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tidester, host
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I'm new to these forums. Took a quick look, but could not find an answer that I need. I hope you can help. I have a 2001 Mountineer (Explorer in disguise), with the V8 engine. I took it on a long road trip over the weekend (400 miles), and had no problems with it. However, when my wife went to start it this morning, it started, but as soon as she engaged reverse, the engine died.
She tried this a few times. Each time it started ok, but as soon as she put it in reverse - it died. She tried idling the engine for a few minutes, but the same problem. Eventually, after about idling for 10+ minutes it was ok. There is not a lot of gas left in it - but it says about 55 miles - and it's not on a steep slope or anything (plus it starts when she turns the ignition).
Anyone heard about this problem with Explorers?
Another problem occured while i was driving. I turned on the a/c and noticed that the fan would not turn on then it started to smoke up inside and out so i stopped and it seemed to be a blown fan motor.I unpluged it so it would not catch on fire.
What the heck is going on with this vehicle.Nothing but problems lately.Thank god for the warrenty i purchased because i do not have the money for this beast. :mad:
If anyone knows of the problems i'm having could you please give me your opinions.Thanks
We live in a part of the country where you almost *never* need 4WD. My thought is remove the front half-axles and front driveshaft and drive it as a 2WD. The mechanic advises against this without giving a specific reason (because he wants the money?)
Will it hurt the xfer case to drive it this way? After reading some descriptions of A4WD it looks like the A4WD works by applying front/rear drive clutches to proportion the 4WD. I don't know what type of sensor (speed vs torque) is used for
this, but in the worst case just switch to full-time 4WD and the front clutch spins (unloaded) while the rear is just locked in (as in a standard 2WD) but no power is delivered to the front axle.
Thanks in advance!
Thanks.
Thanks.
P.S
Now I am hounded by FORD to buy an extended warrantee for $2600 Hyundai's are looking good with a 100,000 mile warrantee.
The moon and the stars must be in alignment. The V8 does not get better mpg than the V6. The V8 MAY get 1or 2 mpg LESS THAN THE V6-but it doesn't get better- no way.
Change out your idle air control valve on top of the throttle body. Its a very common problem on Ex's. 50 bucks or so at the parts store.
Its an electrical solenoid that move a small piston back and forth to regulate the air to the engine at idle. Sometimes when they get old they stick. No air, no start. Next time, the solenoid does not stick, and you start ok.
If the no start condition occurs after that, then you are into more advanced issues, like the key not being recognized, etc.
Or you could be a real pain in the a?? to your dealer and work on them for awhile to put it in for free.
This is comparing two almost identical Explorers. The only difference is that I did not get the trailer tow package(which should give me better gas mileage because I have a higher rear end, 3.55). The V8 has the 3.73 rear end for towing.
I chose the Eddie Baurer because the car looked good with the tan on Dark Stone. Plus the few extras you get with E.B. make it well worth it. I have enjoyed my explorer but wish I had gotten the V8 engine instead.
Back to your problem, I'm not that familiar with that particular tranny, but I might be able to steer you in the right direction. Does the speedometer pickup sensor and plastic gear mount in a hole in an extension housing on the back of the transmission or in a hole in the transfer case? I ask that because the transmission output shaft sticks into the transfer case. The internal gears that I have see have been metal, and they engage the plastic speed sensor gear. Is the guy that replaced the transfer case the same guy that replaced the transmission? I would not go for this "the transfer case warranty doesn't cover plastic" stuff.
About your 70 mph jolts, sounds like the torque converter lock up clutch is going in and out. When it engages, you should be able to see the Tach barely drop about 200 rpm. You can test it by driving steady at 60 or 70, watch the Tach with one eye (keep one eye on the road), lightly touch the brake with your left foot, while maintaining a steady throttle with your right foot. You should see the rpm rise a tiny amount as the torque converter clutch unlocks. Then as you maintain a steady throttle, you should see a slight rpm drop again, as the torque converter clutch engages again. Watch the Tach when you detect these random jolts and see if you can recognize the rpm change during the jolts. Other than that, take it back to the tranny guy to have him check it out.
For more information and free advice from experienced mechanics who work on these every day, do a search on Google for "automotive repair forum".
Good Luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida
Anyway, our problem wih our 98 Ford Explorer is that the turn signals have stopped working on all steering wheel postitions except if it is set at the very highest spot (does this make sense?). Anyway, it has progressively stopped in every other position and soon will in this one I am sure. We have already tried the flasher and that is not the problem. Then in addition, the driver's side lock is sticking. All the other locks come up, but sometimes the driver's side stays down and I have to do the auto locks several times to get out. Isn't this so bizzarre? My husband and I are SO NOT mechanics, by far no car (or car sales) experts, and we are currently pretty broke. There is no way we can afford a huge bill right now. We would just trade it in, but we are afraid that this will hurt the value.
Any advise??????????? :lemon:
Welcome aboard! You don't have to "reply to a message" to create a new message. Instead, simply fill in the Message form at the bottom of this page and fill in a Title just above it.
I'm sure others will be able to answer your questions directly but it would seem to me that the repairs shouldn't be all that expensive. I suspect that the lock problem is just a worn linkage clip (an inexpensive nylon part) which is easily replaced. Your turn signal problem also sounds like a worn part but requires a bit more effort to replace.
Good luck!
tidester, host
I called the dealership about this problem, and was told the part is on back order. I am leaving for vacation early friday morning, and will be driving 4 states away. The dealership refuses to give me a rental car, stating that the vehicle has a digital reading for how much fuel is left. Is this safe???
Any response would be appreciated. I'm travelling with three children, and this problem is worrying me...
anyway, aside from the health cost issue that it's facing, in my opinion, a good turnaround plan for ford is to build cars that won't fall apart so easily and start selling domestic cars at domestic price.
let's take the explorer as an example. it's a well designed SUV. it looks good and it drives good (ok, that's only my personal opinion of course). but fact is, it falls apart so easily.
and then the price... a fully loaded f-150 (ford's bread and butter) would cost so much more than a toyota thundra and a nissian titan (ok ok... they're also built here in the states, but still, japanese owned companies). shouldn't you think there should be an incentive in buying a domestic car in term of price (talking about base price excluding all the gimmicks on rebates and that sort)?
Has anyone had this problem and found a way to fix it?
Thanks
hart55
Please state some facts from a credible source.
Let us know what you find.
Good Luck
E.D.
Also, what was the cost for any of you having the ABS "services"? :confuse:
I took the explorer to the dealership this morning so they could run a diagnostics test on it. After that test, I was told I was getting a rental car, and would not have my explorer back for about three weeks! The instrument cluster is bad (?) and the vehicle can't (shouldn't?) be driven. There are three explorers in line in front of mine waiting for the same part. The oil change required indicator won't stop going off, the service engine soon indicator is on, and the ABS brakes light is on. Along with the issue of the fuel gauge working, then not working intermittently.
I thought they tested all this before they put these vehicles on the road... what a major disappointment. I drove a dodge durango for four years before this vehicle, and didn't have this many problems.
Also, the drivers door lock stick, and doesn't want to pop up - it takes multiple clicks on the key fob, while alternating on lifting the door handle.
Any ideas?
Warranty Adjustment.
The cost of servicing the ABS, depends upon what turns out to be malfunctioning.
Have you tried rebooting the truck? Disconnecting the battery, and then reconnecting it after a minute or two? That fixed my fuel guage, and haven't had any trouble since.
Good luck!
tidester, host