These trucks are pretty stout all the way around. The transmission is the weakest link in the first generation explorer. If it’s an Automatic, just realize what you are getting yourself into. The Automatic transmission on these trucks are somewhat of a disappointment, they break like every other year, and are quite expensive to replace. The 5-speed transmission on the other hand is better off. It too isn’t the strongest thing Ford has ever put out, but it’s defiantly more reliable in the long run.
That’s the main thing I’d suggest when buying an older explorer. Like you said the fluid is a good color, so it’s probably fine.
The engine you don’t have much to worry about. If it ticks, that’s normal. The pushrods/rocker arms are the most prone to wear part of the motor.
www.delta-cams.com sells a kit specifically designed to solve this issue. The heads on the early models are so prone to cracking that they probably already are. But that’s not to scare you, if it runs good, it runs good. Just don’t overhead it =) that’s the only thing you want to worry about with this motor. The bottom part of the motor will never go bad, unless your pumping' out 300 hp to the wheels, and at that point you just want to look at stronger pistons, and stronger main bolts to keep it all together =)
The power steering pump is NOISEY, but that’s about it. You can run the thing dry (power steering) for a whole season and it still wont crap out on you, but it will eventually =)
200k on my alternator, no noise to this date
A/C compressor/clutch (really just the clutch) for me went a long time ago. But it’s a cheap do-it-yourself fix. The rest of the A/C system is fine, even after neglecting it after 100k miles; it’s still clean in there.
The transfer case (electric 4x4 or manual 4x4?), will probably never break. Worse that can happen is the chain snaps, another easy fix for the DIY'er. The electric shift motors on these things are known to get dirty, which a lot of people tend to mistake as a bad motor. Simply cleaning the connections for the most part fixes that. I've used my pushbutton 4x4 (at least) monthly for the past 200k miles; I've never had to clean the shift motor.
The automatic hubs are the weak link of the 4x4. The problem with these is the fact people tend to shove grease down into the hub, thinking it will do it some good. These hubs are 'Dry Hubs,' meaning they don’t take any lube. Lubing them up will be detrimental.
The wheel bearings don’t hold up well against tires larger then 33” They are simply spaced to closely.
The rear axle will never break in a v6 explorer. Unless you run it dry on gear oil, the only way to
actually break the axle is by spinning the axle tubes. You’re not going to do that on the road, simple as that. You’re not going to do that with a v6, simple as that. +300ftlb torque is needed to even think about spinning those axle tubes.
The front axle (Twin Traction Beam, or TTB for short), is also pretty stout. Alignment can be a chore sometimes, as the toe changes throughout the suspension cycle. This is due to fords design of the steering links. This is not very noticeable unless you are lifting the vehicle. The radius arm bushings are the weakest link in the TTB, and this would be the first thing I would tell you to look at. If you notice that your truck is somewhat noisy over bumps and whatnot, these are likely the case.
After that, the MAF (mass airflow sensor) is known to get dirty and cause some interesting issues related with the motor. Pinging, surging, and a looping idle can be derived from a dirty MAF.
- Welp that’s all I can think of.
