Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
>
>
>Lately when I have been riding in my friend's 03 Explorer, I hear this whistling >sound. It only happens when the it is cold outside in the winter. It did this last >winter and came back this winter. It was nowhere to be found during the fall, >spring and summer. Is this the infamous rear end whine that I have been hearing >about?
I have the exact same problem, but i cannot find any follow ups for this one. Anyone suggestions?
E.D.
"these type of vehicles aren't serviced by mechanics that know much about them and they have to do a lot of ringing around to find out what is a common problem with them."
Those vehicles are serviced by knowledgable mechanics who know the strengths and weakness of the vehicle and they know the common problems. I don't know who you've been taking yours to, but maybe it's time to find a better mechanic or a better shop.
You never did answer what engine you have. I said READ the PLUGS and then do a COMPRESSION TEST, that will tell you a lot about the general health of the engine. A manifold vacuum test may be useful also.
E.D.
You could even go to high performance parts which are basically tougher steel than factory so they can handle high performance (meaning high horsepower) applications.
I don't know the technical aspects of what ford has changed in the new differentials but I suspect cheaper parts are now being used.
Get your dealer to state on paper that you need a new differential. Later, if there's a recall, typically you would get reimbursed for needed repairs, as long as a Ford dealer said you needed the work.
Both Explorer Sports have had the wheel bearings on the right side replace but the noise remains. I am pretty sure they all share the same front drivetrain and at this point believe the source of the noise is in the front differential. Any thoughts?
-MD
I hope this helps.
E.D.
E.D.
The fuse and the relay are OK. The alarm still works, the interior lights still come on and go off using the remote. The locks don't work using the remote or the interior switch. And they don't lock automatically when you start driving. The rear hatch glass doesn't work either, even if you use the exterior button. I've pulled off the interior trim panels to look for a loose wire, but didn't find anything. I can hear a switching noise from behind the second row seat on the passenger side.
Any suggestions?
A few things to keep an eye on:
1. Be sure to keep a clean air filter on it. Check the MAF while the air cleaner cover is off, being sure the intake screen is is free from dirt. Sometime the MAF's get contaminated and have to be internally cleaned by a mechanic. Also check the air intake tube that runs from the air filter box to the Throttle Body to be sure it has no breaks or cracks, pull it off and look underneath, I have seen them crack and leak and made the engine run bad.
2. Make sure the Spark Plug wires are good. They can go bad in 60,000 miles. You can make the Spark Plug Wires last much longer by gapping your spark plugs at 0.040" instead of the factory recommended .054". This reduces the voltage on the wires. I've done it for many years with no problem.
E.D.
I just had this problem fixed last year. Its a defect in the SOHC. There is a kit out there that fixes it. My boyfriend found this info, under some recall information for the SOHC. It wasn't a recall, but it lists the problem and the solution. Since it had been fixed ,I have had no noise coming from the engine.
I'm not sure how much this will cost you to fix. I had the very same problem with this engine. There is a ford recall list somewhere on the net. My boyfriend found it. Any how, there is a defect in the 400 SOHC engines and it makes this ticking noise, when cold and seems to stop when the engine warms up. I didn't get mine fixed for a year, it doesn't effect the performance of the engine. The sound eventually never stoped. There is a kit to fix this problem. You can find it by searching for ford recalls. They never did a recall for this problem, but the problem is listed and the kit is being sold, with instructions.
Good luck
I have a 98 ford explorer sport and just this afternoon, when I tried to open my door to get out, my door would not open. The driverside lock would not unlock. Not by using the handle or the remote. I had to exit through the passenger door.
The lock and door was working just fine, no warning glitches that something was wrong. The remote locks and unlocks all the other doors,but I can't unlock it using the key pad either. Just the strangest thing. I had an issue with the locks some while back and it affected all the locks. That turned out to be a fuse that neededto be replaced. I have no clue what this is.
Any clues?
So you are blaming Ford for your accident? That's pretty low. Truthfully your truck should have probably been totalled. You need to go after your insurance company and the body shop, NOT Ford.
I agree. That Explorer should have been totaled. If the frame damage happened in the front end or the back end then it should be salvage-able, but frame damage between the wheels is a nightmare waiting to happen.
...welcome to your nightmare....
do as chuck1 said, get what you can for it and count your blessings that you weren't hurt in the accident.
I have tried searching this forum for an answer to my problem but came up empty so hopefully one of you can help point me in the right direction.
I have a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer with 112k miles on the clock. Everything was fine with it until I had the tires rotated a couple of weeks ago. (It should be noted that on the previous rotation I replaced the front tires so I had a new set on the front and an old set on the back).
Straight after having the tires rotated I noticed that if I took the car about 65mph the steering wheel kept feeling very light as though I didnt have contact with the road (best way I can describe it is it felt like I had hit black ice). If I dropped below 65 mph the problem went away. The next day driving to work (50 miles away) it just got steadily worse and I ended up taking it into a tire place there. They told me that the tires that had previously been on the front were cupping and that it was probably due to the shocks.
I then had them swap the tires back (silly me thinking this would reverse the problem) and limped home doing between 45-50mph. The next day I took it to another company and asked them to check the shocks (also described the problem). They were unable to find anything wrong but when they road tested it did discover what they called squirrelling or squirling but couldnt offer me a solution. In desperation (and fear for mine and others lives) I had them replace all the shocks and tires.
On the drive home I did manage to get the car upto 70mph with no evidence of the problem however while its a lot better now I'm still noticing this 'lightness' in the steering wheel at about 30-40 mph.
The last time I had a problem like this was many years ago and replacing the shocks fixed it. Any ideas, help, guidance would be much appreciated!
To fix frame damage, your car is put on a frame straightening machine. Measurements are taken at various points on the frame, and then the body shop "pulls" the frame back into straight / square alignment. Ford provides correct measurements for your frame - all body shops have access to these measurements. A good frame machine will get your frame to within in 1/8 of an inch (or less) of the factory measurments. At that point your car can be correctly repaired and aligned. You must do a 4 wheel alignment check after an accident with frame damage.
Your car was not correctly straightened. First, go to a high quality body shop. Have them check the frame measurements. Get a complete copy of the measurements, and have them put in writing what your problems are. You are most likely "doglegging" which basically means your rear tires are not following straight behind your front tires due to the bent frame. This is what is causing your rear axle problems.
Take a copy of the report back to the shop that did the original repairs. This will show them that you are specifically aware of what repairs were done incorrectly. This makes you a little more B.S. proof. Don't accept any excuses, there are none. Any good body shop can straighten your car correctly. Also, make sure you show them the crack.
If life were fair, they would agree to redo the repairs. Since that will cost them time/money, I am not optimistic.
Now to the non car stuff:
When you have a wreck, YOU are responsible for which body shop is chosen for repairs, not your insurance company. YOU are responsible for for accepting the car back after the repairs have been made, not your insurance company. Your insurance company only reimburses you for the cost of the repairs. Still true even if the check from the ins. company was made out to the body shop. Read all the repair paperwork and ins. co. paperwork, you'll see language to that effect somewhere. Your ins. co. may agree to help, or they may not.
That said, you have a right to have the repairs done correctly. That is what you paid for. If the body shop will not correct the repairs, you can call the state ins commisioner and see if they can help. Provide them with a copy of the report on your frame, pictures of the cracks, and hit the safety issue hard. Some states are better than others: good ones can put a body shop out of business for putting a dangerous car back on the road.
If all else fails, it's lawyer time. You would probably sue to recover the entire cost of repairs done because the vehicle is pretty much worthless with a bent frame - but thatis just a guess.
Kind of a long winded reply, hope it was clear enough!
I bet your tire cupping is on the inside of each tire?
Hit the alignment shop, have the front end parts and alignment checked. If your toe in has changed and you have toe-out, this can cause a wander or light feeling in the steering, and will wear the inside of the front tires.
If you are toe out, have them check the ride height of your front end. A lot of shops do not do this prior to doing the alignment. If this is below spec you need to solve that problem prior to aligning it.. Typical problems causing ride height issues are bad bushings in the control arms and bad torsion bar tension adjusting bolts.
Oh, by the way, have you had new ball joints yet? I had to do them long before 112k.
E.D.
There are many people who don't drive their vehicles that many miles per year who could have tires that have lots of tread left who might be in jeopardy if what is being said is correct.
capriracer, "Tires, tires, tires" #4131, 4 Sep 2004 7:55 am
Steve, Host
Good Luck,
E.D.
This was one of the things I didn't like about the early Explorers. The thing I hated the most was the weak automatic transmissions. They should have had their heads examined, to be dumb enough to put a light duty transmission in a truck. The A4LD automatic transmission is a modified German/French C3 transmission, lighter than what is used in the Mustang. The Explorer should have had nothing less than a AOD or AODE tranmission from the start.
Good Luck,
E.D.
renna, "Ford Explorer: Problems & Solutions" #3439, 24 Mar 2005 11:25 pm
Steve, Host