Anyone on here have a Ford Explorer? Advice needed, please help.

[02redKJ]

I am looking at a 2006 Ford Explorer XLS for my wife. We want to trade in her 2001 Suzuki XL-7 for it.

We drove it and it seems to run great, but then again, so did my Libby! We drove it for an hour or so, and it really drives nice, has lots of power, and is 4x4 too. I do not hear anything out of normal in the engine, or chassis, or suspension. We took it off road at the beach and over some pretty big bumps and potholes too. No creaks or squeeks or knocks or pings. Has good tires, no dents and dings. Interior is clean, and everything seems to work. Everything I could check anyway.

My wife doesn't want all the bells and whistles like my Liberty LE has. So this seems to be a perfect solution for her. It has 151,000 mi on it. What else should I look for? We may take it on our trip to Reno, instead of my Libby.

 

[Slims]

If its got the 4.0 the thing is a beast. If its quiet, smooth and holds oil pressure, it should continue to do so.

 

[02redKJ]

Yes it is the 4.0. And now I don't remember if it had an oil gauge or not. If it had a guage, it was in normal range, because nothing was out of normal the whole time.

 

[Slims]

That engine runs really quiet. If there's any chatter in the heads I'd get a machinic to check it out first. If it purs quietly I'd jump on it.

 

[02redKJ]

It is very, very quiet! So quiet, I almost started it twice! LOL Then I saw the tach at 700.

 

[02redKJ]

ALso, it is 4 years newer than my Libby, with only 15,000 miles more but $1000.00 less to buy it. Not too bad I think.

~Burma Shave~

 

[streetglideok]

Fords, even though they may have an oil gauge, they only have a dummy switch on the engine, just like for a warning light. It's either on, or not, so anything over 4psi, and the gauge shows a reading. Been that way for 3 decades+ now. The 4.0L has some weak points. Number one issue we see, is the t-stat housing. It sits on top, where the upper hose attaches to the engine. Its plastic(brilliance there), and the lower half of it is actually two pieces glued together. When they get some age, they leak and split. Replaced a few of them. Next, when the engine gets some age, the rubber gaskets that seal the intake to the engine harden up. When this happens, when the engine is cold they will not seal, causing a small vacuum leak, and setting P0171/P0174 codes. After that, people using those K&N type filters(they are actually the opposite, as they don't really filter at all) tend to have more issues with faulty mass air sensors, causing rich conditions at idle, and lean conditions under load.

Now if its AWD, Advancetrac I think is what Ford calls it on them, all four tires need to match in size, tread depth and tire model. If you replace tires, you must replace them as a set of four. If you don't, you'll have driveline failure in the future.

 

[02redKJ]

Yeah it has Advance Trac with some Roll Over sensor thing to keep it from rolling. It is Auto 4wd, 4HI and 4Lo. No 2WD only setting. The Ford forum post I read so far tell me that the transfer case only activates when slippage is felt, then it goes into 4x4 mode until slippage stops, and then it goes back to 2WD. I would still replace all 4 tires at the same time though. I would also rotate the tires frequently too. The tires are BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A's. I had them on my 95 Suburban and they wore really well, and they seemed like they did pretty good off road.

 

[streetglideok]

On the 4wd, the way it detects slippage, is by monitoring the speeds of the driveline, front and rear. If it sees that one axle is spinning a certain amount faster than the other, it considers that slippage. It then tightens the clutches, etc to basically lock the t-case. If there is more than 1/2" of difference in the circumference of the smallest tire, to the largest tire, it will cause excessive RPM differences from front to rear, and the system will initiate lockup.

 

[02redKJ]

Circumference or diameter? Seems like a very small amount if circumference.

 

[streetglideok]

Circumference. Yes, its not very much, and why it is important to buy tires as a set, and keep them rotated. There's backing behind this as well

 

[tjkj2002]

Fords, even though they may have an oil gauge, they only have a dummy switch on the engine, just like for a warning light. It's either on, or not, so anything over 4psi, and the gauge shows a reading. Been that way for 3 decades+ now. The 4.0L has some weak points. Number one issue we see, is the t-stat housing. It sits on top, where the upper hose attaches to the engine. Its plastic(brilliance there), and the lower half of it is actually two pieces glued together. When they get some age, they leak and split. Replaced a few of them. Next, when the engine gets some age, the rubber gaskets that seal the intake to the engine harden up. When this happens, when the engine is cold they will not seal, causing a small vacuum leak, and setting P0171/P0174 codes. After that, people using those K&N type filters(they are actually the opposite, as they don't really filter at all) tend to have more issues with faulty mass air sensors, causing rich conditions at idle, and lean conditions under load.

Now if its AWD, Advancetrac I think is what Ford calls it on them, all four tires need to match in size, tread depth and tire model. If you replace tires, you must replace them as a set of four. If you don't, you'll have driveline failure in the future.

X2.............


Can't tell you how many t-stat housing I've replaced on those 4.0's,also those heater hoses/heater control valves are another major problem.




Just to add front LBJ's,rear wheel bearings(if not caught soon enough tend to seize in the rear knuckles requiring a new knuckle also),and alternators are the most common issues I see with that era of Exploders.Then again LBJ's on any Ford are a common issue.

 

[02redKJ]

X2.............


Can't tell you how many t-stat housing I've replaced on those 4.0's,also those heater hoses/heater control valves are another major problem.

Just to add front LBJ's,rear wheel bearings(if not caught soon enough tend to seize in the rear knuckles requiring a new knuckle also),and alternators are the most common issues I see with that era of Exploders.Then again LBJ's on any Ford are a common issue.

How do I check the LBJs or can I tell just by looking? Bearings, are they noisy? What to look for? I know what to look for on heater control valves and thermostats etc... Would it be better to pass on it, or is it a good deal if I can get it for $5900.00?

 

[kjx2]

ford exploder

Have seen lots of problems with EXPLODERS just buy another liberty

 

[02redKJ]

Yeah, well, my wife likes the Explorer, so I just need any advice I can get to go in with my eyes wide open.

 

[tjkj2002]

How do I check the LBJs or can I tell just by looking? Bearings, are they noisy? What to look for? I know what to look for on heater control valves and thermostats etc... Would it be better to pass on it, or is it a good deal if I can get it for $5900.00?

You check the LBJ's just like you do on a KJ,use a jack to lift one of the front wheels off the ground by the LCA and use a large bar to try and move the tire up and look for play.


Though $5900 is a lot for a 8 year old vehicle with 150k on the clock.Every vehicle has it's problems and there is really nothing wrong with Explorers but you can find better deals with a lot less miles.

 

[02redKJ]

Yeah, maybe if I go inland about 70 miles, which is a 2 hour drive I could get a better deal. And I haven't even haggled with him yet. Our community only has 23,000 people in it, and the next nearest town 30 miles away in any direction is about 1/2 that size.

 

[02redKJ]

Anyone else want to offer help on what I should look at before doing this? Unless I find something I am getting it today. I appreciate all the help so far! Thanks!

 

[streetglideok]

Make sure it has the optional tailgate hand warmers?lol j/k

 

[02redKJ]

Yeah, Thanks for that! Really helpful...