Explorer owners, what year/model/engine to buy and why?

[slo5oh]

Sorry if there's a thread on this already. I'm a fox body mustang owner heavily considering buying an Explorer. I need something bigger to fit 3 growing kids and 3 dogs... well 1 dog and 2 rats.
I'm leaning toward the 97/98 Explorer 5.0s because of my familiarity with that engine.
I see a LOT of the V6 explorers, and a lot of them at the junkyard, but don't know if there are any common problems with these engines.
There seems to be "new" transmissions in a lot of the used Explorers I'm looking at, is this a transmission issue or a "stupid owner didn't change their oil" problem?

What I'm looking for here really is a recommendation from Explorer owners as to what years to look at, what years to avoid, what engines were good, what engines to avoid, etc. etc...

TIA

 

[Turdle]

Look for a 2001 v8 AWD

 

[section525]

Newest 5 liter you can find. But any of them are good.

 

[MrQ]

Look for a 2001 v8 AWD

Ditto. Best power, mpg, safety, and reliability for the money.

If you can't find a v8 then go for the v6 OHV, not SOHC. They are very durable engines and will last for a while. Transmissions are not the Explorer's strong point, never have been. However, the 5.0 V8/4r70w combination is the exception to the rule.

 

[slo5oh]

Ditto. Best power, mpg, safety, and reliability for the money.

If you can't find a v8 then go for the v6 OHV, not SOHC. They are very durable engines and will last for a while. Transmissions are not the Explorer's strong point, never have been. However, the 5.0 V8/4r70w combination is the exception to the rule.

What year V6s are the OHV?

Are you saying that the 5.0 with the 4r70w transmission is the combo to have?

 

[MrQ]

The OHV was found in 2nd gen Explorer's up till 2000. VIN code for the engine is in the 8th position: the OHV is "X", SOHC is "E" and 5.0 is "P".

Yes the 5.0/4r70w is the best combo. I speak not from personal experience, but from reading other people's reviews and posts on this drive train.

 

[Car-Dog]

I may be wrong but, you have to check the VIN not the year to determine which V6 it is because they were made concurrently.

 

[MrQ]

I may be wrong but, you have to check the VIN not the year to determine which V6 it is because they were made concurrently.

Precisely. That's why I gave him the VIN codes.

 

[Joe Dirt]

MrQ was referring to the fact that the OHV was only produced and installed up to and including 2000. They were concurrently in production. The SOHC was introduced in 1997 as an option.

None of them are without issues, as they're all mechanical, but as far as odds are, you're WAY more likely to find a V8 AWD with solid trouble-free reliability then either of the V6's, but the OHV V6 was a very stout motor whereas the SOHC had timing chain tensioner issues. Both V6's had questionable transmissions.

Now, people can chime in all day that they have trouble free V6's, and I won't dispute that. I've had a V6 OHV and (2) V8 AWD's. My V6, and that motor and trans was completely trouble free for me up to and past 230k+ miles. The V8 AWD system nickel and dimed me the entire time I owned it, I'm hoping the second one does better for me. If I had a choice, even after past experience, I'd buy another V8 (which I did).

 

[slo5oh]

Thanks for the great info.

If I'm reading correctly, the 5.0 continued up til 2001, that's why Turdle said to find a 2001 5.0... aka the last year they were made?

Any other options I should look for, or avoid?
I'm thinking of getting a Limited or maybe a Mountaineer so as to have all the creature comforts. I know my wife wants leather, I've always loved the keyless entry, not so sure about AWD. Opinions?

 

[sean99]

I would go for a 99-01 Limited or Eddie v8...With the Limited you wil get memory seats and heated mirrors. Side air bags and tow package are good options. Listen for clunks or squeaks in the front end and check for uneven tire wear. Could need ball joints or hubs... With awd make sure the tires are all the same size with an equal amount of wear. Avoid a sohc v6 that makes a rattle chain sound at start up. Avoid any explorer with trans fluid that smells burnt, unless its super cheap.

 

[Car-Dog]

Precisely. That's why I gave him the VIN codes.

Just wanted to try to help clarify a bit, carry on

 

[corkey]

if you are gonna modify it, there is 1 year that has the best qualities,,
front vacuum disconnect
OHV engine,
availabilities of lift kit
ease of working on
and parts availability
obd 2
and that is the 1996, make sure to get an Eddie Bauer , as it will have the most options,,

yeah i have a 96, it's modified a bit,, well , okay ,, alot,,

 

[Joe Dirt]

I would sit in a Limited first, I and quite a few people don't care at all for the seats- they are very flat and have litte if any lateral leg support. I bought some Limited seats for my first Ex, and ended up going back to my old XLT seats since they were a lit more comfortable to drive in.

The Eddie Bauer has the same style seats as the XLT with different stitching...

Since you're a foxbody guy, keep in mind that the late 1997+ V8's will be the only ones with the GT40P heads...

 

[slo5oh]

I would sit in a Limited first, I and quite a few people don't care at all for the seats-
The Eddie Bauer has the same style seats as the XLT with different stitching...
Since you're a foxbody guy, keep in mind that the late 1997+ V8's will be the only ones with the GT40P heads...

Thanks, I'll check out the different seats. My wife is pushing me to get leather and after seeing how worn down the fabric is in most of these I think I agree. So the Limited have a different type of seat leather or not? Was there leather offered in the EB's and XLT's also?
I could be wrong, but I thought there were GT40's (milled less than the 93 cobra's) on the 95 to early 97, then they went to the GT40p until 01.

I did a junkyard summary, mostly others provided the info... here:
link

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The 5.0L V8 consumes a similar amount of fuel compared to the 4.0L V6, but it's a stronger engine. The transmission is better for towing & off roading.

 

[slo5oh]

One more thing that confused me. You guys mentioned the V8 AWD. Is there a reason to avoid a V8 4x4? I thought, generally speaking, 4x4 has less trouble than AWD.

 

[sean99]

With the v8 you could get 2wd or awd, no 4x4.

 

[Sams01XplrSprt]

welcome