Advice from veteran 2002 explorer owners

[duckett]

What do you think i should do? I got a 2002 explorer xlt 4.0 with 113000 miles i have owned since 2004 been very good to me i have also been good to it Staying on top of fluid flushes filters etc,I have only had the following go bad and fixed ,wheel sensor ,speed sensor ,4x4 module,and now but not fixed ac switched to defrost vent when at high acceleration for few secs cant find any vacuum leak, after reading so many horror stories online got me paranoid should i get rid of it before any tranny problems wheel bearing issues, timing chain etc im not wanting any +$1000 problems i feel i lucked out so far like i bought the worse car evermade according to internet. Get out while getting is good?

 

[Astrok]

Get out

If you compare yours to mine you did great! Mine has 92000 on it got it 6 years ago with 34000 miles TO date it has had the following major work
New tranny
new transfer case
both front hubs
both rear wheel bearings
4 broken coil springs replaced and struts
It has been the worst car in my 52 years of driving and fixing cars

 

[D Hook]

Mine is at 154K and is on third trans, replaced by previous owner, not by me (yet). So I have the same question.

Wife has an 05 Expedition that she wants to trade in on newer model so we're thinking of trading my explorer instead and I would keep her Expedition, since it's got less miles and the Expedition is a more solid, less-maintanence intense vehicle. The Explorer has been good for me, so far, so it's a tough decision. So far, I've only had to replace front wheel bearings but one in back is going and the rear diff is leaking and the harmonic balancer is making a random chirp noise every once in a while so I know problems are on the horizon. Otherwise, it's been a good vehicle for the past two years. Just feel like keeping it is a roll of the dice. Matter of When, not If the common problems occur.

Keep us informed about what you decide.

 

[94Eddie]

Almost any vehicle that is well over 100k miles will need repairs. IMO, the big potential problem with your Explorer is the 4.0L V-6. If the timing chains/guides fail it is a big cost to fix. This would probably make me sell it now while it is running good. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with a 3rd gen Explorer. The transmission, wheel hubs, ball joints, differentials etc. and the repair costs are expensive but if spaced out they are manageable. If the engine goes then you are probably looking at an engine swap and that can be a huge expense.

 

[doug625]

I have 124,000 on mine, had it since 65,000. Runs great, all I have changed is the rear struts/springs, left rear wheel bearing. The 02's are known for problems but remember, people usually only post online when somethings wrong...

 

[duckett]

Thanks for reply

 

[HCCA 250]

I have 124,000 on mine, had it since 65,000. Runs great, all I have changed is the rear struts/springs, left rear wheel bearing. The 02's are known for problems but remember, people usually only post online when somethings wrong...[/QUOTE]

I had the usual rear diff whine/growl, at 35K miles. After that, at 125K+ miles, rear-right wheel bearing failure, both rear spings/struts, front-left ball joints, transmission, and sway bar links. Now, everything seems fine.

My '79 Trans Am, had a transmission fail at 118K miles. I also, had a front left wheel bearing go bad at 75K miles. Vapor locking abouve 80 Deg F, I rebuilt the engine (not that it was needed...but, I beefed up the output)., there was a wheel vibration at 85K, above 65 mph, I could not get rid of...

My '93 EXP had a laundry list of poblems above 145K. But, nothing until then. After 145K...EVERYTHING went bad! I was averaging $400/mo in repairs...for 8 months!! It was nuts! That's when I opted for the 2002 EXP.