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Comments
Ironically you mention this as my friend heard a "squeak" (that I later fixed) caused by 2 interior plastic panels rubbing against each other. A noise that could ONLY be heard if the radio was turned off, and the A/C turned off as well, and for this she was going nuts for days asking me to figure out what it was. YET at no time does she find her screaming brat annoying, and is moreso concerned over the noise of this particular body panel... go figure
Does your MM have adjustable cross-bars on the roof rack. It's possible to get some wind noise depending on what position they are in. Try moving them to different locations and see what effect this has on the airstream.
Thanks. I can be reached here or: aiuto@att.net
Thanks,
Ed
Tell your dealer to check the differential or replace it. They should have a TSB out on it by now.
had a wind noise when i first got it, but siliconed the door seals, and after a while it went away.
tires are noisy too, gy's, so i'm replacing them after my next road trip.
after a year, actually got a whiff of of leather from the seats!
i'll skip all the plusses; overall, it's a great vehicle to own.
Thanks,
Ed
A local auto wrecker is parting out an 03' MM and of the the parts available I am interested in the class III receiver hitch and the climate control.
Q1:Is it hard to remove the class II hitch for the OE class III one?
Q2:I have the manual ac controls on my 03'MM and wonder if I can simply swap out the control for the digital auto climate control. Does any one know if the connectors are the same?
Thanks,
Ed
You, Your Vehicle and the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB)
Steve, Host
Gas mileage trade off if any between the two engines, both 4wd ?
Explorer owners might want to look at a new line of halogen low beam headlight capsules called the Sylvania XV series. Probably would be 9006XV for the regular or low beam for the Explorer.
9005XV for high beams probably not needed due to good output of OEM 9005 halogens. See earlier post under Ford Expedition Problems for more details of my experience, low cost, long bulb life, much improved low beam light for the Expedition due to the Sylvania 9006XV over the OEM 9006..
you will also find you are useless on the road until you lock out the overdrive when you have a tow on. it is absolutely required that you lock out OD.
I also seriously urge you to buy with the factory trailer package installed as well. that insures the brakes, tranny, and electrical system are beefed up as required, and you get extra oil and transmission coolers to reduce to insignificant the chance of overheating damage. you will also have the appropriate wiring harness extended back to the cargo area and appropriate relays installed to protect the signalling system.
if you move one kid to college once a year with the towing package on and the big engine installed, it's still worth it. one or two times in the lifetime of the truck, say, hooking an 8x6 stake trailer up to bring end tables or a mattress home from the furniture store, you might get away with stock standard running gear. but you won't like the way the truck handles, the lack of power, and maybe even the iffy character of the brakes with that extra weight in back.
if you were in lockup, you may have spun two wheels, front and rear, but the other two should have been pulling at the same rate.
so either that was an optional drive on the 02, or I got suckered when I asked about it.
have v8 with 3.73 rear end, average between 15-18 mpg. don't think a v6 can get bewteen 19-22.
nvbanker; am i interpreting wrong?
vacation trips with thule box on the roof rack, four bicycles out back(didn't want to write 4 bikes, some would have thought 4 harleys), 4 people and all that stuff for a week, are a piece of cake at any speed you care to drive.
every vehicle I have seen or heard of, though, that has a locking diff also has a demand control to lock and unlock it. that's because you are creating a seriously different type of wheel geometry, and if you are locked up and taking turns, you are going to scrape rubber, hop the outer wheels and have control problems, or push the tire over the rim on the outside if you're going too fast, and roll overs result.
the reason is that you cut different-diameter arcs during a turn with the inside and outside wheels. this makes the wheels run at different speeds. locked axles can't do that. before the differential, which was built to allow the outer wheel to slip against its drive force when it couldn't follow the same arc as the inside wheel, you had tire life issues from scrubbing as well as scummy rubber... as well as control issues at speed in turns. LS diffs allow some drive power to the "other" wheel when one of the wheels starts spinning freely. the half-shafts of the front drive should be on an LS diff if your backs are. I don't know if any of the front diffs are standard, not LS. I do know I had nasty fluid in both front and rear, and needed LS friction modifier in both of mine.
if you don't have the extra switches, you have the standard AWD, I fear. limited-slip on the rear axle was an option on my 2000, and without that as well as the front drive, you can indeed get into a one-wheel pull situation with only one underpowered front wheel running some percentage of 30% of the max power of the drivetrain.
I would ask the dealer 'zactly what's up on this. if you're supposed to have the LS axle, drain and refill with the correct 4-ounce tube of friction modifier added, and have the front diff and transfer case checked as well.
Can you elaborate? How's does the 10-11K in rebates break down? I qualify for GM supplier and have a $1000 Olds owner rebate. If I can get one at the prices you are saying, I'll go down there tomorrow.
Was just quoted $36,5XX (MSRP is $41,XXX)for a 2K3 Explorer Limited with:
V8
Entertainment system
sunroof
Pretty much fully loaded. Will be taking the 0% financing. Color is pearl white. Is this a good deal?
Thanks.
sounds like a standard no-discounts deal to me, IMHO, but that's the modern price of what I paid in 2000 because of some extras that came with the dealer I bought from... lifetime loaners, no-screw policies, competent help, and a good service and parts operation. with the 0 percent, that's acceptable. for June. I would expect another couple thousand off at least for EOY.
on the other hand, the V8 is a good engine and not stocked in depth by dealers, and the factory entertainment system is probably also a limited option... they figure this one's a cream puff and may not move on the price.
depends on how much you like it, I guess... there are better deals, but maybe you won't find an equivalent car in your area.
one thought... the other reason I didn't take the pearl 2000 was that it had the auto-leveling suspension. that's a cool option if you carry loads... until it breaks. it's way pricey to fix, and that's while the parts are availiable for the first few years. after that, you ride funny forever, or you refit it to the non-auto suspension. figure 3 to 5 years and if the parts are still there, you are in for over a thousand bucks on this gizmo. upwards of 500 dollars if you have to backfit it.
Yesterday my wife was speaking to someone who highly recommended that he should not have made the purchase because of the following issues:
Differential leaks; Transmission slippage; Front suspension linkages weak and tank issues. Can anyone give an opinion as to whether we should be worried? We can BUY a 3 year/ 36,000 mile warranty from Ford for $1500, should we?
Thanks
djhurle
Thanks
Since it's AWD, it puts more strain onto the drivetrain, but in reality the Explorer/Mounty's aren't known for such issues. And are quite reliable compared to the competition. I would say a "KNOWN" issue would be like Ford's 3.8L V6 with the head-gasket issues of years ago, or the Aerostar's nasty sounding power steering pump. But as Explorer's/Mounty's go, you should be ok.
Of course peace of mind always helps, and if you wish to purchase an extended warranty through Ford, it'll pay itself after the first issue. I personally would NOT because the vehicle is troublesome, but because it's pre-owned and I would have NO idea what the previous owner did to it. As for my vehicles I get rid of, I pitty the person since I over abuse my vehicles.
Overall it was a smart purchase (specially the V8) so don't be too concerned.
They are non-city normal suburban/highway miles.
We were told we need new ones.
Is this normal for 30k miles?
what is the typical RANGE of miles before new ones?
thanks.
OKMOM: As for brake pads, I would say yes it's time for them to be replaced. My pads wear out on my LS at 20-25K only because I'm an aggresive driver. Obviously if your dealing with hills, or aggresive situations, it tends to wear down. But from what I see in other friends vehicles (non-Ford related) it's usually around the 30-35K mark as well.
it should be a good truck, my 2000 limited exploder has been a solid performer with a couple tows on it.
as for brakes... I had to do 'em around 22K, and I'm going to have to do 'em again before 50K even with the ceramic pads. that's just life, I'm not that aggressive a driver (I do leave witnesses alive behind me,) but brakes wear. beats having the famous old-time GM brakes that "never die, but just fade away...."
I now own a 2003 Ford explorer xlt it haves 20k miles so far no problems to report. I used to have a 2002 which i totaled and im alive thanks to the explorer. That 2002 had 42k miles and i never replaced the pads. dont know why they lasted so long because i do a lot of city driving wich means lot of breaking. im 20 k on the new one and brakes dont show age either.
the small extra cost is marginal compared to being uninformed.
any good competent mechanic should be doing this, so if you've found one by now, ask to be sure he's checking each time.
glad the car sacrificed itself for you. exploders really are nicely built, and I wish my 2000 had the curtain air bags the new ones offer.
I agree with ANT on both getting the warranty because it is used, and on getting the Ford ESP. I have had great experience with it.
These trucks aren't "known" for specific weaknesses. They are machines, and they break occasionally, but the majority in my experience, will run for a couple hundred thousand miles with routine maintenance and little else.
Your mileage may vary.....
Okay, we are getting new brake pads.
Do we have to go to the dealer?
How about the local mechanic who seems honest or how about the national chain brake shops?
Is there any brake pads better than others?