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Comments
some of those 'great money saving ideas' don't work out in the real world.
sorry about your bad experience.
I already made the call to the service dept and scheduled appt. Can't see me till next week. Anybody have any ideas? Possibly some sort of bad sensor? Don't want to put truck on the disabled list for 5 days before I go to dealership. Not that I would hold anyone their suggestions, but OK to continue to drive? Would asssume that while I'm there, wouldn't hurt to ask for a first oil change, right?
if there is no ordinary sign of disaster impending (engine runs rough, makes funny noises, transmission won't shift, the thing stops every 35 seconds, no brakes, no steering, etc.) and you have full charges of coolant and oil in the engine, it is probably driveable. I would be hesitant myself to get off the back roads and on the interstate if I didn't know what was going on. keep your cell phone charged in case you have to call the 1-800 ford service hotline.
it's probably a sensor, but as I say, you never know until you have the codes and the interpretation.
Have the service advisor ride with you so you can point this out when it occurs. Then have him (or her) do a comparison ride in an equivealant vehicle. Point out the differences.
If necessary, address it with the Service Manager. If you feel you are not getting enough traction, move on to the General Manager.
Hopefully you will not have to go that far, but you get the picture. Keep all your records. Good luck.
I did mention it to my service advisor and he said if it kept doing it to bring it by and they would look at it. He said they had a few other 2004 Explorers that did that and had to have the processor (computer?) for the transmission replaced. Don't know if this helps, food for thought I guess.
Mine has been great except for fuel economy. Ford dealer put some new program in the computer and the truck is up to 17 mpg hwy from 14, so I guess it helped some.
Really? If you have any other detail about this please let me know. Would be much appreciated. I have a 2004 Mountaineer, 4.0L 6 cylinder. I do not tow, haul anything, except a tiny wife and 2 small kids. The truck is still brand new, only 1,100 miles on it. I was waiting to put about 5,000 miles on it before I figure out the mileage again. Did it for the heck of it the first week I brought it home. Got 14 mpg highway. I don't plan on doing anything like that right now, but that info would be good to have.
Now I am wondering if the extremely poor mileage is tied into my "Service Engine Soon" light that came on last week and has remained on. Guess I'll find out when I bring it in on Wednesday.
My truck has always gotten very poor mileage. Its sllloooowwwwwllllyyyy getting better. I think last tank was 17 mpg mixed. Will get a better idea of its hwy mileage after Thursday, taking a 700 mile hwy trip. I will post the results when I get back.
My truck currently has 11,500 miles on it.
more-or-less because "normal" is an average, EPA mileage is not done in the real world but as two wheel dyno testing in a warehouse, and as the poet once wrote on a notecard when he woke up in the middle of the night so he wouldn't lose the thought.....
Y M M V
The 4.0L V6 still has plug wires.
That's EXACTLY what I was telling my service advisor the other day.......scary thing is......he agreed, lol.
My Explorer is behaving, we had it off road Sunday. Ran into a bunch of water, probably 8-10 inches deep, hubby refused to drive through it, turned around instead. What a chicken, I was ready to go for it.
Not sure of the fuel economy on it, seems to be able to go 210 miles on 1/2 tank, up from 150 miles before its service visit. Will know more after Thursday's road trip.
Another question.....
We are looking at campers. Found a tow behind that the dealer is saying my Explorer could pull. The GVWR of the trailer is only 5200 lbs, its dry weight is 3600 lbs. Its big, but very light. I would have to switch from a class II hitch to a class IV which is no biggie. Anyone towed anything like that with a newer V6 Explorer??
Steve, Host
I've towed horse trailers with SUVs and done ok, but yes crosswinds and sway are a big concern. We have a dually truck, but since its a reg cab we don't all fit in it and its kind of worthless for camping trips.
My husband is of the mind that we are buying a camper of some assorts and if we have to get a bigger SUV oh well, that's what he'll do. He cracks me up, I wanted to trade my Explorer down to a Focus and he would not hear of it. Now he is getting closer to getting a toy that he really wants (and me too) and he's all for trading the Explorer on a bigger SUV if that's what it takes. Thankfully we are several months away from a purchase so plenty of time to figure this all out.
but I agree you are going to have to go over the suspension and make sure you are ready for the task. also, that puts you squarely into the severe-service maintenance schedule, don't miss an appointment.
when you get the class-IV installed, also get the swaybar hitch and install the swaybar connector on the trailer tongue. that makes a major, major difference in wind, passing trucks (or being passed by them,) and the like. highly recommended. do it. do NOT fail. God has ordered ye all install swaybars, hallelujia.
get the hint?
I know my Explorer can probably tow the trailer we want, but its putting it right at the max. I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I don't want to drive anything bigger than an Explorer, but I'm thinking that a V8 would work out a lot better for towing. We both agree we should have thought the towing thing out more before we bought my Explorer. We are towing a lot more than we planned.
Thankfully I put enough down on my Explorer so I'm not buried up to my eyeballs in it.
the main concern would be towing a big heavy trailer in cross wind conditions. last year, about 800 miles from home(yup, a road trip), i saw where a crosswind took a trailer/mid-suv totally off the road. just keep it in mind.
i'm probably playing right into the hands of your hubby! be safe. swami says 4x4 turbo diesel crew cab dually
My biggest concern is killing my little V6, I LOVE my Explorer, can't think of a better vehicle to drive. However, it is lethargic when it comes to towing.
As for a 4x4 diesel crew cab dually, um, that would require him giving up his V10 reg cab dually and I can tell you right now.......he would give ME up first.
I posted some comments about towing over in the inconsiderate buyers board, so i will probably tick off the moderator. I will copy them over to here, the more appropriate site.
Jim
(I'm the Texan with the sister in Wasilla)
If you can give me the specs on your Explorer, specifically engine, 2wd or 4wd, transmission (auto or standard) and the rear axle ratio, I can get you an exact tow rating. Based on a v6 with a 5spd auto (and that was a surprise to me, a 5spd auto)the tow rating with the 3.73 is 5251lbs with one passenger. Now, if you have been in the RV business, you know that the weight label on a trailer is not necessarily even close, and anybody buying a trailer should insist on having it weighed before signing anything.
My '97 Terry 26L showed to weigh ~5900lbs. It's certified dry weight is 6550lbs. Don't believe the guy wanting your money knows exactly how much you can tow, unless he can show it to you in the Ford towing guide.
When talking to folks about what they can tow, I generally tell them to try to stay 20% below the rated tow spec.
As a side note to readers, even if you do not plan on towing, when picking a new vehicle check to see what the tow package adds. Down here in Texas some vehicles will get an added tranny cooler and external oil cooler. Both good things in the heat. Not to mention if you end up down the road needing to tow something, you are ready for it.
Jim
Jim