Buying questions 1999 302 150K Miles

[evolver]

I'm tossing between 1st gen X Terras and late year 2nd gen Explorers. I'm wanting to go with a 302 for the power but there's very few here and only 99% V6 ones. The 302'a have 150K Miles on them.

What should I be looking/listening for in the engine and transmission. I plan on swapping in a BW4406 if I get one. There's a super low KM/M (49K km/30K M) one here with a V6 but I think I'm gonna pass on it and would prefer a 302 one.

 

[SupaSwope]

Water Pump, Rear Main Seal, If its AWD then the Transfer case and Diff. When driving they like to have a shudder going into over drive around 45mph. Those are the main things really.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

At 150K the engine is just getting broke in.

I had 250K on my 97 Mountaineer when I got rid of it. I had no engine, transmission or transfer case issues.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Agree with Dan. Pretty stout trucks. The exhaust manifolds leak, and make a ticking sound. Most common failure on the 302. The EGR tube tends to crack as well. As with any 2nd gen they are prone to blend door issues. Make sure at least the heat functions.

 

[koda2000]

If your only choice is a Gen II Explorer with the SOHC V6, I'd pass. On the other hand the 302's are very dependable and 150k is considered low miles. We had 4 302's (now down to 2) and have had no major problems with any of them, Engines and transmission are quite bullet-proof. Of the 2 remaining 302's (a 2000 Mountaineer and a 2001 Explorer Eddie Bauer) we have one has just under 200k and the other is approaching 240K. The other 2 were sold this past spring and had 220k and 180k on them.

The early Gen II V8's with the tubular headers suffered from cracks. Later model headers are cast Iron. They all leak oil to some extent from the rear main seals, but none of ours left stains in the driveway. The worst job is replacing a water pump. We needed to change one recently and I paid someone to do it (I supplied the new WP and antifreeze). Best $125 I ever spent.

There are weak points to the Gen II Ex's/Mountaineers, but the parts are inexpensive and the repairs are typically pretty easy, especially with help from this forum. I see no reason why we wont get 300k+ out of our remaining V8's.

 

[evolver]

Replacing the water pump and timing chain is how my Bronco engine ended up being rebuilt. Snapped a bolt, couldn't drill it out or weld it out F%$(&*& called an engine shop and got it done, mind you next thing you know started to add this and that and maybe some of this and now $10K later its still long way to go and eating gas like a ****.

 

[koda2000]

Replacing the water pump and timing chain is how my Bronco engine ended up being rebuilt. Snapped a bolt, couldn't drill it out or weld it out F%$(&*& called an engine shop and got it done, mind you next thing you know started to add this and that and maybe some of this and now $10K later its still long way to go and eating gas like a ****.

OP - at only 150k you don't need to worry about replacing the timing chain any time soon (if ever). The problem with the water pumps is that some of the bolts can seize in the timing cover (due to rust). This is exacerbated by people not changing their antifreeze often enough, but it's also a design problem with the 302. The last W/P I changed myself I had one bolt that gave me fits, but all the other bolts came out quite easily. Like with anything, the older the vehicle, lack of regular mainenance and where it's lived can make doing repairs much harder because you're dealing with rust. All of my Explorers and Mountaineers lived their entire lives in the south, so zero rust to deal with.

In the 6-7 years I've been dealing with Gen II's I've replaced 7 fuel pumps, 3-4 radiators, 3 water pumps, upper/lower ball joints, sway bar end-links, tie rod ends, shocks, axles, axle seals and bearings, a rear dif, a front drive shaft CV joint, a set of body mount bushings (Sport Trac), interior and exterior door handles, hood support struts, door lock actuators, 1 alternator, a window regulator, an IAC valve, valve cover gaskets and the usual various wear items. I do 99% of all my repairs and maintenance (the 1% I don't do is because I just don't want to). All-in-all I have no real complaints with any of our Gen II V8's and consider them some of the best vehicles we've ever owned, but don't get me started on the SOHC V6's.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, the 302 Explorers can be maintained and repaired rather easily. The V6's have weaker transmissions, plus the SOHC valvetrain issues. Any abused car by a past owner can make fixing it up again more trouble and costly. But the 302 versions are much more likely to have minor problems, and the V6's will have major problems almost often given high mileage or abuse.

My three 302 trucks have been great, my latest I got with 158k miles. Now I'm right at 180k after a year, and nothing big has needed attention since the work I did before driving it much. It still leaks some oil, the front seal and oil pan seep a little. I didn't have time to do the WP or fan clutch etc, but I have those ready to put on when I get time, plus a timing chain since I'll want to fix the leaking seal etc.

The WP bolts are very long, and just 5/16", those often break due to that, with age and corrosion. I wish that they were stronger, but that's an inherent problem with lots of OHV engines since forever. Northern climates just see it worse, I've broken a couple of WP bolts in my time, the first in 1980 with a Cleveland WP. Get a nice truck, we'll help you fix it right.