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in the Ely / BWCAW area, I periodically have my compass go wacko due to the magnetite rock, depending on where I'm going, and at some point when it gets annoying enough do the idiot dance in a parking lot. but in my 2000 limited, the CAL button is a one-tap over the rear view mirror.
the compass is a backup to the GPS, except where the compass goes wacko, in which case the GPS is the backup. in case both fail, the sun rises in the east, and the big dipper points to the north star. happy canoeing!
that 5L V8 AWD is the best drivetrain combination offered in the vehicle, not much went wrong. there were some issues around february 2000 build dates with intermittent oil pressure switches, but if you haven't seen problems, don't worry much. kind of a bear to get them replaced because of the ancillary equipment in the way, my dealer got full reimbursement for hoisting the engine on that issue.
march through may or june 2000 had a recall for side airbag sensor issues on the left side, by the seat belt assembly.
there were, of course, major issues with the Wilderness AT tires, by this time either vehicle should be off those sneakers even if the previous owner had a "thing" about standing up against the crowd.
a seat belt anchor thing in a few cars, I missed that recall as well.
and that's about all there was for recalls on that vehicle. it's solid and steady and with good rubber holds the road well.
rear wiper issues... I had the wiper motor assembly replaced and haven't seen the issue again. however... if you do... try lifting the wiper blade out of its cradle and let it hang free for a little while. one of the issues that end up being "won't wipe" is that some of the motor units don't close the limit switches, and a couple of tar strip bumps with the wiper blade hanging loose in "service position" usually fixes the issue. if not, you could try loosening the locknut on the motor shaft and rotate it a tad to the left before seeking new motors.
I like my 2000 exp limited, the guy in the cube across from me traded his 96 in for an EB almost exactly like it, and the mountaineer even had the option of adjustable pedals. wish I had 'em.
I know there is some kind of clutch system that the computer engages when traction at rea slips but this is happening on dry pavement and ONLY when wheels are turned - either direction.
Anybody out there experiencing similar problems? Solutions ???
late 90s control-trac used an electric clutch to engage the front drive to power, but there are parts of the system that are always spinning when the wheels do in 2wd. I'm not sure how far back it goes in the drive system, but my guess is that it goes back to the transfer case, and that would make both the drive joints and the transfer case suspect.
if the vehicle was supported on a frame or axle lift, not a tire contact lift, and showed the fronts turning in 2wd, then the electric clutch control and 4wd clutch stuff in the tranny become part of the suspect lineup.
the number of miles on the vehicle grossly coincide with where FWD half shafts start dying, so that's most likely IMHO
for $4500 below invoice at $30K. (including $2500 rebate)
No trade-ins
I think this is a very good price.
Your input??
I got a quote for new 03 Explorer Eddie Bauer with Moonroof and Tow Package in MA for $4500 below invoice at $30K. (including $2500 rebate)
No trade-ins
So you're saying the dealer will sell it to you for $2000 under invoice for a new 2003 with no miles on it? Even with the 3% dealer holdback and the 1.5% blue oval cash, it seems that they're losing money on that deal and that's pretty hard to believe. Is there a dealer incentive program happening for Explorers that hasn't hit Edmunds?
Please tell us what dealer... I've been watching fuel prices soar and it's getting time to start thinking about finding a fantastic deal. I'm looking for a LTD, V8 AWD, moonroof, towing package, no 3rd row seat.
Visit www.quirkcars.com (Ford section)to see for yourself. Look for Advertised Special which is $8500 off on MSRP on all EBs and Limiteds which would translate to $4500 under invoice
I have the invoice and you're right, even with holdback and blue oval cash, it is below cost..
an SUV is never going to be as quiet and glass-smooth as a rolls on a new road. if I have anything like that on my 00 exploder AWD, I've tuned it out long ago.
Dealer's name is Quirk Ford
Quirk. Merci beaucoup. Bought a 1992 Mazda Navajo (rebadged 2 door Exploder) from them.
If I'm going to get a Mountaineer, it looks like it will be the 2000 with 44k miles. The rating for the V8 AWD is 14/19, so its not that much worse...but I'm still not sure. What do you think? $15,900 for fully loaded (except moonroof)
Personally, I wouldn't own a Ford SUV that wasn't under some kind of warranty. My 98 Mountaineer V8 AWD chewed through every moving part in the front drive train and that would have racked up some serious repair bills if it had been on my nickel. I also had the usual rear wiper failures (repaired twice, dying again at 107K miles) and had problems with the power door locks. I don't think $15,900 is a great price on a 3 year old Mountaineer. Edmunds says the true market value on a dealer lot is $15,829. Soaring fuel prices are only going to push prices down so you might be better off waiting or shopping for a better deal.
as for "exploder"... well, I have a pocket full of nitroglycerin and I KNOW how to use it (yes, for angina, thanks for asking, Mr. Ridge), I park it in garage #C4... it MUST be an exploder :-D
you will have to evaluate your own mileage situation, it's a political issue according to some people. I like mine and can afford to feed it. the sidekick/tracker figures you've got really aren't significantly better... I get 17-21 highway MPG depending on wind and whether I'm paying careful attention to the speed limit when I stick on the cruise control, and generally around 13 in town. that's not bad, it's in range with most of what's out there, and I can tow when I need to.
that's a pretty nice deal all things considered, four months ago the guy in the opposite cube traded in his 95 for a 00 bauer explorer similar to mine (and the mountaineer you're looking at,) and his numbers were in the $20,000 range with a $6000 trade-in.
I think if the worst happened on an oil-shock basis (lines at the pump), that rig would slide another thousand dollars. it's near bottom now.
your decision, the mountaineer should be a smoother ride, though, due to longer and wider.
On the Web they list 17" wheels for 2002 with these packages but I have 16's on my truck. What gives. Sunflower Lin/Mercury is a screwed up
dealer here in Kansas. They tried to sell me a Mountaineer with a scratch which had to be buffed out to the primer and re-painted so I switched to another one with two chips in the paint and a roof rack with the finish worn over a 4x3" area. I hope the rack can be replaced on the one side without any problems.. Any Ideas on the wheels???
Also, is the highest fan setting supposed to be so loud? I have to turn the stereo up three full bars on the display to hear it over the heater when the automatic climate control kicks in.
As for the auto climate control being loud, I personally like it cause I know it is warming the vehicle very quickly and will soon slow down. If you don't like it you can still adjust the fan speed manually while still in Auto Climate Control mode.
I've never really needed it until this past storm, but when I turn the know to 4 HI the light never comes on the the front wheels never spin. I always wondered why the truck was never that great in the smaller storms we've gotten.
My neighbor has an Explorer and noticed the light was not coming on.
Anyone know if this is a know problem in Moutaineers?
Now to answer your questions.
Your Explorer was the first model year with that Engine (4.0L SOHC)and Transmition (5-Speed Auto) combination. This engine and transmition had defiant teething problems not to mention the timing chain noise but are OK now. Something Ford FINNALY managed to fix for the 2002 Explorer. Have you driven one of the new Mountaineers recently? I have good friends who just bought a black Premier with DVD entertainment and 4.6L V8. Wow what a machine. We took it to a Football game and I was very impressed. Very quiet, fast, and refined. However the ride still seems stiff, but more controlled. The TSB's are at a relatively low number which means that problems so far seem to be low, but these haven't been out that long. I do know that in Consumer Reports that the 2002 model Explorer/Mountaineer had much worse reliability than the average. However, if you look at the dots in the reliability box, nothing sticks out as being significantly wrong. If you are familiar with the dots:
Red = Much better than average
half Red = above average
Clear = Average
Half black = below average
black = Much worse than average
Nothing in the Explorer 2002 column is worse than above average.
I guess if I were you just look at the comments and customer satisfaction rating found in under the new car tab here at Edmunds. Right now the Explorer and Mountaineer have the same 8.4 out of 10 rating. People with the V8's seem to be the most satisfied. Just thought I would pass on some information to you. Good luck with your decision. If you have any more questions I will try to help.
OH and on the dealer thing. I know in my area (SE Michigan) which Ford dealers are good and which are bad. The ones that are good got a little better, and so did the bad ones. However the bad ones are still bad and I avoid dealing with them.
the V8 is new, and if there are latent issues with it like NG cooling and head gasket problems, they should start showing up this year sometime. Ford did hold this new triton-series V8 back until they figured they had it ready, so that bodes well.
if you're still iffy, try for a good deal on gold extended warranty as well if you like the vehicle.
Well, maybe I'll stop ragging on the one I had in a couple of years - some things surely must have changed in 30 years.
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Anyway I will let you all know if I move forward with the Mtneer and thanks again - Jim
frankly, ain't worth my time to be bothered by the detractors. let 'em dig out of the drifts and see how much fire is left in their eyes.
would I like 35 miles per gallon? absolutely, fix the *&%$(* gas, that's the obvious answer :-D
My experience has been so different with Ford SUVs. I had 2 Mountaineers, that never had repair one.
So our two data points combined give the car "average" reliability. Personally, I don't have a problem with it since I insure myself by buying an OEM Ford extended warranty. You can buy one right before it goes off the 3/36 and you can find them discounted on the internet.
I'm about to "go forth and sin again" if I can reconcile myself to how little a 98 Mountaineer V8 AWD with 108,500 miles on it is worth as a trade-in. The 2003 is a significant improvement for my application. The ride seems much less truck-like even though they've improved the towing capacity. Improved features include integral Class 3/4 hitch receiver, much better audio, heated seats, memory seats & pedals that auto-adjust off the remote entry system, and dual climate control. I hate the faux plastique silver trim around the radio/heat controls and I hate the side body cladding but everything else is fine.
Get the V-8
Nav.....
> It is REAL plastique trim, I'll have you know!!
Yeah, real cheesey. I'm considering having my boat builder make me some teak trim for the dash and the doors. Of course, I need to have him finish the winter projects on my boat first. That usually happens around August. sigh...
> Get the V-8
Gotten. The evil lie on the window sticker says 19 mpg. I saw 16 or 17 with the last one and I calculated in gallons-per-mile when I was towing.
But IMO, the spunkiness of the V-8 is worth the MPG drop, and you may indeed do the GPM thing when towing, but you'll sprint up the hill, vs the gasping crawl...... You got hills in NH?
Geesh, I hope you got a good one. It's not gonna be pretty on this board if you happened to get the one hanger queen they made in January.......I can just tell....
1. Noise in the front shocks.
2. Wind noise while driving on the highway at 60 mph or greater.
3. Beautiful leather interior is... the seats are cracking on the seat portion of the driver's and passenger's seats.
Other than that the car is very comfortable. Smooth ride, handles much better than the 96.
As to the poliface cracking seat problem, I'm stymied, our 2002 Mountaineer is 2 years old this May, it's hotter than hell here, and our seats are just fine...... I would think Ford would step up on that unless they've been damaged from water or something......in fact, we still have a 94 Eddie Bauer Explorer with the leather seats, and one of them split a seam, but the rest of them are also just about like new after 10 years.
just the thing for road driving. and when you get into a boghole on that shortcut, engage 4wd.
wish it had been that way in 2000 when I bought mine. love that AWD, but I don't seek out bogholes. AWD is not a friend in mud. 4wd is not a friend on pavement.
The dealer will replace them under warranty.
I've had them replaced twice now. The second set went on about a month ago. So far, so good.
there should still be a bottom plate with no drain plug, but plenty of screws and a gasket. the same plan for maintenance service of the fluid and filter exists... back all the screws out a couple of turns, except on one corner, where they are removed. tap the pan with a rubber mallet or a wood or plastic handle until the gasket gives way and spills tranny fluid all the hell over everything... and most of it, if you set up right, should go into the drain bucket. then take the rest of the screws and the pan all the way off and continue.
crossmembers, etc. may have to be removed. in rare vehicles, engine and transmission may have to be hoisted out. your mileage may vary. etc.
it's said to be an improvement in reliability. it's also another way to keep me away from the toys. I don't like those types of plans myself, but we'll see how it works over the next 10 years.
B
I have an '03 Mountaineer Premier with the 8 cycinder engine. 11,500 miles in 4 1/2 months.
At least twice a day, and only when I am braking to a stop, at the moment I stop, my engine surges high to low to high to low, or, it stalls.
3 trips to my dealer and of course, it never happens when they test drive it, nor do they find anything when they put it on their computer.
Any thoughts on this???
Thank you for any responses...
Steve