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Good luck, happy New Year!
The vehicle has seen relitavley light duty usage, only with me and later my wife ferrying kids around a ten square mile radius of this city and pulling a sea-doo during summer weekends. Granted, the car has seen two teenage male drivers come and go, but with constant dealer maintence, and the general historical toughness precedence of Ford trucks I assume at least 150k is possible. Compared to most American cars of the era that I have experienced, the vehicle has been roughly average in quality.
Still, a friend of mine has a '94 Sport with 170k and NO known mantience. I know that some revisions came for the 1993 model year and the vast majority of those I have seen look to be in much better shape than the earlier models.
Anyway, the Explorer is not the worst SUV I have ever owned, that honor belongs to a recently traded 1999 Chevrolet Blazer LS. Nor is is the least reliable, compared to my former 1986 Jaguar XJ6, 1993 Chevrolet Camaro, or 1992 Range Rover. Still compared to my son's Acura Integra, our 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser, or the car I bought along with the Explorer in '90 a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE (201k with only minor repairs) the car leaves much to be desired.
I am soon to trade this vehicle for something European, fast, and DOSEN'T LEAN IN TURNS!!!
My 2000 Eplorer Limited V8 (with only 11K miles) seems to hesitate when starting it. It doesn't seem like it wants to cut on. Sometimes I will have to try twice before getting the truck to turn on. Has anyone had this problem? I am pissed because it only has 11K miles on it. I have no problem starting my VW Jetta which has a 149K miles. It starts up with no hesitation!! Also, I hear that there is a recall on wiper blades and the speed idle controller. Where is a good place to find out about Ford recalls?
Thanks,
Donald
The problem with your hard starting V8 may be as simple as water in your gasline or fouled plugs. Have you changed your air filter element? Since it is winter time, maybe you need a gas line antifreeze (drygas) in your tank. Try dumping some Gumout XTRA fuel system cleaner in the gas tank... also, dont let it go below 1/4 tank full, because the inlet for the pump may not have a clear tube from the gunk that develops on the bottom of the tank.... and then burn out the fuel pump.
Also,try this, turn the key only to the "on" for the ignition, to let the pump prime, wait 5 sec. then turn the key all the way to start.
Good luck and let me know if this helped.
The show really focused on problems with the tires made in the Carolinas, and only mentioned the fact the Wilderness tires are also made in Quebec. Either way, these guys really seem to be pressuring Ford and Firestone. They said there are roughly 5,000,000 15 inch Wilderness tires which are not covered by the recall.
I think that if Costco has Michelin LTX AT's in stock this weekend, the Exploder will be getting some new shoes.
One last thing....I took a look at that website that you metioned and it mentioned nothing about the recall the speed idle controller. I know that this item is on recall.
Thanks,
Donald
Have a good new year Firestone, because I will never, ever own a car with a Firestone (or a Bridgestone) tire on it.
The most noticeable improvement is much less body roll, especially on turns. Braking is also improved a bit. The MS tires are also noticeably quieter. The uneasy 'sliding' feeling that I used to get with the F'stones going over a metal grated bridge is gone.
If you go to an 18" tire, you will have to go to a smaller aspect ratio (smaller sidewall).. thus a skinnier tire. These have very good traction, but have a harshier ride and wear out faster.
Good luck. Check out tire prices on www.tirerack.com as a benchmark to what your dealer offers.
The mechanic keeps trying to fix the twang(s), not the vibration which is causing it. There is obviously a rotating part out of balance somewhere. This dealer has been unable to fix just about everything we've asked him to under warranty, and it's really starting to irk me. The small stuff I can live with, but when other people in cars next to me have to roll up their windows to keep from listening to my "ill-tuned musical instrument"...enough is enough. This has not been a "fun" vehicle for us to own, and is the last ford product that will ever grace our driveway. (Don't ask about the others.)
Could the flywheel be out of balance? What else would be rotating in this situation that would cause this? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
To those looking at tires, I went with the Michelin LTX AT's Ride is better then the Deathstone ATs'. So, the Michelin LTX M&S must be like a cloud if they are for on-road use, because the ATs are such an improvement.
I have a 94 VW Jetta. It has 148K miles on it, and I have never had a major problem with it. I will be contacting Ford and giving them a peice of my mind.
Pissed off,
Donald
vehicle-97 explorer xlt 4.0 ohv, 32K miles.
problem- severe moaning sound coming from under the hood. usually constant after warm up. can be stopped by revving the motor in neutral. occurs at all speeds. the sounds is emanating from the air filter box. our explorer has the canister type filter. some of the 4.0 ohv's apparently have a rectangular filter. i opened the box and inspected the filter. it was really bad. replaced with new motorcraft factory filter. cleaned out the loose debris in the box and stuck my hand down the snorkel toward the headlight. nothing there. carefully closed the canister back up and went for a test drive. noise still present, maybe a little less volume. we are talking about a sound so loud that drivers in other cars notice at stoplights.
any ideas??? this has been a VERY troublesome explorer and this is probably the most annoying problem. replaced tranny, front driveshafts door seals..... all before 27K miles.
ace
ace
I have skimmed through the majority of these posts and I cannot say that I am happy, but considering the number of Explorers on the road, something must "halfway" decent about them.
I am not the best with cars and sometimes get taken advantage of by garages when they work of my car(s). What, if any, major, foreseeable problems should I expect with my potential new truck? I am not sure if the tires need replacing, I'll have to check that Monday, but I am curious if any repetitive problems have been found with the model I am looking at.
Thanks-
Zac
1) The SOHC engine is trash. While more powerful than the now obsolete OHV engine, it is certainly more troublesome. From a driver's point of view, it is a noisy engine, at times the groaning and vibration are enough to make you crank the stereo so you don't have to listen to it. Mechanically, it's problems are well documented. From the timing belt tensioners to emission problems, there are many.
2) The ride leaves a lot to be desired. Whether it is body roll or the washboard sensation of braking on uneven pavement, the combination of the Firestone tires and the truck's suspension make for a rough ride. In an attempt at peace of mind, and to smooth out the ride on my current vehicle, I replaced the tires with Michelin Cross Terrain tires, a combination tread on the tires of all-season and all-terrain. These tires have only been on the market for 3 months, but the reviews on them are excellent. They offer better road traction, smoother quieter ride, and better fuel economy than the Wilderness tires. They will be the OEM tires on the 2002 re-designed Explorer. From what I've experienced with them so far, it is like night and day.
Now for the 2000. Same humming sound in cold weather. 4WD works fine on this one! Had two recalls (Wipers would come on spontaneously and now they have to put a governor on so it won't go over 110 MPH...Not that I planned on it!). It is comfortable to drive, but if the rear seats are down, you can't put the front seats back as far as possible. At 5'10" I find this a bit annoying. I'm also on my third armrest. They are cantilevered and chintzy and snap off. I don't know if the '99 is like this, but beware of that. If you lean too far onto it, you may have a problem.
All in all, though, neither was really a bad car. I am extremely cautious in rain as both of mine have hydroplaned easily. I notice that it is when the engine shifts gears. I assume that the added burst of power to the drive wheels does this. I am not a wild driver, either. A friend with the same car who lives two states away experiences the same thing. It's worse in the 2000 than the '96. I'm waiting to see what the 2002 redesign is like before making any decisions.
i didn't get a chance to look at the mass air flow sensor. i don't have a shop manual... it must not be a flapper kind. hard to picture what's going on up there. anyone know the cost of a new sensor???? it look to have a harness plugged into it, so it must be at least $100 to $150.
ace
Timing Chain Tensioners
Lower manifold gasket
The warranty covers vehicles up to 72,000 or 6 years.
Thanks
Bri66
-Be sure you have obtained the lemon law which pertains to your state.
-Be sure you follow this to the "letter of the law" - i.e. wording of your letter, sending it directly to Dearborn, MI; sending it certified mail.
-In NJ where I live, I remember there was a stipulation to the law which automatically proclaimed you the winner of your case provided you had written and mailed the letter according to the law's provisions and the manufacturer had not contacted you/made a repair attempt within a certain amount of time.
-Be open to possibilities. In my case (problems not as severe as yours sound), Ford offered me a high trade in value and a low price on a trade in (I got my new truck for $3700 including tax/title). The downside to this was perhaps I could have fought it more and won, and would not have had to spend anything. The upside was I could have fought and lost, and they might have taken their offer off the table. Instead I had a new vehicle and was rid of "my problem child" rather cheaply.
Keep in mind, Ford will try pretty much anything to not have the truck labeled a "lemon". If the vehicle is termed a lemon by law (in NJ), they must replace it, and then the vehicle gets the word lemon attached to its history. A double loss for Ford, as they give a car away for free, and have a documented problem vehicle on their hands.
Be patient and good luck (sorry for the length of the post)
PS...Will be driving around in the snow/ice/slush this weekend in a Ford Escort as the Explorer is in the body shop courtesy of a rear end crash. Should be fun!!!
The V8 is a gas guzzler though. Be prepared for mpg numbers in the low teens.
The gastank issue is a known bug in the fuel pump design since 1991. Even the owners manual says not to let the tank go below 1/4 full...because the engine may not start in the nose down position.
Be advised that the V6 SOHC has 4 (!!!) timing chains that can have problems in this regard.
Ah, I am a content Explorer owner (so far with this one, that is.)