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Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

6385 messages,  Last post on May 05, 2013 at 7:47 AM

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Messages Page 42 of 639

#409 of 6385 1997 Explorer Engine Failure by harrell3

Jan 07, 2001 (11:24 pm)

I was wondering if anyone else had experienced such a problem and reading some of the reports above I guess I'm not the only one disappointed with FORD. Basically the family and I have enjoyed our Explorer up to this point. My vehicle stalled backing out of my garage one morning on the way to work. Had the vehicle towed to a friends automotive center and he's perfectly honest with me. No compression from the left side of the engine. Needs a engine he told me. I'm devastated, there's no way a engine could go out of a vehicle that prides itself of getting up to 100,000 miles before tune-up, could possibly go out at 85,000 miles. He would need to break the engine down to determine the cause. Called FORD to explain circumstance. Ford informed me that the vehicle is out of warranty at 60,000 miles, which I purchased the basic extended warranty at $625 at purchase three years ago. Now that it is out of warranty there's nothing they can do to help me. I don't have $4500.00 for a new engine just like that and they could least offer to cover the tear down of the engine to determine the cause of failure. FORD tells me that the oil pressure was low in the vehicle. I'm no mechanic, but I know unless there's no oil in the engine will it not seize. I did discover through my mechanical friend that there was a Technical Service Bulletin released by FORD to dealers and service personnel in 1998 informing them of 1997 4.0 SOHC OIL Pump drive assembly may seize as a result of inadequate lubrication. If the shaft should seize it could cause a change in engine cam timing and result in damage to pistons,valves and head assemblies. If this is what happened to my vehicle, be honest about it and honor your word. I believe they're afraid to take the engine apart for fear of this very well could be the cause. I plan to continue pressing FORD on this issue also informing the television stations in the area because FORD needs to honor their products and build better reliable products and provide better customer service. It seems they're only concerned about the dollar.

#410 of 6385 Questions on an Anchient Explorer by qmercury

Jan 07, 2001 (11:35 pm)

I have possibly one of the eldest Explorers ever made with a 6/1990 production date on the engine and a production number of 000107. I bought the car in November of 1990 new with 0 miles. 118 thousand later the car has really begun to fall apart in the last few months. Following the replacement of the entire cooling system last summer, the transmission is beginning to shift very roughly and slip occasionally, not to mention ten years of monthly exhaust system repairs.
 
The vehicle has seen relitavley light duty usage, only with me and later my wife ferrying kids around a ten square mile radius of this city and pulling a sea-doo during summer weekends. Granted, the car has seen two teenage male drivers come and go, but with constant dealer maintence, and the general historical toughness precedence of Ford trucks I assume at least 150k is possible. Compared to most American cars of the era that I have experienced, the vehicle has been roughly average in quality.
 
Still, a friend of mine has a '94 Sport with 170k and NO known mantience. I know that some revisions came for the 1993 model year and the vast majority of those I have seen look to be in much better shape than the earlier models.
 
Anyway, the Explorer is not the worst SUV I have ever owned, that honor belongs to a recently traded 1999 Chevrolet Blazer LS. Nor is is the least reliable, compared to my former 1986 Jaguar XJ6, 1993 Chevrolet Camaro, or 1992 Range Rover. Still compared to my son's Acura Integra, our 2000 Toyota Land Cruiser, or the car I bought along with the Explorer in '90 a 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SE (201k with only minor repairs) the car leaves much to be desired.
 
I am soon to trade this vehicle for something European, fast, and DOSEN'T LEAN IN TURNS!!!

#411 of 6385 qmercury by mazman1

Jan 08, 2001 (6:36 am)

So what's your point? The vehicle is over 10 yrs old. Its gonna have problems at this point. Probably the reason that your friend with the 94 explorer got 170K miles out of it is he drove it 170K miles in 7 years. When that vehicle is 10 yrs old, let us know how it is doing. Some vehicle parts deteriorate with AGE and weathering, not as much from miles. Not to mention that the 94 was built better than the '91.

#412 of 6385 Question - When starting my Explorer... by cuffeed

Jan 08, 2001 (7:18 am)

All,
My 2000 Eplorer Limited V8 (with only 11K miles) seems to hesitate when starting it. It doesn't seem like it wants to cut on. Sometimes I will have to try twice before getting the truck to turn on. Has anyone had this problem? I am pissed because it only has 11K miles on it. I have no problem starting my VW Jetta which has a 149K miles. It starts up with no hesitation!! Also, I hear that there is a recall on wiper blades and the speed idle controller. Where is a good place to find out about Ford recalls?
Thanks,
Donald

#413 of 6385 cuffeed by mazman1

Jan 08, 2001 (8:23 am)

A good place to find recalls and TSB's is at the website www.alldata.com .
 
The problem with your hard starting V8 may be as simple as water in your gasline or fouled plugs. Have you changed your air filter element? Since it is winter time, maybe you need a gas line antifreeze (drygas) in your tank. Try dumping some Gumout XTRA fuel system cleaner in the gas tank... also, dont let it go below 1/4 tank full, because the inlet for the pump may not have a clear tube from the gunk that develops on the bottom of the tank.... and then burn out the fuel pump.
 
Also,try this, turn the key only to the "on" for the ignition, to let the pump prime, wait 5 sec. then turn the key all the way to start.
 
Good luck and let me know if this helped.

#414 of 6385 Here We Go Again by njdevilsrn

Jan 08, 2001 (11:32 am)

Anyone catch the show on NBC last night at 8PM? (I think it was Dateline). Anyway, they did a 20 minute piece about how a consumer advocacy group is has compiled data and is calling for the recall of ALL Firestone Wilderness 15 inch tires, not just the ones made in Decatur. They had this lawyer who is representing a bunch of peoplem who have had incidents with tread separation on Wilderness tires that were made in the Carolina plant. There was one scene where the guy opened a warehouse door, now while it wasn't the biggest warehouse on earth, it was full of Explorers which were completely trashed (at least 2 dozen) and all of the accidents were caused by tread separation on Wilderness tires which were made in places other than the Decatur plant.
 
The show really focused on problems with the tires made in the Carolinas, and only mentioned the fact the Wilderness tires are also made in Quebec. Either way, these guys really seem to be pressuring Ford and Firestone. They said there are roughly 5,000,000 15 inch Wilderness tires which are not covered by the recall.
 
I think that if Costco has Michelin LTX AT's in stock this weekend, the Exploder will be getting some new shoes.

#415 of 6385 thanks mazman1 by cuffeed

Jan 09, 2001 (5:21 am)

Hey! Thanks MAZMAN1 for the response. I spoke with my wife about your response. She said that she never lets the truck get low on gas. However, I am going to try some of that Gumout XTRA fuel system treatment. Also, I am going to let my Ford service advisor know what's going on!
One last thing....I took a look at that website that you metioned and it mentioned nothing about the recall the speed idle controller. I know that this item is on recall.
Thanks,
Donald

#416 of 6385 njdevilsm by mazman1

Jan 09, 2001 (7:06 am)

I flipped past the NBC spot because it just makes me depressed. I had 16" tires on my 2000 explorer, one of which was made in Wilson, NC that started to come apart after 5,000 miles... the seam on the tread edge had a crack. The Firestone dealer I went to was an extremely arrogant person. They replaced the bad tire with another Wilderness, but gave me a hard time when I asked them to check all the tires. Two weeks later I replaced all 5 with Michelin LTX MS tires.
 
Have a good new year Firestone, because I will never, ever own a car with a Firestone (or a Bridgestone) tire on it.

#417 of 6385 mazman1 by sadatx

Jan 10, 2001 (10:32 am)

When you replaced your tires with the michelins, did you notice any difference in terms of ride? I'm thinking of changing my tires and my shocks together. My truck is so damn loud. I have the stock 16 inch freestones on my BE. I was thinking of going a little bigger, for example an 18inch low profile tire with some rims. Do you think the 18 inch tires will give me a quitter ride? Or should I just stay with the same size and just swap out out the stones. Thanks for all your help.

#418 of 6385 sadatx by mazman1

Jan 10, 2001 (11:38 am)

When I replaced the 16" Deathstone Wilderness AT's with Michelins, I bought the 16" Michelin LTX MS not the Michelin ATX tires, The MS has a much less aggresive tread than the ATX. The ride is much better, especially with the Bilstein shocks. I figured that since I was not going rock climbing, the MS's would be fine for the streets.
 
The most noticeable improvement is much less body roll, especially on turns. Braking is also improved a bit. The MS tires are also noticeably quieter. The uneasy 'sliding' feeling that I used to get with the F'stones going over a metal grated bridge is gone.
 
If you go to an 18" tire, you will have to go to a smaller aspect ratio (smaller sidewall).. thus a skinnier tire. These have very good traction, but have a harshier ride and wear out faster.
 
Good luck. Check out tire prices on www.tirerack.com as a benchmark to what your dealer offers.

Messages Page 42 of 639

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