2011 Explorer Limited 250k upkeep questions

[explr2011]

Hello one and all,

First time posting on here.

Little bit about me before the car, I am mechanically inclined, I have done oil and brake changes on my cars for years (when I can spare the time). I have also done an engine swap on a 1950s Ford truck and I have done front end replacement of lower control arms, tie rods, ect. I am fairly competent when it comes to fixing vehicles. I also order my parts from RockAuto. I have a trusted independent mechanic that I take my big jobs to, or I don't have the time to do myself.

Vehicle Specs:
2011 Explorer Limited
~250,000 miles
3.5L V6 AWD
Tow Hitch (not used very often)

About 6 months ago, my mom gifted my wife and I, her 2011 Ford Explorer Limited with 250k miles on it. Until April of this year, it has spent all of its time in Virginia Richmond and Charlottesville areas (yes snow, ice, and salt). I am now the third owner of this vehicle, my mom putting over half of the miles on this car, multiple long distance trips from Virginia to Texas and Wisconsin. While her and her husband did a decent job doing the maintenance on it, they left some things to question. Today I picked up the Haynes repair manual for the SUV and I want to get ahead of any major maintenance problems, because I would like this SUV to last my young family at least another 3-5 years, hoping longer. A few questions I have for this forum on upkeep on a vehicle with this many miles on it.

So first big question:
Do I need to change the water pump and timing chain? There is no record of my mom or the previous owner doing so.

I could not find any records of the serpentine belt being replaced so I am ordering that part to replace it, along with the tensioner.

Within the next few weeks, I am going to do all of the fluids drain and replace: oil, brake, transaxle, differential, and coolant. Did I forget any?

My mom had the brake pads and rotors done 6 years ago, so I had them done last week, and I needed two rear calipers. Should I also go ahead and order the front calipers and replace them?

Additionally on the brakes when the mechanic pulled them, I kept the rotors and pads, one set of pads (I am fairly sure the passenger side) was completely to the metal on the front and nearly there on the rear, whereas the driver's side pads looked mostly new, any idea what might of caused such an uneven wear pattern (my step-dad did the brake job last time 6 years ago...).

The spark plugs and ignition coils were replaced about 4 years ago, I will be doing spark plugs within the next few weeks.
Front struts and shocks were replaced about 2 years ago, should the rear ones be replaced?

What about computer problems, the computer going bad or needing to be replaced? Any sensors I should worry about O2, exhaust, collision or blind spot?

I have a note from one dealer they took it too, that said something about the front end tie rod bushings needing to be replaced, should I do a whole front end replacement or just the bushings (front end = tie rods, lower control arms, ball joints, sway arms, CV joints)? When I have a minute I am going to lift the car up and take all of the tires off so I can look at everything underneath and determine if I need to do this, I would like y'all's input on whether this should be done based off of age and mileage.

I know this is a longer post, I am just trying to ensure my wife has a safe daily driver that can take her and the kids to and from where they need to go. I do not mind putting more money into this car than it is worth, because I know the peace of mind it will give my wife, which is worth way more than anything an insurance agent can give me. Please feel free to chime in with anything that I might have overlooked. If you have any questions, comments, advice, or old war stories I would love to read them all. Thank you in advance for all of your help and knowledge.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the forum.
FYI, Levittown Ford is a forum vendor and offers a 50% discount on shipping for forum vendors. I don't know how their prices compare to RockAuto but they are much cheaper than Ford Parts.
The water pump is an issue. Some have failed with low mileage while others have gone gone well over the 100k mile mark without failing. It's a bit of a crap shoot. There is a weep hole that allows coolant to escape but there have also been instances where the failure just dumped coolant into the engine. One thing to do is to keep an eye on the coolant level. Those that had the pump replaced also did the timing chain and its components as well.
Members also recommend changing the PTU fluid every 30k miles, if you have an AWD. This isn't a simple as it sounds as many don't have a drain plug. There are several threads on this I found using the forum's 'Search' feature at the upper right. Here is a link to just one post that might be helpful. Changing PTU Fluid
As far as the MyFord Touch (MFT) system, the most common issue seemed to be the failure of the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) which is the brains of the MFT. How many have had APIM replaced?
Good luck.

Peter

 

[02BigBlue]

I've got a 2011 Limited. Bought with 92k on it, now have 332k miles. Nothing major mechanical has happened. Oil changes when I get the notification. I've never flushed coolant or transmission fluid. Original water pump (at least since 92k miles). I've done front bake pads and rotors multiple times, rear pads twice. Replaced all four wheel bearings once. Front strut bearings once shortly after buying it (popping noise when turning). Replaced engine mounts, lower control arms, front stabilizer bar links, and starter all within the last 40k miles. I drive between 80-100 miles a day 5 days a week. Currently the only 'major' issue is passenger front seat will not movè forward. I think its a switch problem but haven't troubleshot it yet. I've done all the work so far myself. Youtube certified mechanic!!