2004 4.0L engine

[SpinningWheels]

I am an owner of the dreaded 4.0L exploder engine with the "K" in the VIN. I have friend Rick, whom turned me on to this forum and told me to ask some questions.
The SOHC should read SUCK. Now I know why some of the engineers at the Ford proving grounds call them exploders.

1) Where can I find a decent priced replacement motor?

2) Is there a better motor to put in there without having to spend $1000's to get it to last longer than 70,000 miles before I have to get another motor put back in.
3) The transmission is (was) starting to shift hard. Is it best to rebuild it or find another tranny?

It is a 2004 2x4.

 

[Exproblems]

I
1) Where can I find a decent priced replacement motor?

2) Is there a better motor to put in there without having to spend $1000's to get it to last longer than 70,000 miles before I have to get another motor put back in.
3) The transmission is (was) starting to shift hard. Is it best to rebuild it or find another tranny?

It is a 2004 2x4.

My 2005 4.0L rear timing chain crapped out on me last August and I had a Ford "remanufactured" engine installed. Luckily I had a few months left on my aftermarket vehicle warranty that took care of the majority of the new engine bill and I went thru a Ford dealership for the engine and service install. A Ford remanufactured engine 4.0L V-6 can be purchased for approx. $3200 (engine only) and they come with a full 3 year parts and labor warranty with unlimited mileage as well. This is basically a brand new engine. Besides all new internal engine parts, my new engine also came with a new harmonic balancer, water pump, t-stat housing, valve covers, spark plugs, and various external engine cover plates. They had to switch over my old intake manifold, fuel injection and air intake plenum. On the web you'll find this type of engine selling for various price ranges between $3,000-$4,000 depending on the company you buy it from. Mine came from Ford directly in Detroit, Michigan.

You can buy a used 4.0L engine in the $1,000-$2,000 range depending on the mileage it has on it. Some places will give you a few month guarantee with a used motor, but it's a crap shoot on how long they will last because you don't know how well they were cared for by the previous owner(s). You may even find a used motor cheaper thru a junk yard. Just use your search engine and type in the type of motor you are looking for and it will pull up a bunch of web sites selling that type of motor.

My advice would be, if you are planning on keeping the vehicle for a long time and going to have to spend $1500 or more on a used motor, you may as well kick in the other $1700 and buy a new, reman motor, "if you can afford it". Remember, you get that full 3 year warranty and peace of mind with this motor purchase.

On the tranny issue, I would start with having the tranny pan dropped and change out the filter and the 7 or so quarts of tranny fluid with new and go from there. That's the cheaper solution to start with. I had mine done last December at a local tranny shop for $150. There are past posts in here in the forum archives on how to properly change the tranny fluid and filter along with the proper way to "top off" the tranny fluid to it's proper full mark for these 3rd generation Explorers.

 

[cross6]

My 2005 4.0L rear timing chain crapped out on me last August and I had a Ford "remanufactured" engine installed. Luckily I had a few months left on my aftermarket vehicle warranty that took care of the majority of the new engine bill and I went thru a Ford dealership for the engine and service install. A Ford remanufactured engine 4.0L V-6 can be purchased for approx. $3200 (engine only) and they come with a full 3 year parts and labor warranty with unlimited mileage as well. This is basically a brand new engine. Besides all new internal engine parts, my new engine also came with a new harmonic balancer, water pump, t-stat housing, valve covers, spark plugs, and various external engine cover plates. They had to switch over my old intake manifold, fuel injection and air intake plenum. On the web you'll find this type of engine selling for various price ranges between $3,000-$4,000 depending on the company you buy it from. Mine came from Ford directly in Detroit, Michigan.

You can buy a used 4.0L engine in the $1,000-$2,000 range depending on the mileage it has on it. Some places will give you a few month guarantee with a used motor, but it's a crap shoot on how long they will last because you don't know how well they were cared for by the previous owner(s). You may even find a used motor cheaper thru a junk yard. Just use your search engine and type in the type of motor you are looking for and it will pull up a bunch of web sites selling that type of motor.

My advice would be, if you are planning on keeping the vehicle for a long time and going to have to spend $1500 or more on a used motor, you may as well kick in the other $1700 and buy a new, reman motor, "if you can afford it". Remember, you get that full 3 year warranty and peace of mind with this motor purchase.

On the tranny issue, I would start with having the tranny pan dropped and change out the filter and the 7 or so quarts of tranny fluid with new and go from there. That's the cheaper solution to start with. I had mine done last December at a local tranny shop for $150. There are past posts in here in the forum archives on how to properly change the tranny fluid and filter along with the proper way to "top off" the tranny fluid to it's proper full mark for these 3rd generation Explorers.

Who'd you get the warranty through? Curious about reputable warranty companies.

 

[Exproblems]

Who'd you get the warranty through? Curious about reputable warranty companies.

The aftermarket warranty I had on my vehicle, the one that covered the costs of my reman engine was called the "Compass Protection Plan" and it was administered by "The American Guardian Group" and they are based out of Chicago, Il. The dealership I bought my Explorer at actually sold me this warranty at the time of my vehicle purchase and they work with the local rep who works for the American Guardian Group. The cost of the warranty was $1,500 and it was good for 36 months or 36,000 miles, which ever came first. My plan had a $100 deductible per repair visit at any "state registered" repair shop. The plans and what parts of the vehicle they cover depend on the vehicle mileage at the time of purchase. My plan covered most everything on the vehicle. I got my moneys worth out of this one with a rebuilt tranny, engine and some other more minor work done during the 3 years of the warranty period.
The reman engine warranty is covered by the Ford Motor Company and can be used at any Ford Dealership nationwide or any state registered repair shop Ford recognizes as being skilled in repairing Ford vehicles..