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The Ford Rear Ends (hereafter referred to as Rear Axles) are known to be reliable and usually trouble free. BUT, on ocassion they are known to go out. The usual Ford owner would not expect to have any problems with the rear axle during the time he owns it, as long as he maintains the correct fluid in the rear axle at the correct level. They commonly last over 200,000 miles when cared for. In your case, you must have purchased the Explorer used, and the rear axle may have been abused by allowing the lubricant level to get too low, or heavy trailer towing, or heavy stump pulling, or just pain hard driving. In any case, yours went out too soon. Now, when you say it went out, Did it just suddenly quit? They usually make a noise to start with, a whining or growling noise. What did yours do?
The most frequent problem that occurs with the rear axle is that the carrier bearings go out. They are two large bearings, one on each side that the entire carrier assembly and ring gear rotates on. When they wear, the carrier gets loose, which increases the ring gear backlash, which usually causes a whining sound. When the carrier bearing gets really worn it can make a growling sound in addition to the whining sound. The carrier bearing is not too difficult to replace if you are handy with auto tools and can do precise measurements with micrometers and dial indicators. When the carrier bearings are replaced, the carrier bearing shims usually have to be changed or adjusted, to bring carried play to .000", and ring gear backlash to about .006" (.005" to .009" is specified). The best and easiest way to adjust the shims is to take the old shims out and put a new adjustable shim in each side (about $25 for both at a gear shop).
I just had to replace the left carrier bearing in the rear axle of my 97 Explorer V8 that I just recently bought. It had 101,000 miles,and had probably been used for trailer pulling. It got the classic whining sound, so I pulled the back cover off to measure the play in the carrier and ring gear. I found the carrier to have .015" play, and the ring gear to have .032" backlash, WAY TOO much. So I know something was way off. I pulled out the axles and took the carrier caps off, and took out the carrier with the bearings, cleaned out the rear axle case, and found the left carrier bearing chewed up and the race also. The right one was ok. I replaced the left carrier bearing and race, and wound up replacing the left .267" spacer with a .330 adjustable spacer & replacing the right .285 spacer with a .267 adjustable spacer. When put back together, the carrier play was .000" and the ring gear backlash was .006", about as perfect as you can get. I filled it up with the specified Synthetic gear lube and limited slip additive, and now she runs smooth and quiet. I don't expect to have to touch this rear axle again as long as I own it (at least 6 more years).
Axle bearings can also make a growling sound and are much easier to replace. You have to listen carefully to be able to tell where the noise comes from, sometimes someone sitting in the back seat can help locate which side the sound is coming from.
Have a nice day,
Big AL
I'm not having any transmission problems not but do a lot of stop and go driving and also occasionally pull a boat trailer. I've heard that one of the weak parts of Fords are the transmissions, so I want to try and stay on top of this. Anybody have any experiences or suggestions to share. Thanks.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS:
Rule # ONE: Keep them COOL and CLEAN.
To accomplish this, on a regular basis, you MUST flush the entire system to get ALL old fluid and contaminants out of the system, including the cooler and lines. Then you MUST pull the pan, look for residue in the bottom of pan (this will tell you a lot about the condition of the transmission), clean the pan, and ALWAYS replace the transmission filter and pan gasket. You must refill with clean fresh transmission fluid of the type recommended by the manufacturer.
Draining the torque converter and pulling the pan and filter is not too bad, but still leaves traces of old fluid and sludge in the transmission, that's why it's always better to flush. Many torque converters do not have a drain plug, and the only way to get the old fluid out is to flush it out.
You DO NOT need a special machine to flush the transmission. Any good and competent DIY mechanic can do it in his garage at home. The torque converter IS a PUMP, and can be used to pump the old fluid out of the transmission, then pull the pan and clean it, replace the filter, pan gasket and pan, then flush out the transmission, cooler and lines by pouring 6 quarts of new transmission fluid into the transmission and allow it to be pumped out the cooler discharge connection (that you had previously taken loose), into a bucket. Then reconnect the cooler discharge back to the return line, and refill the transmission with the proper amount of transmission fluid, just below the full mark, DO NOT OVERFILL.
How often should you do this? It depends on he transmission. If you have a transmission that is known to have problems, such as the Ford A4LD, do it EVERY YEAR. For normal service, do it once every two years.
I can't go into this much more for being too "Techie" on this board. I was kind of pushing it on my last post about the Rear Axles. If you are really interested in knowing more about these kinds of mechanical things, I suggest you go to a source that specializes more in mechanical repairs, such as batauto.com
See you there.
Have a nice day,
Big AL
The '92 ate cylinder heads and air conditioning compressors like candy. In the time I owned it, it had almost $10,000 in warranty repairs done to it. The '98 has been a little better. I've had no drive train issues but every component in the front end has been replaced at least once. The accessories are also unreliable. I'm on my 3rd rear windshield wiper motor. The power door locks stick all the time when it's cold. So far, I've "only" had about $3,000 in warranty claims.
On the positive side, I had excellent luck with the Firestone Death Radials that were on both trucks. I got well over 50,000 miles on both sets before replacing them. I don't live in Saudi Arabia so I didn't see the 130F temps that caused all the problems.
Anybody who has an Explorer they're planning to keep that's still under the original warranty really should consider buying a Ford extended warranty. There's a dealer in Iowa who sells Ford OEM warranties at a pretty good discount so you don't have to get the royal screwing from the "business manager" at your friendly local Ford Dealer. I used them and was totally happy.
http://www.fordwarrantycentral.com
I have lost complete faith in Ford Motor Company and how they treat their customers. All the "Customer Assistance" people would do was thank me for my loyalty (I've owned a '97, '99, and the 2000 Explorer), but then they just blow a lot of smoke at you. When this truck is done, so am I with Ford Motor Company.
It sounds like Ford has the same practice of using reconditioned parts. It would not really bother me as long as the truck works properly after it is fixed. Besides, the truck will still be under warranty even after the repair. If it breaks again, Ford will just have to fix it again.
As for the loaner, my dealer worked to get me a loaner when my truck needed repair. The problem I had was not directly related to driveability and the truck was fully driveable even with the structural problem. The dealer provided me with a loaner for the 17 straight days it was in the shop. They didn't give me a loaner for the 4 separate day-long appointments prior to the 17 day stint (nor did I expect to get a loaner for those appointments). Your dealer should be willing to provide you with a loaner during the time it is at the dealer getting the transmission replaced. Such a fix usually takes a few days and the truck certainly isn't driveable without a transmission. Has your dealer mentioned whether you will be provided with a loaner during the "transplant"? If they are reluctant to provide a loaner, another call to Ford Customer Service should be made (Ford CS told me to contact them if my dealer ever refuses to provide a loaner for extended warranty related service visits).
Another option is to try a new dealer. Your warranty is valid at any Ford dealer. I swore I was going to give up on Ford while my truck and dealer were having issues, but I didn't give up and now my truck is serving me well. Sometimes it just takes some time to get issues properly resolved. It would be nice if everything worked out on the first try but that is rarely the case these days. Hang in there and hopefully things will work out.
All of this has made me ponder an extended warranty. I think I'm gonna go with the 6 year, 75000 mile "Base Care" Ford ESP. It covers the powertrain, most aspects of the suspension and steering, most of the AC system, and a lot of electrical components. I shopped around the web and the dealer I bought the car from (not the one I service through because it is over 40 minutes from home) looks like the best deal. They seem to be pushing the "Premium Care" which mimics the factory warranty, but my truck does not have a lot of bells and whistles that are left over. Plus that plan costs over $300 more. Anybody else have a Ford ESP?
I never cease to be amazed at some peoples naivety. Of course the Ford Dealer you are working with about your vehicle problems isn't going to be your best friend. Of course he knows you drove 40 minutes past his Dealership, probably to save a couple hundred bucks, to buy a vehicle from his competitor. Now not only did you shun him on a vehicle sale, but you are getting ready to screw him again on an extended warrenty sale. Then you are going to go back to this Dealer, close to your home, for your warranty work? You must appreciate being mistreated and appreciate mistreating others. Open your eyes and think about what you are doing. Just a friendly tip from someone who knows the business.
It shouldn't matter to a dealer where the vehicle was purchased initially. What matters is becoming the service department of choice for any customer and developing a long standing, profitable relationship that benefits the customer and the dealer. It is sad to think (and know) this is not the prevailing attitude in the industry.
I'm with njdevilsrn. If I had the choice of a L/M dealer 1 mile away or the original selling dealer 40 minutes away, I'm going with the L/M dealer. Besides, L/M dealers have a much better overall reputation than strictly Ford dealerships. I have seen this first hand. My parents have a Mountaineer they get serviced at a L/M dealer other than the one from whom they purchased. The dealer always gets them in when they need an appointment and even washes the vehicle when they are done. The dealer I use for my Explorer, which is the dealer I purchased the truck from, usually has a 2-3 week wait for any kind of appointment and then returns my truck to me dirtier than when I took it in (oil smudges, carpet stains, etc.)
Hmmm...maybe I'll switch to the dealership my parents use...
>>>>>"What matters is becoming the service department of choice for any customer and developing a long standing, profitable relationship that benefits the customer and the dealer. It is sad to think (and know) this is not the prevailing attitude in the industry." <<<<<(ryster quote)
I rest my case. Good luck.
I was just commenting that any dealer, whether it be the original dealer or not, should understand the advantage (and profit potential) of being the place of choice for service for any customer of the brand.
rb123 is correct about customer service. Sadly, there are very few dealers that have good customer service. They try to tell you they do, but the first time you need assistance they look the other way.
PS...I wound up having to leave my truck there today even though the appointment is not until Monday because the OD Light started flashing last night and the thing was slamming in all gears. By Monday, I hope this ordeal will be over.
catch22 - my '00 Explorer has had lousy A/C since day one as well. It's barely adequate on really hot days (90+). It hasn't died completely...yet.
I was impressed, though, by the fact that the service writer called to ask how my truck was a few days after the job. Not one of those "Give us a good review" calls, but actually to ask about the truck.
PS...I still am bitter, though, that Ford would not authorize a dealer to get me a rental when such a major component failed at 21000 miles.
To the guys with the tranny problems, it's sad cause I know that is above even most advanced home mechanics to repair or rebuild. I've built trannys for years, but don't like to have to work on my own. You best defense there is to make the right selection when you buy. DON'T BUY a car with a known weak transmission! DO your RESEARCH right here on Edmunds and you will know what to buy, and just as important, what NOT to buy. You next best defense is to service it WELL and often as needed. A Ford Explorer transmission needs to be flushed of all fluid, pull pan, new filter and pan gasket, and fill with new fluid, EVERY YEAR! No shortcuts here! That's why I have a 1993 Explorer with 154,000 miles on it, orginal tranny never been out, it gets the full service every year, and I know it's done right cause I do it myself. I wish everyone could do their own work theirselves, it might put those Dealers back it line. But as long as the Dealers have a long line of suckers coming back for more of their bad high priced service, they are going to keep dishing it out. I know cause I used to work at a Dealer. No Any More, not for a LONG time!
To the guys with the Air Condition problems, there should never have been a problem with your system cooling in the first place, that thing is designed to blow out ice cold air! I've worked on A/C for years, and any that I repair will freeze you out! I've done a lot of conversions of R12 to R134A too, all Ice Cold. If it's not cooling well, you need to really bark at whoever is responsible to fix it. Don't just say that it's not cooling well and never has, that's just lame. They will jump on you and take advantage of you! Get some knowlege! Get some basic tools like an A/C thermometer that you stick it the dash vents and MEASURE your VENT TEMPS. Tell them what your vents temps are at different driving conditions and times of day and under differnet ambient temperaures. Demand Vent Temps that are down in the LOW to MID 40's while driving! Maybe higher 40's while idling at a standstill in hot weather! You can open the hood and feel the temperature of the refrigerant lines (that will tell you a lot). Careful with the compressor discharge line, because it should be about 200 degrees and will burn you. Liquid line out the condenser should be warm at about 125 to 135 degrees. At the orifice tube, line should be warm up to it, and cold (in the 30's) just past it (where it goes into the evaporator). The outlet pipe should be in the upper 40's, outlet of the accumulator should be sightly higher in the upper 40's or lower 50's. Suction line should be cold all the way back to the compressor suction port(Lower 50's). Get yourself an infrared thermometer to check all this with (less than $100.00) you'll be glad you did, cause you will find so many uses for it, like measuring the temps of your radiator inlet and outlet tanks to find out how much temp drop you have across it (which tells you how well it's working 10 degrees ok, 20 much better, 30 super). You can also take the infrared thermometer with you when you go out to eat and check the temperature of your food, is your soup hot enough? How cold is that drink?
I wish I could help all you guys, but you have to try to fend for yourself, I'll be glad to help anyway that I can. Your best defense is a good offense and good working knowledge. I've got 3 Explorers and all run perfectly.
Good Luck,
Big AL
"It's a job keeping up with all the new technology. I'll stop by here & lend a hand whenever I can."
So that post above was "Lending a hand"? I am sorry but your post sounds a little condesending. A lot of people buy new cars so they dont have to deal with getting thier hands dirty or with having major repairs or reliability issues. People here do research...thats what this place is for! DUH!!! Thats why these people are here. If someone did make a mistake or needs help we dont need anyone saying things like:
"I am just SO AMAZED that you guys seem to put up with all this crap that you do! I would NEVER pay out that kind of money that you do for these Explorers and get such sad performance and service. I could put part of the blame on Ford and the Dealers, but I'd have to put part of it on you guys for putting up with it."
That kind of stuff is totally uncalled for especially when someone is having trouble with their car and you just add insult to injury. We dont need an "I told you so" either. If your post was not intended to sound like it sounds to RYSTER and I then I apologize. You just might want to choose your words more wisely.
Last month I bought a 97 Explorer with 100K miles. I knew that I didn't want the under powered pushrod V6 4.0 L engine, and for sure not the SOHC V6 4.0 L engine that has all the timing tensioner problems. I knew I didn't want a weak transmission that they put with the V6 engines, so I bought one with the V8 5.0 L engine, that comes with the 4R70W Transmission. It is a strong combination that has high reliability, that I expect to last for another 100K miles with very little problems. As I was shopping for the vehicle, it was amazing to hear how the used car salesmen with try to push off junk to people, make even bad stuff sound good. I would ask the salesman, "what kind of engine is that?" when I knew it was a SOHC, and they will reply saying "that's the high powered V6". Then I told him what it really was, with the 3 timing chains and all the timing chain tensioner problems, the engine should have never been built that way. Sure FORD has fixed them, but who want all the hassle of having 3 engines put in your vehicle in 50K miles, with the car in the shop for more time that you drive it?
All I am saying is, I hope people reading these posts will understand how important it is to be properly informed, to be able to make better decisions when buying in the future. Concerning your present problems, I give people advice on mechanical problems and repairs, but his board is not orientated towards those technical aspects. If you have a technical problem concerning engine, transmission, air conditioning, or whatever, try going to
batauto.com
and myself and many others are there to assist you. You don't have to be a mechanic, often you can get guidance on how to handle or approach a problem. If you are not exactly sure what the problem is, they can help you sort it out.
Have a Nice Day
Big AL
The 5.0L V8 is a good engine, but it has a tendency to leak oil (weak seals). As stated previously, there is no such thing as a sure thing. Research does lessen one's chance of ending up with a problematic vehicle, but all in all the Ford Explorer in any version is a reliable vehicle.
Ultimately, though, life is too short to start analyzing the individual components of each vehicle to determine the combinations that will lead to the worst and/or best chances for reliability. It is more important to get what you want and what best meets your needs. Buy what you like, not what someone else tells you you should like. If it breaks along the way, like most vehicles will, get it fixed and press on. After a few years it can be traded in for something else.
as for the water pumps, sounds like maybe the shop's source is suspect, like using little tick-tick hammers in the middle of the bearing race to seat the front bearings.
I would recommend that when a fuel pump is replaced that the regulator is too. I had 150K on the vehicle and do a lot of traveling away from home. It was warm and sunny so I decided to replace the fuel pump even though the vehicle was running fine. I figured why wait till I'm 500 miles away from home and it is snowing. After replacing the pump, the car began to stall occasionally at stop lights. When I cut open the regulator, I found it had worn a flat spot on the seat. The higher flow rate of the new pump caused the valve to open wider and cause it to hang up on this seat bevel.
but then, if I had an opinion, I might sound off
for what it's worth, Dad's (d) 1975 Suburban diesel towmobile (d) was the first time I'd ever experienced tranny hunt, and all the towing authorities then were adamant that you wanted to lock that sucker out of OD if you were pulling a load or hitting hunt around town, save it for the highway.
some things never change...
[F] Town Hall / SUVs / SUVs - Archived Discussions / Ford Explorer transmissions
#27 of 524 cujet by cujet Apr 01, 1998 (06:23 pm)
Be forwarned! my 96 sport V6 auto shifts too much. during highway driving 20 mi to work it shifts 37 times 3-4, 4-3, 3-4,etc the torque convertor unlocks 105 times, all this with just small throttle changes. Been to the dealer at 16K mi and 34K mi they couldnt find a problem! Well guess what, all that shifting has taken its toll it now slips during the 3-4 shift!! and Im now at 44K mi, out of warranty. Good luck to all you 95-96 owners out there!
As for the question about tires, I have Michelin Cross Terrains (OEM for 2002 Explorer) and they ride great and give good traction, mileage.
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
if there is a known false code, reason tells me there should also be a FSB out with a new chip or programming adjustment that can be done in the shop.
anybody who finds out what is up, please post.
The dealer put a set of Bridgestone Dueler HL on the truck. Wisper quiet, track dead straight, soft ride, tight in the corners, and at 122,000 miles when they were last measured they had lost only 1/32 of an inch to wear.
However, they were measured because I hit something while driving and blew out the left front tire. Make no mistake, the tires aren't the only issue; a less experienced driver would have rolled that truck over. I managed to stop it, but it was a thrill, and I was cruising on the open road at 60 mph when the tire went down (imagine freeway speeds!).
The new ones are still stones, but I have no complaints. The tire that blew was not defective: it was punctured. But if I were buying, I'd go with Michelin LTX. My personal history with Michelin is that they are a fine tire. It is also the tire of choice from this website on Explorer maintenance:
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~singletn/exp.html
As hard as that truck was to control with a blow out, I don't plan to let tires on it wear past 50% again, and I'll buy the best tire I can afford in the future (Read: Michelin or BFGoodrich), and donate the old ones to one of the local high school kids driving on slicks.
I have a 92 XLT 4x4 with 136,000 on the clock. The steering on this thing has always been a little on the loose side. However, it seems worse now than in the past (may be perceived, but anyway...).
I've had the radius arm bushings replaced on both sides, and the steering has been shimmed and aligned. The shocks are Gabriel VSTs with about 25,000 miles on them, and they are fine. The bearings, hubs, and wheels seem to be fine, serviced about 10,000 miles back. I can't find any play from tie rods, and the steering column looks like it is in good shape. The tires are in excellent shape. The last time I had it in for service, the local Ford dealer said that's just the way these trucks are.
But my son drives it some, although not to school yet. I use it as a weekend workhorse. Before I turn my son loose with it as a daily driver, I'd like to tighten the steering up some. Anyone have any thoughts on tightening up the steering on this beast?