Greasing the Underbody

[Drummadude]

Hello,

Are there any grease fittings on the stock 2002 Ford Explorer XLT? I've been hearing some sounds that I suspect, from limited Google and Explorer Forum research, is the sway bar bush bearings. When I turn my wheels under 20 mph, I can hear what sounds like rubber on metal, like a pencil eraser pressed hard on paper.

I bought an aerosol can of white lithium grease and sprayed what looked like it should be sprayed. The suspension and sway bar bushings got a nice dose, along with latches and hinges. While I am at it, are there grease fittings to spray into?

Thanks for your time and responses.

P.S. What is your opinion from experience on oil change intervals? Stay at 3,000 miles or let it go some more? (169,500 miles)

 

[mountaineerbeast]

If there are any grease fittings then you should use a grease gun as it will get more grease into the fitting.
I would recommend 3000 interval for maximum engine life.

 

[fusseli]

Sway bar bushings look really easy to replace, I've been considering doing them for a while now to hopefully get rid of an annoying chirp I get over bumps. I've read that some people just do a shot of WD-40 every couple weeks and that that is enough to keep old bushings quiet.

If you buy the cheapest oil and filter off the shelf then by all means change at 3k and keep your peace of mind. If you run oil that meets or exceeds Ford spec you can can change every 5k, as Ford specifies for regular duty on 3rd gens. Fancy oils are out there proven by UOA to be safe well over 5k.

 

[Kazer]

i usually go 8-10k miles between oil changes. i dont burn or leak any and i run valvoline synpower full synthetic