2nd gen piece of crap !!

[badgett]

I used to have a 94 XLT 4x4. I thought I would trade it for the much cooler (I thought) 98 XLT 4x4. This thing has been a total piece of crap. After having it for about 6 months and treating it like a queen, it started to fall apart. You name it, it needs fixing. I wish I had my 94 back. Never had a moments trouble out of it. They don't make them like they used to. At least I don't have a 3rd gen. My friends have those. They are even worse. I want to try to save my 98 because I have always been an explorer nut. If I didn't have one at all , it would drive me crazy. Here's some of my 98's problems..............

1. no 4wd LOW. shift motor not working
2. the wonderful SOHC timing chain rattle (sounds like a powerstroke)
3. The loudest interior engine noise I've ever encountered
4. one back window only works when it wants to
5. thump, thump ,thump in the front end
6. rear liftgate vibrating and rattling
7. liftgate handle sticks open and has to be forced back to closed position
8. brakes bad , 2 sets of pads allready
9. and sometimes in a parking lot you get a suprise when you are turning. You're in 4wd. what the hell is that.

 

[floydr007]

Whenever you get a used car your taking a risk...
If youve gone through 2 sets of pads in 6 months there is something seriously wrong with your brakes. Check the rotors and calipers. Something might be dragging, or your rotors might be bad. Also with the engine noise, is the insulation clipped onto the hood still there? Im guessing if it wasnt it would increase engine noise a good amount. Lastly, welcome to the club of people with the timing chain diesel noise haha..

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

1. & 4. & 9. check for recalls or TSB's regarding the GEM module.
2. yes.
3. you might have a problem (sorry), mines limo quiet till im on it.
5. flat spot? mine thumped all the time till the tires warmed up. turns out i had a funny shaped tire.
6. there is probly a way to adjust this, i'll look later.
7. mine too sometimes. really cool since it leaves the interior lights on. i'm going to open the gate and try to oil it on the inside.
8. I agree with a problem here.

True when you buy used, you take a risk. Think about how many yahoo's are out there that cant work on cars, you probly picked one up somebody got a few thousand dollar quote to make beatifull again so they dumped it.

 

[pfeffer1728]

ok, you got screwed on a used car...it happens, drop some money into it and fix what needs fixin. i have a 98 sohc (2wd though) and i dont have any of those problems except some front end noise and interior vibration. so dont blame the 98 man! its good stuff

 

[MONMIX]

sounds like a lot of simple routene mantiance to me

 

[HardTech]

Someone didn’t treat it right before you. Doesn’t matter if you have treated it well if the person before you treated it like crud.

It all comes back to who owned the car last and what they did. My little explorer supposedly has a transmission that breaks constantly. But with 130k miles on it, the insides look to only have 20k miles. So like I said, how did the person before treat it. And if your the 3rd owner, the one before him too.

 

[keato7]

7. liftgate handle sticks open and has to be forced back to closed position

I realize this is probably the least of your worries, but I've found with my lift gate that if I only squeeze the handle far enough to unlatch the gate then when I shut it the handle pops right back to where its supposed to be. Good luck with the rest.

 

[jp450]

If someone finds a fix for # 7 please post. I would like to fix mine too.

 

[stubborn1]

My handle on the liftgate sticks also. It usually just takes another firm grab and then releasing as fast as possible (kinda like a snaping motion). Its not a fix, just another way to cope with the issue.

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

wd-40 or pb blaster???...as for the other problems my liftgate rattles it is just a given( we have owned my truck since 96) but it rattles and it is easier to get into the truck if you lock your keys in it.....as for interior noise look to see if the hood insulator is still their other then that make sure there are no exaust leaks. And finally if all else fails you can look into dynomat. As for the 4wd problem search it has been posted many times....the brakes maby warped roters? the thump thump thump sounds like a flat tire....but make sure you are at about 35 psi in all 4....the last 4wd rpoblem and the thump thump if not a tire issue should be resolved by the shiftmotor fix.

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

make sure all 4 tires are the sme size also. or the 4wd will detect the different speeds and engage the 4wd if it thinks it needs to. whick also goes for same pressure in all 4. if the radius is shorter in 1 due to underinflation it will seem smaller to a sensor.

 

[badgett]

Thanks for the help guys. I will fix it but my budget is limited. I guess I will just take one problem at a time. I would really enjoy the truck if I wasn't always hearing things that need to be fixed. When I get it right it will end up being my best friend. I don't drive it everyday so I will put it in my garage and start working it. I might as well do the shackles and TT while it's in there. I will keep you guys posted on any fixes I could possibly come up with that would help us all. I've learned more from this site the first day I was on it than Ford has ever explained to me.

 

[briwayjones]

What kind of tires do you have? Do you have Goodyear RT/Ss? If so I bet that's where the thumping in the front is coming from.

 

[cybergasm]

I realize this is probably the least of your worries, but I've found with my lift gate that if I only squeeze the handle far enough to unlatch the gate then when I shut it the handle pops right back to where its supposed to be. Good luck with the rest.

Yup i have to do the same thing on my 99 to keep the rear latch from sticking in the open position.

 

[Joey P]

I will agree somewhat that the 2nd gens have more issues than the 1st gens. My 96 has had way more things go bad(yes routine things, like ticking exhaust manifolds, broken rear windshield wiper, transfer case, front driveshaft, brakes, rotors, 2 battiers, waterpump, thermostat housing seal twice, heater bypass hose twice, melted spark plug wires, cv half shaft on the drivers side, front wheel bearing and hub assembly, Many interior lightbulbs. etc whereas my 92 and my 94 which the 92 had 256,000 and the 94 had 175,000 on it never had anything go bad, including the a4ld. No waterpump, no battery replacment, none of that.) Oh well, I'll take the 2nd gen any day though. Much better vehicle in the looks department and as well as the power department(V8) Good luck on your fixes. At least not all of them are that serious.

 

[Bills98Explorer]

sounds like a lot of simple routene mantiance to me

I agree,alot of routine stuff there.Brake problem needs lookin into,theres a cure for the timing chain ratlle,try tearin your door apart and lubin all mechanical stuff up.Shift motor is probably dirty and needs a cleanin,theres a good write up on it in the tranny and transfercase section.Try cleanin the connections at your window motor and switch to see if that helpsm if not you probably got a motor goin bad.4x4 ingaging in tight circles is pretty much a normal condition with the auto 4x4,especially under acceleration.Oh and see if its not just the lift window rattling in the hatch,that can be cured by a simple adjustment.

 

[Doubt Incarnate]

you get to SAVE an X!

 

[offset_98]

I have 1,3,5, and 7 Still love my Exploder tho.

 

[David Suesz]

I had #5, until I

replaced the front sway bar bushings. No more thumping, not much cost, easy and quick to do.

 

[celly]

My first Ex was a '93 Sport, obviously with OHV. After that I had a '97 and '00 Sport with SOHC and now have a '99 Eddie with V8. I MUCH prefer the 2nd Gen, from appearance, to performance to all the improvements the 1st Gen appeared to need. One of my best friends scored my '93 with under 10,000 km on it and had issues with it.

I have had nowhere near the problems you've experienced with my 2nd Gens. I acquired all three with lower mileage and with the right maintenance, they're the most reliable vehicles I've owned. The timing chain thing is a hassle, but I got it fixed under warranty. Original owner of yours could have too if they paid attention. I'll keep the Eddie for a LONG time. I scored it with around 32,000 miles and quickly filled it with as much Amsoil as possible, new exhaust, intake, tuning, shocks, swaybar. Runs like a dream.