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Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier
The 4.6L and 5.4L Triton engines have received many awards from Ward's Automotive, because of it's design and reliability. And there have been other research studies (independent-and I wish I kept that link/article) that have concluded that info. Of course it's hard to believe because it is Ford and there's negative connotations with that Ford.
Ford's 5.0L (and the 5.8L Windsore engines) are also other engine's that has been recognized to be bullet-proof, throughout the history of engines.
I also remember some 4.0 ? I-6 from waayyyy back when (before my time), that was also recognized as one of the best engines ever manufactured.
Could have been the 4.9L truck engine? It was an I-6, and impossible to kill. I think it was a tractor motor too. If not that one, it must have been the old 250 CID I-6. Also, very rugged.
The 4.6L has been around now for over 10 years. If it had any inherent weaknesses, it would be famous by now, because as ANT says, if it's a Ford, it must be junk, right? Everybody is very quick to note a boo boo in the Ford garage, while BMW, for example, can blow head gasket after head gasket, and it's just "european". I haven't heard of any 4.6Ls blowing head gaskets, sludging up, having piston slap, or lunching intake manifold gaskets. And they are in every police interceptor, taxi and Town Car Limo in the Country!
They deserve an award for that engine. My only beef with it is, I think they could manage to get 250 bhp out of it without much effort, and wonder why they don't.
In Mustang trim, it can bump it to 260HP, but provided there's a few other items like improved/enhanced intake manifold, muffler, etc. To make it so, hence, expense.
Although now that the 4.6L receives 3V, as in the Mustang, we can expect the same improvements to apply for the Explorer's 4.6L when it's next revision around 2006 occurs pumping out around 280-290HP.
I agree with all the comments about the 4.6L. Its a fine piece of engineering , it could easily go 100, 200, 300k without major problems.
The 4.0L its a fine engine too. If you ever hear of have heard about problems with the 4.0L check first, since the new 4.0L used in Explorers since 98 Aprox. its a SOHC. Previous Explorers and I believe some of the 98-01 models came with the 4.0L OHV which is another story.
The Winsor engines are great too and could take you up to 200k w/o problems. Currently we have a 97 Mountaineer AWD with the 5.0 OHV with 137k trouble free miles.
Yes, that is correct. Although quite sometime before that. The 4.0L will be one of the engines that Ford is planning to eliminate, as well with the 3.8/9-4.2L Essex engines.
I alredy knew about the 3.8 and 4.2, its about time!!, but got some inside about the elimination of the 4.0. I know its not logical to have two engines so close in displacement (3.5 and 4.0) , especially from an monetary point of view. But Ill sure miss the 4.0. If Im not mistaken the 3.5 its going to be the base engine on the Mustang in a couple of years.
Yes, but remember the 3.5L will make much more horsepower and tonque, over the 202-210HP/230-240TQ of the current 4.0 SOHC, mainly because of it's DOHC configuration.
I recently(Feb.2003)purchased a new Ford Explorer XLT 4WD, which has stock 16" wheels and tires. I would like to trade and/or purchase the stock 17" machined aluminum wheels with the Owl All Terrain tires (standard on the XLT w/Sport pkg.) if anyone is interested. In the alternative, I would appreciate any information on sites where I could locate the 17" factory wheels (not knock-offs) and tires. Thank you.
Ive seen wheel and tire packages on ebay for $500 or $600, which in my opinion are a nice deal. You can also check in ford-parts.com. Im also planning to change my xlt's 16s for 17's.
Sorry about the other post hit enter by mistake. I drove an 04 Mountaineer for myself this weekend and all in all I liked it but still noticed week acceleration. The one I drove only had 40 miles on it but if you floored it from a stop it just didn't go. It seemed if you only gave it partial throttle it would go pretty good. Any one else notice this and did it get better once the truck was broken in?
It must have been the six, and they're not terribly torquey at low rpm, but I consider them adequate. If it felt weak to you, may I suggest the V-8, which you should find mighty appealing And the mileage is nearly the same, just about 1 MPG less for the V8.
I recently purchased a fully loaded 2002 mountaineer v-8, rear wheel drive, 22,000 miles. I love it, but have noticed a squeak that seems to be coming from the rear end....it sounds like squeaky bed springs when going over small bumps in the road, etc. I took it into the dealer, and of course, it wouldn't make the noise when they drove it. They said they checked for any leaks, etc. but couldn't find any.... Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
These were all V8's that we have driven, we are not even looking at the V6. I live in Denver which may have something to do with it but my 96 Ranger with the 4.0 160hp engine accelerates better than the trucks I have driven so far, at least from a dead stop. As I mentioned the last one I drove only had 40 miles on it so the engine was very green. Still I like the truck very much and hopefully, if all my wifes deals close on time, we can purchase one in a few months.
My Ranger was very quick feeling also, until you put a trailer on the back, then you would feel it. I sort of understand now, but still think the 8 is plenty peppy.....
I have a 99 Ford Explorer XLT. This morning I went to back out my driveway and it would not go. It would not go in drive either only low (2). Once I was driving the o/d light started flashing but I was able to put it in drive. I still have no reverse though. Any ideas??
My 94 Explorer Eddie Bauer drove away from my house for the last time last night. After 128,000 faithful and very trouble free miles, the engine burned a hole in the #5 piston, and I elected not to replace or rebuild the motor at this mileage, and gave the car to my son's girlfriend. She's always had an interest in the truck and wants to rebuild it.
The truck has been run hard over the 10 years - not had the best of maintenance all the time either, as it was used by various members of the family, and was downright abused at times off road - doing things Explorers were not designed to do. It survived a crash over a median and fire hydrant, blowing both front tires, without even needing an alignment after. It was an extraordinary vehicle that served us well. It will be missed. And even with a blown piston, it still drove away under its own power, no smoke, just a steady miss from a dead cylinder. And after 10 years and all these miles, it didn't leak a drop of anything on the driveway.
My son just got activated in the Army. He was a reservist. We had a chance to visit him before he left Arizona. We decided to make the trip. My wife's 2002 4.0 SOHC performed great. On miles per gallon on the way there averaged 19mpg. On the return trip it was right at 20mpg. The round trip was a little over 700 miles. It is a great cruising SUV. AS I reported earlier, no mechanical issues to date. The only problem we have encountered is the back panel replacement expanding and contracting with the weather. This is under the rear hatch glass. Ours was cracked and the dealer replaced it. However, it does not appeared to be glued down correctly. It's off to the glass company tomorrow. Overall, very satisfied!
Thanks for the tip. I also found a great site for factory Ford Explorer wheels and rims at http://hubcaphaven.com/explorer, which indicates that the 17" wheels are available ($299 per for chrome finish, and $189 per for machined or painted finish) from Wheels and Rims Haven (see Item #s ALY3529 and ALY3528). Good luck.
Just took a trip from NJ to NH and back in my 2004 MM 6 cyl 4wd Luxury with 3000 miles. I could not get the mpg readout to go over 17.2. I was hoping to do better, cruising at 75 mph for 6 hours straight. I am thinking the mileage will improve as I put more miles on the truck. I still have that strange shifting scenario, when each shift happens in two stages, with the first stage feeling like a "stall" or hesitation, then the actual shift. Dealer said it would go away after 3000 miles, but it hasn't. As someone wrote here earlier I will ask about the reflashing when I go in for service.
Mine did that strange shift thing for a while, but quit doing it about 2k ago when it hit 8k miles.
As for fuel economy, yup, it'll be dismal. I've yet to get over 17 mpg with mine and it will turn 10k this week. I've had it for 3 1/2 months, pretty good truck though especially considering how I drive/use it.
Can any one tell me whether the console between the middle quad seats in the eb or limited edition is removable? Or is it permanently fixed? No local dealers know and none have any on their lots to check. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I searched the forum and there is no discussion on this that I could find. Thanks!
Our 02 6 cyl MM got us 17.5 in town, NO highway driving at all. Give it some time & mileage - your highway mileage should improve. 75mph though, is pretty aggressive for a block of steel and plastic to move through the atmosphere....so the mileage will deteriorate on a straight line basis over 55mph.
You wanna remove the console and just leave it open there? Oh, I'm sure it's possible, but may not be easy or pretty. May need to do some cutting. Why would you want to do that, if I may ask?
I have an EB with quad seating in my showroom and the console in the rear is not easily removed. its put in the same way as the center console in the front.
I assume you want to pass through to the 3rd row? the console seats tumble forward out of the way to allow access to the 3rd row same as the 40/20/40 split bench.
Ford will issue a safety recall: 04B15 on Explorer, Mountaineer or Lincoln Aviator models built in St. Louis Assembly Plant (SLAP) from March 29th 2004 thru April 14 2004.
This pertains to the rear axle and an improper mix of axle lubricant that causes a noise/vibration.
Interestingly enough, my buddy who owns the Aviator, finally took his in which howled intermittantly for the past year. Turned out NOT to be the rear axle, but instead, was evidently a faulty expansion valve in the rear A/C evaporator, that was hanging up, and causing an eery howling noise back there. The dealer call this one right (miracle of miracles) the first time, and has evidently fixed it. No further occurrances. He's happy.
I have V8. Normally, with good maintenance, I'd expect to get 150K miles. Never had an SUV before let alone all wheel drive with a sealed transmission. Specific questions: Can this transmission go 150K miles without a fluid change? (are mercury transmissions noted for longevity and durability?)
Can all wheel drive go trouble free for 150K? (It seems like a complicated system that might come under pressure)
But there are some "what ifs" that matter a lot in the answer. For example, if you put that 150,000 miles on in about 2 years, I believe it would absolutely last that long, and possibly longer, especially if you live in a cool climate. If you take 10 or more years to put that mileage on the car, it may not make it that far without some replacement parts. Highway miles piled on a car fast don't age it much. Years play a factor as well, in the aging of rubber, moving or fluid parts.
I got 120,000 out of my 94 Explorer before the front wheel drive required service. I got to 128,ooo miles, and the engine burned a hole in one piston. At that point, I decided to retire the old girl, but she had been abused horribly the last 5 years as she was passed from kid to kid. Very little maintenance, and driven very very hard.....
My 2004 Mountaineer, optioned like yours, is the most impressive of the 5 I have owned yet. It is much more solid feeling that the 02 we traded on it, has -0- defects so far, and is a real joy to drive. But as to whether we'll get 150,000 out of her, who knows? I would say it should be possible, with proper maintenance. I also, would be changing that transmission fluid about every 25,000 miles, "sealed for life" or not. Personally, I think the sealed transmission idea may work fine in Michigan, but not in the desert southwest where temps are extremely high half the year. Heat kills transmissions, and they can be serviced with a cooling line flush system. You just have to find a dealer or garage who has the equipment. Or, it can be done yourself if you're in the mood. I'm not anymore. That transmission in your Mercury has exhibited a very good reputation so far, but only came out in about 00 I think, so it doesn't have 10 years of history behind it, as your engine does.
In my experience though, and I've owned 5 of them myself, they are a very durable truck - problem free and very serviceable for reasonable duty. I think they're the best overall vehicle for the money out there. Best of luck. Hope you enjoy it.
The V8 and transmissions, both are designed to last 150K (which is what the internal tolerances were designed to withstand), you could easily rack up more without any issues. One tip, keep the vehicle out of O/D, that is ONLY to be used during speeds of 50MPH+, such as in the highway. I constaly see people with O/D on ALL the time, and that will cut tranny life in half.
For your A/C, place it in "MAX A/C" (re-circulation), it'll make the compressor run less and work less since it's taking in already cold air, and cooling it a bit, and spitting it back out. If you use NORM A/C, your taking the VERY hot outside air, cool it, to spit it back at you.
Make sure, everytime your A/C is serviced (have gas added to it) that a can of Recharge Oil is added, prior to having the R-134a gas injected into the system. This will help quite a bit in extending the compressors life. I know someone with 2 20 year old Ford's, with the original compressors (they never changed over to the Eco-friendly gas), and still work perfectly well.
Only things you might have to replace (typical for many vehicles around 90-120K might be things like the starter and alternator) no biggy.
And most importantly, sometimes it's just luck. I run all my cars extremely hard, treat them like $%^*(*, and nothing ever fails in them. NOW, other's I know, baby their vehicles and they have issues with them... I touch them one afternoon, and suddenly, they magically are fixed... go figure....
But if you ask me, is this a car I would choose for the long term, YES very much so. I would choose this over any Honda or Toyota actually because the build tolerances are much higher overall, and if something were to break, the parts are inexpensive, and readily available anywhere, maintenence is cheap and inexpensive (owner costs, etc).
"One tip, keep the vehicle out of O/D, that is ONLY to be used during speeds of 50MPH+, such as in the highway. I constaly see people with O/D on ALL the time, and that will cut tranny life in half."
Please explain this. I have seen your posts before on the O/D usage but no real details. If leaving the trans in O/D will hurt it then why would Ford set it to be on by default? Also, since the newer trannys are computer controlled I would think that they would put something in place to check the speed before engaging the O/D if that was an issue. I also don't recall anything about not using it in the owners manual except related to towing.
There are many times that I am around town running 40-50 with the cruise on and I'm confident that I would loose gas mileage without having O/D engaged.
I would love to draw pictures over how tranny's work, but obviously I can't, so I'll try and explain it as best I can even though I just woke up.
You can refer to the owner's manual where it'll state what they recommend, with the O/D. Overdrive gives you the extra gear which is beneficial for long term cruising and improves gas milage. Although, if your in a situation where the vehicle is constantly shifting from 4th to 5th, 5th to 4th, over and over, your causing for a LONG gear, to constantly work in engaging and disengaging
Being the gear is tall, your requiring the transmission to shift from a relaxed state, into a lower gear to extract more power, then upshift again when the appropiate speed is reached.
1st and 2rd gear's are short, and therefore much stronger since they are essentially to help you take off, 2nd passes you quickly to 3rd if your gentle on the pedal, if not it'll rev high till throw you into 3rd and 4th, which is mostly what it'll run in.
Now, on the V6 model for example. That tranny LOVES to hunt. This occurs when your on 4th or O/D 5th, need power, slam the gas, it shifts to 4th, then maybe 3rd, maybe 2nd to give you the power you need. Hence, LOST time, high stress doing so because it's on O/D. If it were kept in 4th, the tranny computer "reads" your driving habit since the vehicle is reving a bit higher, and therefore might give you an instant 2nd gear shift, instead of hunting gear by gear, for the best one.
So this is why I state it's best to keep O/D off till your in the highway, or in cruising roads which you know you won't be causing it to shift too much.
Now that we have 5 and 6 speed automatics, your dealing with transmission with higher tolerances which might tolerate constant shifting, but refer to the manual as to WHICH gear should be elected. Some of these new 6 speed automatics have 5th and 6th gear as selected overdrives.
You would be amazed at the amount of vehicles 5-8 years old I see with transmission problems because the owner's just DIDN'T know. And moreso on people who are aggresive driver's, since it's even MORE shifting the transmission must do.
Now as to why Ford, and a few other automaker's keep it as the default is mainly a bit of a trick. Since O/D is a very tall gear, you increase your fuel efficiency a bit (But you lose it if it's constantly hunting for a lower gear), so as default it's placed to increase it a bit, so then consumer's wonder "Gee, it doesn't really waste that much gas". And helps Ford achieve decent EPA number's counted towards/against CAFE credits.
While some other car's, have the transmission lever where you place it on O/D or 4th, or 3rd (depending as to the number of gears).
Sidenote example: Corvette (and some other GM trannies) have a "2nd gear start" default. Depending how you press the pedal, and if the computer reads your driving habit... it'll start you off in 2nd gear. This improves fuel efficiency a tad, and it's one less shift it needs to undertake which helps. BUT, this specially on the Corvette because it has the available power, to be able to take off from 2nd gear, without issues. Many other car's NEED 1st gear, therefore such a set up would NOT be beneficial and in fact might waste more gas doing so.
There are only certain times that I know that I need to turn off the Overdrive. However, I never need to turn it off in either my wife's Explorer or my Expedition. It only sometimes needs to be turned off in my sons 96 T-bird, because at around 40MPH it will start hunting and clunking. I think that in most cases the transmission selects the right gear for the proper speed. If you take it out of O/D and forget, you will let significant heat build up if run at higher speeds (shortening its life). Plus, it is obnoxious to have to pay attention to turning it on and off. While it is up in the air, I think that you might be better off with just leaving the O/D function up to the computer, unless you sense hunting. Hehe, now you have to pick between My and ANTS opinion. On a side note, the T-bird now has 130,000K on it, and while the trans can be slightly fussy 5% of the time, it still seems to be strong.
"in my sons 96 T-bird, because at around 40MPH it will start hunting and clunking."
That "hunt and clunk" is exactly what occurs from years of leaving it on O/D. My friend has the same condition with his 86 Cougar, between 40-50MPH when it's cold if it's selected, so he avoids it altogether by selecting regular D, and leaving O/D for 60MPH+.
Hunt and clunk is a clear indicator that it should not be turned on, too early to turn it on, too slow to be turning it on. And once you get hunt and clunk, you'll never be able to fix it till you redo your transmission (worst case senario) or just the overdrive gear (best case senario). At least with RWD, service center's will charge a bit less for transmission work, oppose to FWD for example.
other than that small percentage of the time, it wont do it, and other than the noise the transmission still works great. I guess MY point is, that Fords should not have to be switched out of overdrive, just because the button is there. With modern vehicles, isn't it all electronically controlled for optimum shift times? You shouldn't have to monitor the speed constantly and then put your car in and out of O/D as needed. That is reason enough to buy a different brand of vehicle. I have 100,000 miles on my Expedition and my wife has 62,000 on her 00 Explorer. Neither have transmission noises or any other kind of problems, so I consider my son's car the exception rather than the rule. I guess what I am say is, that I have seen more evidence for leaving the O/D on unless you are towing or notice gear hunting.
Ant- I'm not trying to ignite an argument, I just have a different experience and opinion thats all. In fact, I consider you one of the most informative people on this site :-)
"With modern vehicles, isn't it all electronically controlled for optimum shift times"
Depending upon the circumstances. Most tranny computer's have a pre-set shift algorithum based upon vehicle loads, speed, pressure on pedal, etc. Some other's flunctuate constantly, at rates up to 1000's of times a second, taking all the above into consideration.
The button is supplied to prevent O/D from kicking on, since it's something useful for long term cruising in the highway.
Here's a common senario...Your doing 60MPH on a 2 lane highway and need to pass a vehicle. If you leave the O/D on, you press the accelerator (pray in some 4cylinder cars) and you will notice it'll shift you to a lower gear slowly, AND at a lower RPM, then watch it rev up at a slower pace. That itself, takes quite a bit of time and valuble seconds.
Now, same situation, but before passing, remove the O/D. Your now reving a bit higher, you sent the computer the HINT that you will need some speedy results. Slam the gas to pass (if needed, it'll shift down and much quicker) it'll rev possible to redline, upshift, your done. Turn O/D back on if need be.
That's what the button (or lever in some vehicles) is for. Same as traction control, we all need it, but we need a defeat switch for special circumstances (peeling out, startup from a slick surface, etc).
Oh I'm not arguing against the point at all, nor upset by it. More opinions, the better...I'm just talking about an engineering point of view. Real world experience is definately another.
If you read your owner's manual under specifications it will tell you how many quarts you need. I don't know off hand, have only done one oil change on my 04 Explorer.
My 2003 Premier MM V-8 has 52k miles. To date no major repairs or issues. Only small issue, the DVD screen rattles over small bumps I just have not had the time to solve the problem. Still have the original BFG tires with plenty of tread life on them, not sure what I will replace them with, hard to beat price/performance of the BFG's when compared the the Michelin Cross Terrains. The BFG's tires are inflated to 35lbs front and back. Also use Mobil 1 0-20w motor oil. Just completed a round trip MA-FL trip and for the trip averaged 19.91 mpg, calculated (2988 miles, 150.057 gallons of fuel) not using the trip computer, not bad as I was driving 70-80mph the entire trip. Let's hope the next 50k are as good as the first.
Thank you, all, for the very thorough responses to my 150K question.
Looking at the full range of advice, all very good, I probably will go ahead and get the transmission changed at 50K intervals (provided a dealership convinces me that they can pull it off---how do they know when it is at the "just right level" without a dip stick?).
Since I drive mostly highway I have an edge---somebody said that was a plus versus long time span/short trips.
As for overdrive button, I will use it in stop and go/short local trips/or hilly terrain. Otherwise I'll leave it on. Everybody presented their case well. That's why I am compromising.
This vehicle is great. I just got XM radio to overcome, as some of you may recall from a past post about dissatisfaction with radio reception and quality of sound, and it is TREMENDOUS and the sound quality is now excellent. Must be the digital quality.
I tried driving an Explorer with the overdrive off today in the city and it was noticeably quicker to downshift. It felt much more responsive. Everyone should drive their Explorer with the O/D off around the city.
When I had my 1990 Suburban, the tranny was kinda yucky in it when I got it and the guy said to run it in town with the o/d off. I try to remember with my Explorer, but it doesn't seem to care one way or another.
Now my hubby's 99 Ram 3500 if you don't shut the o/d off in town it will shift back and forth, gets harder every shift, kinda reminds us in a not too nice way to shut the o/d off.
the old mid-70s 'burbs really hunted between 38 and 40 mph, absolutely a horrid place to do it, when trailer equipped. and that was more than noticeable, you'd think the tranny was failing when it was happening. so way back when, on dad's tarburner, I learned when towing and when going down to the mall, you push the button and lock out the OD.
I am looking at purchasing a 2004 Explorer Limited. Has anyone had good or bad experiences with this model? I have owned an explorer in the past, but didn't know how this model would compare.
Any problems that anyone has had? Any information would be useful.
Comments
Ford's 5.0L (and the 5.8L Windsore engines) are also other engine's that has been recognized to be bullet-proof, throughout the history of engines.
I also remember some 4.0 ? I-6 from waayyyy back when (before my time), that was also recognized as one of the best engines ever manufactured.
The 4.6L has been around now for over 10 years. If it had any inherent weaknesses, it would be famous by now, because as ANT says, if it's a Ford, it must be junk, right? Everybody is very quick to note a boo boo in the Ford garage, while BMW, for example, can blow head gasket after head gasket, and it's just "european". I haven't heard of any 4.6Ls blowing head gaskets, sludging up, having piston slap, or lunching intake manifold gaskets. And they are in every police interceptor, taxi and Town Car Limo in the Country!
They deserve an award for that engine. My only beef with it is, I think they could manage to get 250 bhp out of it without much effort, and wonder why they don't.
Although now that the 4.6L receives 3V, as in the Mustang, we can expect the same improvements to apply for the Explorer's 4.6L when it's next revision around 2006 occurs pumping out around 280-290HP.
The 4.0L its a fine engine too. If you ever hear of have heard about problems with the 4.0L check first, since the new 4.0L used in Explorers since 98 Aprox. its a SOHC. Previous Explorers and I believe some of the 98-01 models came with the 4.0L OHV which is another story.
The Winsor engines are great too and could take you up to 200k w/o problems. Currently we have a 97 Mountaineer AWD with the 5.0 OHV with 137k trouble free miles.
Hope you find the suggestions useful.
And the mileage is nearly the same, just about 1 MPG less for the V8.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
The truck has been run hard over the 10 years - not had the best of maintenance all the time either, as it was used by various members of the family, and was downright abused at times off road - doing things Explorers were not designed to do. It survived a crash over a median and fire hydrant, blowing both front tires, without even needing an alignment after. It was an extraordinary vehicle that served us well. It will be missed. And even with a blown piston, it still drove away under its own power, no smoke, just a steady miss from a dead cylinder. And after 10 years and all these miles, it didn't leak a drop of anything on the driveway.
It's been loyal to us - and will be missed.
As for fuel economy, yup, it'll be dismal. I've yet to get over 17 mpg with mine and it will turn 10k this week. I've had it for 3 1/2 months, pretty good truck though especially considering how I drive/use it.
You wanna remove the console and just leave it open there? Oh, I'm sure it's possible, but may not be easy or pretty. May need to do some cutting. Why would you want to do that, if I may ask?
I assume you want to pass through to the 3rd row?
the console seats tumble forward out of the way to allow access to the 3rd row same as the 40/20/40 split bench.
Mark
This pertains to the rear axle and an improper mix of axle lubricant that causes a noise/vibration.
Normally, with good maintenance, I'd expect to get 150K miles.
Never had an SUV before let alone all wheel drive with a sealed transmission.
Specific questions:
Can this transmission go 150K miles without a fluid change?
(are mercury transmissions noted for longevity and durability?)
Can all wheel drive go trouble free for 150K?
(It seems like a complicated system that might come under pressure)
What are the odds? Thanks.
I got 120,000 out of my 94 Explorer before the front wheel drive required service. I got to 128,ooo miles, and the engine burned a hole in one piston. At that point, I decided to retire the old girl, but she had been abused horribly the last 5 years as she was passed from kid to kid. Very little maintenance, and driven very very hard.....
My 2004 Mountaineer, optioned like yours, is the most impressive of the 5 I have owned yet. It is much more solid feeling that the 02 we traded on it, has -0- defects so far, and is a real joy to drive. But as to whether we'll get 150,000 out of her, who knows? I would say it should be possible, with proper maintenance. I also, would be changing that transmission fluid about every 25,000 miles, "sealed for life" or not. Personally, I think the sealed transmission idea may work fine in Michigan, but not in the desert southwest where temps are extremely high half the year. Heat kills transmissions, and they can be serviced with a cooling line flush system. You just have to find a dealer or garage who has the equipment. Or, it can be done yourself if you're in the mood. I'm not anymore. That transmission in your Mercury has exhibited a very good reputation so far, but only came out in about 00 I think, so it doesn't have 10 years of history behind it, as your engine does.
In my experience though, and I've owned 5 of them myself, they are a very durable truck - problem free and very serviceable for reasonable duty. I think they're the best overall vehicle for the money out there. Best of luck. Hope you enjoy it.
For your A/C, place it in "MAX A/C" (re-circulation), it'll make the compressor run less and work less since it's taking in already cold air, and cooling it a bit, and spitting it back out. If you use NORM A/C, your taking the VERY hot outside air, cool it, to spit it back at you.
Make sure, everytime your A/C is serviced (have gas added to it) that a can of Recharge Oil is added, prior to having the R-134a gas injected into the system. This will help quite a bit in extending the compressors life. I know someone with 2 20 year old Ford's, with the original compressors (they never changed over to the Eco-friendly gas), and still work perfectly well.
Only things you might have to replace (typical for many vehicles around 90-120K might be things like the starter and alternator) no biggy.
And most importantly, sometimes it's just luck. I run all my cars extremely hard, treat them like $%^*(*, and nothing ever fails in them. NOW, other's I know, baby their vehicles and they have issues with them... I touch them one afternoon, and suddenly, they magically are fixed... go figure....
But if you ask me, is this a car I would choose for the long term, YES very much so. I would choose this over any Honda or Toyota actually because the build tolerances are much higher overall, and if something were to break, the parts are inexpensive, and readily available anywhere, maintenence is cheap and inexpensive (owner costs, etc).
Please explain this. I have seen your posts before on the O/D usage but no real details. If leaving the trans in O/D will hurt it then why would Ford set it to be on by default? Also, since the newer trannys are computer controlled I would think that they would put something in place to check the speed before engaging the O/D if that was an issue. I also don't recall anything about not using it in the owners manual except related to towing.
There are many times that I am around town running 40-50 with the cruise on and I'm confident that I would loose gas mileage without having O/D engaged.
You can refer to the owner's manual where it'll state what they recommend, with the O/D. Overdrive gives you the extra gear which is beneficial for long term cruising and improves gas milage. Although, if your in a situation where the vehicle is constantly shifting from 4th to 5th, 5th to 4th, over and over, your causing for a LONG gear, to constantly work in engaging and disengaging
Being the gear is tall, your requiring the transmission to shift from a relaxed state, into a lower gear to extract more power, then upshift again when the appropiate speed is reached.
1st and 2rd gear's are short, and therefore much stronger since they are essentially to help you take off, 2nd passes you quickly to 3rd if your gentle on the pedal, if not it'll rev high till throw you into 3rd and 4th, which is mostly what it'll run in.
Now, on the V6 model for example. That tranny LOVES to hunt. This occurs when your on 4th or O/D 5th, need power, slam the gas, it shifts to 4th, then maybe 3rd, maybe 2nd to give you the power you need. Hence, LOST time, high stress doing so because it's on O/D. If it were kept in 4th, the tranny computer "reads" your driving habit since the vehicle is reving a bit higher, and therefore might give you an instant 2nd gear shift, instead of hunting gear by gear, for the best one.
So this is why I state it's best to keep O/D off till your in the highway, or in cruising roads which you know you won't be causing it to shift too much.
Now that we have 5 and 6 speed automatics, your dealing with transmission with higher tolerances which might tolerate constant shifting, but refer to the manual as to WHICH gear should be elected. Some of these new 6 speed automatics have 5th and 6th gear as selected overdrives.
You would be amazed at the amount of vehicles 5-8 years old I see with transmission problems because the owner's just DIDN'T know. And moreso on people who are aggresive driver's, since it's even MORE shifting the transmission must do.
Now as to why Ford, and a few other automaker's keep it as the default is mainly a bit of a trick. Since O/D is a very tall gear, you increase your fuel efficiency a bit (But you lose it if it's constantly hunting for a lower gear), so as default it's placed to increase it a bit, so then consumer's wonder "Gee, it doesn't really waste that much gas". And helps Ford achieve decent EPA number's counted towards/against CAFE credits.
While some other car's, have the transmission lever where you place it on O/D or 4th, or 3rd (depending as to the number of gears).
Sidenote example: Corvette (and some other GM trannies) have a "2nd gear start" default. Depending how you press the pedal, and if the computer reads your driving habit... it'll start you off in 2nd gear. This improves fuel efficiency a tad, and it's one less shift it needs to undertake which helps. BUT, this specially on the Corvette because it has the available power, to be able to take off from 2nd gear, without issues. Many other car's NEED 1st gear, therefore such a set up would NOT be beneficial and in fact might waste more gas doing so.
That "hunt and clunk" is exactly what occurs from years of leaving it on O/D. My friend has the same condition with his 86 Cougar, between 40-50MPH when it's cold if it's selected, so he avoids it altogether by selecting regular D, and leaving O/D for 60MPH+.
Hunt and clunk is a clear indicator that it should not be turned on, too early to turn it on, too slow to be turning it on. And once you get hunt and clunk, you'll never be able to fix it till you redo your transmission (worst case senario) or just the overdrive gear (best case senario). At least with RWD, service center's will charge a bit less for transmission work, oppose to FWD for example.
Ant- I'm not trying to ignite an argument, I just have a different experience and opinion thats all. In fact, I consider you one of the most informative people on this site :-)
Depending upon the circumstances. Most tranny computer's have a pre-set shift algorithum based upon vehicle loads, speed, pressure on pedal, etc. Some other's flunctuate constantly, at rates up to 1000's of times a second, taking all the above into consideration.
The button is supplied to prevent O/D from kicking on, since it's something useful for long term cruising in the highway.
Here's a common senario...Your doing 60MPH on a 2 lane highway and need to pass a vehicle. If you leave the O/D on, you press the accelerator (pray in some 4cylinder cars) and you will notice it'll shift you to a lower gear slowly, AND at a lower RPM, then watch it rev up at a slower pace. That itself, takes quite a bit of time and valuble seconds.
Now, same situation, but before passing, remove the O/D. Your now reving a bit higher, you sent the computer the HINT that you will need some speedy results. Slam the gas to pass (if needed, it'll shift down and much quicker) it'll rev possible to redline, upshift, your done. Turn O/D back on if need be.
That's what the button (or lever in some vehicles) is for. Same as traction control, we all need it, but we need a defeat switch for special circumstances (peeling out, startup from a slick surface, etc).
Oh I'm not arguing against the point at all, nor upset by it. More opinions, the better...I'm just talking about an engineering point of view. Real world experience is definately another.
Looking at the full range of advice, all very good, I probably will go ahead and get the transmission changed at 50K intervals (provided a dealership convinces me that they can pull it off---how do they know when it is at the "just right level" without a dip stick?).
Since I drive mostly highway I have an edge---somebody said that was a plus versus long time span/short trips.
As for overdrive button, I will use it in stop and go/short local trips/or hilly terrain. Otherwise I'll leave it on. Everybody presented their case well. That's why I am compromising.
This vehicle is great. I just got XM radio to overcome, as some of you may recall from a past post about dissatisfaction with radio reception and quality of sound, and it is TREMENDOUS and the sound quality is now excellent. Must be the digital quality.
Thanks again. Thanks again.........Tweedie
Now my hubby's 99 Ram 3500 if you don't shut the o/d off in town it will shift back and forth, gets harder every shift, kinda reminds us in a not too nice way to shut the o/d off.
Any problems that anyone has had? Any information would be useful.
Thanks
Thanks.