Extended warranty about to expire.

[Jim F]

My extended warranty with Ford is about to expire and I'm bringing it in to them tomorrow to have things checked out.

Some of the things I'm going to have them check are listed below:

- When accelerating passed about 1/3 throttle I get an up and down vibration on the steering wheel. It feels as if the front has engaged and they are turning faster than the rear. No signs of tire wear though. I thinking the imfamous zeroing the clutch fix. If I let up a little on the gas the vibration goes away. Oh, this is on dry pavement, driving straight and Auto mode. I thought I found a solution to this problem. I engaged 4Lo and waited for the light to come on then moved forward and backwards. I took it out of 4Lo and ever since then it seemed to be somewhat better. I've been feeling this vibration for awhile now and usually just let up a little, but I have been hearing what can only be described as a grunging sound coming from the front on heavy acceleration. It almost sounds like smething is slipping up front. I read a few posts this morning and now I am thinking that it may be a ping I am hearing.

- Power steering vibration when sitting at a stop light. I think there was a TSB regarding a resonant vibration that is fixed with a bracket. If anyone has this TSB# it would help.

- Ask about the potential of rusting of the evaporator due to condensation under its foam wrapping.

- When the shift lever on the column is in drive, if you wiggle the handle there is a metalic clanking sound that can be heard when certain bumps are hit. Is this normal?

- So far {knock on wood} I don't have the timing chain rattle, but I'm going to have them check it to see if they hear any tell-tale sounds. Have these replacement parts for the tension issue been perfected yet?

- I haven't had any of the symptoms of the IAC problem, but is there a TSB on this on that I sould know about?


Is there anything I may have missed that I should ask about. I would really hate to have someting fail a few weeks after the warranty expires.

One other thing, it only has just over 17,600 miles on it.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[matey]

i have 50000k on mine and i dont seem to have any of the problems you do . good luck with it

 

[Jim F]

Well I brought it in on Wed the 23rd and I probably wont see it again until Wed the 30th. Built Ford Tough is a bunch of {well you fill in the words here}. I'm told that the Transfer case needs to be replaced, the timing chain cassette needs to be replaced. The AC compressor was leaking oil all over its clutch plate.

Well actually it may be even longer than that. If the transfer case is not the problem, then they will head for the transmission.

The vibration I was feeling under acceleration is what they are working on the most. I was concerned that they would come back to me with the typical "works as designed" or "unable to duplicate", however, this time they feel it and have called it "an extremely abnormal condition" . Now keep in mind, this only has 17,650+ miles on it. I ask the obvious question has the transfer case design been changed or since this one has failed after 17,000 miles, will I be replacing it again after another 20,000 miles and they said no and probably . Thats no to the design change and probably to the replacement again. The next day when I talked to them, the told me that the transfer case design has changed twice since the one on the vehicle. Hopeful thinking here.

At thins point I'm not sure what to think. I know for one thing, the extended warranty is saving my checking account. The transfer case and labor is over $2000.00. They had me concerned when they told me that they had to get approval from the ESP people and that they may have to send an inspector out prior to replacement. Got the word yesterday that they approved the replacement but they still had to order it.

I have 4 vehicles 2 Japanese and 2 American made. I have had no problems {knock on wood} on either of the Japanese cars and their fit and finish is far better. The 2 American made ones have wierd problems. The 94 Cavalier has a miss fire that is not a sparkplug or related problem. The dealer says they don't see any problems, but sometimes driving down the road without accerating, the engine has a quick misfire.

I didn't seem to think the Explorer had any major problems, I thought it was going to be a calibration or reprogramming. I have mixed feeling about keeping this vehicle after getting it back. I don't think I drove the Explorer hard. Most of the miles were from trips camping and such. I have a class III tow hitch for a utility trailer that is a 4ft cube. I had plans on getting a small camping trailer, but now I'm not sure.

So far Ford's service has been OK and they are working to get the vehicle back to me. I'm just wondering if it will drive as if I just got a new vehicle. I can't remember if the symptoms were there when the vehicle was new or if it failed when I was driving it. They say the transfer case has a howling sound when they put the "chassis ears" to it.

Anyway, I'm hoping for the best.

 

[Jim F]

Well I finally got my Explorer back from the dealer. They replaced the transfer case and the vibration is gone. It's nice and smooth driving now. The 00M12 recall was done and I haven't had it long enough to say if I here any difference.

They replaced the AC compressor with a rebuilt one since the original one was leaking. But the part that REALLY PISSES ME OFF is the AC doesn't work now. I left the dealership and didn't think anything about the AC until I was about a couple of miles away from the dealership. The AC was on high and no cold air was coming from the vents yet. So I went around the block and came back to the dealership. This was around 5:30PM today. The advisor tells me that all of their service guys had already left at 4:30PM. So I had a choice, leave it there until tomorrow and have my wife come all the way back to the dealership, or drive it home in the heat and bring it back tomorrow. The decision was it in my garage now and I don't see any obvious signs that is causing the problem. The AC clutch never engages.

To top all of this off I found 2 scraps in the plastic cover of the front bumper that were not there before the service. So much for trying to keep something looking nice. I honestly believe that people go out of there way to harm nice things.

You know, I probably should not go onto forums when I'm this pissed off.

Ya know, Toyota 4Runners are looking pretty nice right about now. American vehicles suck. I have a 94 Chevy (50,000miles) with problems and now a 98 Ford (17600miles). The Toyota and Mazda I also own seem to be doing just fine {knock on wood}. It seems to be a 50/50 split in which way the quality is leaning. Oh I should also mension, the Mazda's an 1987 vehicle and the only thing wrong with it is the clear coat is going bad. The Toyota is a 2002 and so far it seems to be headed in the same quality direction as the Mazda.

See ya.

 

[TPLYNCH]

Did they remember to recharge it???

17K miles in 5 years??? Wow. That could also be your problem. These things seem to run better, last longer when they are driven....

 

[eworx]

Go in and ask for the Service Manager and tell him about the 2 scraps in the plastic cover of the front bumper that you found and tell him that they were not there before the service. he will most likely have it fixed at no cost to you. if they don't just call ford and file a complaint against the dealership. the dealership will be more than eager to help you then.

Good Luck,

 

[Jim F]

Well I wasn't able to pick it up last night because they found an o-ring in the new compressor failed and leaked the R134 out. The pressure switch was keeping the clutch from engaging. They replace the o-ring, but wanted to keep it over night to make sure that was the only leak. They had it for a week and I believe the AC compressor was oneof the first repairs done. You would think that someone would have confirmed that all repairs remained fixed prior to releasing the vehicle.

The other reason they wanted to keep it overnight was the bumper scuffs. They hadn't a chance to get it to there body shop and were going to bring it there this morning. I'm not sure what a body shop could do other than replace the plastic cover. We'll see.

Is it normal for a dealership to install a remanufactured AC compressor? They kept calling it new, but the paperwork called out a remanufactured component. I called them on this and they said it was as good or better than new.

I'm not sure where this o-ring was located that they had to replace. I am concerned however, that I may have AC problems in the near future after my extended warranty expires.

 

[eworx]

I would ask them what kind of warranty they have for the remanufactured AC compressor.. also the is the first time I have herd of a dealership putting on a remanufactured part unless they ask you first you warranty should cover a new compressor. you should get a 12 month 12000 miles warranty on any work they perform.... ask them about that to.