1998 Explorer 5.0

[hunter31]

I am looking at a 98 explorer 5.0 with 125000 miles on it. How do these vehicles hold up. and how does those engines run. I have a 16 ft boat. and a 4 wheeler how do they tow.
Thanks Bryan

 

[MountaineerGreen]

Properly maintained, the 5.0s are a very reliable drivetrain. They pull very well, plenty of power.

Search around on here, there has been many people asking about them lately.

 

[terdrocket]

I had an '01 AWD that I beat the snot out of for 110,000 miles. No tranny, engine or tranfer case problems ever. I ran 32" MTRs (heavy ass tires)and lit them up whenever possible.

 

[reserved50]

96-97 had some problems, 98 they figured most out

 

[Turdle]

Jump on it.

 

[X6StringerX]

'98 5.0 AWD here...

Im currently sitting at 139,692 miles and haven't had an ounce of engine/transmission trouble.


I just wish the display on my radio worked... :-( Oh well.

 

['97 V8]

96-97 had some problems, 98 they figured most out

im curious as to what those were? My 97 hasnt had any problems since it rolled off the dealer lot.

Anyways, i have around 165k on this thing, all original motor and tranny. oil changed after the first 1k then 3k after that. For the last 4-5 years ive only been running mobil1 synthetic 5w30. Change the oil every 5k with that oil.

 

[JIGAWHAAT]

97 awd v8 here 170,000
I tow an enclosed trailer loaded with hardwood flooring equipment often. atleast 1000 lbs. Pulls it no prob

 

[Explorer96xlt]

'96 5.0 125k miles, we tow a 21 foot wakeboat, which can whiegh up to 5500, tows it great. no need to worry about that.

 

[reserved50]

for starters the blend door in the early years, mostly minor stuff that adds up

 

[reserved50]

late 98 up didnt have exhaust "headers" that burned up and cracked

 

[ma96782]

If I remember right....that 5.0L is the same family of engines that FORD has run w/ since the days of the ol' 289 FORD Mustang........READ RELIABLE.

And, towing should be no problem.....but, check the weight of the boat w/ trailer against this:

http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?id=42175

You may not have the EXACT vehicle but sometimes close enough is good enough...........IF you got the spec from the car, that is even better......GCVW (Gross Combined Veh. Weight).........your veh w/ everything inside (gas, people, gear, etc) plus the weight of everything you're pulling.

Aloha, Mark

 

[reserved50]

dont know if these things do but the 4r70w in my vic blew the OD band like most AODs do, if so keep the OD switched off in the city, the constant engaging burns them up quicker and WOT to OD, dont know if ford reprogrammed these yet to avoid that

 

[hunter31]

Update on the explorer I am trying to get it for 4500.00 it is very good cond with 125000 miles on it. One owner and just inspected. What do you guys think of the price. Another thing the explorer has 235 75 15 tires on it now How big can you go without a lift or new rims and it is AWD does it still have 4X4 High and Low.
Thanks Hunter

 

[Turdle]

For the price, you will be hard pressed to find a better vehicle.
Of course--offer 4k just because---

 

[X6StringerX]

I bought mine from a car lot with 127k miles. They were asking $6995 for it, but cash talked and I drove away in it for $4500.

I'd do it again if I had $4500 and the opportunity knocked.

As for the tire size, mine also came with 235/75/15s. I promptly replaced them with 255/70/15s which are just a wee bit taller but almost 2 inches wider. I was originally going for the street look. My interests have since changed. 2nd gen Explorers can accommodate 31x10.50x15s with no modification. With a 2" torsion twist and shackles, you can fit 32x11.50x15s with little trimming. You can do a 2" body lift and the 2" torsion twist with shackles and get away with the 32s with no trimming or you can go up to the 3" body lift with the 2" torsion twist and shackles and fit 33s with some trimming.

The AWD Explorers don't have high or low range. From my understanding, we have about 70% power going to the back wheels and 30% up front. I plan on doing the t-case swap in the future so I can have true 4x4.


This site is a mountain of information. You'll find all kinds of stuff to do to the X once you get it.

 

[lowflyingbird]

Hi,
I bought my 98 V8 with 124k. for $2000. off Ebay after toasting a V6 tranny in my previous Explorer. Its in pretty good condition. I've changed a few things to my liking. I also trailer a 18 ft. boat with no problem. I actually bought it to trailer, and bought the boat right after the truck . I live in NY and the boat was in FL. I blasted down to FL. hitched it and dragged it back to NY in three days, NO PROBLEM. Now almost a year later its got 164K. on it. Its got the welded cruddy manifolds and I do think I have a cooked cat/ converter. BUT, I dont have to worry about those bad V6 trannys any more!!

A few of my changes were eliminating the entire front axle, adding a posi to the rear, changed out the 373 gears for 355, Cat back exhaust,K&N filter,Aftermarket rear anti-sway bar, KYB high pressure shocks,and sold the mint 15" aluminum wheels with almost new 235-75-15 Mich. tires. Bought a set of 94-95 Mustang 17" wheels, and new take off tires from a F150, 255-65-17. Changed all my fluids to full synthetic with the extra money I made with the wheel swap, Yes I said Made!! And, I keep all the fluids Syn.

 

[Wagonized]

my 97 has 241000km on it and still drives very very nicely. Some small electrical problems and ofcourse the blend door but I dont consider those major problems, just nagging ones.

 

[LeKid302]

96-97 had some problems, 98 they figured most out

i have a 96 , what is the kind of problem ??

As for performance increase , what is the first few things to do ??

Thanks

 

[IAmTodd]

Welcome! I moved from a '95 Sport to my current '00 5.0 for pretty much one reason; reliability. Certainly wasn't gas mileage!!

I see we're very close! I live in Apollo, I'm sure you've heard of it

I would say as long as its been taken care of its a decent deal. On a stock suspension you can go as high as 31" tires. In the very near future I will probably have a fairly new(<4k miles) all terrains for sale. They're 30" though, but look decent.

The AWD is very nice. I don't need low range so its perfect for our suprise snow storms.

Shoot me a PM if you'd be interested in the tires.

And to answer your question, like mentioned above, there is no 4 low. There is no selection to the AWD, there isn't even a knob on the dash. Its a permanant viscous coupling in the transfercase.