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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 455 of 640

#4533 of 6385 Re: 1997 Ford Explorer - major creeking noises [dgould] by gertrude

Oct 26, 2005 (7:27 pm)

Replying to: dgould (Oct 26, 2005 11:18 am)
If you put the front end on jackstands and raise/lower each wheel with a floor jack you will be able to hear the creaking if the control arm bushings rubbers are the problem. I bought new bushings but delayed about 2 months and the problem went away so I took the bushings back to PEP boys and never did replace them. You could always spray some lubricant on them and wait for it to work it's way in. What to use . . .Hmm . something that does not harm rubber . .silicone spray . .

#4534 of 6385 2004 Sport Trak radio skips stations by gertrude

Oct 26, 2005 (7:33 pm)

My 2004 Explorer Sport Trak changes radio channels like it has a mind of it's own. It is the standard radio/single cd setup. I'll be driving along listening to music and in the middle of a tune it will switch to weather channel or news or some other thing. It happens on any station in any area of the country. Ford says they cannot duplicate it and never heard of the problem. I think the phase lock loop circuit in the radio is the problem but they think there is no problem so they won't replace it. Any suggestions?

#4535 of 6385 Re: dakdul [placeinfrance] by swschrad

Oct 26, 2005 (8:05 pm)

Replying to: placeinfrance (Oct 26, 2005 2:42 pm)
the fix works if you know what you're doing. if you get a blowtorch and a bunch of bar solder, it isn't going to work. done it, it worked.
 
I must say that I also had some dicey solder connections on the display board, as well, to fix. and that I replaced the filter capacitor for that function, the 100 uF unit, on the power board, because I was there and crummy capacitors are a long-standing issue back to tube days.
 
it was worth $20 to me to know which boards to get after. I also raised the diodes and power resistors, touched up every SMT connection, and the radio has been solid.
 
if somebody says you fix low oil pressure in a worn-out engine by replacing the bearings, and you don't know how to do it, then surely, you will mess the job up big time.
 
if you're that glowery about self-repair, then send your boards in to the guy with, I think it is $120, and let him fix it or eat it. best price elsewhere I saw on Da ISH for refurbing the radio is $225.

#4536 of 6385 Re: 1997 Ford Explorer - major creeking noises [gertrude] by swschrad

Oct 26, 2005 (8:07 pm)

Replying to: gertrude (Oct 26, 2005 7:27 pm)
white spray lithium grease on the bushings also works, and has been the recommended fix for years. although it washes off faster than a thick silicone in road spray.

#4537 of 6385 Re: ENGINE FAILURE [bigdk] by exploded99

Oct 26, 2005 (10:52 pm)

Replying to: bigdk (Oct 26, 2005 9:26 am)
What you do depends on you to some extent.
 
If it were mine, I would shop around for an engine from a rollover from one of the junkyards. Quite a few rollovers out there - if you take your time and get some quotes you can find a decent price. They can be started and tested before they are installed in the vehicle.
 
The dealer here does not sound like much help. I'm guessing a reman block from Ford installed at the dealer is at least 3,500. I think you could do a used engine for somewhere around half that.
 
If you are not comfortable with a used engine or a local shop, then the price goes up. Ford dealers are the most expensive option.
 
I think you already have the answer about how much help Ford will be. There is an appeal process you can try at Ford ( look in your warranty booklet) , but I don't think Ford would pick up enough of the tab to reduce your cost below a used engine.

#4538 of 6385 Help! by shelly1211

Oct 27, 2005 (2:13 am)

Tuesday, while I was at work, I went to drive my car to an appointment and the engine would not start. It made the sounds like it wanted to, but would not catch. Since I only have 57,000 miles on it, and we purchased the extended warranty til 75,000 miles, I called the Ford line and had it towed.
 
Wednesday morning the mechanic calls me to ask me a few questions to rule out any possibility of bad gas, etc. Imagine my surprise when my husband calls to tell me they called and told him that I had driven through a deep puddle at high speed and as a result the engine was full of water! Not only that, but it would not be covered under warranty and we had to get a new engine. We were flabbergasted!!! Yes, it was raining that day and I had told the mechanic that I was driving the car earlier in the morning. But it was running fine. I did have to drive through a puddle (no deeper than 6 inches) with my left tire but I can guarantee it was slowly because there are speed bumps precisely where the puddle was. When my husband called back to tell the mechanic that I did not drive through a puddle at high speed, the mechanic's reply was that unless I had someone driving with me there really was no way to tell that I hadn't.
 
We spoke with our regular mechanic who said that in most cases like this the car would die in the middle of the puddle, anyway. I am wondering if there is any other way water could get inside the engine and how do I insist that Ford consider this covered under our extended warranty?
 
Shelly

#4539 of 6385 2000 Explorer Break Faiure in Hard Start by autonovice3

Oct 27, 2005 (8:59 am)

I have a 2000 Ford Exploer Sport with 70,000 miles. It works fine in summer but in every cold winter morning, it has the following problem: The ignition is always quick and fine, but once started the engine shakes so badly at idle that the vibrations can be felt in the steering wheel and throughout the vehicle. After a few seconds it will stall out if I don't keep my foot on the gas. This would last at least 10 minutes until the car is fully warmed up, then it will return to stable idle. For several times, I rushed my car out on the road when idle is still not stable, and it stalled at the stop sign. The worst part was once it stalled, the steering wheel immediately got LOCKED(!!) and the brake paddle was LOCKED too!!! I CANNOT steer the wheel or step the brake down, and the car just kept moving ahead until lost inertia. The repair shop I went to said several of my cylinders are misfiring, and changing the timing belt would fix. Yet nothing is fixed except I was ripped off $1200. I don't know much about car, and I hope many of you nice people can give me some clue before I go to another repair shop. What is happening with my car?? By the way, my car also has a check engine light.

#4540 of 6385 Re: 1997 Ford Explorer - major creeking noises [swschrad] by dgould

Oct 27, 2005 (10:08 am)

Replying to: swschrad (Oct 26, 2005 8:07 pm)
Thanks for your reply....I'll try it.

#4542 of 6385 Re: Help! [shelly1211] by swschrad

Oct 27, 2005 (4:20 pm)

Replying to: shelly1211 (Oct 27, 2005 2:13 am)
get a sample of the water and have it analyzed for glycol coolant. if none, you are doomed. if so, it was a head gasket failure and ford is responsible for repairs.
 
before I called them again, I'd call a lawyer. not to brag about yet... but to get solid advice on how to proceed without prejudicing your rights, and also how to avoid ticking off the dealer/ford while this test is being conducted.
 
the air intake for at least the 99/00/01 explorers is behind the radiator bracket on the passenger side. it is indeed possible for water spray to be conducted into the air intake, and if there is enough, it could penetrate the air filter and get into the cylinders. generally, the location should protect against water ingestion as long as the plastic fender liners are intact, and as long as big streams of water don't come rolling off the tire or sprayed around by the radiator fan.
 
what the mechanic is saying happened is precisely this, and it caused hydrolock, which bent or broke a whole ton of internal engine parts. isn't worth trying to fix a hydrolocked engine.

Messages Page 455 of 640

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