Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

18384868889125

Comments

  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    the TSB indicates new a new diff and possibly new axle shafts will do it. apparently some bum runs from the supplier.
  • samvsamv Member Posts: 4
    Just got my car back from the dealer. The problem was sluggish shifting around 40-45mph and a whining noise coming from the differential.

    The dealer replaced some solenoid in the tranny and reflashed the memory. The differential gears were replaced. All work done under ESP Warranty.

    Everything seems fine for the time being. This also fixed my Reverse - Clunk problem.
  • mmadden1mmadden1 Member Posts: 17
    I have an XLS 4x4 with the V6 with 24K on it. Had it to the dealer for the initial "fix" on the tranny which was the additive. Hadn't had any real problems--the tranny still occasionally went bang on R to D shifts but no big issues until my differential started whining around 20K.

    After a few months of this I took it in this week for a list of issues, including:

    -ABS light stated coming on; went off when you turned the car off and restarted.
    -Rattle under the dash when in drive; had it fixed once but seems to be coming back\
    -The whining rear end
    -Tranny started clunking on downshifts when slowing from highway speeds to a stop--very noticeable.

    Ok, so I take in to the dealer, check back for something left in the car an hour later and they are already dropping the rear end and acknowledge that this is an ongoing problem--so they aren't going to acknowledge a problem until the owner starts complaining?.

    Next he says they're starting on the tranny and it will take several days of work, possible replacement. No news on the ABS yet.

    This is my third Explorer; the '97' was perfect. the '99' was ok and the dealer took care of all the recalls that affected it without an argument.

    The the seriousness of the problems on the 04 have me shaking my head; have all the QC guys at Ford been let go? Where are they getting these parts from--China? How is it Ford has taken the biggest profit producer in the company and turned it into the biggest headache?

    Would appreciate comments on the ABS issue if anyone knows.
    Thanks in advance.
    Mike
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,256
    you must report what you feel are problems to the service department. they are not allowed to tell you 'x' is a problem. it's called 'selling warranty work'. that is just the way it is.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • govchickengovchicken Member Posts: 2
    i'm having this same problem with my transmission losing fluid but not leaking. sometimes when I go to start the truck the vacuum hoses pop off if I don't crank it over until it starts. and I noticed fluid in my hoses so I'm sure this is my problem. whats involved in replacing modulators? any help would be appreciated.
  • alman08alman08 Member Posts: 282
    and what made you think that American made parts would last longer than parts that were made in China?
  • mmadden1mmadden1 Member Posts: 17
    My experience with Chinese parts in industry--semi conductors, PCB's and metal castings--is that prices are usually less than half of their US counterparts but defective parts can run in the 10-15% range on a given product.

    In the good old days with Ford,say 10-15 years ago, you could buy a product from them and expect to get a min of 50K miles out of it without much of a problem.

    A lot of competitive pressure has been brought on Ford and the other domestic automakers these days, prompting them to look for less expensive suppliers which made me wonder if they have gone offshore with these components. I'm not saying it's impossible to get a bad part from a US supplier but I know from experience that Chinese suppliers can supply some real junk if you don't keep a close eye on QC.
  • annabelle231annabelle231 Member Posts: 3
    I had the same kind of problem, but my radio just started scanning through the stations, not stopping for more than 2 seconds on any channel. anyone know where i can get a "chart" of the fuse numbers for my Explorer? i also do not have an owners manual.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    the vacuum modulator, at least in the GMs, is basically a press-fit part on the outside and is an easy repair. don't forget to chock your wheels before sliding underneath.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    if you get a haynes or chilton manual, the info will be in there as well as in the owners manual. it could be you have an antenna ground issue or the antenna is unscrewed in the base if it keeps scanning, that's weak-signal activity. if the RF amplifier got blown by static, say from rubbing down a wax job and you touched the antenna, that would also cause the same action. antenna fixes are easy and not expensive. radio fixes are easy and darned expensive, and basically you're better off to replace it with a good aftermarket unit and a magic special harness to fit the ford. unless you are set up with a Mach system, of course, then it's a little harder to make a one-by-one wire translation. I actually spen the $20 for the tip sheet offered a couple years ago on resoldering all the surface-mount stuff on the radio dial PCB and power supply to get rid of black-screen disease on my Mach. haven't had any issues since. the silver solder cost a lot more than the tipsheet.
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    as they used to say, QC doesn't cost, it pays. all the warranty rework adds up someplace.
  • deanrdeanr Member Posts: 1
    Hi, you can go here for the service manuals-

    http://www.genuineflmservice.com/default.asp?page=E4

    You can save them to your computer if you like.

    Dean
  • wiggy2wiggy2 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 96 explorer, for about 3 mos. it has been cutting off while driving .it doesn't matter whether your are going 35 or 65 all of a sudden it just cuts off.you either have to put it into nutrel turn the key off and back on or pull off the road, put it in park and restart. i've had a complete tuneup and the fuel pump checked out with no luck.i took it to a ford dealer to have it checked out, they replaced a sensor and a pcv hose but i still have a problem.can anyone help? thanks, wiggy2
  • mmadden1mmadden1 Member Posts: 17
    Got the Explorer back. Changed out the pinion gears, reprogramed the tranny, replaced a sensor in the ABS and I 'm good to go. $1400 of warranty repair work. Makes me wonder if I'd have waited until the vehicle had 36K+ on the odometer if Ford would have taken care of it on their nickle.
    Anyone that drives this vehicle beyond the factory warranty coverage without an extended warranty is asking for trouble. YMMV..
  • caileincailein Member Posts: 5
    I am trying to diagnose a problem that the dealer cannot find as it is intermittant and is not being captured by the OBD II system. While driving, including decelerating, the gauges go to their limits with other dash lights (air bag, check engine, 4WD, etc.) light up followed by the engine shutting off (as if I turned the key off) and the only dash light flashing is the 'Theft' light. Most times this happens the engine comes back on again and I am able to keep driving, sometimes I have to pull off. During the times I pull off, the car will not even turn over, including the starter. The ACC position on the ignition won't even allow power for the ACCessories. When this happens, after a few seconds to up to a minute or two (seems like the time to restart has been increasing), the power comes back to start the vehicle and continue driving.

    I am thinking the Air Conditioner may be related or the extra load it puts on the engine as in the last few days I haven't used the A/C and have not had this problem occur. Not sure how much that A/C circuit has control over the overall electrical system. Another thought is possibly the transmission's electrical systems because of when the problem has occurred during deceleration. The dealer was only able to say that my IAC needed was sticking and the two only O2 sensors could be replaced and that one has a short in its lead but went on to say that would not cause these problems. I have replaced the IAC and tried disconnecting the battery to reset any abberant settings, yet the problems still exists.

    I bought an Autoenginuity OBD II scanner and the only DTC it exhibits is a B1834 'Door Unlock Disarm Output Circuit Failure ' problem. It has yet to complete testing the EVAP system and will need to complete a longer trip I guess for it to get enough information.

    The only other problem the vehicle has is a very rare (less than five times a year) windshield wiper turn on. The rear wiper occassionally doesn't work but wiggling the wiper arms brings it back to life. The vehicle also had Daytime Running Lights / Automatic Headlights on at Night system installed by the dealer when it was new. Other than this the vehicle has had no major and only a few minor problems. It has been a great vehicle with about 100K miles.

    Thank you in advance for your review and any replies.
  • chuck1chuck1 Member Posts: 1,405
    Anyone that drives this vehicle beyond the factory warranty coverage without an extended warranty is asking for trouble. YMMV..

    Be careful, that sentiment is not necessarily shared here....................
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    the dealer has a trip recorder that could be put on the car, but as it is a multi-thousand dollar device, I betcha they are quite loath indeed to let it out of their hands. might be worth a try to get one of the car chip dongles that plug into the OBD-II jack, download its infornation with the Windows software included in the kit, and see if it says what conked out. that's something like $140 basic, $180 with extra memory. you can use google's froogle to try and find one online, I first heard about it through batauto dot com, several of whose mechanics put useful answers of the highest order on here periodically, and they probably stock it at list as well. if I had issues, I'd schlep out my OBD reader kit, my evil joke laptop, and the 60-watt inverter (laptop can't work on batteries,) and drive with that in recorder mode in a heartbeat. you might catch something, you might not, but you can use the car chip to spy on how the kids/wife/brother-in-law abuses your car ;) it's really unobtrusive :-D if your dealer was really proactive about driveability issues, they might try keeping one or two around for loan to their customers. the car chip won't do a lot of what their custom machine will, but it might do just enough to keep customers who don't like the world of "can't reproduce trouble."
  • cheryl3cheryl3 Member Posts: 2
    Not sure if you can help or not but I have a 1999 Explorer with 109.000 miles on it....Recently, the transmission is slipping, especially noticeable going between 1st and 2nd gear...the fluid is fine.........I bought it 2 years ago......Does this have to mean the big T rebuild?
  • alman08alman08 Member Posts: 282
    Now a day, I'm not sure if I would want to own a car without extended warranty, and I don't care if it's a Mercedes, Audi, Ford, Lincoln, VW, Toyota or Honda.
  • chuck1chuck1 Member Posts: 1,405
    "and I don't care if it's a Mercedes, Audi, Ford, Lincoln, VW, Toyota or Honda".

    Your pretty safe with a Honda or Toyota not having an extended warranty. Just pick up your local paper and look at used Accords- 4 or 5 years old with over 100K on the odometer going for $10,000.00. What does that tell you?
  • lateralglateralg Member Posts: 929
    There's one born every minute?
  • chuck1chuck1 Member Posts: 1,405
    Very Funny!!!
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    The guages all going 2 max is the signal for low voltage. You may have a battery shorting out. I'd replace it. Bet it solves the problem.
  • caileincailein Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the reply. This short you suggest is likely internal to the battery and not external? Is this behavior documented in any Ford or other Technical Service Literature? I'd love to go back to the Dealer with some hard facts and possibly demand a refund for their lack of research.

    I continue to not have this problem having not used the A/C since the last shut down. Do you think the A/C load on the system may be trigering the short? Is there a protective circuit (like a breaker) that resets after a certain amount of time based on the short? I mean the when it shuts down, all that lights on the dash is the 'Theft' light.

    Sorry for the questions, just trying to understand what you know or have experienced. And thanks again for the reply as I have been scratching my head with this.
  • electricdesignelectricdesign Member Posts: 681
    When the power goes out, does everything go off, like radio, interior lights, or headlights? Does anything at all stay on, other than the Theft Light? This would help to more closely LOCATE the problem. It sounds like your voltage is dropping low, as nvbanker surmised. This can be caused by a short in the wiring, leaking current off to ground, OR it can be caused by a loose connection, causing current and voltage to not flow through the circuit. Either way, it has to be traced to the fault location, wiring diagrams may help, study them carefully. Look at plug in connections, bolted connections, fusable links, etc. Make sure all connections are tight, clean and secure. Loose connections often leave signs of overheating and/or burnt wires. Since the Theft Light remains flashing when the power goes out, it suggests that the fault point may be after the point where the Theft Light gets it's power.
    Good Luck,
    E.D.
  • caileincailein Member Posts: 5
    Yes, everything goes off. On one occasion, the 'Theft' light was off immediately after the shutdown and started flashing after at least 5 or 10 seconds (didn't time it only noticed all was off). Sometimes the truck gets power again so I can start it. Sometimes it takes longer. I'm thinking about switching the new battery in my wife's 2001 Windstar with mine to isolate the internal battery short, plus the Windstar is an SEL with lots of electrical hungry stuff.

    Having a plan of likely locations and connections would be very helpful in diagnosing. The only short the dealer found was on the downstream catalytic converter O2 sensor.

    There is the consistent OBD II DTC B1834 'Door Unlock Disarm Output Circuit Failure ' problem that may may be a short and relate to the 'Theft' system. I do remember that the doors relock at some point after one of these shut downs, but not every time. The right rear passenger door sometimes doesn't unlock but I think it is more a linkage problem or sticky mechanism and I have to pop open the door panel to investigate.

    Thanks for your input and any future input.
  • confuzed1confuzed1 Member Posts: 5
    It started about a couple months ago when I tried to get in from the outside. It unlocked and everything but when I lifted the door handle it felt funny, then the lock was not working properlly and then yesterday I was getting out from the inside and the handle popped and then it wouldn't open at all and now the door will not unlock or lock at all and took the panel off and the inside doo handle was broke and the outside handle the spring had broke if anybody knows what is going on let me know now i cant lock the door.
  • alman08alman08 Member Posts: 282
    sounds like you know what the problem was already... you said you opened the side panel and you saw broken parts.
  • electricdesignelectricdesign Member Posts: 681
    Swapping the battery is a good place to start. Sometimes, not often, a battery can have an intermittent problem. If the problem continues and you want to look into it yourself, get a subscription to alldatadiy.com, I think its about $24 now, and you can get all the info for your vehicle, including wiring diagrams. Since it is an online service you get to see the wiring diagrams in sections, so you have to piece sections together to trace some circuits. You will need at least a Volt Ohm Meter and a 12 Volt Test Light. If you are good with electricity, you might try this, otherwise take it to a good Automotive Electrical Specially shop in your area.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Yes, the short may be internal to the battery. Before you do a ton of diagnostics, I would swap it out. As ED says, it's not common, but it can happen. What you describe could be explained this way, and it's the best place to start IMO>
  • joningsjonings Member Posts: 6
    In continuattion, i replaced the selenoide, and the starter as it failed on me just recently, now it sounds like im starting an ATV, and not a V6. Is this normal? for $370.00 it better be or ill be mad. :sick: :sick: :mad: :cry: :lemon:
  • joningsjonings Member Posts: 6
    My 94 explorer XL is stuck in 4x4 after a recent offroading trip, ive cleaned out all the undercarriage of debris and still its stuck, i have no clue whats going on with it, i can hear it clicking and trying to unlock the auto-hubs but to no avail. luckily its stuck in 4H so i can still drive short distances if i have to, but its killing fuel economy. Also, everytime i start it up after letting it sit for 5 hours or more, it sputters or stalls, any ideas?
  • tickedoff2tickedoff2 Member Posts: 11
    Chuck1, To have an Explorer without an extended service plan would be foolhardy based on my experience with my 2004 EB 4X4 4.0 liter SOHC. At last count it has been in the dealer's shop for 27 business days, not including visits for test driving with dealership and/or Ford field service engineer. At 12,500 miles and 14 months of ownership this new vehicle is still under factory warranty-which does not provide for a rental vehicle when mine is in shop. My ESP covers rental vehicles; rental car charges to date have almost equaled the cost of the ESP-and the problem with the transmission or PCM programing has not been corrected. I am in the "Lemon Law" process at this time. I know mechanics, both dealership and independents, who purchase an ESP because of the expense and complexity of fixing some of the problems that are becoming more prevalent. Incidentally, I can "pull wrenches" and this is the first vehicle that I purchased an ESP with it- and I am so glad, again, since last March I have almost recovered the cost. In the event I lose the the "Lemon Law" issue and I have to keep it the violent sporadic operation of the transmission will eventually cause drivetrain damage, it already has excessive backlash. Tickedoff2
  • chaemeleochaemeleo Member Posts: 1
    I'm having problems with the air conditioning in my 2002 Ford Explorer XLS. The two vents on the driver side are blowing ambient temperature air while the two on the passenger side blow cold and the two in the rear blow cold, well not really cold but at least cool, air. The force of the air coming out the driver side may be slightly less than on the passenger, hard to tell. Any thoughts on this before I take it in to the shop would be greatly appreciated!
  • stvngldnhlstvngldnhl Member Posts: 1
    I am having the exact same problem. Could you advise me of what you found the problem to be...have changed bulbs, and checked fuse.

    Thanks in advance!

    Steve
  • madijomadijo Member Posts: 30
    Tickedoff2 You should look into the Dispute Resolution Board in the back of your owners manual. With proper documentation which you can get copies from any ford dealer of work performed on you car/truck the Board will review it and make a determination. In my case my Mountaineer was bought back at almost full value (-$1700 from new price w/30k miles on it.) . I was so impressed that I 1yr later bought a used Explorer Sport Trac and am very happy with it. :)
  • chuck1chuck1 Member Posts: 1,405
    I am sorry you are having so many problems. In the event your Explorer is taken back, what would you replace it with?
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    U have a stuck blend door in your plenum. Not an easy or cheap fix. The dash may need removal.
  • confuzed1confuzed1 Member Posts: 5
    yea but the lock getting stuck or it won't lock at all and i read some other peoples stuff and they are having similer problems
  • abrock333abrock333 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2002 explorer and I've noticed that when my car gets over 40mph it seems to kick or have a problem shifting. Some people have suggested that I need to check my transmission fluid, however I can't seem to find the dipstick. I took it to a auto store and they couldn't find it. This is my first ford and I would really like to avoid a transmission replacement. Long story short I just wanted to know first of all if there is a dipstick for the transmission and second, if it isn't the fluid, then did the solenoid replacement indeed fix your problem. Thanks, Amber!
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    I had a 1991 Explorer and I thought to fully disengage the 4x4 system you had to drive in reverse for 20 feet or so.
  • ajmtbmajmtbm Member Posts: 245
    we had ours fixed under factory warranty. worked fine, but when cold it creaked dealer finally diagnosed blend door. apparently a common problem in explorers. they had the truck for 3 days and said they had to remove the entire dash. i'll bet is is an expensive fix.
    search engine "explorer blend door problems" and you will find some stuff on it.
  • tickedoff2tickedoff2 Member Posts: 11
    Chuck1, I am not sure, haven't done much looking as I own the Explorer outright and because of its history I would take a blood bath in a trade and I would never sell it to a private party with the transmission or software defect, nor would I trade it in without advising any dealer of the history. Unlike FoMoCo and some of their agents, I have principles; like FoMoCo used to have. Except for the transmission malfunction I am satisfied with the vehicle, it has certain features that I really like. Up to now I have been relying on the integrity of FoMoCo and their agents; I now know that was a big mistake; I thought all the conflicting answers I was getting were internal communication problems and buck passing, my opinion has changed. I now believe that I was being told one thing by some persons and those same persons were telling decision makers another thing. Except for the transmission malfunction I am satisfied with the vehicle, it has certain features that I really like. I was told early on by others to bring a witness on test drives, I felt that was not necessary; was I ever wrong. I gave them another opportunity to correct the problem today, they installed a new transmission sensor that the Ford Field Service Engineer wanted to try; it certainly changed the transmission operation from sporadic violent engagements (engage-neutral out-violent engagement) most often when going from drive to reverse, occasionally when going from reverse to drive, while doing parking lot type maneuvers. The transmission operation with the new sensor has twice (After driving home 9 miles and one key switch start.) not engaged when the selector was clearly indexed in reverse, when I depressed the accelerator the transmission finally started to react and like a piece of "mush" it finally fully engaged. Both times the vehicle was stationary on level ground no feet in contact with the brake pedal. I could write a book about all the "phony baloney excuses" I have been getting. FoMoCo's District Marketing Manager told me today, after I reported the results of the work; that as far as Ford is concerned the operation is normal for that vehicle according to the technicians. That answer forces me to continue on with the "Lemon Law" process and probably end up taking it to court along with the aggravation and expense. Fortunately, I wasn't so trusting that I did not keep good records. Incidentally, I did go to other FoMoCo dealers to see if they could or would work on the problem under warranty, the response was "no"; at least one volunteered that they have not been able to cure all the FoMoCo vehicles with the same transmission and "fly by wire" system. Well that is enough for now.

    You might want to take a peek at some of the other Explorer threads and forums about the 2004 transmission problems.
  • tickedoff2tickedoff2 Member Posts: 11
    nvbanker, Concerning your post #3939, June 29, 2005. I finally have to accept "Something is fishy". Months ago I had contacted a number of FoMoCo dealerships and they would not do warranty work on the problem. I recently checked with a few dealers again, they would not do warranty work on the problem; one volunteered that they they have not been able to cure all of the vehicles having my problem. Again, I am glad you have not had to go through the aggravation I have had for months. Unfortunately for me in this case my trust in others was misplaced. Thank you for trying to save me from myself. Earlier this evening I posted a reply to chuck1 with a few more details, message #4411 this date.

    Respectfully,
    Tickedoff2
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    There is no dipstick. That transmission is sealed for life. The solenoid fix does work, if you get on it fast enough - otherwise, it can damage the transmission beyond repair, and it'll need a rebuild.

    Why no dipstick?
    Simply no space to route it to the surface - and this transmission was designed to run 100,000 miles without a service.
  • annabelle231annabelle231 Member Posts: 3
    Now here is a good question...I am looking to find what fuse is for the interior lights, I have looked in the owners manual and i can not find it. Please, someone help me! thanks
  • joningsjonings Member Posts: 6
    I've tried that, i know the manual says to reverse 10 feet approx. and ive driven 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 feet inreverse, nothing, then tried the whole switch direction thing to cause the hubs to disengae, nothing, it still stays inn 4x4. Im now hoping for snow so that at least i can drive normally again. How much would it cost to get them to perform maintenance and an inpection on my 4x4 driveline and transaxle, hubs, all that? any guesses? I'm not taking it in to Ford, but i know a very good mechanic, fixed up my t-bird many times for me. Another thing, i crawled under my truck and there is nothing physically holding any of the parts, no dirt or debris under there, i washed and blasted and scraped everything out rom under there, there was a lot of debris surrounding the transaxle and the skid-plate protecting it, but i cleaned that so theres nothing, could that have damaged it in some way? im mostly scared this'll cost a lot or be a hard fix. Is it possible for me to drive short distances, like 7 kilometers, with it in 4x4, or will this cause damage?
  • swschradswschrad Member Posts: 2,171
    you can probbly get along with it. go faster, the locked diffs will cause control issues and scour the tires of tens of thousands of kilos of life.
  • cwendtlockscwendtlocks Member Posts: 3
    confuzed, did you check the latch and or the sylnoid for the power locks? I'm assuming that it has power locks.
  • tickedoff2tickedoff2 Member Posts: 11
    madijo, Thank you, I have had the application packet for some time but have been trying to work it out w/o going thru all that hassle. Incidentally FoMoCo now uses a different outfit known as the BBB, when you send your request to the address in the owners manual it gets forwarded to the new outfit in Arlington, VA. I am preparing my application for State arbitration and already have afforded FoMoCo their final opportunity to correct the problem under the state "Lemon Law"; the final opportunity was a disaster; Unfortunately I don't think they have a clue. All I can say is it is a good thing FoMoCo didn't design all the "fly by wire systems in civilian and military aircraft. I am glad your Explorer Sport Trac worked out for you, it probably has the same transmission as mine if it has a 4.0 Liter SOHC engine. Assuming your transmission functions fine, I can never understand how one of the "phony baloney" excuses I get from FoMoCo is that the operation of mine is normal-does that mean all those that operate in manner that is the norm for passenger vehicle automatic transmissions of all manufacturers, including some Ford transmissions, are not normal? One reason I have fooled around with this much longer than I needed to was because I really liked the vehicle, the tranny has been the only problem worth mentioning; I kept hoping the the old FoMoCo with integrity that lived up their warranty obligations would show up, I now accept they have disappeared. I hope FoMoCo can get their act together again-it does the USA no good to have a major outfit get in trouble.

    Respectfully,
    Tickedoff2
Sign In or Register to comment.