Buying 1997 129K XLT V8 AWD/4WD. What probs to look for?

[cecoen]

Going to look at a 1997 v8 awd xlt with 129K miles in the next couple of days. What, if any, should I keep an eye out for? This is supposed to be a nice one owner, no paint work 97 but we'll see. They are asking $4990.00, what do you guys think?

Thanks for the advice,

Chad

 

[DS_Monsoon]

Hi! I'm new here because I just bought a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer with the V8 AWD. I did considerable research before buying this vehicle and I determined that these are superior for towing to the GM equivelants.
So far it's been great with few problems. I got mine with 102K miles on it from a dealer with a 3 month/4K mile warranty for $6500. The body was perfectly straight with the exception of a ding on the front bumper. As far as problems, the transfer case seems to be a thing to watch out for. Mine was making some noise when fully warmed up. I changed the fluid (perhaps a 15-20 minute job) and no further noises. Also these seem to be prone to exhaust leaks on the passenger side manifold and/or EGR tube. Mine has a leak in the EGR tube, an annoying sound but unimportant and not very expensive to fix. They have excellent power and are very solid vehicles, I bought mine for towing my boat (2700# fully loaded w/trailer) and it pulls it very easily!
Good luck!

 

[beau]

Have had mine (mountaineer) since 15K miles and has been very reliable. Towed trailer with two horses (5000 lbs) across the country with no problems and none since.

 

[schadler]

I have the 97 Explorer V8. It has been a pain for the most part...way too many repairs with 90K on the meter. I just got it back yesterday...it had a cracked passenger side exhaust manifold (the 97's were a tubular steel that doesn't hold up well. the stock manifold from Ford was $600!!! I saw it on E-bay for $179, but I was in a bind, so I bit the bullet. They also had to replace the EGR return tube, which is another common problem on these. I also had to have the A/C accumulator replaced due to the rusting out caused by the foam blanket trapping water. Total THIS week: $1400!! The guy at my local Autozone said the 97 V8's were the most common Explorers/Mounties to see his counter out of all Ex owners. He said other common problems are the fuel regulators, exhaust system (not sure specifically), and tranny problems (although my tranny, knock on wood, has been fine).

Other things I've had done:

Front upper and lower control arm bushings: $400
Front transaxle (bearing was bad): $300
ball joints: $400
rusted brake caliper slides (boot tore): no cost...I cleaned and reassembled myself.
Bad remote antenna: Under warrantee
Bad 3rd brake light: I am replacing the ballast today $80 for part (dealer wanted $400 to replace the whole setup)

 

[karl_burns]

Sorry to hear about your problems Schadler

But don't forget, you can use this site and the members for a wealth of knowledge. I've reasearched how to change brake rotors, pads, and lower ball joints and thus saved LOTS of money.
Best of luck to all the 97 V8 guys. Wish I had one......
Karl

 

[schadler]

Oh, I have saved lots already, thanks to this group. I was able to learn a lot about routine maintenance, changing fluids, clean my MAF, etc. But the sheer amount of repairs to this vehicle will unfortunately prevent me from getting an Ex, or even a Ford, again. My philosophy is, I better not be fixin much beyond routine maintenance before 100K. So far, I've dumped over $5K into non-routine repairs with less than 90K on the odo. Would have been a lot more if I didnt do some of it myself

 

[GTO2050]

I had a 98 V8 AWD and it ate tires. 3 sets of Firestone's in 25,000 miles. WOuld not hold alignment. Finally sold it. Don't know if this was unusal or not. It was also before the huge Firestone debacle.

 

[97BlackX5.0]

i have a 97 v8 awd with about 127 k on the clock now... i am just replacing the upper ball joints myself. Other than replacing brakes a rear axle seal and rebuilding the tranny it has been a very reliable rig for me... I do all my own automotive work other than stuff that takes special equip... like a alignment machine.... it fits my nees well as i tow and haul alot. you can definately buy alot worse than an explorer...

Ps ... i bought mine from a guy who took it as a trade in.... he was honest and told me that it had been a rental car for 40k miles and then a lawyer had owned it for another 30k....i paid right around 7500 and it had about 70k on it at the time... it was in great shape.... and i know people are not kind to rental cars....but it has been great to me....probably have less than 500 bucks in parts since i got it and that includes tranny rebuild, ball joints, tune up, brakes, rotors,remote starter

 

[Mbrooks420]

Unless it is perfect I think the price is a little steep. For that price I'd want at least a 12 month warranty. The exhaust manifolds are the most common problem. The other problems common are shared with the V6 Explorer, such as the blend door, radio lcd, and rear interior door handles that break.

 

[stubborn1]

Any time you buy a vehicle with 130k miles, you are bound to find a problem or two. I would recommend spending the money to have a good mechanic look it over. Also, if it is one owner, ask to see the service/maintenance records so you can see if it has been taken care of.

Besides the exhaust manifolds, check the entire front suspension - ball joints, tie rod ends, etc. Explorers are known for having disposable front suspension parts from the factory.