The everything Aviator thread. | Page 8 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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The everything Aviator thread.

Thanks for the replies. The trim is definitely dirty/stained in spots. I'm thinking of removing it, stripping the paint and respraying.

I am also going to take the wheels down to bare aluminum, primer, paint, and clear coat. I've done it before on other cars with alloy wheels and it has turned out well. I have not tried it on aluminum.

Just found the controls on the drivers door do not work. Thought they worked yesterday.
 



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New member with 2005 Aviator

Hey there, name is Ken with newly acquired 2005 Aviator and very happy to have found this thread all about Aviators so "thank you to Aviator Guy for starting it.

Did one thing sort of right in buying it and one thing wrong. The right thing was paying a Lincoln dealer $100 for an inspection. I'm not convinced that there were that thorough but they did say it needs a "tune up" and came up with a $1000 price which figured into the negotiations. The previous female owner apparently did not do the 100k service so there is some deferred maintenance to catch up on. Thing I did wrong was not detailing it before buying it. Whenever I detail a car I find all kinds of little things. This truck was no exception when I did the first detail today.

On the plus side it looks beautiful with not a spec of rust or a scratch or dent.

Here are the things the dealer said needed to be done and things I found after a week of ownership. Nothing major so far. Advice on any of these things is much appreciated as I am not a mechanic but am reasonably handy and can follow instructions.

1. Dealer said new wiper blades front and back - did it myself with top of the line Trico Onyx on the front - they had a special at Autozone with $6 off so total of $34 for two, put Trico Exact fit on the back.

2. Dealer said replace air filter - did it myself with Purolator from Autozone. Very easy job.

3. Dealer said replace fuel filter - bought Motocraft from Autozone for $20 and watched Youtube videos on how to replace... looks somewhat more difficult than the air filter but doable with purchase of quick connect removal tool.

4. Dealer said needs "throttle body service" - watched some Youtube videos and that looks like a job for the dealer to be done properly.

5. Dealer says needs "tune up" for $380 which is parts and labor to replace plugs and do the timing. Seems pretty expensive since the plugs in the computer at Autozone for this truck are only $6. Looking online I think I could replace the plugs but have no idea how to do the timing.

6. Low tire pressure light is on but tires are perfectly inflated. Dealer says he needs to "train" the sensors. Read about this online and it looks like a simple process except for the $54 ring magnet you need to buy.

7. Noticed that shifting in the low gears from a standing start is not that smooth. I doubt that the transmission fluid has ever been changed although I don't know if that will help or not.

8. Passenger side rear wheel fender trim is loose. I noticed that retaining clips are missing in a couple of spots. Should be able to get those from the dealer and install myself.

9. Need to upgrade to Class III hitch to tow my boat and read about this in this thread. Looks like a straightforward installation and I've seen several hitches under $400 from Curt, Reese, Hidden Hitch and Draw Tite. Any recommendations?

10. Very minor issue... I noticed that the plastic covers over the lighted mirrors in both visors will not stay open when flipped up as if they are missing the spring mechanism or something.

11. I find the rear liftgate pretty heavy to get started opening. Is there some type of aftermarket strut that has more power to make lifting easier?

12. I will never use the third row seats so they will always be down for cargo carrying. I saw that there is a cargo area liner for Explorers ... does it fit the Aviator too?

13. There are some small tears in the center perforated leather seat on the passenger side. Any suggestions on how to get this fixed so it doesn't tear any further?

14. I noticed a low hum coming from the back of the vehicle when moving that I didn't notice in the test drive. I can't decide if it's just the exhaust note - I don't think so because it doesn't change when I take my foot off the gas and coast. Or is it something else related to axle, a wheel bearing, the differential or something to do with the AWD??

15. It has the DVD player but no navigation system. Any suggestions on an aftermarket one?

That is everything that I have found so far.

Regards, Ken
 






Originally Posted by OC sporttrac View Post Hi guys and girls said:
My wheels were corroded as well. I had a local shop strip them down to bare aluminum and re-powdercoat them. They look great. I paid $100 per wheel. I also bought a whole set of Lincoln center caps to replace mine which looked rough. They were ~$70 a piece I think.

I also had the applique, as Lincoln calls the cracked rear gate piece, replaced. That was roughly $300 with paint and installation as I recall. Had it done a couple of years ago. Haven't had any issues with it since.

There is a company in California called Rive Industries that refurbishes & updates factory radio/CD changers. I had sent my factory unit there and had it refurbished 2 years ago. About $125 as I recall. Took about 10 days to get it back. Well worth the money. Its been working great ever since. They even sell units so they may have one to fit yours. http://rivetech.com/index.htm

Enjoy the Aviator. They are a great vehicle if you give them the proper care and maintenance.


Welcome! I got the whole main cat and the other 2 cat changed and it is running fine after that no more engine light.

Now I have a leak on the Driver side by the pillar, I though it was the windshield so I ended up changing yesterday after a few fail attemp to stop the leak with silicone and still have the leak, now is worst. Tomorrow I will try to see if it is the little hose from the sunroof that might be off the hook. Will let you know. if anyone has a leak like this before please looking for an answer instead of trying everything I can think off.

Thanks!

IBM
 






Now I have a leak on the Driver side by the pillar, I though it was the windshield so I ended up changing yesterday after a few fail attemp to stop the leak with silicone and still have the leak, now is worst. Tomorrow I will try to see if it is the little hose from the sunroof that might be off the hook. Will let you know. if anyone has a leak like this before please looking for an answer instead of trying everything I can think off.

Thanks!

IBM

Yes I had that leak and it was the drain tube from the sun roof. Fix it quick!
 






Yes I had that leak and it was the drain tube from the sun roof. Fix it quick!

So where is located? Do I have to remove the pillar? Is it on there? What dis you ended up doing? Just hook-up back the drain tube? Thanks!!
 






So where is located? Do I have to remove the pillar? Is it on there? What dis you ended up doing? Just hook-up back the drain tube? Thanks!!

It will be on the corner of the sun roof pocket. Open the roof and look in the front corner under the wind deflector.

You have to remove the visor and then pull down the door trim/seal then pull the headliner down and get a small hand to push the tube back on. I should have put on a small zip-tie but I didn't.

There is a thread here somewhere with a couple pictures, maybe in the 3rd gen section.
 












Chugging sound coming from motor 2004

Hello fellas. Im still working on that 2004 Aviator. Now it has a chugging, sound l think is coming from what seems the front of the motor but not for sure.
Anybody have any ideas what it could be?
I thought it might be broken timing chain guide and the chain is slapping (?)
If i need to replace this motor,what are some compatible motors i could use with minimal problems?.... Mark in KC
 






I fixed the sunroof leak. Small hands are beneficial. I scraped the hell out of mine. Just follow the tube and you will see where it needs to go.

I'm working on the tpms error. Any suggestions?

Also I only have one key, do I have to go to the lincoln dealer?
 






brake controller

where did you get your harness from and what model brake controller did you get. I'm having a hard time finding one. Thanks again for this thread.
 






Headlamps?

Forgive my ignorance -
How do I tell whether I have
HID headlamps
or
Halogen capsule headlamps
???
 






2004 Aviator Rear Camera Wiring

Does anyone have any experience on installing a rear view camera in an aviator ('04)?

Trying to figure out how to route the wires from the rear hatch to the front. I understand how to wire it, just not 100% sure where to route it, what trim pieces I can easily access, etc.

Also, most cameras seems to be license plate mounts, and since the license plate is on the rear hatch that seems to increase the complexity.

Just curious what others have done.

Thanks
db
 






drl or fog lamps flickering

Guys,
I noticed yesterday that my fog lights or day running lights start flickering without stoping, I went under and tried to move the socket on the back of the fog light but didn't do anything, any ideas where to start to troubleshoot it? it looks like may be a ground? please any ideas will be greatly appreciate it.:thumbsup:
 






I'll try to answer a few of these.

Aviator Camping, I got my Prodigy III and the wiring pigtail from Etrailer.com. The P III is far more than I need (can save settings for multiple trailers)

talvarado, when I turn on my headlights, for the first second, they get brighter (like a mercury vapor street light when it first turns on). Another clue would be the color of the light. Bright white/slightly blue. (there's probably a better way but...)

Hog1991, I can't answer that one. I've read but haven't checked that the pillars are foam filled to reduce noise. I know cameras require power and you might be able to tap into the rear 12v socket but maybe there is a wireless (bluetooth) combination that doesn't require wiring to the monitor?

Ibayter, are you sure it's the fog lights? If I remember correctly, my drivers side HID light flickered before the bulb died. $90+ later and I hope the passenger side holds on a lot longer.

Otherwise, I would start with the grounding and work back rm there.
 












We've got 75K miles on our 2004 Aviator. Only recent issues were two dead bulbs in the left rear corner lamp and also the airbag light comes on now.

Does anyone else have an airbag light on? I looked at the wiring under the driver side seat (was told that control modules were located there) and couldn't get the light to go away by dinking with the harnesses
 






Thanks albino, I will try to get a hold of the bulb or the whole lamp that I know a wrecker has a truck there, may be get also the fog. Meantime I will get my Factory manual and look for the ground there. Will let you know my finds.
I just finished swapping my shifter this weekend, it was broken now works charming.

I'll try to answer a few of these.

Aviator Camping, I got my Prodigy III and the wiring pigtail from Etrailer.com. The P III is far more than I need (can save settings for multiple trailers)

talvarado, when I turn on my headlights, for the first second, they get brighter (like a mercury vapor street light when it first turns on). Another clue would be the color of the light. Bright white/slightly blue. (there's probably a better way but...)

Hog1991, I can't answer that one. I've read but haven't checked that the pillars are foam filled to reduce noise. I know cameras require power and you might be able to tap into the rear 12v socket but maybe there is a wireless (bluetooth) combination that doesn't require wiring to the monitor?

Ibayter, are you sure it's the fog lights? If I remember correctly, my drivers side HID light flickered before the bulb died. $90+ later and I hope the passenger side holds on a lot longer.

Otherwise, I would start with the grounding and work back rm there.
 






We've got 75K miles on our 2004 Aviator. Only recent issues were two dead bulbs in the left rear corner lamp and also the airbag light comes on now.

Does anyone else have an airbag light on? I looked at the wiring under the driver side seat (was told that control modules were located there) and couldn't get the light to go away by dinking with the harnesses

Best bet is to get the codes read. Could be anything from an impact sensor broken, clockspring, etc.

Benjam :D
 






PCV Valve and hose replacement

So my Dad gets a CEL on the other day in his 05 Aviator and reads it, P0171 and P0174. Both banks lean, indicating a vacuum leak. Immediately I know what it is.. A couple months back when replacing the valve cover gaskets I noticed the PCV valve hose was starting to collapse from engine vacuum. It was so weak that even with the engine off it looked collapsed. I did some research and found this is a common problem with the 4 valve ford motors. So I replace the valve cover gaskets, make a note of the hose and carry on with life.

Once the CEL popped on I verified the hose was leaking by A: looking at it. It was completely sucked in and had a big slit look to it. And B: Spraying brake clean at the hose, the engine dogged down a bit.

At this point I taped up the hose so it would make it a few more days till the new one gets shipped in from Rockauto.

To do the hose is simple, and we opted to replace the PCV valve as well, considering it is very likely the original. Which, by the way, is a 30 dollar PCV Valve! (It's heated)

All you need to remove is the plastic engine cover, which requires an 11mm socket and ratchet.
That brings you here:
20140526_154627.jpg


From here, find the PCV valve hose as it connects to the throttle body.
20140526_154645.jpg

20140526_154654.jpg

(It's the taped up one ;) )

Twist the hose off of the throttle body, then pull straight off the PCV valve, which is located in the passenger side valve cover.
20140526_154706.jpg


If you are opting to replace the PCV valve as well, disconnect the two wire eletrical plug. To remove the PCV valve from the valve cover, twist the valve counter clockwise and lift it out.

Lubricate the O-ring on the new valve with engine oil, and twist it into the valve cover, clockwise.

Installing the hose is very simple, just note the orientation of the 90 degree rubber elbows.
The old stuff/Part numbers for the new stuff. Cost of the hose was $25 dollars, and the PCV was $28 from Rockauto.
20140526_155315.jpg


Here you can see how bad the rubber elbow got:
20140526_155504.jpg

20140526_155335.jpg

20140526_155435.jpg


Hope this helps someone! Oh and for the record, this was at around 115k.

Benjam :D
 



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is there a way to get codes read without paying the dealer?
 






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