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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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What is this discussion about? Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer

    

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Messages Page 92 of 639

#910 of 6385 2001 Explorer Sport by stewert

Aug 25, 2001 (9:25 pm)

Hi, I have a 2001 Explorer Sport with 15000 miles on it and it ran fine until the other day when i went to leave to go to work and it wouldn't start. It just kept cranking but would not turn over. After calling ford roadside assistance and waiting nearly 3 hrs for a tow truck, It was towed back to the dealer and was found to have a faulty fuel pump.They had the truck for 3 days before it was repaired. My question is if anybody out there has had any problems with thier fuel systems with thier 1998-2001 explorers with the SOHC 6 cylinder engine.I thought about trading the truck in for a 2001 Pathfinder but i know i would take a huge loss on the trade in.At any rate i am totally dissatisfied with my truck. The truck seems to have poor overall quality.Other problems i've had was a rear wiper motor needed to be replaced and a headlight assembly due to condensation build up.I hope to have my firestones replaced maybe by mid-decade.I do not want this truck around after the warenty expires!!!

#911 of 6385 stewert by smily1

Aug 26, 2001 (10:33 am)

I have a 98 exploder XLT V8 AWD with 46k and had to have it towed from my driveway due to a bad fuel pump. I parked it with the nose on a down slope with less than a quarter of a tank of gas. I KNEW not to do this but did it anyway. At least I had an extended warranty and dont have to worry about that problem again. I have heard that the quality of the 97-01 have been sub par but I have been pleased with mine (no other problems not even a rattle). I take it to the sand dunes, off road and in the snow. Never been stuck.... yet.
 
My philosophy is that there is only one good vehicle. Only the one that you are happy with.

#912 of 6385 smily by stewert

Aug 26, 2001 (2:29 pm)

Smily, When my fuel pump failed the truck had 3/4 tank of gas in it. It was also parked on level ground.Sometimes the truck would take 2-3 tries to start.Finally after about a week it wouldn't start at all. I considered taking it to the dealer but i was afraid i would get the "couldn't duplicate the problem" line.One of the main reasons i bought this truck was i got a really good deal on it.(paid invoice)The truck also is fully loaded. I should of just spent the extra $5000.00 and got a Pathfinder. I will never buy a Ford product again. Is anyone else still waiting for thier replacement tires? I have been on the waiting list for 2 months. The dealer said they are replacing the tires on the older Explorers first.I did buy from a high volume dealer. And they problably have alot of tires to replace. I may buy the tires myself But Ford is only reinbursing $110.00 a tire. The cheapest price I could find is about $118.00 a tire These prices do not include Labor and balanceing. I figured i would lose about $100.00 going this route. Any suggestions? Thanx.....

#913 of 6385 stewert by smily1

Aug 26, 2001 (9:25 pm)

It sounds like you had a different problem with the fuel pump than I had. Did the dealer fix? Was there a determined cause?
 
I wont buy another ford again only because of how they treat the customer; the company as well as the dealership's service department. I only bought the ford because I researched and believed it to be a good vehicle (I service my own vehicle). So far so good. The old 5.0 V8 is near bullet proof. They typically last a long time.
 
On the initial firestone recall I went to sears and replaced five tires on my own bill and had firestone reimburse me the $500.00 (this included labor). Not a dime was spent on my part after it was all said and done. I got Bridgestone Dueler APT II's. I think about $86.00 a tire??? They are ok. I would recommend the Michelin M&S or the LTX AT's for an extra couple of $$.
 
My advice is to dump the sohc V6 and buy something you will be happy with (if you can afford the loss). The sohc has had a bad reputation regarding its design. I think the PF is a good choice. Good luck.

#914 of 6385 smily by stewert

Aug 27, 2001 (4:33 pm)

Well, The truck is starting to act up again!!! Went to leave work and the truck would not start!!! After 4 tries and pumping the gas it started and stayed running. Obviously it was not fixed right. Now i don't want to take the truck far because i'm afraid i'll get stranded again.Funny but now while in the truck i am starting to smell a hint of lemon.I'm still weighing my options. Stayed tuned.

#915 of 6385 What's this about A/C and O-rings? by enforcer

Aug 27, 2001 (5:19 pm)

My A/C went out again. Last time this happened they charged me $250 to replace the cycling switch and add some freon.
 
A previous post said the O-ring problem affects the A/C, but I don't what that means.

#916 of 6385 A Couple of Problems by njdevilsrn

Aug 27, 2001 (8:27 pm)

Well, I guess I did it to myself last week. First "mechanical" problem with the 2000 XLS popped up today. Rear wiper doesn't go. I know a lot of people have had problems with the motor for this wiper, but I think it may be the switch, as it doesn't make any noise at all when I turn it, and I remember the switch used to have a little sound to it. If it is the motor, how long is the repair? (wait for parts, etc.)
 
2) I have completely manual seats. The driver's seat has a loud click from within the seat whenever the attitude of the seat changes (accelerating, decelerating). The recline handle also shakes at the same time of this click. I have endorsed these complaints to a Ford dealer and to a Mercury dealer (moved and the Mercury is less than a mile from the house). The Ford dealer gave me the usual "Unable to duplicate" business, and the Mercury dealer said they tightened all the bolts to the floor, even though I told them the problem was within the seat (problem came back as soon as I accelerated out of the dealership, but they had it for 4 hours to change the oil and tighten the bolts so I wasn't in the mood to go back). I'm going in next week for these problems, 15000 mile maintenance, and to get the spare changed out (I bought 4 Cross Terrains in January) to the Michelin LTX AT that they have. Any ideas about the seat?

#917 of 6385 njdevilsrn by mazman1

Aug 28, 2001 (4:57 am)

I have the same problem with my passenger seat. Apparently it is not fixable, as the rattle comes not from the loose bolts but rather from the teeth interlock in the hinges. I've been back to the dealer 3x for that issue as well as the rattle in both doors and the B-pillar... they cannot fix it... so I turn the radio up louder and try not to think about it.

#918 of 6385 Periodic no start/crank by maggies1

Aug 28, 2001 (8:43 am)

Hi All- I have a '98 Explorer XLT SOHC. Recently I have had a problem with it not starting/cranking. When this first started I had the car jump started on 3 different occasions. I had noticed at that time my radio(stock) once changed channels by itself. My local mechanic found a short in my radio and suggested replacing it. I had no problems starting the car until recently my new radio(not stock 6mo.s old)display started to go out and the buttons would not work. One morning, my truck simply would not start (would not jump start) and it had to be towed! Since I hate the local dealer so much I took it to my local mechanic. He bypassed the passive auto-theft (PAT) system. It starts fine now but I am afraid to drive it anywhere far. I am worried that my problem is not really fixed and there still is an electrical problem that is causing the radios to short and the car to not start periodically. I am willing to take it to Ford if I know they can help but I feel that I am risking the $100 diagnostic fee because the techs at my dealer are very evasive, won't acknowledge the TSB and condescending and are not known for their service. Additionally, they say I will have to pay for the problem to be fixed although there is a TSB- whereas recently, I had the stuck accelerator fixed for free and the radiator valve fixed for $50 since those were known problems to Ford. Anyone else had this no-crank problem? Should I risk my $100 diagnostic fee and bring it to the dealer? Any suggestions would help. I really appreciate all the info. I can get.

#919 of 6385 mazman by njdevilsrn

Aug 28, 2001 (8:54 am)

Did you ask them to replace the seat, or did they even offer? I told the guy when I made the appointment that if they can't fix it I want a new seat. The truck is one year old and the seat rattles like a jalopy.
 
PS...the rear wiper started working last night. Then I got a call from my fiance that the turn signals on our 2000 Malibu don't work. Ah...the glory of buying American cars.

Messages Page 92 of 639

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