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Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

6386 messages,  Last post on May 27, 2013 at 6:07 PM

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Messages Page 520 of 639

#5187 of 6386 Re: 1999 Ford Explorer [rajamansingh] by bioman

Jul 17, 2006 (8:51 pm)

Replying to: rajamansingh (Jul 17, 2006 7:59 am)
The problem might also be harmonic vibration of the exhaust system at idle. I had the same problem with my 99 Explorer when it was new. There was a TSB and th dealer installed a kit that fixed the problem until the warranty ran out. My truck is now rattling at idle again. To test my hypothesis, start the truck and push on the exhaust pipe with your foot. If the vibration stops that is what it is. The exhaust system hangers have lost some their elastic power, have stretched and the rattle returned.

#5188 of 6386 Re: Correction: recurring problem with 2004 explorer [electricdesign] by joe_88

Jul 17, 2006 (10:02 pm)

Replying to: electricdesign (Jul 06, 2006 10:01 am)
electric,
thanks for the advice. I'll try and do the wd40 fix first. It's just amazing that i purchased this vehicle new and i'm running into these little problems (not to mention that i'm on my fourth repair from the dealership). the car isn't even at 15k yet. needless to say, i've become soured by this ford experience.

#5189 of 6386 Update: 99 Explorer Sport with bushing question by jackifl

Jul 18, 2006 (4:26 am)

Thanks for the responses, Shark and ED. The shudder is all gone now but I am taking it further. I've contacted Goodyear corporate with my tale of woe and concluded it with this comment:
NO one except for the Goodyear service place has had this issue, apparently. And THEY think it is perfectly normal. Neither Ford corporate, my local Ford dealer or anyone on the Ford service forum sites have confirmed that this is a true scenario.
I am concerned, even though the shudder has gone away. I want to be sure that no damage has been done to either my tires, my ball joints, my bushings or ANYTHING else in my front end! How can I have peace of mind about this? Can you, will you help me?
At the very least, I want a different Goodyear shop to inspect my Explorer and make sure that has been no damage or should be no repercussions.
Will keep you posted and thanks for the support!

#5190 of 6386 Re: Correction: recurring problem with 2004 explorer [joe_88] by electricdesign

Jul 18, 2006 (4:34 am)

Replying to: joe_88 (Jul 17, 2006 10:02 pm)
Joe, I think the mechanic originally missed the problem probably because he did not run the engine with the belt off. If he would have done that, the problem would have been obvious to him, and he would have investigated the front crankshaft seal and repaired it. Remember, this is not a common problem. Also remember that you have not yet confirmed the problem, by taking the belt off and running the engine for no more than a minute. Please let us know what you find. My wifes 1997 has never squealed in 146,000 miles, and my 2000 sometimes squeals now at 124,000 miles. When I spray the WD40 on the crankshft seal, the squeal goes away, after a few weeks it comes back, not as loud as before, it never seems to hurt anything, runs fine, but embarrassing when driving down the street or stopped at a traffic light and people stare at you. For some reason the seal seems to dry and causes the squeal. I keep hoping it will begin to seep oil and lubricate itself and shut up. I bought a new seal a while back, in case I need to change it. It comes in a front timing cover gasket/seal set for about $15.
Good Luck,
E.D. ISF

#5191 of 6386 Is this car a lemon? by puzzleddad

Jul 18, 2006 (9:03 am)

My 16 year old son has his heart set on a Black Xplorer 4WD XLT with certain options. After searching for a few days, we found a suitably configured vehicle at a CarMax dealer out of state. It is a 2003 with 30K miles. We paid $150 to move the car here and we test drove the car yesterday. Well, things did not go well. Whenever we accelerated from a dead stop and turned the steering wheel either left or right, a rumbling noise and pull came from the rear axle. The CarMax service department checked the car and said that the rear differential was bad and that it needed to be replaced - a 7 hour job. They said that these went out all the time on Explorers. Of course, they assured us that the car would be 100% after their service. As you can imagine, Mom and Dad are thinking - uh-oh, we need to stay away from this car. Are we over-reacting or do we need to stay away from this car?

#5192 of 6386 Re: Trans hard shift from 1st to 2nd [electricdesign] by gasburner1

Jul 18, 2006 (9:13 am)

Replying to: electricdesign (Jul 17, 2006 12:03 pm)
E.D.,
I have been doing the tranny fluid change and new filter every 30 K miles, the last one about 8K ago, so I don't want to redo it again unless I have no choice, since it is not cheap. I have about 1 mo left on my Premium care extended warranty. I'll think I take it to the dealer. Problem is, without something "broken" I anticipate a response like "that's tyipcal or nothing out of spec". But I know for a fact that something has changed in the last few K miles. Any clue as to what I might direct the dealer to look for or at? Thanks!

#5193 of 6386 Re: Is this car a lemon? [puzzleddad] by matthattan1587

Jul 18, 2006 (10:03 am)

Replying to: puzzleddad (Jul 18, 2006 9:03 am)
My uncle had the same vehicle in the same color and he had no problems with it. He absolutley loved the car. If you are worried about safety, my uncle was involved with a head on crash, as someone ran a red light. The Explorer took hardly any damage. It has been the top selling suv in america for 15 years now. I just recently bought a 2006 Eddie Bauer Explorer (Black) and I love it. This is coming off a reliable car in a 2004 Honda Accord. I would reccomend the 2003 Ford Explorer based on what my uncle had to say about it, but I am not sure if you want to look at this particular vehicle, as it seems to have the rear axle problem. You should not have any trouble finding a 2003 Explorer in black, there are many of them out there.
-MM

#5194 of 6386 Re: Is this car a lemon? [matthattan1587] by puzzleddad

Jul 18, 2006 (10:35 am)

Replying to: matthattan1587 (Jul 18, 2006 10:03 am)
Thanks for the response. FYI, the main options we want that are kind of hard to find are leather seats, but no sunroof (he's 6'4" and still growing).
 
To be more specific on my question, is there a known systemic problem with the rear axle and/or differential on some 2003 Explorers? If the problem occurs is it serviceable or does it typically reoccur? The guys at CarMax said this happens all the time and that it is 100% correctable. However, since they are not exactly impartial, I wanted to check with the knowledgeable users of Edmunds.

#5195 of 6386 Re: Is this car a lemon? [puzzleddad] by matthattan1587

Jul 18, 2006 (11:53 am)

Replying to: puzzleddad (Jul 18, 2006 10:35 am)
If you dont mind me asking, where are you located and where did you find this 2003 explorer. I am from the NYC area and there are a ton of 2003's around here.

#5196 of 6386 Re: 2003 Explorer Sportrac [electricdesign] by rockyp

Jul 18, 2006 (12:33 pm)

Replying to: electricdesign (Jul 12, 2006 8:21 am)
E.D.
Thanks for the help. The engine is a 4.0L SOHC V6 engine with a 5R55e transmission. I keep up all of my maintenance (got 80K out of the Wranglers) and being at 100K I just had the transmission fluid and the differential changed. The Ford dealership is telling me that the transmission is not going into secopnd gear and that they can replace the valve in the gear for $875, but at 100K they recommended doing an entire rebuild for $2950. I am going to get a second opinion (AAMCO etc.) if I can drive it off of the lot. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Thanks,
 
RockyP
Stockbridge,GA

Messages Page 520 of 639

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