2015 sport w 115K, waterpump ???

[geekwithoutacause]

I'm looking at this 2015 Sport model. It's in REALLY nice shape, 1 owner, well taken care of.
It does have 115K on it.
In all my research I really found only 2 things that could go wrong (well, more likely to go wrong) on these. Wondering if you could share your opinions on it;

1. The PTU unit. I am a DIY er and I can service it. But would it be too late at 115K ? Is the 2015 PTU any better than earlier ones?

2.The waterpump. Are the failures still happening on 2015's ?

Thank you !

 

[blwnsmoke]

Those are pretty much the 2 issues I'd be concerned with. As far as the water pump goes, I'd want it changed if I'm buying something with that many miles. As far as the PTU, you are looking at $800 for the part if you can do it yourself. If that's the case, I wouldn't worry about it. I have 124,000 on my 2011 and never changed the fluid. Could it blow tomorrow, sure. could it last another 30k, sure.

They obviously did a ton of driving with it... I'd get an OASIS report just to see what was done within warranty just to get an idea of complaints. You may not see much just because once outside of warranty, you won't see anything but what was done at the dealer you are getting the OASIS report. The service records outside of warranty only stay at the dealership that did the work.

 

[Sixonemale]

I'm looking at this 2015 Sport model. It's in REALLY nice shape, 1 owner, well taken care of.
It does have 115K on it.
In all my research I really found only 2 things that could go wrong (well, more likely to go wrong) on these. Wondering if you could share your opinions on it;

1. The PTU unit. I am a DIY er and I can service it. But would it be too late at 115K ? Is the 2015 PTU any better than earlier ones?

2.The waterpump. Are the failures still happening on 2015's ?

Thank you !

I would be very careful purchasing a Sport with that many miles unless you know exactly how it was driven. That's a lot of miles on 2015 so there may be fair amount of highway vs city mileage. I absolutely would be concerned about the water pump and think about having it replaced and from what I've read in this forum it may be wise to service the PTU. My two other concerns from what I've read in this forum and based on past experience would be the future longevity of the turbos and possibly some concern about the timing chain which could be done at the same time water pump is replaced.

Bottom-line your buying a semi complex engine with high mileage and repairs in the future could be very costly.

 

[geekwithoutacause]

Thanks for the replies. What's roughly the cost of a waterpump replacement and the chain as well?

 

[KayGee]

Used cars are like stocks - past performance is not indicative of future results. As blwnsmoke stated, you don't really know if the vehicle will go another 100K without issue or if it will grenade the wp/ptu 5 minutes after you sign paperwork and hand over payment.

The way I see it, if the price is right and a wp/ptu/other repair won't burden you financially, then don't worry about it. If you're stretching your finances to buy this vehicle and don't have the funds to cover an unexpected issue, then maybe look elsewhere.

Other things of concern without warranty would be hood corrosion, door panel separation, roof leaks, EPAS, other electronic issues, etc... None of those are exactly inexpensive repairs either.

On a side note, with the mileage this vehicle has, I'd hope to see maintenance records that show at least 1 coolant flush/fill and 1 or 2 trans flush/fill (in addition to all the other stuff, like oil/filter changes and tires/alignments/brakes/other wear items).

 

[peterk9]

Thanks for the replies. What's roughly the cost of a waterpump replacement and the chain as well?

Water pump cost; AutoNation Ford White Bear Lake | Parts & Accessories and AutoNation Ford White Bear Lake | Parts & Accessories
As for the cost of having it replaced check out this post and subsequent ones; Water pump failure leads to dead engine

Peter

 

[geekwithoutacause]

Peter,
I am well aware of the consequences of a failed waterpump on these engines. In case of the 3.5L ecoboost it basically results in destroyed engine which probably totals the car since a new or even rebuilt 3.5 ecoboost is going to be very pricey.

My other question is; have these failures happened on models with the improved waterpumps ? I think 2013 and on have an improved waterpump and timing chain ? Can't find anything about that.

 

[blwnsmoke]

I think what is preventing us from answering that is the waterpumps were redesigned I believe in the 2013MY and there hasn't been enough high mileage Explorers in the 13-15 range to know. Most of what you are seeing is the 11s hitting the 100k.

Waterpump replacement will run you roughly $1,500. An engine is roughly $4k plus labor.

 

[peterk9]

Peter,
I am well aware of the consequences of a failed waterpump on these engines. In case of the 3.5L ecoboost it basically results in destroyed engine which probably totals the car since a new or even rebuilt 3.5 ecoboost is going to be very pricey.

My other question is; have these failures happened on models with the improved waterpumps ? I think 2013 and on have an improved waterpump and timing chain ? Can't find anything about that.

You inquired about the cost of replacing the water pump and timing chain and that is why I selected the post in the last link. As for finding out if any post 2013 models have had the failure, the answer is 'Yes'. There is at least one that I found before I stopped looking. The thread on failed water pumps shows the years in the margin and I just scrolled through some of them. There were also failures of 2013's.

Peter