durability of V6 vs V8 engine?

[pantdino]

Hello everyone,

I'm interested in getting an Explorer with tow package for occasional towing of my Triumph TR6 to club events in other cities.
My son had a 1997 Explorer with the SOHC V6 and at fairly low mileage had to pay $1600 to have the timing chain tensioner replaced.

I would like to avoid any nasty surprises like that.

Are the 2002 V6 and V8 built the same way, with that same fault? 2002 seems like a good compromise between "too expensive for occasional use" and "so old it probably hasn't been maintained", but should I look for an older model with the good old, reliable pushrod V8?

Thank you,

Jim

 

[Mr Dubya]

My knowledge is limited, so someone should chime in who can be more in-depth, but I know the V6 is notorious for timing chain issues (but there certainly some still running strong). From my independent research, I lean more in favor for the V8.

Also, fuel economy doesn't change much between the two, and those I know with V6s and those online have stated they'd rather have the extra oomph of the 8 cylinders. I've got 8 and am thrilled with the response of it.

This thread from last year contains some good nuggets of info you might find worthwhile.

 

[sportblack99]

should I look for an older model with the good old, reliable pushrod V8?

Yes

 

[87350gta]

I am all for the V8, however, the v6 IS a good engine if maint is kept up on it. Which does include timing chains and tensioners. If the enigine makes a rattle noise when first started, they need fixed. Older explorers 2001 and down had the same engine but Ford put out a recall that helped the noise but didn't fix the issue. The main reason it is so expensive to perform is that the engine has to be pulled out to fix, that pass side timing chain is on the rear of the engine and cannot be accessed with the engine in the truck. My 2002 has just over 200000 miles on it, it is a 4.0 and it runs like a champ. I replaced all of the timing parts myself at 180k miles and resealed the engine. It cost me about $400 in parts. However, I do know most guys will not be able to tackle this due to special tools needed and lack of know how, but if you can do it yourself, it is worth the money. In a nutshell, if you go look at a v6 and it makes no noise on cold start, you should have no issues for a while. Keep up on the oil changes, should have no problems out of it, they really are a better truck than the older body trucks. If you decide to go with the older Ex, get a 5.0, they run forever and are cheaper to repair.