Ask the Car People.SM


Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

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

You are in the Ford Explorer Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer

    

Go to NHTSA to file a safety complaint.

Or call Monday-Friday (8 am to 8 pm ET) (888) 327-4236 TTY: (800)424-9153

Messages Page 602 of 639

#6005 of 6385 Advice on Proper Maintenance for 2000 Explorer by aberfoyle

Feb 24, 2008 (5:52 pm)

Hello,
  
This is my first post and hopefully the first of many to come. Before my sophmore year of college Fall 04' started I got a 2000 5.0L V8 Ford Explorer with around 59,000 miles. Currently, the car has around 84,000 miles! I have come to this forum for some advice on how to maintain the car for years to come and hopefully continue to drive it, I am not car expert and any advice is greatly appreciated! I change the oil every 3000 miles usually and use the 87 gas in it.
  
Recently I had a coolant leak and took the car into a mechanic. The V8 must be a tight pack especially to get to certain parts down low. I was told I needed to replace 4 hoses including the hose with the leak, and have it flushed. I was also having problems starting my car via turning the key only. Usually to start the car I had to turn the key and give the car gas. RPM would idle around .4 or .5. The check engine light was also on and when diagnosed said some sort of air valve needed to be replaced and something needed to be cleaned, which was related to my car not starting properly. Now that I paid them 665 bucks its seems to work great!
  
Now that I am to this point, What sort of things can I do in order to drive this car for years to come. Thanks for your time!
  
Kevin

#6006 of 6385 wheel safety by fabulousjl

Feb 25, 2008 (3:38 pm)

yeah i went to the wheel and tire store.. and they told me i couldnt put bigger than 16" wheels on my 1999 Ford Explorer because of the high roll over rating.. can i put 17" rims on and still be safe?

#6007 of 6385 93 Explorer losing power on inclines, highway by jmarty

Feb 26, 2008 (2:11 pm)

I have a 93 explorer eddie bauer with 115,000 miles on it. It was running good until 2 months ago. Now when i'm on the highway or going up a hill it starts to hesitate, sputters and then loses speed. It runs good up until 55 or 60 mph on the highway. Any ideas?
  
I also had to replace one of the vacuum plugs 2 or 3 times. One of them keeps falling off, and the stem had some kind of fluid on it, anyone know what fluid it could be and why it's there? I'm kind of a rookie when it comes to repaires, and appreciate any advice. Thanks

#6008 of 6385 Use 6 yr. Old Spare on ground? by tulsahog

Feb 27, 2008 (1:29 am)

The spare on my 2002 Explorer has never been used. It is time to replace the tires and was wondering if the spare could be used as one of the replacements even though it is about 6 yr and 3 months old.
 
2 out of 3 dealers I called said if there were no visible cracks or ageing signs, it is ok to use. It looks like new with no cracks. Tire is a Goodyear RT/S and would buy 3 more identical tires if spare can be used.

#6009 of 6385 Re: Advice on Proper Maintenance for 2000 Explorer [aberfoyle] by electricdesign

Feb 27, 2008 (5:09 pm)

Replying to: aberfoyle (Feb 24, 2008 5:52 pm)
Keep up all regular maintenance, and it will last a long time.
 
My 2000 V8 XLT has 150,000 miles and runs perfect, and I will drive it until 2011, when it will have about 200,000 miles on it. Then I will sell it to some lucky person who will drive it for yet a much longer time.
 
Start with the basics, what kind of oil and fliter do you use. The 3k change is good with regular oil, but I use the synthetic oils and filter, Mobile One, it cost more but lasts longer and protects better. With synthetics, you can extend your oil/filter changes to 5,000 miles or even 7,500 miles. I do mine at every 7,500, which winds up to be about twice a year for me.
 
Every 3K or 5K or 7.5K, whatever you choose, do the "normal sevice", Lube, Oil & Filter, plus check all the fluid levels, check all light bulbs, check battery, check fan belt, check cooling system, check spark plug wires, check-air-rotate tires, check brakes, check under chasis for any oil leaks and exhaust system, add 12 oz gas treatment to a full tank of gas, lubricate hinges, latches and window channels.
 
Every 15K, in addition to the above, replace the air filter.
 
Every 30K, in addition to the above, flush transmission fluid & new transmission filter, replace fuel filter, flush the brake fluid.
 
Every 60K, some people will do the transmission flush and filter at 60K intervals instead of 30K intervals.
 
Every 60K to 100K it may need spark plug wires. If you gap the spark plugs a little closer than the specified .054" gap ( I set mine at about .045" gap) the spark plug wires will last longer, because the voltage does not build up quite as high and stress the insulation.
 
Every 100K replace the spark plugs.
 
When replacing tires, have the front end checked and aligned. Mine needed ball joints at 140K miles. The rest of the original front end remains strong and true.
Good Luck,
E.D. in Sunny Florida

#6010 of 6385 Cruise Lights by chandyk

Mar 03, 2008 (10:20 am)

99 Explorer XLT, 83K miles, all maintenance up to date.
 
I was driving Explorer at night. The lights for the cruise on the steering wheel are illuminated on right side (Rsm, Accel). However, ON and OFF on left side are not visible at night.
 
I cannot remember if they ever were lit or not. Can you confirm?
 
Also, if they are supposed to be lit up, how do I fix it? Fuse? Light bulb?
 
Thanks!

#6011 of 6385 Front Speaker - no sound by chandyk

Mar 03, 2008 (10:35 am)

99 XLT, 83K, all maintenance up to date.
 
Driver's front speaker no longer makes a sound. Took it to Best Buy, the speaker is fine. They claim its something with the radio.
 
Anything I can do? Potential cost of the repair?
 
Thanks!

#6012 of 6385 Wiper motor assembly by wd1950

Mar 03, 2008 (7:43 pm)

I replaced the motor on my front wiper assembly and I am now having trouble replacing this assembly. Is there a secret way of twisting it in? Please help?

#6013 of 6385 air bag by ajmtbm

Mar 08, 2008 (6:23 pm)

air bag light stays on all the time.
 
2002 limited with 75,000 miles
 
any idea what this might be / what this might cost me?
 
is this a dealer only repair or can maybe my local mechanic take a look?

#6014 of 6385 Re: wheel safety [fabulousjl] by latedate

Mar 10, 2008 (2:41 pm)

Replying to: fabulousjl (Feb 25, 2008 3:38 pm)
I own an 1999 Ford Explorer and I have 20" chrome rim on it. No problem yet

Messages Page 602 of 639

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement