2003 Ford Expedition with 29K miles. Just had EGR valve, Positioning sensor replaced and had plenum removed to clean out ports due to carbon buildup. Any ideas on premature carbon buildup.

I am not to sure but couldn't one of your oxygen sensor's be bad. I just remember someone telling me that when these go bad you can get a build up of carbon.

Yes it is made by Mazda, pay no attention to the Ford valve cover, and yes they do share the same motor. As for swapping the part...I'm not positive, but theoretically, it should work

the other day a mazda technition told me that the 2.0 is in fact a ford design. go figure? he said that only the 2.5 was designed by mazda. do you think he was right?

all I got to say is that mazda guy would not know his own ass if he saw it in the mirror, our engine are made by mazda also why the hell do you think anything off the fs-ze will bolt onto ours, go find a mx6 or a 626 and put them together with a probe and the engines are exact the only difference is the intake on the cars but that is it the intakes are routed different.

he said the ford design was applied to the 626 and mx6. what does everybody else think?

I know as a fact that the MX6 and 626 are mazda designs, along with the 2.09 and 2.5 probe engines. The problem might be that since for does own mazda, this guy is thinking that ford and mazda are the same thing. As a matter of fact the 2.0 engine was actually based more as a jap engine (much like honda) that would save the econmist some mula in gas mileage. As for the 2.5 engine, that engine is more american oriented. Mainly designed by americans, due to the fact that it comes as a torque beast with a nice amount of horsepower. If you all read up, the probe was actually supposed to take the place of the mustang. Hope this brought some light into the subject. Alex 94 PSE lots of mods NEW engine http://go.to/vortexcc Get FREE Email/Voicemail with 15MB at Lycos Communications at http://comm.lycos.com

Alex is 100% correct. Ford had the concept for the probe for years. But here goes the history of the Ford Probe, from what I know. First you must look at the Mustang, remember sometime in the early 80's when you could get a 4cyl. Mustang. That was fords attempt to offer a fuel efficient sport type car. Sport used very loosely! Well, this hurt the Mustang sales. Ford wanted a car that was fuel efficient and sporty enough to market at a wide range of buyers. Next factor is the explosion of the sports compact car, such as the honda perlude, acura integra, mitsubishi eclipse and other version of that (chrysler laser and eagle talon), and the Mazda Mx-6. Ford bought about 1/3 of mazda. Mazda offered their Mx-6 power plant and platform for the Probe concept. Ford wanted to take a place in the booming sports compact market. This new line known as the Probe was to take over the lack of sales of the Mustang. The only people buying the Mustang were the die hard Mustang fans. Ford thought that the booming market would take the Probe sales over and maybe beyond the Mustang and if so they would stop production of the Stang. First gen. Probes made up for the lack of sales of the Stang and put up some great numbers, but was not taking over the sports compact market and not take over the sales of the Stang. They could not convince the diehard Stang fans into buying a Probe instead. Ford and Mazda when to the drawing board to come what with a car that would offer American low end torque and Japanese high end power. What they came up with was the 2.5L V-6. This was again marketed to take the Stang fans out of their Stangs and into a Probe. As we all know what they (Stang lovers) all say,"No replacement for displacement." So the Probe again did not take that portion of the market. Next we look at the booming response of the SUV and the minivan. Many people that were buying the first gen Probes were coming back and trading them in on a SUV or minivan. Ford needed to make room for the new line of vehicles. Now I read an article about the President of the SVT depart and how he shot down the Probe because he knew that the Probe was to take over the Mustang and we know that the first SVT badge car was the Mustang Cobra. So the person writing the article said that maybe he shot down the Probe to insure he would have job because sales of the Probe never really dropped. But with the new market of SUV's and minivans and maybe because of the Pres. of the SVT department the Probe was discontinued. Sad, Sad, Sad end to a long story. Well, now you have graduated Probe 101. Next you are assigned to hook your Probe up as you please. Probe = Mx-6 2.0 and 2.5L all Mazda made. Matt Knudsen

great story - all true facts. Sales of the Probe never really dropped, and also, Ford never tactfully and fiercely MARKETED the Probe, which wasn't at all fair. With more MARKETING and aftermarket support (and maybe an SVT Probe), I think the Probe would've cut a very nice slash in the import SPORT COMPACT market....alas. that's all history now. and the focus design sucks! - Serge 93 Probe SE 5spd.