Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

gtyates · February 2002

Has anyone had experience adding a factory cd changer to existing system? I have a 1997 Explorer with premium sound and am getting ready to add a factory cd changer that I won the bid on Ebay. On the back of my head unit in the dash is a 16 pin connector plugged in, but I can not find in my console an empty plug for the cd changer. Any ideas?

swschrad · February 2002

isn't that a sign of intermittent slipperiness, and another wheel gets more power and grabs on? I generally don't feel it as "bucking" though, more like you start into that "whoooooooooooooooaaaaaaah" feeling when a car cuts loose and skids until it hits something... but after that just starts, WHAP the tires grab on and you're in control again.

roadways that are busy get a light coating of tire rubber and slime oil from drips and burners, and it takes a few minutes of a good rain to wash that off. in that time, the road can get as greasy as snot on satin even without enough water on the road to make you think there is a hydroplaning risk.

jrc346 · February 2002

I know what your saying but this is alittle different. No...alot different. I'll be going down the road at speeds that require the transmition to be in overdrive. 35MPH+ and then its like I hit a nasty bump, but the road is fine. Not to fun on the expressway as its gets alittle wild! It doesn't happen alot. Only once in a while and only when its wet. I think that it has some correlation with the transmistion shifting out of overdrive. Heck I dont know. I just drive the thing. If it gets worse I'll just buck, buck, buck back to the dealership!

stever · February 2002

"The data does not support Firestone's contention that Explorers stand out from other SUVs with respect to its handling characteristics following a tread separation,"

link

and a slightly different version:

NHTSA denies request for investigation into Explorer

Steve
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nickm2 · February 2002

Sorry for the duplicate post, but I figured I'd get more responses if I posted this on all the Explorer boards. So far, I got one response the V8 is the way to go. Anyone else? Thanks again for all your help!

OK- I've been all over just about all the boards trying to figure out the deal with the V6 vs. the V8. I've seen some places that the type of V6 that Ford uses has historically had problems, but I thought I saw the same thing about the V8 on another board. HELP!! I don't really care that much about better acceleration or MPG or the extra 800 bucks or whatever for the V8- I just want to get the engine that's LEAST likely to have problems- anyone have a definitive answer on this? Thanks in advance.

jrc346 · February 2002

Save yourself the trouble of the V6 and get the V8. Good power, smooth, and much more reliable than the V6. I know that Ford worked on the V6 to make it better for the new Explorer, but just to be safe that you wont have the infamous timming chain rattle get the V8. You will thank yourself in the long run. My V6 in my 2000 XLT has had the timming chain tensioners go bad and the timming chain cassettes aswell. Otherwise I like my Explorer. No other problems just the engine and the kick in the butt feeling that comes with rain.

swschrad · February 2002

yeah, that is different, that sounds like tranny tricks all right. is it like "kickdown" to a lower gear to you, that is, you slam the pedal to the metal and a few seconds later you drop a gear and get that lurch? if so, that's just what is happening, and possibly pressure loss or computer nonsense could be behind it.

dohc32v · February 2002

A good friend of mine, who happens to own a transmission shop, told me if I want longivity out of a Ford transmission, to keep it out of Over Drive while I'm driving around town in stop & go traffic. He said not to engage my O/D until I'm on an Interstate and/or Freeway. His point was the transmission keeps hunting and constantly shifting in & out of overdrive in congested stop & go traffic with red lights also involved. He made the point and I remember this years ago, when you got Over Drive in a manual shifted car, you had to manual engage the O/D after you were up to a certain speed. These new automatics, and with the manufacturers trying to get the highest CAFE ratings possible, they always shift into O/D automatically. As a result you are encountering a lot more transmission wear than is necessary. I always make it a point everytime I start up my Explorer,to punch out the O/D gear and keep it out of O/D until I hit a freeway. I have another Ford with 174,000 miles on the clock and I have been observing this practice since I got it new and haven't had a lick of transmission problems. Bottom line is, the less shifting the better and the longer your transmission will last. I figure the loss of a little bit of gas mileage is a lot cheaper than a $2,000 transmission rebuild.

gregb5 · February 2002

The transmission will not shift to overdrive until approx 50 MPH. That's not stop and go driving. So, your disabling it is having no effect at all under those conditions. Heat, caused by excessive shifting, is what you're trying to avoid here. If you find that the transmission is shifting between 4th and 5th frequently (while driving at 40-60 MPH under accel/decel conditions) then it might be wise to lock out the overdrive. Otherwise, it does nothing.

dohc32v · February 2002

>>>>>The transmission will not shift to overdrive until approx 50 MPH. That's not stop and go driving.<<<<<

My Explorer shifts into O/D just north of 40 mph. I live in southern California where the norm is about 50 MPH on wide city streets, between red lights. (and we sure have a lot of red lights out here). As I say, my experience with another Ford product with hi mileage on the transmission (without any problems), has convinced me that staying out of O/D until I have a clean shot at staying at speed like a Freeway or Interstate has provided that longivity IMO. I started this practice on the advise of a good transmission repair man also. I also enjoy the braking and better performance feel of the vehicle, when it is not in O/D while driving in traffic. Just a suggestion for those who have experienced early transmission problems to consider.

dixarone · February 2002

Hi all, I have posted about this problem before, but didn't really get a decent solution yet. I have a '97 Explorer XLS with the V6. It's starting to warm up here Victoria, and the noise described above is starting to come back. It comes from the passenger side corner of the dash (or so it seems). It sounds just like a "clucking" type noise you can make with your mouth. It only seems to occur when the sun is out - and then makes this noise whenever a bump or swale in the road is hit. Again, it never happens after the vehicle sits overnight - only after it has sat in the sun for a morning or afternoon.

Anyone have any thoughts on this, or what to look for? I had my dealer look at the seating of the windshield at one point last year, because that looked like a possible cause, but everything checked out okay. This noise is driving my wife and I crazy - any help is much appreciated.

gregb882 · February 2002

I have an 02 Explorer, V6, 4X4 with 3.73 rear end. Mine, too, shifts into OD around 40 MPH (depends on rate of acceleration, of course). Perhaps they have set up different shift points with different designs.

jrc346 · February 2002

Does the sound you are describing change with vehicle speed? How about the fan speed for the interior temperature, does the clunking become faster or slower with fan speed selection? Is the sound rapid or slow? Is the sound steady or irratic?

gasburner · February 2002

I have a 99 Explorer XLT. Overall I'm happy with the vehicle. Lately I have been hearing some clunking noise comming from the front end when gong over bumps; it is most noticable when turning over bumps. It feels and sounds like something is getting loose. I've taken it to a Ford dealer and of course they said they could not duplicate the problem. Anybody have any similar experiences with front end noises? Any ideas of what the problem could be and best course of action to take?

mookie14 · February 2002

i lost my keys when i went out of town this weekend will i have to pay and will it be alot for keyless remote and key this is for 2000 explorer thanks .

vtburg · February 2002

Just got my Explorer back on Friday after the transmission repair. Turns out that my separator plate gasket had blown (according to the tech). From what I can get out of his notes the plate and gasket were both pretty damaged and subsequently replaced. Good news is that warranty covered it and I have not felt the
vibrations when going up hills anymore. But I am interested to know if anyone could think of why the gasket would fail at 25K (mileage at time of purchase) aside from defect?

swschrad · February 2002

it's all a plot

have read about failures of this device before, but not often, on these boards. more proof that as everything talks to the computers, they plot behind our backs... the voices told me so.

>>>> OR ELSE >>>>

it's just another way a component failure can affect the operations of the tranny with similar effects, and that's why you don't get hard estimates for transmission repair.

dixarone · February 2002

No change in sound with vehicle speed. No change with fan settings either. Sound is random, sometimes clicking many times in a row, sometimes only one loud click, sometimes clicking going over a series of bumps in the road, sometimes clicking just going over a large swale.

It seems like it is something that is loose, but I cannot find anything specific. The sound seems to come from inside the dash, but I'm not sure that's the case. I can sometimes duplicate the sound when the vehicle is stopped by opening the passenger door wide so that it "bounces back"; I've also been able to duplicate it by pressing down on the plastic "screen" at the bottom of the windshield (outside the vehicle). Of course this only works when the noise has already started. As I've mentioned, the dealership checked the seating of the windshield itself, and found no problems.

As the weather warms, the sound increases in frequency. This seems counter-intuitive, as you would think that heat would expand any loose parts slightly.

Thanks for your help!

dohc32v · February 2002

>>>>>Sound is random, sometimes clicking many times in a row, sometimes only one loud click, sometimes clicking going over a series of bumps in the road, sometimes clicking just going over a large swale.<<<<<<<

I'd check the front inner fender shield. You might also have something dangling inside the space between the inner body structure and the outer body fender panel, which you could only find by pulling back the inner fender shield. Obviously it is something that is not readily visable.

hjw1 · February 2002

On two occasions in the past couple of weeks, the 4wd high and low lights have come on while driving down the highway with the 4wd selector in the automatic mode. Our Explorer is a 97 Sport.
No fault codes are detected by my OBD2 scanner.
Any experiences with this problem?

Thanks

swschrad · February 2002

I had a rattle on closing doors that nobody could find. finally spread out a movers' quilt pad one warm day, got on my back, and started tapping and tightening. found a jammed bolt (crossthreaded) into a tinnerman nut that held a corner brace onto the bottom left of the front bumper assembly. got that one fixed; it also was worse when cold.

it's about time to get after creepy cheapo hardware at the fringes of the system again, as I have another minor intermittent. it's squeaking in my key, so it's not a major deal, and not loud either, but the first dry nice day, back at it.

jrc346 · February 2002

Hmm that one has me stumped. I think that dohc32v and swschrad have good suggestions. However have you tried this? You say that you know how to dupilcate the problem with a few different methods. Have someone push and pull on different things while you make the noise. Like you said the windshield for instance. Maybe have someone push out or in on that while you or someone else makes the noise. Or do the same with that plastic shield in front of the windshield while the noise is being made. Just some more suggestions. Hope this helps!

mazman1 · February 2002

I don't know. Never had to replace keys and fob. Whatever it is, I guess you have to pay it, right?

dohc32v · February 2002

>>>>i lost my keys when i went out of town this weekend will i have to pay and will it be alot for keyless remote and key this is for 2000 explorer thanks . <<<<<<

Ford Dealer I have dealt with charges $45 bucks to make a duplicate computer chip key. Don't know what a new remote will set you back.

up20 · February 2002

I'm driving a 97 XLT V8 and I too am getting the front end knocking noise. When temperatures are below 45 degrees, you hear nothing. As the temperature gets into the 50s and above, the noise gets loud and more frequent. It occurs over bumps and when turning. You can hear the knocking at very low speeds, but you can't hear it a high speeds because of road noise. You can't duplicate it when shaking the Explorer. The Ford dealer has looked at it twice and an independent mechanic, three times. No answers yet and I'm concerned about taking the Explorer into warmer climates.

dixarone · February 2002

Hmmm. Not sure if it's the same thing as mine or not - although the temperature pattern fits. I don't think my noise ever occurs specifically when turning. It sounds like your noise happens more or less all the time? My noise will occasionally disappear for no apparent reason, not to be heard for a week or so, then magically reappear (even at consistently high temperatures).

I'm going to do some thorough checking on the next sunny Saturday I'm not doing anything (like that ever happens). Certainly appreciate all the suggestions so far...I'm willing to listen to any theories, no matter how way out, 'cause I'm certainly not going to have the dealer or a mechanic try to duplicate this problem at $70/hr! On the other hand - this sound/noise is driving me mad!

wh23fdct · February 2002

I got my spare explorer key and fob off ebay. key goes for 22$ at dealer I got it for $12 also fob is $60 I got it for $25 same as factory. You can program them yourself and its easy its all in the manual. save yourself some bucks and time and do it yourself. Good luck. Jim

bigalds · February 2002

I seldom post here because I simply don't have the time, but I do read the posts.
nickm2 & vtburg - I had to respond due to so many posts concerning engines and transmissions. I've got 3 Explorers, a 1991, a 1993 and a 1997, all do very well. The 91 and 93 have the 4.0L V6 pushrod engine, both with 152K miles, VERY reliable engines. The A4LD trannys in the 91 and 93 are weak, the 91 being replaced at 100K miles and the 93 still original, but may fail within two or three years, from old age. The 97 has the 5.0L V8 and is VERY RELIABLE at 101K miles, as is the strong and VERY RELIABLE 4R70W Transmission. I expect the 97 to have NO engine or transmission problems until WELL AFTER 200K miles. One big secret is careful, thorough service. Nobody touches it but me! I use Mobil One Synthetic Oil in Engine every 6000 miles, with a Mobil One or Pure One Synthetic Oil Filter at each oil change. NO synthetic in the Transmission, BUT do a complete transmission flush with filter and oil change EVERY YEAR, don't wait 2 years, the Fords can't take it! Use the recommended dextron fluid in the ranny. Change the lube in the Differential (Rear End) every 2 years (pull off the back cover and clean it out)Use synthetic gear lube for a regular rear end, and regular gear lube for a limited slip rear end. Big secret to making them last is to keep them COOL and CLEAN, inside and out. Keep radiator, fans, thermostat, hoses and cooling system in good shape. Do your services on time.
I would recommend buying the V8 engine over the V6. The V8 comes with the better transmission, the v6's come with the weaker transmission. NEVER buy a V6 SOHC Engine, nothing but trouble. Do your research well before you buy, your best friend and ally is your good knowledge. The more you know, the better off you are.
About the transmission shifing and overdrive, that depends largely on what rear end ratio is in your vehicle. The 3.73 limited slips are good,have to get up to about 45 to get overdrive and converter lockup, but some vehicles have the 3.08, which have to get up to about 55 to get to overdrive and converter lockup. Keeping it out of overdrive saves the wear on the O/D overrunning sprag clutch, which has these little metal pieces called "dogbones" that wear out and cause the transmission to fail in two ways, first they create microscopic metal particles that circulate in the fluid, sticking valves and wearing out other parts, and second the sprag itself will give out and cause the transmission to not move. You can simply avoid all this hassle by buying the V8 engine with the stronger transmission, and service transmission with a COMPLETE fluid flush, new filter & new fluid once a year.

darenio · February 2002

I have 96 explorer with 4.0 DOHC engine about 70 thousand miles on it.Yesterday I had to replace intake manifold gaskets, engine was loosing coolant. anyone else with the same problem? Is this a common problem? Please advise.

mazman1 · February 2002

You probably have a SOHC, not a DOHC.

mazman1 · February 2002

Well said, and I agree with everything you said, although I think ALL of the Ford trannys are poorly made.

dohc32v · February 2002

That wasn't always the case. The C-6 would pull stumps for you. It is the desire to reduce weight and mass that has lead to weaker trannys IMO. That plus the manufacturers desire to tout the best gas mileage, therefore they shift the thing into O/D at every opportunity. IMO, O/D should be a manual selected mode, made by the driver. Further O/D should not engage, regardless of driver selection, below 60MPH. If I had my druthers, I would sooner have a 3 or 4 speed manual tranny with a two speed rear end. That would be an ideal setup IMO.

mookie14 · February 2002

i used rislone in my 2000 explorer and whoa it sounds like corvette VERY fast also i used chevron and mo power so if you got a 98 or 99 on up use rislone and chevron you will get alot horses believe me chevron fuel injector treatment that is.

mazman1 · February 2002

True. But GM is under the same pressure to reduce weight and their trannys are almost bulletproof! They even make the auto tranny for the BMW! Why cant Ford get their Tranny's to perform and be reliable?

swschrad · February 2002

Ford has always had a rep as having paper transmissions, ever since they got away from Borg transmissions and made their own. GM and Chrysler started out to make solid trannies, and reluctantly decided to machine the blocks so there were moving parts

everybody is shaving tenths of a penny on every part, so expect a lot more tranny problems.

njdevilsrn · February 2002

I just read in Consumer Reports a study about oil treatments. They ran a fleet of cabs for 60,000 miles and did various things to the oil. Some got synthetic, some get regular, some they went a long time without changing, some got oil treatments, etc. They found no difference in how the engine performed on diagnostics or how the cars acted among any of the cars who had the oil changed regularly. They also seemed to go out of their way to report that oil treatments did nothing and were pretty much a waste of money.

mookie14 · February 2002

guess what? that was consumer reports and what you and me got is a ford. and you may not think it works but trust me ive seen a big difference. even though ive had this truck it was horrible still is. well its still holding up how long is the question. but all i would say is it works will i still use it until nov? yep. now im not going to use it in my honda nope no way.

alaskatundra · February 2002

I recently purchased a 99 Explorer XLT V8/5.0.
AWD. At 43,400 miles the rear end went out. Has anyone heard of this happening? Also what other problems has anyone experienced with this year and model.

smily1 · February 2002

I have a 98 XLT V8 AWD 52k with 3.73 limited slip diff. with no problems. I take it off road to the beach weekly and sometimes play in the dunes (I hope a similar problem is not looming for mine).

Alaska huh? Sure is beautiful up there in the summer. Uncle lived in Wasila.

njdevilsrn · February 2002

Hello all. Today I am worried because my 2000 XLS (auto) had a really weird upshift between what I think is 2nd and 3rd (about 30mph+). The car didn't slam or anything, but really seemed to rev up before shifting, and I wasn't leaning on the gas either. It happened about a half mile from the house as I was getting onto the main road. It only happened once, though. In my mind I'm hoping it was because it was the first start of the day and it was cold last night but really warmed up here today, but I'm afraid something may be wrong. I just used Chevy Techron fuel system cleaner last week (on a new tank of gas since) and was wondering if that may have something to do with it. Otherwise just wait and see. Any thoughts?

thewatt · February 2002

I have a '96 Explorer XL. I was 4x4ing several weeks ago and drove through 16" of water. In the middle of this puddle (~50' across) the car stopped.

I had to be towed out. The dealer said there was almost two quarts of water in the intake and the engine is frozen - it will not turn with a breaker bar and the spark plugs out.

OK. So, I was not going exactly a snail's pace through the water, but, I was not going over 15 mph. Is this a strange phenomenon in which there must be a hole in the intake (bad luck) or is there a really bad design that sprays water up directly into the engine when going over 5 mph (or did I just learn an expensive lesson to only and always creep through water)?

I don't really want to invest (~$3500) in a refurbished engine only to have some similar problem. What should I do?

swschrad · February 2002

well, the obvious is to not run through deep water. a hot engine can crack a block when immersed, but sounds like your issue was the engine sucking down water past the air filter and nailing the combustion chambers. several wrenchheads have been writing about tough dog repairs in the maintenance forum, and the subject of "hydraulic lock" has come up several times. that being, if there is a noticeable amount of liquid introduced into the combustion chamber, it won't compress when the pistons come up, and very bad things happen all of a sudden.

most vehicles I'm aware of have air intake behind the fan... nowadays it is also located a few inches below the top of the radiator. which means everything out there can flip water off the fan and put this fine spray right at the air intake. it isn't just the explorer.

if you are in water, you should be going slow, and if the water is high enough to reach the oil pan or the fan, you should be creeping. if it gets higher, you should be smart, turn the vehicle off, and dogpaddle. leave the fording of rivers to the army engineers... their deuce-and-a-half trucks might make it.

mazman1 · February 2002

The same thing happened to a friend of mine who drove his 94 Explorer thru a big puddle and trashed the engine. On the earlier models (pre 95), the air intake was lower and could suck in water kicked up by the fan. Well, we took the engine apart and found a lot of water in the cylinders. The block did not crack , but the #1 piston rod was bent. We put about $800 worth of new parts and got it to run, but was never the same again.

Moral of the story... the Explorer is not a boat.

ryster · February 2002

Hi!

For those of you who have the Goodyear Wrangler RT/S tires on your Explorers, have you observed the tires' tendency to pick up more road debris than usual? I am constantly finding and removing very large rocks and pebbles stuck in the tread. Also, I picked up 2 nails in the tread of one of my rear tires recently (it goes in to the Goodyear dealer on Saturday to have the nails removed and to be patched from the inside). To the tire's credit, it is holding air despite having two nails embedded in it. Thinking back to the tires I have had on previous cars, this was a common occurrence for my Goodyear equipped cars. Eagle GT+4, Eagle RS-A, and now the Wrangler RT/S.

Also to the tires' credit, they have 20,000 miles on them and are holding up very well.

Another quick question...does anyone have Continental ContiTrac SUV tires on their Explorers? There are currently very good prices on them and I wondered what the experience has been. I have observed they are/were standard on Lincoln Navigators.

Thanks!
Ryster

dixarone · February 2002

I have the Goodyears on my vehicle. No problems associated with them at all, although I do see fairly large bits of rock, etc. getting stuck in them as you say. I bought the truck used, with these tires on them - I've put 35,000 miles on them but not sure how much they were used previous to my purchase. Will likely be looking for new tires over the next several months, with an aim to have them installed in the fall. Don't know at this point what I'll be installing...

PS - thanks to everyone who responded to my clicking noise problem - I haven't had a chance to dive into the guts of it yet, but will report back when I do.

swschrad · February 2002

saw one next to me on the road... looks to be exactly the same tread pattern as on my (thank you, Ford) "customer relations adjusted" General Ameri-660 tires. they stick pretty well... road noise is medium... unlike the Gravestones, runnning on the typical Minnesota mixture of salt/slush/snow over a thin layer of compression ice, have not had any signs of side slippage. in response to earlier post, they are only holding smaller pieces of pea-gravel in the tread, and those flick out pretty easily. over a half-inch of ice/snow on the Interstate several weeks ago, I had no problems staying on the road at up to 40 mph.

somebody, I think TireRack, had them as a slightly better than average tire, but I'm really happy with mine so far.

njdevilsrn · February 2002

Well, the thing was shifting rough on the way to work again today. I have an appointment with the dealer on Friday. We'll see what happens.

jphdxl · February 2002

Today was the big day!!! The dealer I originally bought my Exploder from bought it back. It was five years and 51k miles of oil leaks, two bad engines (3rd one seemed ok for the last couple of months), bad radiator, recalled tires I wasn't fully reimbursed for, a tranny fluid leak last week and many other issues too numerous to relate. I can't tell you what a weight this is off my mind. My extended warranty expired last week and I've been dreading every minute since. That extended warranty was the best thing I've ever bought.

I even got $2k more than I would have accepted from the dealer and only slightly less than I probably would have been able to get selling it myself (without the hassles involved in that). Perhaps I had an overly poor perception of its value having owned it for 5 years.

Now, on to a new car. YEAH !!!!!!

mookie14 · March 2002

i know like heck you r happy as all get out to be free from a exploder. me well nov is it im in a lease in dec i will owe 4000 in pymts 499 a pymt. im going to roll it over in a new honda or chevy etc. im happy 4 you man or female dont know which think male but anyway go get a honda or toyota or chevy and you will be i think happy but anyway way to go good luck.

tidester · March 2002

Congratulations!

Just be sure to come back often to inspire others!

tidester
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