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make sure you mention that you have an explorer to the service place, b/c the price that covers alignments usually does not apply to explorer b/c of the need for additional parts.
sorry for the bad news. i love my f.o.r.d., don't you?
ace
the rears on our '97 f.o.r.d. p.o.s. with 34K miles have always been within the tolerances.
if the rear is out of spec, then yes, absolutley get them fixed.
ace
Second, I use Castrol Syntec 5w30 oil in my 2000 since 6000 miles. Some people like Mobil 1... some like Royal Purple. Some poeple use a Synthetic blend oil, which is A LOT cheaper. What I can say is that the synthetic oil costs a bit more ($4.50 per qt).. cheaper at Costco.. it does run quieter in my vehicle and I don't hear that load metal on metal whine when I start up anymore. Synthetics leave less residue, and can go longer between oil changes, so if you put a lot of miles on your vehicle, synthetic oil will allow you to go 6,000 safely without changing.. but keep in mind that the oil filter will probably fall apart beyond that mileage. ... Buy a good oil filter.. not FRAM.
Synthetic oil may also get you a mile or two more per gallon in mpg.
Good luck
did you speak with a svc person or a salesdrone?
ace
It's not supposed to leak. Ask the service guy to show you what manual says it is and he'll probably change his tune.
Good luck!
BTW...They had two new Mountaineers outside the dealer. WHAT AN UGLY TRUCK! I'm sure the front end of it will give me nightmares. Haven't seen a new Explorer up close yet.
Also, I took your idea and used the gumout extra. Made almost 19 mpg on a round trip to Albany (NY) this past weekend - over 400 miles total.
Synthetic oil does not void any warranty and you can call Mobil or Castrol or any other oil manufacturer and they will send you their literature and tests of their oil vs. the performance of dinosaur oil... in any car. All retail oil sold has to have the SAE and API certification. Those labels are printed on every bottle.
The biggest reason for using synthetic is to lengthen the time/ miles between changes.
The second reason that synthetics may (I said MAY) protect your engine better, especially in cold climates - when you first start the engine.. before the oil can circulate.
I put Syntec in my Explorer at 6,000 miles. It runs quieter and has maybe 1-2 better mpg. I put Mobil 1 in my brother's 10 yr old Acura that was burning oil and now it does not burn as much or have blue smoke..
Check out the posts in the "Maintenance and Repair" sectionof Edmunds in their Synthetic oil discussion.
Has anyone had a rocking chair noise or creaking type noise from their front end of their explorer?
I notice a rocking chair sound whenever i pull away from a stop light or come in for a stop I wonder if its a suspension problem, can anyone assist?
which discusses a problem that Ford is having with the new plastic gas tank on the 2002 Explorer. Apparently, if the vehicle is struck broadside, the tranny can (and has) ruptured the gas tank...
The wiring harness in the column may be suspect, but I dont think so. If you dont have interior or dash lights as well, then it is definitely a fuse.
has anyone else had problems with their doors making noise?
I'm driving a 1991 currenlty has 135K miles on it. I'm looking at new vehicles now, but I'm going to move up to a bigger vehicle since I tow a boat in the summer. Up in Minnesota we like to haul boats around from lake to lake, and the Explorer has done it for me for 10 years. I bought it used with 14K miles in 1992, Ford Executive vehicle, whatever that means. It's an XLT with Automatic. Automatic is recommended for towing, if you get a manual tranny it really cuts down on the towing capacity.
To give you an idea of my maintenance - New shocks (Do this if you haven't yet >100K miles - got some $30 gas charged at Fleet Farm supply and worth it), Tranny was rebuilt at 80K, heavy duty torque converter added, tranny fluid and filter twice since rebuild(comes out to every 40K), changed coolant every 30K, oil 4 times a year, just bought/installed a new alternator (pep boys $120). There's the spot of rust that every Explorer gets under the drivers side passenger door (they now cover that up with a plastic molding), and a little rust under the lift gate. The 4X4 front hubs have been troublesome. Back in 1995 they were making a rattling noise. Brought it to Ford where they overhauled them. There was a recall on some of the parts, some parts were covered, some I had to pay for. It's my everyday commuter vehicle. I like that it's paid off and no payment!
http://www.glue.umd.edu/~singletn/exp.html
It will be going back to the shop tomorrow and hopefully it will not start for them and we can figure out what the problem is. It is now a question of keeping the car or trading it in on something else if they can not find out what the problem is, it has left me stranded to many times.
If anyone has any advice for me to take to the dealer I would greatly appreciate it.
will be checking back on this forum or you may email me anytime at morgan@ruralcomm.com
The symptoms you describe can also be caused by water freezing in the fuel line. It can also be caused by some solid matter clogging the hose. Have you tried a drygas product? What about flushing the tank?
Hopeful we have the problem fixed, I was able to duplicate the truck not starting for the dealer and he found the answer right away. It was the fuel pump relay switch. Replaced it so hopefully I will not be having anymore trouble.
ace
I have 57,000 miles on my explorer and have made my last lease payment. I have always felt that the quality of the suspension on my Explorer was less than good. Too many noises and rubbing sounds when I would turn right or left.
My dealer also replaced my transmission at 34,500 miles. I diagnosed the bad transmission myself in that the shifting pattern suddenly changed and would "clunk" in between gears. I have heard that the transmissions in 1998 Explorers have had alot of problems.
I just leased a new Chevy 2002 Trailblazer. We'll see if Chevy has a better suspension.
Has anyone noticed that their Explorers squat even with the lightest load?
It isn't a real problem except that oncoming drivers are blinded by my headlinghts and it looks funny.
PS...I'm gonna stay in this room and talk about the Explorers built on an actual truck platform. The people in the 2002 Explorer room didn't take kindly to my comment that the 2002 looks like a minivan on Steroids. Hint, hint...park a Windstar and a 2002 Explorer side by side. Look at the slope of the rear ends on each. They also called our "old" trucks inferior. All I know is my rear window hasn't shattered for no reason as of late, and my truck has not yet exploded due to a fuel tank rupture.
1- adjust your headlights so they aim lower... see a haynes manual for how to do that.
2- Next time you are at your mechanic, ask him to lower the setting on the front torsion bars, which will level the truck and make the rear end come up.
3- replace the crap ford shocks with something better.
Yes, I agree that the 2002 Explorer is more a car than an offroad vehicle, but Ford realized that most of these vehicles are being used in minivan type applications, and do not need offroad capability, hence the less aggressive tires and the independent suspension.... but I was surprized how they cheapened the interior (wouldnt creature comforts be more important to that type of buyer) and one of the best things about my 2000 is the rear view mirror!
The 2001 is not an inferior vehicle to the 2002, just different, and you probably paid a lot less for it than a comparably equipped 2002 would be (and you don't have to be a test dummy for Ford) ... The 2002 is a different vehicle, with a accent towards a different type of consumer than say, a Jeep or Land Rover buyer.
Last night at the gas station I noticed there wasn't a drop of engine coolant in the reservoir. I decided to let it sit overnight to assess the situation. After sitting all night I looked and same thing. I popped the radiator cap, and as far down as I could see (with the help of a flashlight) there was no coolant to be seen. Some of the coils were bone dry.
I can only think of 3 reasons for this...
1) There is a leak I don't know of
2) It's burning it or doing something else that it goes away without a noticeable leak.
3) There was never enough in there to begin with.
The thing has been to the dealer for maintenance 3 times (just turned 10000 miles), I'd be surprised nobody would notice it wasn't filled properly (or maybe I wouldn't be). Any thoughts?
When the engine is cool, there should be coolant in the reservior...when the engine warms up, the thermostat opens and allows coolant to enter and the reservior fluid level drops. Now.. do you notice anything different on your temp gauge?
There is a test to see if radiator fluid is in the oil... the dealer can do it... if there is.. the engine is trashed .. because there is water where the oil is and you will have rust in there soon.. Check your dipstick for rust particles... There is a gasket that may have been compromised and allowed the fluid to pass into the lower engine...
But it is entirely possible that there was not enough fluid in there to begin with. Have the oil test done soon.
Good luck and pls let me know how it turns out.
Ford recalls new S/UVs
Steve
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