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Thanks for any help.
Steve
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2) Both front seat belts in my truck recoil when I get out (or a passenger) pretty much whenever they feel like it. Otherwise they lie limp and invariably I shut the door on them. Anybody else with this problem?
3) Transmission service...many different thoughts here. Ford book says 30000 miles. Local dealer says they can just look at the fluid and see if it needs doing rather than automatically servicing at 30000. I am nearly due for 21000 mile service, and do a lot of driving in mixed traffic. Should I get it done now, truck is 18 months old, I own and want to keep the thing running for a long time. Also, should I go for a total transmission service with fluid, filter, etc. or just a fluid change?
Thanks!
The tranny should have the pan dropped, the fluid and filter replaced every year. The dealers give you the BS that they usually just change the fluid, but since to change the fluid you have to take the pan down anyway, change the filter too. It only costs $17 for a filter.
The stupid maintenance manual also does not address the changing of the power steering fluid, which should be done every 24-36K miles, or if it gets really dark or burning smell is present.
Don't forget to FLUSH the radiator every other year. It is important to clear out all of the gunk and sediment that collects in the bottom. Also have it pressure tested.
Small comfort, but you aren't alone with a steering problem:
cwmoser "Isuzu Trooper" Jan 25, 2002 6:45am
Good luck.
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Makes you wonder how much of an interest they have in keeping the car running in good shape.
Took in our Explorer with 68K miles on Thursday because it was idling really rough and seemed to be "slipping" when I went to accelerate. Going over 60mph felt like I was really pushing the car. After two days the dealer tells me that it wasn't holding compression and that they need to send the heads to the machine shop and replace the head. Is this normal for a car with so few miles. We bought it with 28K three years ago so we have done around 13K a year mainly around town and such. Had an extended warranty that expired last November even though we haven't gone over the 70K miles!! Typical! My main question is this though. We took the car in last July because it started over heating - air conditioning blowing hot air, lights on the dash came on etc. It was also making some funny knocking noises. Service dept. replaced the thermostat and away I went. Well now that it is out of warranty the price is $1790 to fix. After talking to some people more knowledgeable than myself, I am starting to thing that it might be related to the over heating last July and should be covered under the warranty. What are my chances of getting the dealer to see my way of thinking? They claim it's not related because they did a compression test last July and it checked out OK. Is there someone else I should be contacting about this other than the dealer? They claim to have contacted the "warranty guy" and all they can do is give it to me at wholesale rather than retail which will save me 20%. Something smells fishy to me and this just isn't adding up.
Many thanks in advance for any info anyone might have.
Mike
Sorry that it took me so long to reply back ...
anywho, would it be safe to assume that if her truck makes such a noise then the linkage has already sustained considerable damage from the prior owner doing that very thing (driving on dry pavement in 4WD) too much? ? ?
also, I don't recall if she has the 4WD (auto) option on her truck (i'll check tomorrow) but if she does, then from what I read of the previous posts in 'auto' mode it will not lock the front wheels, correct?
Therefore, if the road surfaces are variable, such as black ice, some snow (wind blown drifts)... etc ... then it would be safe (okay for the truck) to run in 4WD auto?
On my 2000 Explorer, the knob on the dash has 3 positions 4WD Auto, 4wd high, and 4wd Low. I leave it in auto, and it never engages 4wd by itself.. even in snow. When I get stuck in snow, I have to turn the knob myself to put it in 4wd mode and lock the differential. I can unlock the diff by taking it out of 4wd high and backing up slowly a few feet.
On my Expedition, there was an additional knob position that said 2wd. I basically left it there all the time. I manually turned the knob to 4wd high when I was in snow.
To answer your last point, "yes", but try to avoid making sharp turns in 4wd high mode, as that puts a lot of strain on the linkages. Unless you are in Buffalo, NY, you will do better to be in 2wd.. especially from mpg perspective.
Did they actually do a compression test last year? Do you have the service Repair Order that you can refer to that actually says they did it? If they did not do the work last year, you may have a case for an attorney. At the very minimum, I would talk with an independent mechanic you trust.
After that, use the knowledge to speak with the service manager or the shop foreman at the dealership.. not some drone in the service writer uniform. If you feel put down and are not explained what is going on, or they are not willing to work with you, call the Ford regional rep... but only do that as a last resort.
From what I have read here, if you have a head gasket problem, they can just replace the gasket. If the heads are fouled or there is damage to the pistons or valves, those can be indicative of some serious problem.. one that would not have been fixed with a $1.35 thermostat swap 6 months ago.
IMO, changing the oil at 3K miles, spending $30 for a oil change is not a big deal. Its probably the single best thing you can do for the vehicle to keep it on the road. Changing the oil regularly helps the engine get rid of particulate dirt and makes sure the engine is properly lubricated (in case you go down a quart).
Regarding cleaning the inside, I use Chevron Techron Fuel system cleaner every 6 months. I also use Isopropol Water remover in the winter to get rid of bad gas and condensation.
Regarding Oil changes, I change the oil & filter every 3 months or 3,000 miles.
Hope this helps.
I have a '99 XLT 4WD with the SOHC 6. 39K miles. Lately, I been experiencing a strange phenomenon while driving that essentially feels like the tranny slips or disengages momentarily while travelling along at speeds of 40-whatever. It is a sudden jerking sensation that I can feel through the throttle and the passengers can feel by the jarring effect.
I had the tranny serviced - new filter and fluid. This seemed to temporarily solve the problems, but no less than 250 miles later, it began acting up again. I do not lose any tranny fluid on the underside of the car or on the garage floor.
Has anyone experienced something similar? I call ed the dealer and was told there was no recall he was aware of that coincides with these symptoms.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Sean
PS...no insult intended, but can you try to put a period or comma somewhere in your posts, they're kinda hard to read.
98 V8 AWD 52k on mobil 1 full synthetic.
I use Castrol 100% Syntec 5w30. Syntec Blend has 80% dino 20% synthetic oil. Mobil 1 is also very good oil. Where it really comes thru for you is if you are very hard on the engine.. lot of city driving, hot climate driving or off roading. Synthetic oil is superior to dino oil because it can withstand colder as well as hotter engine temps without breaking down or coagulating into sludge.
A big consideration is to use a quality oil filter.. not a piece of junk. The filter wears out or gets gunked up before the oil wears out. Fram makes an inferior product in my opinion. I use PureOne, made by purolator... but if you change the filter regularly, at about 3,000 - 5,000 miles the filter you use probably does not matter.
epp1:
Sounds like one or more of your clutches is malfunctioning. I'd have the tranny in to see a tranny professional (does not have to be the dealer unless under warranty.. they just send it out anyway) soon before you cause any damage to the unit. Just driving around can damage a malfunctioning tranny.
Good luck
Also, its my understanding that the ford motorcraft oil filter is made by Purolator and makes it much cheaper than just buying the Purolator brand. Yes, I do know that its not exactly the pure one model but its much better than most.
Has anyone had any experience trying to get Ford to buy back one of
their pieces of garbage.
My 97 EB V8 has 50k miles and is now running (although 'running' may
overstate its condition) on engine #3. Had it in last week for another
oil leak which was supposedly fixed, and now is leaking again. There
have also been many other major problems 'fixed' during the last 5
years.
My extended warranty is expiring at the end of the month (best thing I
ever bought) and I'm petrified of having this thing one day outside of
warranty.
How likely are they to buy it back or give me an extension on the
warranty? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I had company two days ago and noticed the guy was driving a very nicely detailed Explorer, so I asked him about it. In addition to the wax job he had just spent $4,500 on an engine rebuilt at 60,000 miles. I believe he said his was a '97 too.
He complained to Ford and they tossed in $500 on his repair bill. So I wouldn't hold my breath about getting any special favors in your situation, but it's worth a shot looking into your state's lemon laws and talking to the dealer and Ford reps.
Good luck.
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
http://www.autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_Lemon2.html
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
From Motor Week, Pat Goss explained that using the ODOMETER as a measurement for changing oil is pretty useless.
His example:
10 miles/hour * 300 hours = 3,000 miles
30 miles/hour * 100 hours = 3,000 miles
60 miles/hour * 50 hours = 3,000 miles
Thus, the odometer reads the same mileage, yet one car has used the oil 6 times longer.
You may say 10 miles/hour is invalid. Well, not necessarily. Suppose, I deliever mail from my car. The engine sits from stop to stop idling.
He suggested installing a hour tracker like in fork lifts, boats, and planes.
-total # of engine revolutions
-engine temp
-rpm
-engine duration. eg: do you drive for 30m or 30sec before you turn it off.
-engine load
There is more I am sure. If your car or truck dose not have a computer to calculate these variables then the best we can do is use our judgment guided by the manufacturers minimum guidelines (LOL).
dealers have insurance to handle such a deal... but since they won't talk to you, you should also cc: the state commerce department where they do business.
and send a copy to the general manager of that dealership... again, all parties should be noted on the letter, as direct addressees, such as
Zone Manager
Ford Motor Company
1313 Thatstreet
Someplace, Else 00000
cc: Foolem, Billum, and Runn
Attorneys at Law
666 Nowayout
East Hell, Else 00000
Hon. Blather Onandon
Commerce Commissioner
State of Confusion
12345 Capitol Fumble
Capitolcity, Else 00000
General Manager
DORF Ford
1 Bad Place
Blackhole, Else 00000
enclosing copies of the service order and bill, completely describe your excellent adventure, and detail the further misadventures with your dealer. Nothing will happen for several weeks, so follow up. If nothing happens after that, add your local consumer reporter at the TV station to the mailing list, again as a named addressee, along with copies of all pertinent correspondence. At this time, you should also add the Dealer Relations Office, Ford Motors, Dearborn, MI to the named mailing list.
in my humble opinion, after a foobar of this nature, somebody owes you a new car. As in 2.1 miles on the odometer, with a free extended warranty and a nice cake to celebrate with.
Good luck. Don't drive too aggressively until the dealer appt.
If you belong to Costco, I think they sell Techron for a buck or two less than Autozone.
Hope this helps!
My question relates to my parent's '00 Mountaineer, but figured it is the same as an Explorer so I would post it here.
'00 Mountaineer 4x4, 4.0L SOHC engine, 21K miles. The truck will idle very roughly (albeit sporadically) at normal operating temperature. It feels like it wants to die, but never does. While this condition is present, the truck will also accelerate suddenly when pulling away from a stop or light(with very little pressure on the accelerator, the engine will race and the truck will pick up speed very quickly). Not a good thing when in dense traffic!
In any event, the dealer replaced the MAF sensor but the condition remained. It is going back in on Friday to have the condition evaluated again. We are requesting the IACV be replaced and the TPS be checked and replaced if necessary (under warranty of course). Do these seem like reasonable culprits? When the engine is running/idling correctly there is no sudden acceleration, so we are assuming this is a idle adjustment/throttle adjustment related problem.
Anyone else have this problem with their Mountaineer/Explorer? If so, what was the resolution? My '00 Explorer does not have this problem (although I have the 4.0L OHV engine in my truck).
Thanks!
ryster
you might also wish to have them change the gas filter and clean the injectors if that does not work.