Grilfriend wants an 01 sport... need some help guys!!

[S-DIMEZRDEUCE]

alright guys i know nothing about these ford explorers... but it looks like i came to the right place to get some questions answered. (im a s-10 zr2 guy)

i test drove a Red 01' sport explorer last night. the truck has 70,000miles and the guy wants $8900.00 for it. first impression was that there was a real loud interior road noise anywhere from 10mph to 40mph i think its a wheel bearing... are these trucks known for bad wheel bearings? secondly i couldnt get 4x4LO to engage.... is there a 4LO light, because i didnt see one come on when i turned the knob to 4LO. i even tried it in neutral, no go. the 4X4high works though. the brakes were real mushy too but that could just be bad brake pads. when i mentioned the 4x4LO problem the owner of the car dealer said that the 4x4LO only engages when you need it so unless you get stuck or somthing it wont kick on..... that doesnt make much sense to me.

is there anything else i should check or are there any known problems with these trucks i should look into?? please help guys... and dont worry ill tell my GF i got the info from this site.... i wont take all the glory for being the smarty pants.

 

[dman726749]

the truck must be in neutral for it to go into 4low, the dealer is on crack, if it wont go into low the shift motor prob is crap, kinda commom problem.....also the trannies are the weak part on these trucks, so maybe check the fluid, if it looks or smells bunt i would pass...hope this helps, and i am sure there will be others in here soon with more tips

 

[mcG]

i have a 97 sport, if i put it in neutral, and then 4lo, after a second or two a 4x4 low light will come up on the dash, right under where the 4x4 high light is.

and if she's anything like my girlfriend, make sure you don't buy it if she's gonna change her mind...mine wants to get a different car every other week and then hates it next week

 

[rd_turbo]

Sport models have an inherent crappy ride due to their short wheelbase. I agree with dman726749...my buddy just went through the shift motor replacement excercise on his. The price seems right, but it's hard to estimate repairs at this point. The fuel consumption is atrocious on these vehicles....I have a Sport Trac. 4x4s are bad for driveline vibration. The noise you describe could also be a bad tire. If the noise intensifies with turning, it could be a bearing. Tell her to move on...or stick with GM (I hope I'm not going to get beat up for saying this).

 

[BBQ_HotDogs]

Tell her to get either a Limited or an Eddie Bauer Model. Much better trucks. 01's are a good year, that is what I would like to get also. But who knows. Personally, I think that 9k is too much money for an 01 sport that will not go into gear, lo that is. Pass on it unless they are giving you an unlimited 30 day warranty or something. Take a look at the feature trucks section for a little lady named explorerchic. She has a white sport that she fixed up. Nothing but nice. Maybe you would want to ask her some questions about her Explorer and go from there. Do you know which motor it had? It's either the OHC or the better SOHC. My suggestion is to go for nothing but the SOHC motor. It is a stronger and longer lasting motor of the 2. Hope that helps.