Buy it or not?

[ChrisA70]

1995 4wd EB edition. Body is in great condition, interior is in great condition. Runs good. Now for the bad. Transmission went out on the owner. They were at a light when they lost all gears and fluid was everywhere. They were told it needs a new tranny. Another thing is it has 217K on it. The transmission in it has a sticker on the pan saying "Do not service" it is under the TSB ###-###. I am guessing this has been replaced already. It also has an intermittent blower motor going on and off at times.

Is it worth buying and replacing the transmission? They are asking $800 for it.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

finding a trans for them is getting harder. there were only two years that had that trans. i would offer him 200 for it. it has high miles on it, and after all, it is almost a 20 year old truck, and you dont know what else it may need.

 

[ChrisA70]

finding a trans for them is getting harder. there were only two years that had that trans. i would offer him 200 for it. it has high miles on it, and after all, it is almost a 20 year old truck, and you dont know what else it may need.

That's what I'm thinking. It has the 4r55e in it I am sure, as it is the 4.0L. I just don't want to get into it, and put a lot of money into it, then more and more falls apart. They are pretty firm with 800. I may just back out of it. I am sure I could yank the tranny and get a rebuilt one off E___ for $1020 shipped. I just don't know if it's worth it. They had the thing on CL for the last 2 weeks with hardly any hits, so I am a little gun shy on buying it now after all I have read. That's why I came here for you guys who know a lot more about these.

 

[vroomzoomboom]

thats why i would offer 200. 300 tops, and if all goes wrong, you can still get your money back by scraping it, or parting it out.

 

[jremington59]

If I'm not mistaken I saw a pop up on this site for rebuilts with a 2 year warranty for 900.

Edit. Here's the link.

http://www.transdepot.net/

Are they sure it didn't blow a line and dump all the fluid? I don't think for that year I'm putting that money into it not knowing what else could be wrong with it. You're looking at 1500 for the tranny and labor to install it, if not closer to 2000. And then who knows what else? Pretty steep for that year.

 

[ChrisA70]

Exactly, that's why I am probably not going to buy it. I can swap it out(transmission) myself, but with that mileage I am thinking it's not worth it. It may look nice, but what's the point if I can't drive it...lol.

 

[ChrisA70]

If I'm not mistaken I saw a pop up on this site for rebuilts with a 2 year warranty for 900.

Edit. Here's the link.

http://www.transdepot.net/

Are they sure it didn't blow a line and dump all the fluid? I don't think for that year I'm putting that money into it not knowing what else could be wrong with it. You're looking at 1500 for the tranny and labor to install it, if not closer to 2000. And then who knows what else? Pretty steep for that year.

They don't even have that transmission listed. Must run out of them a lot... Gee I wonder why?

 

[Joe Dirt]

Run away- not worth the money or the hassle for a 95 and all of it's other idiosyncrasies.

 

[ChrisA70]

Yeah I decided against buying it. Too many unknowns to deal with. If I got it for free maybe, but not the case.

 

[Steeda90GT]

Run away. Put the $800 towards a truck that does run. Plenty of $2-3k good running Explorers around.

 

[ChrisA70]

I'm back..... They told me I can have the truck for $400. They just want it gone now. I have a guy who will rebuild the transmission for $1100 with a 6 month warranty. OR I can buy a reman off Ebay for $1100 shipped, 24 month warranty, and do it myself.

Now... Question. When we had to move the truck a few weeks back when they sealed our lots here, when we put in neutral it would not move at all. Like it is stuck in park. I got underneath and unbolted the rear driveshaft. Any transmission I have ever had go on me it has gone into neutral with no gears, no park. Did it fail stuck in gear?

 

[Milwaukee]

You need keep shop around for rebuilt tran

I wouldn't have that guy rebuilt for $1100 with 6 months. What if it died in 8-9 months later.

I finally found one out 15 shops in Metro Detroit who will do $800 rebuilt plus 18 months/ 18K miles warranty but require go there check up to keep warranty valid. $1100 if they installed it.

 

[Sedition]

I would buy it for 500, change the tranny sell it, make a buck or two. Keep in mind I have a lot of time on my hands. I bet that EB would polish up real nice.

 

[ChrisA70]

I was looking at buying and it being my DD. Still unsure. It's been sitting for 3 months. It is really in excellent condition. Inside and out.

 

[white_shadow]

I was looking at buying and it being my DD. Still unsure. It's been sitting for 3 months. It is really in excellent condition. Inside and out.

for a DD, keep looking. i got my 98 xlt 5.0 2wd with 166k for 1700 PO was asking 2500. it needed some work. so far i have done the blend door repair and shocks. i still need ball joints and tires. then i tackle the minor stuff, hood and rear glass supports, figure out why drivers door wont lock, minor stuff that does not really affect the way it drives.

 

[Sedition]

If the oil is filthy and it has been sitting for 3 months forget it. Especially if it's an OHV. Have you fired it up yet? make sure you get the engine warm and listen for noise like lifter ticks for the OHV or timing chain rattle for the SOHC. You really wan't to go over this thing with a fine tooth comb if it has that many miles on it and you want it for a DD.
Check the lower ball joints, see if the rubber boot is still on at least. Check the wheel bearings, I'm sure they won't mind if you jack the front of the truck up if you bring your own trolley jack. Check underneath for rust, check the entire exhaust while your under there too. Check the bottom of the diff centers for oil leaks, look closley as to see if they have not just wiped them away with a rag.
Make sure the lights, power windows, radio, wipers and all other electrics work. If more then just one thing doesn't operate it may have an issue with it's wiring.
What are your time and cash limits of what you want to spend repairing this thing? I'm just saying you gotta take all this into account when buying a very high mileage vehicle for a daily driver.
I mean problems like the rear tailgate and hood gas struts not working are not a "must fix" item but they do add to the pain in the ass this thing is going to be to keep on running as a DD.
Oh and speaking of the rear tail gate check the bottom edge of that for rust too.
I can keep typing all day about this but point is you personally have to weigh up every thing and do the best you can on making the right decision based purely on your circumstances. For instance your own mechanical and electrical abilities, problem solving skills, tools, do you have somewhere to work on it, to you have time to work on it, can you afford the parts that might be need both now and 15k miles down the road?
Or maybe their is a better truck elsewhere for the total you have to spend on this one to get it going who knows.
I obsessed over my truck for a month before I bought it and now I'm very happy that I did. I look at cars everywhere for ages and I kept coming back to this one I have now. I knew by the good feeling I had when I drove it out of the lot that I had made the right decision.

In the mean time, Happy Explorations.....

 

[Joe Dirt]

Not sure what the draw is for this particular truck. They know it's worth nothing, you know it's worth nothing. They want it gone? Give them what a junkyard would give you for it. Then you can haul it down there after you have it in the driveway for a few weeks and sour to the idea of sinking money into it or have a hard time finding a trans. But really- If you pay $400 for it, you're going to put $1,200 into the trans before it's all said and done. Then another $3-500 in misc must fix stuff if it will be a DD. Then you're already at over $2,000 for a 95 Explorer with well over 200,000 miles on it, and you'd never get that if you try to sell it.

If you in the end have that much to spend on an Ex, find a '98-'99+ with 60,000 less miles, a good drivetrain, fix a few minor things and be done with it. Don't even mess with this thing, it's not worth it.

 

[Midwest Dually]

The 4R55E came in the EB and the Limited models. It is the higher torque transmission and the more rare of the two. It will run more to have it rebuilt or find a rebuilt. Then on top of it, the pain it is to make sure that the right one is sent to you is a nightmare! I bought one a while back from South Dakota, and had it shipped via van to my state.. Along with it being a shipping nightmare, it arrived and was the wrong one. Come to find out, they did not carry that model. I could not even get it in my state. Last resort, I found them in Phoenix at a transmission outlet.

 

[ChrisA70]

I walked away from it for good. Just not worth the stress and uncertainty. I appreciate all your input on this. I think I will keep looking...

 

[Joe Dirt]

Excellent choice. Ex's are getting to the point of being a dime a dozen now... There will be better ones popping up now that it's warmer...