Buying a 99 explorer 4x4 first ford what should I look for any common problems?

[ill_williams]

Just looking for some advice feel free to give your opinion about the vehicle I know it’s rough but I’m in a bind lol

 

[ill_williams]

I’ll be buying it in about 5 and a 1/2 hours hopefully I get some advice before then

 

[donalds]

Look over the engine
It don't look like it was removed 2k ago
Start it when it's cold listening for rattling if it has been started walk away check all the FLUIDS

 

[ill_williams]

Look over the engine
It don't look like it was removed 2k ago
Start it when it's cold listening for rattling if it has been started walk away check all the FLUIDS
[

 

[ill_williams]

Don’t suppose anyone has any idea about the low ideal problem?

 

[ill_williams]

Any specific problem I should look out for or just the usual stuff?

 

[donalds]

Vacuum leaks

 

[donalds]

I like to use break clean to spray around intake gaskets vacuum lines etc...
Listen for the idle to change if so it's a vacuum leak
But the low idle can be caused by a number of things kinda need more info

 

[XLTrunner]

Something else you need to know regarding these 4WD's with Control Trac ...when time comes to replace tires, it's important to do all four at the same time with same make, size, style to prevent future possible damage to the transfer case.

 

[masospaghetti]

Look over the engine
It don't look like it was removed 2k ago
Start it when it's cold listening for rattling if it has been started walk away check all the FLUIDS

I agree, get some kind of confirmation about the engine replacement. Otherwise you might be getting into some expensive timing guide repairs. Make sure the 4wd works, if it does not, transfer case repairs can be fairly expensive.

See if the transmission shifts smoothly through all gears and watch for the 2-3 "shift flare", which is a common issue on the 5R transmissions. I think this indicates a valve body issue but I am not a 5R expert by any means. Obviously, look for main seal leaks. Check the suspension to see if it's been serviced - at that mileage, any original suspension parts will be completely worn out. Look for the condition of the ball joint and tie rod end boots. If you need to fully service the suspension it can get expensive.

Compared to the $1000 purchase price any major repairs can add up fast - and you don't to be in the position of needing a $1000 transfer case rebuild (assuming you can install it yourself!) and $1000 of suspension parts + $2000 labor to install those suspension parts.

 

[Brem95]

Check to see if the heat/AC works, common blend door issue, check door latches to see if they lock and unlock. I know these are minor but could be used to help when negotiating price.

 

[Mbrooks420]

It looks like it’s been beaten most of its life. That “rebuilt” motor looks like it was probably a used scrapyard motor. In 2k miles a motor should still be clean. If they “rebuilt” it dirty, it’s probably worse off than the average junker motor.

 

[GT2000]

Yup, make sure to check the ball joints, when i bought my 98 I had to do all 4 of them, and it was not fun.

 

[Mbrooks420]

At 230k I would expect it to need a whole host of things fixed. This is by NO means a get-in-and-drive-without-worry vehicle. Especially at a 1,000 price point, nothing will be ready to just be a turn-key problem free vehicle.

 

[donalds]

At 230k I would expect it to need a whole host of things fixed. This is by NO means a get-in-and-drive-without-worry vehicle. Especially at a 1,000 price point, nothing will be ready to just be a turn-key problem free vehicle.

Agreed

 

[MTiz]

I REALLY hope you didn't buy this explorer. I bought my '99 6 months ago for $1k, with 180k on it and it's WAY cleaner than this. That truck is clapped, run away.

 

[jakemandu]

Just looking for some advice feel free to give your opinion about the vehicle I know it’s rough but I’m in a bind lol

Just saw this. Good luck. My one owner 99 is our extra car and needs a lot of work. Doors don't open, windows don't always work, ball joints, tie rods, CV joints (?) all need replacing again. AC crapped out last summer. Engine is great, 4x4 and transmission work great, burns no oil, Starts and drives nice.

 

[McFudden]

Don’t suppose anyone has any idea about the low ideal problem?

Turn the AC off and see if you still have the low idle problem. If it clears up, chances are it’s a dirty Idle Air Control valve. Ford is pretty notorious with IACs. Don’t try to clean it, just replace it. They aren’t expensive or terribly hard to replace.

 

[McFudden]

Also... offer him $500 or walk away. The “newly rebuilt engine” seems like a nice draw except that the warranty won’t transfer to you, and rebuilding engines can open a whole can of worms of issues. If they seat the valves wrong you can end up spinning your bearings, then you’re looking at another rebuild.

 

[masospaghetti]

The “newly rebuilt engine” seems like a nice draw except that the warranty won’t transfer to you, and rebuilding engines can open a whole can of worms of issues. If they seat the valves wrong you can end up spinning your bearings, then you’re looking at another rebuild.

This is a nice thing to remember. Rebuilt motors are not guaranteed to be trouble-free, in some cases they can create (or expose) other problems. A big question is - WHO rebuilt the motor and what was replaced? Were the correct tools and processes used?

Unless it was a reputable outlet like Jasper and you had proof it came from them, there's no guarantee it was rebuilt correctly. If it was some rando who did it, did they even have a torque wrench? Was it a cheap, crappy one that's out of calibration? Did they just tighten the crap out of everything without measuring torque? Did they replace the gaskets and head bolts, or did they just RTV everything together? Kind of getting carried away, but hopefully you get my point.

Honestly this kind of thing makes me really weary of work done by prior owners, especially on low-dollar vehicles like this, lots of pressure to cut corners when the vehicle isn't worth much or if the previous owner was low on cash and needed to get things running again.