what to look when buying a second hand explorer

Hi, We have bought a North face and I was so impressed with it, I am looking one for myself. but what do you look for? how do you know if you are if buying a good one or bad one? The one we have, is straight, one owner from new, looks and drives great.

So any help would be helpful, I have search the site any everything seems to be on the engine, but not on body, underneath etc. (suppose the greatest expenses is the engine) however, there is more to a car than just the engine?

any help would be great, thanks Gary

Look under the rig to see how much rust there is, Obviously test drive so you can feel if the handling is tight/feel for bad ball joints while driving. I would ask him maitnence questions to find out if they are a car guy or just Bull Sh!tin on how well the car was taken care of.Check all fluids, this will give you a clue, for instance check the power steering fluid because a car dude would not overlook it while changing fluids or topping them off. Make sure there is no electrical problems, hazards, lights, blinkers, dome lights windshield wipers. I would just be concerned about rust, I hate working on rusty things makes everything tice as hard. Good Luck on the search.

Check the colour of the auto transmission fluid. It should be a bright red. As for the engine a rattle at about 2,400 rpm is bad news and could require a timing chain replacement. They are pretty good on rust but as you are by the sea it may be worse. Check that the self levelling rear end works ok. These vehicles are now getting quite old (at least 10 years) so all the usual things to look for in an older car.

As howard said, ATF and engine rattle.
If you do a seach for 00m12 kit this will yield some photos of the updated front hydraulic tensioner. Basically when you look just under and past the throttle body on the left of the passenger side head you can see a 27mm headed bolt head, if it has an inch long cylinder it is the updated and if it is just a flat head it is the old one. If it is the updated one this would suggest either good maintenance or timing chain work, both of which is a good thing.
Have a look around the brake booster/master cylinder for some newer looking wiring as ther is a recall to replace a bit of the loom. No biggie if not been done as any dealer can do it FOC
On a test drive first off test the handbrake, the levers can sieze thro lack of use and the shoes can be destroyed and not replaced. Listen for front end clonks on a drive as there are a few bushes, upper and lower control arms as well as the drop links. Listen for hub bearing wurr as these can go. check for uneven tyre wear on the front tyres, inner edge indicates lower ball joint.
To check the rear air suspension turn the ignition on then off after a minute making sure all doors and windows are closed. Immediatly stand on the rear bumper (2 of you if you can) and see if the compressor kicks in.
Also cycle thro the 4x4 options checking they all work as lots of these cars are pavement princesses and therefore never get put into 4 wheel permanent hi or low and the selector motor gets frozen.
Look at the rear shackles as these can rot a bit.
Drivers seat tilt lever
Lastly on the test drive listen for driveline wurr or noise under freewheel or engine braking as this would indicate a u/s transfer case.

Most things are pretty easy to fix if you are handy with the spanners and there is a ready supply of used parts in the uk and new parts from the US
but not many garages that know the vehicle.
Hope this helps
Jan

Many thanks again

Hi Stryctnye, Howard and Jan.

I have broken all the items mention into a list and tick box', so we are off this weekend armed with my pad, pencil, torch and overalls to have a good crawl over and under some explorer's

Thanks again for your invaluable information. Gary

anything else springs to mind?

peddler said:

Hi, We have bought a North face and I was so impressed with it, I am looking one for myself.

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Surely, having bought one, you would apply the same principles as buying the first one - and if its as straight as you say, comapre any that you might be interested in with your good one?

Keep it simple Bud, if you have a good 'un, use it as your guide.

Look for transmission shift flare/slipping, delayed reverse. A minor flare could be seen by watching the tach as it shifts. Read up on blend door issues. If the front driveline is missing the transfer case is probably bad. Make sure all of your dash lights, check engine and air bag lights come on at start up and aren't disabled. Run vin for accidents, salvaged title and history of use. Check cv joints for torn boots. Check for death rattle at start up when cold. Seller might warm up the vehicle before you get there to hide rattle or smoking. Tell him that you would like to start the truck and warm it up yourself.
Test at highway speeds for vibrations. Look for bodywork sand scratches, dust in the finish, overspray, and misaligned panels. Run plate for parking tickets or past due fees...

1 other area from me is check ABS light comes on at ignition startup.
Check for any judder under braking as you come to a halt.
Common fault on the 2 ive had is front ABS sensors failing or wrongly reading and engaging ABS at slow speed braking.
I cured by fitting complete new front hubs with wheel bearings and sensors. Parts about £100 per side from ebay, fitting fairly easy as is any work on the car if you can use the spanners.
Have a look at www.rockauto.com for parts prices, easy to order and arrive in about 3 days.