Ford Expedition

ranwin33 · November 2001

The door locks on my Expy are going crazy. Locking and unlocking automatically. Sometimes several times in a row, sometimes only once. It is a continual problem which occurs even when the vehicle is shut off. At dealership now - they have replaced some computer module which controls all the accessories, but problem persists. Dealership cannot figure out the the cause. Any suggestions.

facewest · November 2001

I've got a 98 expy (5.4 Triton)with 48,000. When in drive and idling, I get a vibration in the cab with the engine running at about 600-700 RPM. If I shift to neutral it goes away and my RPM goes to 700-800. I took it to my local Ford dealer and they did a engine diagnostic test which passed all tests. The computer told them if there was a vibration, procedure SSM 12738 directs them to replace both motor mounts (at the tune of $600) and perform an engine isolation procedure. They also said they checked the mounts and they look good. I'm skeptical it's the mounts as anything above 700 RPMs is smooth. Any ideas?

cpearson1 · December 2001

The Expedition 16 inch tire has a taller sidewall than the 17 inch tire. This absorbs vibration better and gives a softer, smoother ride. Handling may not be quite as sharp with the 16 inch tire.

Karen_S · December 2001

I'm here to announce the new Ford Expedition Owners club now available on Edmunds.com Owner's Club board. Please stop by and introduce yourself in Meet the Members and let me know how I can help build your club.

I have linked this discussion into that folder, but it will always reside here in SUVs.

Looking forward to meeting everyone!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

tobacco1 · December 2001

Just signed on for the first time tonight. I went by my local dealership last night to check on a new Expedition. The word over there is the new Expedition is due out June 2002. According to the sales rep. this is going to be more than just a basic makeover. Ford is planning to take the new look and features from the 2002 Explorer and role it into the new Expedition. This is the first and only time I have heard this information. Is anybody hearing this same thing or am I peddling old gossip?

tidester · December 2001

tobacco1,

Thanks for the info and welcome to the Town Hall!

I am sure if anyone knows about it they will jump right in!

tidester
Host
SUVs

facewest · December 2001

To give everyone an update on my vibration at idle problem. After calling the Ford Customer Relations number and them calling my local Ford Service Supervisor, my advisor called me back and said come in for a free 52 point safety inspection. Did that and now they say the motor mount SSM is applicable to my problem and even though my 98 Expy is out of warranty they're going to replace them for free. They're doing that tomorrow. I let you know if my vibrations go away.

ranwin33 · December 2001

Is there someway to determine if the limited slip differential is working. I have a 4x2 Expy and it seems to get a lot or rear tire spin on pavement which is barely wet. This happens even with minimal acceleration. Wheels spin to the point I have had trouble getting out of a drive through carwash - no exaggeration.

towncar1 · December 2001

I recently purchased my fourth Ford SUV. I have owned every generation of Explorer, which include my most recent purchase of an 2002 Explorer to accompany my 2001 Expedition all E.B. My most recent previous Explorer had 133K miles on it and I only did the tuneup at 105K, and oil changes every 5k. My 2001 Expedition has been the same and I have just slightly over 20K miles on it. I cant wait for the 2003 to hit the street.

backthepack · December 2001

I have a 1999 Expedition XLT 2WD. I have been trying to sell it for well over a month. It seems I cannot give it away.

Anyone had any trouble unloading theirs?

gasguzzler007 · December 2001

Does anyone here actually like how the 2003 Expy looks? It looks like crap in my opinion. I will never buy one. I have 94K miles on my 1997 but when it dies I sure as hell wont buy another Expy. Maybe a Navigator or Excursion. I find that ford has made a mistake making the 2003 Expy look like an oversized Exploder.

dardson1 · December 2001

get a look at the new EXPedition? Heard it would look like a big Explorer which seems neither good nor bad to me.

gasguzzler007 · December 2001

Its here somewhere on this site and I saw it once on a spyphotos site. I dont remember the links. Trust me, the ones out right now are better especially the 97-98 with the chrome bumpers.

dardson1 · December 2001

I don't live in the DFW area (300 miles away) but I use the paper as my guide to bottom dollar deals and have even traded there a few times. I'm seeing some unbelievable offers on '02 Expedition XLT and EB.....8-10k discounts with the rebates....an XLT with convenience pkg and 6 disc changer for $25k and an EB with the 5.4 and all the good stuff that comes standard for $30k. I had a 98 XLT with the 5.4. I thought it was a great car except for the sorry gas milage; but at these prices, you can buy a good bit of fuel. These things are getting cheap. What's the deal? Why has this one time "darling" of the SUV world fallen out of favor. A comparable Tahoe costs $5k more; a comparable Sequoia, $10k more. I'm very tempted but a little afraid that everyone seems to be running from them. Am I missing something?

gasguzzler007 · December 2001

Whatever you read is probably BS. When you get to the lot you wont find an expy for the advertised price. Here I see adds constantly about new expeditions selling for 25K. As I go to the lot they tell me that the advertised vehicle has been sold but that they have a wide selection of others to choose for 30-35K. I see it as BS. You cant trust the claimed prices in the paper.

facewest · January 2002

Well, motor mounts are replaced, took them three days and my vibration is still there. Good thing I didn't pay for it. We just got back from a 2500 mile road trip. Everything worked great. 13.5 - 14 MPG with the 5.4 going 75 MPH. Ran into snow on the way back and felt real safe in AWD.

sequoiasaurus · January 2002

sequoiasaurus · January 2002

I think auto.com may have jumped the gun on this b/c it wasn't supposed to be unveiled for media until Tue 1/8/02. Oh well if so their loss is your gain.

stever · January 2002

Maybe you can link to the photos at auto.com? Posting them here is probably a copyright violation. Thanks.

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

amberfranklin · January 2002

I just bought a 1999 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4. The problem is the dealer did not have a manual (they have it ordered), and we are trying to learn the ins and outs of this great vehicle! We bought it from a Chevy dealer, so the salesman did not know as much about the Expedition as a Ford salseman would . First question, for some reason this Exp. looks shorter than some we have looked at and even appeared to be a couple inches shorter when parked next to another one at the grocery store. I read somewhere about there being some type of lowering option where it lowers a couple of inches when put in park. The salesman did not know if this one had it, could this explain the compressor type noise heard when put in gear? I looked at the tires and they seem to be the standard size could it be possible that they are low profile tires? That was the salesmans thought. My husband likes the taller look and is considering putting different tires on if in fact we could gain a little added height by switching. What size tires do you guys have? Thanks for any help you might give us.

boonsboro · January 2002

The Expedition have an optional load leveling suspension that does lower the height when parked. The real purpose is to keep the truck level when towing a heavy load. The difference when parked was obvious when we where looking at Expeditions last year. We opted to avoid this option since it sounded like a future maintenance problem with little benefit since we do not tow trailers.

amberfranklin · January 2002

Ill be glad when I get my manual! Is there a way of using a VIN to find out what a particular vehicle has in options? I know it seems to be a wierd question, but like the case with the load leveling option that the salesman did not know about I am wondering if there are other features that we do not know about. Also, our Exp. does not have the tow package. When we were shopping some had it, but other than the towbar, what does this option consist of? Our Explorer had what my husband called a transmission cooler, although it did not have the tow pkg. Any info on if towing without this package,could it hurt the vehicle, possibly over heat. We plan to put a Reese hitch on to pull our boat. Anyone have problems with an Exp without the tow package trying to tow things?

beaching · January 2002

Amber:
I had '98 for 38 months. never had problems with the height or 4-corner air suspension.
I does ride a little smoother than the expe w/ metal rear springs.
Amber, send me your email address if yo have any other questions.
(rkoenig@voicenet.com)
there are 2 systems sold for the expe:
front only,
and 4-corner for the 4x4, which I had.
look behind front tires:
front shocks would be air shocks or not, an outer sleeve with an air bag in it, covering most of the air bag, and an air hose going to it.
If 4-corner, then also in the rear, on rear axle, no metal coil springs, instead
a big fat black rubber air bag on each side of the rear axle, easy to see, maybe 8" diam and 12" high.
There are 3 heights.
1-driving height, by putting truck into R or D,
2-there is kneeling height=parked, in park, key off, ALL doors closed, it will slowly lower ~1.75 inch, alternating front and rear until done.
Does make it easier to get loads into the back.
Then key on, in D or R comes back up to driving height (~1.75"),
then
3- 4x4LOW HEIGHT: it will go up an ADDITIONAL ~~1.75" for ground clearance.
To go in and out of 4x4 LOW, if I remember this right,
MUST 1-be in Neutral only, 2-have foot on brake pedal, 3-not moving
THEN can move selector in and out of 4x4 LOW.
the dash indicatior of 4x4 LOW and the loud clunk from the transfer case is the give-a-way that you went in or out of LOW successfully.
There is a slight delay going in or out of LOW.

karzz · January 2002

http://media.ford.com/products/presskit_display.cfm?vehicle_id=548&press_subsection_id=421&make_id=92

baseballmom94 · January 2002

I almost wish I hadn't read the above article....I'm about to buy a new Yukon and the 2003 Expy sounds great...just what I want with the fold-flat 2nd and 3rd rows!

landbrkr · January 2002

I really like my 2K XLT, but that third seat can really be a pain. I have found myself in situations where I need the extra cargo space but didn't think ahead to remove the seat. I'm not that fond of the new body style, but the flat folding rear seat might just be enough to sway me.

karzz · January 2002

It is surprising the amount of engineering that went into the new Expedition, fully independent coil-over-shock double wishbone front AND rear, new rack and pinion steering, a huge reduction in wind noise and road noise, huge disc brakes, panic assist braking, side canopy air bags, wider track yet shorter turning radius, quieter engines yet attention to increasing the V8 sound under certain conditions, and those cool power disappearing rear seats, and on and on.... All of this engineering into a SUV is impressive.

karzz · January 2002

Link to ordering a brochure on the '03 Expedition.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/expedition03/asp/brochures_exp03_stage2.asp?flashok=true

wesyang · January 2002

I agree it's very impressive to have all the features. On the handle, more bugs we will see in the first year production.

rocnat4 · January 2002

Finally a power seat that folds flat.
Cudos to Ford finally figuring out what a horrible pain in the [non-permissible content removed] the 3rd seat has been to Ex owners. My only question, why did it take 5 years? On my 2nd Exp. '97 XLT then a 2000 EB. Other than the 3rd seat battles havent had much to complain about.

karzz · January 2002

The disappearing 3rd row seat seems to be made possible due to the independent rear suspension and the special patented frame the Expy has. This has opened up the whole rear area of the Expy and allowed space for the disappearing seat, adding the power part was probably the easy part.

gasguzzler007 · January 2002

The Expedition is not available as a manual. The stock tires are not low profile. It should be the same height as other Expys. Maybe the one you compared it too was lifted. Maybe the air suspension in yours is working incorrectly. What i would do would be to add a lift kit since you like vehicles to sit heigh and get some bigger tires. If you want to keep the current ride heigh and just need better tires I suggest that you get Yokohamas. These are the best tires on the market in my opinion. I have 255-70-R16 i believe. These are small when compared to some others. Good luck.

amberfranklin · January 2002

Thanks for all the info. that you have provided me, Im back with another question. I love my new to me Expedition, but the third seat does take away alot of cargo room, I was used to my Explorer having a ton of space. Anyway, I saw on another website a thing called the cargo strut which locks the third seat up into place allowing for alot of extra room. Does anyone have one and does it work good? Oh, by the way, thanks for the advise gasguzzler. Wanted to let you know that when I was hoping to get my manual soon, I meant the book manual, mine did not have one and the dealership has ordered one so I have been trying to learn all about my Expy on my own and with the help of these boards!

gasguzzler007 · January 2002

I was confused. LOL I was about to say that it is really strange that someone was looking for a manual Expedition. If you ever want to customize your truck make sure to take a look at my site at http://www.low-rides.spyw.com . I have put up many interesting ideas there. You will see an Expedition/Mercedes conversion and other interesting things. Good luck with the new truck! BTW, you made a good choice. These trucks are very dependable. I have 94K miles with no problems

stever · January 2002

Ford Makes Changes in Expedition SUV for 2003

Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

boonsboro · January 2002

My 2000 Exp. has a bar on the bottom of the 3rd row seat to hold it up out of the way. I believe this was added for the 2000 model year. The seat still takes about 1/3 of the space behind the 2nd row seat. Depending on what I am carrying it is usually more effective to fold the seat back down.

codave · January 2002

I have only seen one problem posted in last 6 months with transmissions. Anybody hear of any? I have a 99 Expedition with the 5.4L with 50K miles. Now I have a faint, high pitch 'whistle' noise, perhaps a small electric motor noise, when it gets to 3rd or OD. I hear it most when the tranny is cold. Once it is warm, the noise fades. Any ideas?

alwaysfords · January 2002

Have you had the tranny serviced? It is about due. You would be surprised what some nice fresh fluid will do. It will also give the mechanic a chance to look at the screen and the internals. It is cheap insurance against a bigger problem later.

eran1 · January 2002

Out of pure curiosity. How many miles do you (anyone or all) have on your Expedition? I have 120k on a 1998, 2wd, 5.4L, XLT. Just wondering if there are others in this arena. The truck is great, except we had a coolant leak on the 4th cylinder at 14k and 92k which made the truck virtually undriveable. Thanks for any comments.

jjmd1 · January 2002

I have a 1998 expy XLT, 4WD with 56,000 miles on it. I have had the 4WD replaced twice. Once at 40,000 miles, the axle actuator and recently,the vacuum apparatus? Both times, the 4wd failed when I needed it the most. I have also had the alternator replaced along with several electrical switches and motors. I love the car, but have had the car in the shop frequently.

Also, should I have the transmission fluid changed? What type should I put in the truck?

shand32783 · January 2002

2900 miles on my 2001 EB. I hardly drive the vehicle because I have a company Van. Should I start the vehicle every other day or just let it sit? I usually only drive it on the weekends.

shand32783 · January 2002

What type of aftermarket air intake or exhaust systems have you heard are good for the Expy EB? Do/will they actually increase gas mileage?

gasguzzler007 · January 2002

The best air filter to get is the K&N. Its available almost anywhere for less then $40. It is a cheap mod that does give you more HP. If you want to add a couple more horses, get the complete air intake. It is available for about $200. These help your car breath a lot better then the stock airfilters and they are reusable. I had one on my Mustang GT and have one on my F150. The mileage will not increase greatly. You have to remember that Expeditions are massive so which ever mod you do, you wont feel the extra power.

As for exhaust, I would go for a flowmaster. I had them on my 4.6 GT and they were great. Not only did it have a great noise to it, it does give you about 15 extra HP. Check them out on the web. You would need a series 40 or 50. Currently mine is stock when it comes to exhaust. I have a flowmaster tip but thats it.

Because you are interested in adding mileage, you will probably run into a lot of products. Some will be such things as the Tornado. I have heard a lot of bad things about this mod. I would not do it to my truck. So be careful. Hope that helps.

mrsteys · January 2002

Are all Expeditions equipped for a 3rd row seat. Some say yes others say no. I have a 1997 XLT.
Thanks

alwaysfords · January 2002

The third row seat drops into pockets that are in the floor pan in the cargo area. They are probably not just under the carpet waiting for you to expose them, they probably aren't there. You would also need seat belts, which mount to the d pillar, again if the hardware isn't there, then it isn't there, and you would need to add it. Doing it right will be a lot tougher than just buying a seat and slapping it in there, which is where I am guessing you are going with this.

cpearson1 · January 2002

If your vehicle didn't come with the seat, the pockets in the floor pan may not be there. Look and tell us what you find.

cmachk · January 2002

Hi my husband and I are considering purchasing a 98 XLT with 95,000. The truck seems to be in great condition. The previous owner put alot of money into after-market accessories. i.e custom leather driver and passenger seats, custom running boards, custom mirrors,custom wood grain trim on the inside, fog lights, two tone paint, bug shield, window guards, chrome strips above the wheel wells. The truck looks great and sounds great when running. I talked to the Ford dealer and he tells me I can expect to get 125,000 to 150,000 miles from it. Can anyone tell us why we shouldnt purchase it?

gasguzzler007 · January 2002

dependable engines. I say if you can get a very good deal go for it. I have 96K miles on mine and it runs great. Plus, it looks a lot better then most 99-00s because it has the good looking bumper unlike the plastic ones on the 99+. Tell us what you decide. I have a subscription to carfax so if you want I can run a report for you. Email me with your vin# at amrant@yahoo.com .

bklynbrat · January 2002

I need some info on tires. I have a 2000 EB 4x4 that's in need of some new tires. It has Good Year Wranglers (originals?) on it now w/55k miles.
Anyway one tire place tells me Bridgestone's another place tells me Michelins. So which tire is best?

Thanks in advance,
Bklynbrat

gasguzzler007 · January 2002

Imported straight from japan. Cant go wrong with that. I have AT+2 and there are the best tires that I have ever had. They are much better then my stock General Grabbers. I paid about $75 a piece. These usually sell for $120.

Ford Expedition

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