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There are actually 3 idler pulleys (pulleys that just spin and don't power anything). Did you replace all of them? If you did then the issue is not likely there unless you got some bad parts. Did you use Motorcraft parts for everything or something else? LMHmedchem

In the end I split the difference. I washed out all the old grease with brake cleaner. The boot was shredded, so there must have been allot of dirt and sand mixed in with the grease. I would rather have too little grease than grease with grit in it so I cleaned it all out. I also had no way of...

If you don't mind taking things apart again I would make sure that your 3 idler pulleys are spinning freely. If you had to replace your tensioner, some of the others may be going. Take off the upper fan shroud and run it until you smell the burning smell. Use a flashlight to observe and make...

Hello, I have the passengers front CV axle in my shop for some maintenance. I have a new outer boot and am getting ready to install it after a bit of cleanup. I am tempted to flush out all the old grease with brake cleaner/carb cleaner/paint thinner/etc before adding the new grease that came...

Well they finally had pickle forks back in stock at my local Harbor Freight and that did the trick for the lower ball joint (along with a 5lb hammer). I have 2 more expensive ball joint separator tools, but neither of them fit. PB/simple tool/big hammer seems to get the job done. This time...

Famous last words. I have two 5lb hammers so I guess there's no harm in trying. I do have a ball joint removal tool but it's too small. Today I tightened up the nuts on the bushings at the ends of the UCA. They were very loose, which is odd. I put the nut back on the ball joint and banged up...

This is for the bushings on the upper control arm. I don't believe that there is a torque value given, at least I don't know what it is. I would put the truck on the ground with the tires installed and measure the distance from the top of the lower control arm to something that will not move...

I would get an alignment as soon as you finish all of your suspension work. A badly aligned suspension places stress on the components in ways that the components were not designed to withstand. This is more important than just tire wear. It also affects gas mileage, as does your tire pressure...

Hello, Today I was in the process of removing the passengers front knuckle to do a list of maintenance and ran into a problem. The axle nut, outer tie rod end nut, and both upper and lower ball joint nuts came of pretty easily. I applied PB ahead of time as I knew I would be doing this and I...

Hello, If you turn the steering wheel all the way right to left, does the anomaly happen in a specific, repeatable spot? Does it happen more then once as you move all the way side to side? Does it happen when you first move the wheel but not after? Does it matter which direction you turn the...

Here are two videos for the upper control arm. How to Replace Upper Control Arm and Ball Joint 02-05 Mercury Mountaineer UPPER CONTROL ARM REPLACEMENT (2002-'05 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER) The first video says 110 ft/lb for the 2 main bolts on either side of the knuckle and 90 ft/lbs for the ball...

Probably the most important thing is to make sure that the rack gear has not become rusted or pitted from the exposure to moisture. Once the rack is pitted, the oil seal will no longer be able to keep the pressurized fluid in the housing. This is not repairable if its happened, at least it's not...

These are supposed to be new bolts with threadlock. I wouldn't skip both of those if at all possible. If you are going to reuse bolts, I would apply threadlock to be on the safe side. If you didn't, you could back out the bolts until you have exposed some of the threads in the hub, apply the...

As has been mentioned here, where you buy your parts doesn't have all that much to do with the quality of what you get. Whether you buy your parts online or at a local parts store, the most important consideration in getting quality parts is the manufacturer. Local parts stores often sell...

To change out the hub/bearing you will need to remove and then replace 5 hub lug nuts to remove the wheel 2 caliper slide pin bolts to remove the caliper from the bracket 2 caliper mounting bracket bolts to remove the bracket from the knuckle 3 hub mounting bolts to remove the hub from the...

The torque setting is important for when you put the bolts back on so as to not over or under tighten. caliper bracket mounting bolts: 83 ft/lbs caliper slide pin bolts: 24 ft/lbs These values are for the 2002 explorer, I don't know if the 2003 is any different. I tend to replace the boots...

All of the postings I have seen on replacing hubs are very clear to not re-use the bolts. It's hard to know exactly what this means other than that is what the manufacturer recommends. I am sure that there are allot of vehicles out there that are held together with parts that the manufacturer...

What did you end up ordering for the hubs? It turns out that the SKF hubs I ordered actually came with assembly bolts, which is odd since they are not pictured in the listing or mentioned in the parts list. That is annoying since I ordered bolts from another supplier. If your part comes with...

I ended up taking my original alternator to 2 different AutoZone stores in my location. Both stores said that their bench testing equipment was not working. I figured I would eventually find out if my old alternator was working when I installed the new one, so I didn't go looking for any more...

In the end I went with these, For the 2" OD hoses, Apache 43082004 Stainless Steel Ultra T-Bolt Clamp 1-15/16"-2-3/16" ($2.64) For the 1.5" OD hose (reservoir to lower radiator) Apache 43081998 Stainless Steel Ultra T-Bolt Clamp 1-5/16" to 1-11/16" ($2.85) Why the smaller clamp costs more, I...

In the end I went with these, For the 2" OD main hoses, Apache 43082004 Stainless Steel Ultra T-Bolt Clamp 1-15/16"-2-3/16" ($2.64) For the 1.5" OD hose (reservoir to lower radiator) Apache 43081998 Stainless Steel Ultra T-Bolt Clamp 1-5/16" to 1-11/16" ($2.85) Why the smaller clamp costs...

No, I suspect that you don't. It looks like the same part is used for 2WD and 4WD. You should have a look at your setup before buying anything. It never hurts to double check. LMHmedchem

From RockAuto, these are the parts/brands I would want on my truck. This is more or less in order of what I consider quality from best, to a little bit less best. All of these include the ABS sensor and cable. *** 102001 Front Wheel Bearing & Hub ($140.79 +ship) SKF BR930456 X-Tracker Front...

The quality of a part has little to do with where you buy it, but rather the company that manufactured the part. You can often get the exact same parts from many places for a range of prices. Local shops will almost always be more expensive than online prices if you can wait for the normal...

Since I still don't know exactly where the flush and fill kit is supposed to be installed, I ended up just running about 20 gallons of water through the system 2 gallons at a time. I ran the motor with the heat on full for about 10 minutes after each addition of water and then drained the...

Well I have already ordered the Remy. It should arrive on Tuesday. That will give me a little time to paint up the upper bracket before it goes back on. It's amazing how rusted the bolts were. I couldn't find a new Bosch in the places I looked. I think that the new Remy for $139 with shipping...

That was a typo, I meant volts. Thanks for pointing that out. I have fixed it in the original post. I was able to get the boot back and read the voltage from the terminal on the alternator to ground. It reads 11.7v, which is the same as the value I was getting from reading at the battery. I...

I'm not sure that I am getting anything at all out of the alternator. My battery voltage was 12.7v with the truck off and it reads 11.7v at the battery with the truck running. I am trying to figure out how to read the voltage directly off of the alternator but I can't see any exposed metal on...

Yes, this can be an issue, especially for a small core refund. Also, I see cases where the difference between new and remanufactured prices is small, there is no reason to not get a new part. Thanks for the recommendation. I have never bought a Remy part so I would have overlooked that brand...

I did more flushing today with plain water and seem to see an issue. With the system drained, I can only add about 2 gallons of water before the reservoir is topped off. I assume that this means that there is coolant trapped in the system that doesn't come out when you drain. Even now when I...

Hello, I am in the process of flushing the cooling system after just getting the truck started after a long time idle. I charged the battery before starting up again but now I notice that the battery level is low. I put a DMM on the terminals with the truck running and I only get 10.8 volts. I...

Why is it that I think my radiator doesn't have a cap? I don't see anything I can put a hose into. The only place I have ever added fluid is the reservoir. Is there a cap hiding under there somewhere? LMHmedchem

Well I got it started today. It was pretty uneventful. I was going to check with my computer and see if I was getting WOT or not, but it occurred to me that there was probably no way that this was going to start of the first few cranks anyway. Whether there was fuel at the rail or not, this was...

Good lord, I hope that the inside of my radiator doesn't look like that. I have always been a bit annoyed that my radiator doesn't have a cap because I would like to be able to visually inspect it from time to time. Anyway, I changed what I was going to do today. I was going to add a flush with...

I have already opened the drain valve when I drained the coolant. I have also had most of the hoses off (not the hose that runs along the bottom). The coolant has been out for a while because I replaced the power steering and changed out the oil filter adapter gasket. I haven't refilled the...

The most commonly quoted article on this topic is from a company who sells a product that is supposed to bypass this issue. I always carry a fair bit of skepticism when reading something from a company who has a financial interest in the issue. The article actually says that you should not fill...

Well I think that it is not worth installing the flush port. I will do the manual/gravity method as you suggest. I can't remember if I have ever had a flush done on this or not. I know I haven't done it myself. It seems like there could be an issue with the drain plug not having a large enough...

Hello, A radiator system flush is one of the next things on my list. I have all of the coolant out, so I figured this was a good time to do it. This is the flush compound that I have, Blue Devil Radiator Flush & Oil Degreaser 32oz ($9.95) I also have a Prestone Flush'N Fill Kit and I am...

I have used steel epoxy putty to make repairs similar to your ERG pipe. I did this on a steel transmission cooling line. It was meant to be a temporary repair, but it was there until I sold the truck. I imagine that the ExhaustWeld may be similar. There is also a JBWeld high heat cold weld that...

Possibly it is one of these, https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,2002,explorer,4.6l+v8,1377671,suspension,alignment+cam+/+plate,13516 LMHmedchem