of difference – 40 years of constantly changing technology – between a '65 vehicle and a '95 vehicle.
Back to the OP – there are a number of different possible causes for the symptom. All we can do is guess. When you take it to the shop, describe the symptom(s) that you’ve observed in everyday language that you understand. They don’t expect – or need – you to use automotive jargon any more than your physician expects or needs you to use medical jargon. If you do use the jargon, and get it wrong, it will distract from efficient diagnosis.
I apologize for the third paragraph in my post above. It didn’t shed any light on the discussion, I goofed on my accounting of the last carbureted car ('90 or '91 model, as I recall), and the advice is useful for older designs. I wish I hadn’t posted it, and I’m sorry I was somewhat of a jerk.
I could also have been more helpful with the OP question. Among the possible causes of running on are vacuum leaks, as previously mentioned, fuel injector leakage, a sticking idle air controller, and too-high engine temperature. Some vacuum leaks, like loose/broken hoses or cracked fittings on vacuum-operated accessories, can be found with careful inspection under the hood and fixed fairly easily. Obscured/internal vacuum leaks, such as an intake manifold gasket or EGR valve, aren’t so easy to diagnose and deal with. If the vehicle has a temperature gauge, you should be able to tell if it’s running hotter than usual. If so, replacing the thermostat is worth trying – it’s a major suspect, and it’s usually cheaper/easier to replace it than to accurately diagnose it. Many of the other causes are probably beyond the scope of the casual do-it-yourselfer.
Well Gary I didn’t snap to the '95 = no carb myself. But still regular tune ups and maintenance is always good advice IMHO.
While tuneup may be a general term and may not be used by all mechanics these days it’s still applicable and I’m not sure that it’s exactly useless.
My old '85 cutlass did the same thing once upon a time and a tuneup and carb kit took care of it.
No harm done though.
You know what I find funny though? A lot of the high tech mechanics these days couldn’t fix an old car if their life depended on it. Without a diagnostic machine they don’t have a clue. Not all but some.
Diagnostics…what’s that running these days? A buddy of mine just had an intake (plastic) replaced on his Buick the other day. I forget what he said they charged him to check it out.
