94 Dies - Looking at 2004. Questions.

[wrankin]

Pardon if this is a FAQ.

Well, after 11 years of (ab)use and almost 240k miles, our '94 EB finally coughed up it's tranny. It's been a great vehicle, but because of declining reliability issues we have decided to replace it with another vehicle, possibly a newer '04 Explorer.

Our needs are the basic SUV profile: seat four adults comfortably, enough room for our two large (120+ lbs) dogs in back, 4wd for our trips up to the mountains. A new requirement is a 4500 lbs towing capacity for my track car and trailer. An Expedition or Tahoe sized vehicle is just a little to large for our tastes.

So we were looking around Carmax and saw a bunch of '03 and '04 Explorers at pretty decent prices (under 20k). But after doing a little research on the web, I am somewhat hesitant to buy because of all the stories of failing diffs and exploding trannies. So I wanted to know what the story was with reliability on the '02-'05 models?

1) It seems many of the diff issues were from the 2002 models - were these issues fixed in the later years?

2) I have heard about issues with the sealed tranny - shifting problems, etc. Have these issues been resolved?

3) does the V8 (which I'm favoring) share the same tranny as the V6?

4) What should I look out for on the test drive?

5) What should I look out for in the service history?

6) If I can't find one with a towing package, how difficult is it to source a tranny cooler and install it? Would that be sufficient or would I also need the taller rear end for a 4500 lbs load (assuming class III hitch and trailer brakes)?

Like I said, if these are all FAQs, then just point me to the URL.

Thanks for all the help.

-bill

 

[FordLover]

I think the V6 tends to have less troubles in the long run than the V8, but don't let that discourage you, It didn't discourage me. I love my 02 V8. Tons more power on tap than the V6, and basically no difference in fuel economy. I've had relatively little experience with mine, as I've only got 16K miles on mine so far, but it's been an awesome truck, hands down.

#1. I have no noise issues with the rear end, at 16.4K miles, it's quiet, mine has the tow package with 3.73 gears. And has not had any work done.

#2 Again, no issues with mine, 5 speed auto, Very smooth, shifts perfectly, and holds gears well before shifting when at wide open throttle.

#3 The V8 and the V6 have different trannies, the V8 tranny has higher torque handling abilities.

#4 I'd pay attention to the tranny make sure it works well, any type of hickups or other studders in the driveline would make me suspicious.

#5 To date, I've had a few things addressed under factory warranty, mostly to do with fading exterior panels (roof rails and black out areas around the door windows) (it never was garaged) I just had a rear strut replaced because of a leak, and the a/c clutch was repaired because of a slight occasional belt squeak when the a/c was on.

#6 Save yourself the trouble, and find one with the tow package. All explorers (02+) came with tranny coolers from what I've read, I believe an engine oil cooler is part of the tow package, along with the rare Class III/IV hitch/wiring harness, plus the pigtail near the glove box to attach the brake controler, along with the 3.73 rear gears in place of 3.55's.

 

[IAmTodd]

'02s had many problems. They seemed to clear up in the later models besides the mix up of tranny fluid.

I would look into the V8. There isn't much of a gas milage difference and the power difference is amazing. Get one with the heavy duty towing. It will have the two inch reciever instead of the standard inch and a quarter. A tranny cooler shouldn't be two hard. Getting the extra fluid in the tranny could be a pain though.

All problems have been addressed under our (extended) warranty. I'd definetly look into getting the extended warranty. Especially if you are planning on keeping it a while. It will definetly pay for itself if you have problems and is rather cheap insurance.