Help me decide the fate of the Expo

[Afboy143]

Hey guys,
I am going through a dilemma and I am hoping my fellow Explorer brothern can help me.

I’ve been an explorer fan for 5 years now, currently being on my second 99 4.0 sport SOHC. I’ve come to love this truck and learned to do a lot on it repair wise just tinkering around. My dilemma is thing

She just hit 129k miles. While nothing big has happened, from what I read, around 130k is when the tranny starts to go. Right now, the tranny is fine, but I am preparing for the worst. I think she’s doing so well because when I first bought her at 45k, I flushed the tranny with full syn, installed a B&M cooler and oil-type filter system. The tranny has the stock cooler, Ford towing cooler, and B&M cooler. The oil-filter on the tranny line gets replaced every 3k with a fresh pint of fluid and Purolater PureOne Filter.

It needs the following work done

Tranny flushed again
Tranny filter replaced
Replace the rear end (has the famous rear-end whine)
Replace gas tank and fuel pump (fuel filter has rust-color fuel come out when I replace it)
Clean injectors
Possible transmission rebuild in the future

My question is- should I dump the money and time doing this overhaul on her, or should I invest in a newer car? Being a full time student and working, cash flow isn’t the best right now so a payment would hurt me then again, I can’t afford to have any car failures on my tight schedule.

Due to the current market, I have been considering a 2011 V6 mustang. 31 MPG and they are giving them away at local dealerships. The stang gets almost double the milage the expo gets. What are your guy’s thoughts?

 

[joe doe]

the "stang " will leave you tires spinning in the winter.been there done that.
being from pa here i need a all year round vehicle and the explorer fits that bill.
upkeep has hit me hard this year on my 2000 sport .i put about 2k in repairs in it this year .but in the end i know what i got .i cant afford to trade in right now and foot another 15k explorer payment so the ol addage goes" its cheaper to keep her".thats where i,m at .

at 139,000 my tranny is going strong,had that flushed and refilled and filter changed early this year along with a host of other repairs.its been tough this year but i,m trying to keep her.the body is rust free,it passes inspection every year,the paint is still good and it runs good so,hopefully it will be with me another 3 years and then i,ll get a new one.

 

[Afboy143]

the "stang " will leave you tires spinning in the winter.been there done that.
being from pa here i need a all year round vehicle and the explorer fits that bill.
upkeep has hit me hard this year on my 2000 sport .i put about 2k in repairs in it this year .but in the end i know what i got .i cant afford to trade in right now and foot another 15k explorer payment so the ol addage goes" its cheaper to keep her".thats where i,m at .

at 139,000 my tranny is going strong,had that flushed and refilled and filter changed early this year along with a host of other repairs.its been tough this year but i,m trying to keep her.the body is rust free,it passes inspection every year,the paint is still good and it runs good so,hopefully it will be with me another 3 years and then i,ll get a new one.

Well, I don’t have that problem as I am in FL. No snow here 

What kind of problems did you have where you had to dump 2k in her?

 

[joe doe]

Well, I don’t have that problem as I am in FL. No snow here 

What kind of problems did you have where you had to dump 2k in her?

oh man ...lol..here goes

new lower ball joints
new water pump
new radiator
new lower hose
new thermostat
new head gaskets
new intake gaskets
new upper plenum gaskets
new belt tensioner
new timing chain,gears,tensioner,guide
new timing cover gaskets
new battery
new iac valve
trans flush n fill
new trans pan gasket
new fluids
new sway bar end link bushings
you name it its been done this year.
last year my engine started leaking antifreeze from every possible place ,the heads,the timing cover,the radiator,you name it .drove it thru winter that way just topping of the rad all the time every couple weeks .
then this year went at it all.

mind you now for 7 years or more we done nothing but oil changes and tires and brakes ,but now at 10 years old time has caught up with it and its breaking down faster than i can keep up .

now it needs a fuel pump


i cant win with this truck this year.its killing us but i still want to try and keep it going rather than trade it yet.this far into it just wouldnt make sense to trade it and start over on another one

i just hope the cats dont clog up next..

 

[Paraphoe]

I really think it's a personal call, man. It's tough for us to tell you what to do. If you dump all the cash in, are you going to tire of the truck be left wishing you bought that shiny new Stang you see everywhere a few years down the road? If you do all the work and then something different goes wrong, will you be OK with that? If it was me, I'd keep the truck with all the work I've put into it, but I also get unnaturally attached to inanimate objects, so maybe you shouldn't listen to me.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Transmission should last a lot longer

I suspect that the 5R55E service life is reduced most by excessive heat and secondly by contaminants. Personnaly, I think it is a waste of time to replace the internal filter if you have a remote, engine type spin on filter. The internal filter is really more of just a screen that only traps large particles. Removing the pan risks the possibility of particle contamination that can impair shift valves.

With your excellent cooling and filtration configuration and frequent maintenance your transmission should last significantly longer than most. My Sport had 150,000 miles on the odometer when I purchased it last year. It was obviously not properly maintained and yet my 5R55E is still doing fine in spite of my numerous full throttle exercises during the last 14 months. I also installed a remote filter and additional cooler.

I would be more concerned about the timing chain guides than the transmission. I would not purchase a Mustang with the SOHC V6 if I intended to keep the vehicle for more than 5 years.

 

[Afboy143]

I suspect that the 5R55E service life is reduced most by excessive heat and secondly by contaminants. Personnaly, I think it is a waste of time to replace the internal filter if you have a remote, engine type spin on filter. The internal filter is really more of just a screen that only traps large particles. Removing the pan risks the possibility of particle contamination that can impair shift valves.

With your excellent cooling and filtration configuration and frequent maintenance your transmission should last significantly longer than most. My Sport had 150,000 miles on the odometer when I purchased it last year. It was obviously not properly maintained and yet my 5R55E is still doing fine in spite of my numerous full throttle exercises during the last 14 months. I also installed a remote filter and additional cooler.

I would be more concerned about the timing chain guides than the transmission. I would not purchase a Mustang with the SOHC V6 if I intended to keep the vehicle for more than 5 years.

Oh, my friend, the 2011 mustang has the new 3.7L motor. 305 HP from the factory toting 31MPG hwy. Much different than the 4.0L the older stang/our truck has

With that said and my current financial situation, I will keep my truck and hold on to her for a few years as I save money up. The age of the truck just has me deciding on different things.

This timing issue, how common is it and when does it happen? I’ve read about it, but I baby my motor so much that I’m hoping I can avoid it. What are the symtoms of this issue?

 

[ranger7ltr]

I will jump in here too!!!

I bought my X for $200.00 with the intent of dropping my stroked V8 into it... I also had need of a second vehicle to haul building materials, haul people in custody, and not need to worry about putting miles on my new Charger... And I wasn't about to use the Charger to haul drywall but it WILL tow a hefty trailer...

When I started on the truck, I found the v6 was not in that bad of shape even though the previous owner did not know what maintenance was...A dropped tank, a dropped oil pan, new fuel and oil pump, replacement fluids and filters, basic tune-up items and the engine ran for 20k miles until I pulled the heads to replace a seeping head gasket...And if I hadn't pulled the heads I would still be running the same block now...

Yes I put front suspension parts on it, front and rear brakes including drilled and slotted rotors, gas tank and fuel pump thanks to rust, even a new long block when I found cylinder damage, probably a couple miles of wiring for added on accesories, radios, lights etc...It also needed tires and wheels as well as better lighting so a set of Mustang wheels from my Ranger and an HID Xenon light kit fit the bill nicely...My tranny needed attention as well and I got a rebuilt valve body from Central Valve Body and with the added tranny cooler and external filter it has worked flawlessly in spite of flogging this vehicle for over 26k day after day...Metal tanks rust, suspensions, pumps, tires and bearings wear out and whether the vehicle is new or not they will need replacing at some point...And you have put more miles on your truck than I have...

My point is that any vehicle will need maintenance to maintain it, extras[mods] that we want on the vehicle, and even if new the vehicle will get to the point where money will need to be spent and parts will need to be replaced[Tires, brakes, filters, and fluids all come to mind]...Plus the downside of a new vehicle is the monthly cost until it is paid off...I love my Charger and would spend every day in it if I could but the Explorer works better for most of my needs and I own nothing on it except its next tank of fuel...

And don't get me wrong; I like the new Mustang both the v6 and the v8 variants...I drool over the Super Snake but I will not drop 70k on any car anymore...But except for the possible tranny rebuild and the rear end replacement, these items will eventually wear out or fail due to use...I would keep the truck...Especially with the way the new Explorer is going...

 

[Afboy143]

I bought my X for $200.00 with the intent of dropping my stroked V8 into it... I also had need of a second vehicle to haul building materials, haul people in custody, and not need to worry about putting miles on my new Charger... And I wasn't about to use the Charger to haul drywall but it WILL tow a hefty trailer...

When I started on the truck, I found the v6 was not in that bad of shape even though the previous owner did not know what maintenance was...A dropped tank, a dropped oil pan, new fuel and oil pump, replacement fluids and filters, basic tune-up items and the engine ran for 20k miles until I pulled the heads to replace a seeping head gasket...And if I hadn't pulled the heads I would still be running the same block now...

Yes I put front suspension parts on it, front and rear brakes including drilled and slotted rotors, gas tank and fuel pump thanks to rust, even a new long block when I found cylinder damage, probably a couple miles of wiring for added on accesories, radios, lights etc...It also needed tires and wheels as well as better lighting so a set of Mustang wheels from my Ranger and an HID Xenon light kit fit the bill nicely...My tranny needed attention as well and I got a rebuilt valve body from Central Valve Body and with the added tranny cooler and external filter it has worked flawlessly in spite of flogging this vehicle for over 26k day after day...Metal tanks rust, suspensions, pumps, tires and bearings wear out and whether the vehicle is new or not they will need replacing at some point...And you have put more miles on your truck than I have...

My point is that any vehicle will need maintenance to maintain it, extras[mods] that we want on the vehicle, and even if new the vehicle will get to the point where money will need to be spent and parts will need to be replaced[Tires, brakes, filters, and fluids all come to mind]...Plus the downside of a new vehicle is the monthly cost until it is paid off...I love my Charger and would spend every day in it if I could but the Explorer works better for most of my needs and I own nothing on it except its next tank of fuel...

And don't get me wrong; I like the new Mustang both the v6 and the v8 variants...I drool over the Super Snake but I will not drop 70k on any car anymore...But except for the possible tranny rebuild and the rear end replacement, these items will eventually wear out or fail due to use...I would keep the truck...Especially with the way the new Explorer is going...

Dang $200? Talk about a deal! How many miles on her?

The valve body you speak of- is this because of the 2-3 shift flare? I was thinking of getting one and installing is because my transmission is starting to show this sign.

I appreciate the write up guys. Sounds like I'll keep the truck and just fix what's wrong. When I think about it, it's like what 7ltr said.... all I owe on it is it's next tank of fuel as she's paid off!

 

[elenalor]

Mine is approaching 156 000 miles, and shifting wonderfully. I'm also in Florida, transmission fluid and filter changed as soon as bought truck (at 80k miles, old school, no flush). Replaced ball joints, spark plugs and cables, shocks, brakes disks, calipers and pads, thermostat and few hoses. Alternator had to be replaced but I gave more than a few jump starts, was still working but getting noise through sound system. Last set of tires lasted 53k miles (replaced because of skidding when driving on water). So far not stranded a single time, very happy with it. BTW, I beat any stock 6 cyl Mustang so far... No one believes it, but it's true. I'll stick to the Explorer if I were you.

 

[2000StreetRod]

sprockets in front?

Oh, my friend, the 2011 mustang has the new 3.7L motor. 305 HP from the factory toting 31MPG hwy. Much different than the 4.0L the older stang/our truck has

Hopefully the DOHC 3.7L 4V Ti-VCT V6 engine has all of the camshaft sprockets in the front so the engine won't have to be pulled to replace them.

With that said and my current financial situation, I will keep my truck and hold on to her for a few years as I save money up. The age of the truck just has me deciding on different things.

I avoid buying a vehicle with major powertrain changes the first year it is manufactured.

This timing issue, how common is it and when does it happen? I’ve read about it, but I baby my motor so much that I’m hoping I can avoid it. What are the symtoms of this issue?

As soon as 45K miles and as late as 250K miles. Sounds something like loose marbles rattling around inside the engine.