Hi - soon to be 03 explorer owner

[el schwartzo]

Hi folks,

new to the site, to 4x4s in general. wanted to say hi as i start poking around to see what i can learn here.


about to purchase a 2003 explorer from my neighbor
145,000 miles, 65,000 on the engine. transmission replaced within the last few years as well, so i think i'm getting a lot of vehicle for the money (not finalized, maybe around 3k)

wondering if there's anything specific i should ask my shop to look at before i buy it. any known weak points in these trucks, or perhaps specific to this year, that i should know about?

looking forward to driving something other than a minivan. of course, there's always my motorcycles but something nice about owning a truck.

cheers

 

[el schwartzo]

oh, some noob questions.

what do i have to do to get the vehicle into 4x4 low?
when would i use that, and what kind of top speed in that case (15mph?)

use cases / recommended top speed for 4x4 High?

 

[albi1cnobi1]

oh, some noob questions.

what do i have to do to get the vehicle into 4x4 low?
when would i use that, and what kind of top speed in that case (15mph?)

4x4 low: Stop truck, transmission in neutral, foot on the brake, switch the selector to 4lo. To switch back, same procedure. Top speed is limited by the gearing of the transfer case, probably wouldn't get above 10-15 mph.

use cases / recommended top speed for 4x4 High?

Most on road use will be 4auto. Never use 4hi on bare/dry pavement. 4hi can be used on snow covered or gravel roads. The reason is that there needs to be some "give" to the front wheels when in 4hi and dry/bare pavement will cause binding in the front end when turning, possibly doing damage to the front drive train. Top speed is limited to how fast you can drive safely in the conditions at hand. Basically just using common sense. Lol!

Good luck with the purchase. You didn't say if it is a 4 door or a 2 door Sport model. Both things to look out for, bad timing chains and transmission problems appear to have been taken care of for you hopefully. Just have your shop give it a good once over, checking all the fluids especially the transfer case as that is often overlooked when doing routine maintenance. Have them check the front hub/bearing assembly too. Other than that these are very sturdy, reliable trucks. Oh, one more thing. The reason I mentioned the 2 door or 4 door thing is that the 2 door Sports are hold overs from the 2nd generation Explorers and the 4 doors from 2002 to 2005 are considered 3rd generation. There are some differences in design between the generations, thats all.

 

[el schwartzo]

4x4 low: Stop truck, transmission in neutral, foot on the brake, switch the selector to 4lo. To switch back, same procedure. Top speed is limited by the gearing of the transfer case, probably wouldn't get above 10-15 mph.



Most on road use will be 4auto. Never use 4hi on bare/dry pavement. 4hi can be used on snow covered or gravel roads. The reason is that there needs to be some "give" to the front wheels when in 4hi and dry/bare pavement will cause binding in the front end when turning, possibly doing damage to the front drive train. Top speed is limited to how fast you can drive safely in the conditions at hand. Basically just using common sense. Lol!

Good luck with the purchase. You didn't say if it is a 4 door or a 2 door Sport model. Both things to look out for, bad timing chains and transmission problems appear to have been taken care of for you hopefully. Just have your shop give it a good once over, checking all the fluids especially the transfer case as that is often overlooked when doing routine maintenance. Have them check the front hub/bearing assembly too. Other than that these are very sturdy, reliable trucks. Oh, one more thing. The reason I mentioned the 2 door or 4 door thing is that the 2 door Sports are hold overs from the 2nd generation Explorers and the 4 doors from 2002 to 2005 are considered 3rd generation. There are some differences in design between the generations, thats all.

thank you! that's really helpful information. i did put it into 4x4 low last night and drove back and forth a bit just to make sure it engaged.

it's a 4 door, 7 seater (back row seats fold down)



there are some weird electrical things going on, like
- the lights stay on for 10-15 minutes after turning off and locking the car, and
- the door lock control on the driver's side only works when the key is in.
- turning on the rear defroster makes the "door ajar" signal come on.
owner thinks it's due to a faulty relay that he hasn't gotten around to replacing. i don't know what to think and am a bit worried about getting myself into a vehicle with problems.

that said, as you noted the engine was replaced (probably 70k on it now) and the transmission. i believe he had the front hub bearings replaced/redone recently too.

he's said he's let it go for between 2500 and 3000. it sounds like a pretty great deal to me, even "as is" with some weird electrical gremlins... but it's something i'd want to get taken care of, which would add to the cost.

anyhow, i don't really have a specific question but any insights or opinions would be helpful.

 

[albi1cnobi1]

thank you! that's really helpful information. i did put it into 4x4 low last night and drove back and forth a bit just to make sure it engaged.

it's a 4 door, 7 seater (back row seats fold down)



there are some weird electrical things going on, like
- the lights stay on for 10-15 minutes after turning off and locking the car, and
Does the truck have the auto lamp feature? That would keep the lights on for a preset amount of time after the vehicle is turned off. 15 minutes is a little long however. If it does, turn it off and see what happens then.
- the door lock control on the driver's side only works when the key is in.
When the keys on, or just in the ignition? Could be a bad wire in the door harness.(common problem)
- turning on the rear defroster makes the "door ajar" signal come on.
That sounds like a bad ground in the rear defrost circuit. Its using the door ajar ground and tripping the door ajar light.
owner thinks it's due to a faulty relay that he hasn't gotten around to replacing. i don't know what to think and am a bit worried about getting myself into a vehicle with problems.

All very minor problems.

that said, as you noted the engine was replaced (probably 70k on it now) and the transmission. i believe he had the front hub bearings replaced/redone recently too.

he's said he's let it go for between 2500 and 3000. (3000 is a good price, but 2500 is even better. lol!) it sounds like a pretty great deal to me, even "as is" with some weird electrical gremlins... but it's something i'd want to get taken care of, which would add to the cost.

anyhow, i don't really have a specific question but any insights or opinions would be helpful.

Let me know how it goes, I'll try to help you wherever I can.

Al

 

[BigRondo]

there are some weird electrical things going on, like
- the lights stay on for 10-15 minutes after turning off and locking the car, and
- the door lock control on the driver's side only works when the key is in.
- turning on the rear defroster makes the "door ajar" signal come on.
owner thinks it's due to a faulty relay that he hasn't gotten around to replacing. i don't know what to think and am a bit worried about getting myself into a vehicle with problems.

Welcome aboard!!

I had similar electrical issues with my '02 XLT. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the alarm would beep twice when I armed it. Recently all 4 windows stopped working. Most recently the driver door lock actuator stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 3 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ. I had to repair the pink/black wire to fix the driver door lock actuator.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Unfortunately the pictures are no longer available in the above thread. IIRC, I believe I unwrapped the wires enough to gain access. When I have gone searching in there I had an idea of what wire I was looking for. I located the the wire I was looking for and gently tugged on that wire on the door side. The wire was pulled toward me and out of the harness. I then went inside the vehicle and gently tugged on the the wire I was looking for and was able to pull it inside the vehicle. I then spliced a length of wire to the 2 ends, completing the circuit. I then gently pulled the excess into the door.

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

Good luck getting it sorted.

Please keep us posted as feedback helps others reading this post looking for a fix to the same or similar issue!

 

[el schwartzo]

Let me know how it goes, I'll try to help you wherever I can.

Al

Al, thanks for all the info.
BigRondo, thanks for the info and welcome. I'll check out those threads and see what i see. i was hoping to avoid getting another project when picking this up; i have motorcycles as projects but this SUV is meant to be a primary means of transportation. I think, though (hope!) it will be reliable and the majority of what i have to deal with or figure out are weird and annoying, but not truly significant, electrical gremlins and the like.

So first of all, I did buy the vehicle last Sunday, paid $2650.
Shop that looked it over wants to replace ball joints in the front,, brake pads and rotors (not sure, but i think just for 2 wheels). I also just purchased 4x General Grabber HTS tires from Tirerack for a total of $611 as the current tires have worn so weird that the inner edge of at least one front tire is balding. And lastly I need the second of a pair of struts installed, PO did one recently because the spring on one side broke, but thankfully bought a pair and included the second in the sale. i want both in so the front end is balanced and has the same age springs, shocks etc.

anyway, that's where i'm at. i've been driving it as is this whole week to and from work, about 35m round trip. the sound system is great, the heated seats are making me really happy, and it's mine for well under 3k. so i think i did well. now all this other stuff needs to get taken care of, figure that will be close to 2k more including the cost of tires. but i *hope* that will be all for the near future and i'll get some good life out of it.

next step is also to check the tow signal connectors as my friend is going to give me a 3 rail motorcycle trailer when i can pick it up from pittsburgh.

 

[el schwartzo]

there are some weird electrical things going on, like
- the lights stay on for 10-15 minutes after turning off and locking the car, and
Does the truck have the auto lamp feature? That would keep the lights on for a preset amount of time after the vehicle is turned off. 15 minutes is a little long however. If it does, turn it off and see what happens then.
- the door lock control on the driver's side only works when the key is in.
When the keys on, or just in the ignition? Could be a bad wire in the door harness.(common problem)
Al

good catch, it's definitely when the key is in the on position. engine does not need to be running, but the key is turned in the ignition. does that mesh with an issue in the door harness, damaged wires as suggested by Ron?

 

[BigRondo]

You're welcome. Congrats on the new purchase. Let me know if there is anything else I can do.

Happy Exploring!!

 

[el schwartzo]

put in probably another 2300 replacing:
- brakes and rotors,
- 4x general grabbers,
- 2x upper control arm
- 2x lower ball joints
- tail pipe
- a $50 ford bolt ;p

so i'm in for about 5k. truck's got 145k, but a younger engine with about 70k, rebuilt transmission, recently replaced front struts, not sure what else. feeling pretty good about it even though 5k is getting a lot closer to what i could have found at a dealership... but anything from a dealer probably would not have a newer engine and trans.

still have the electrical gremlins to look into, but at least the car is ok to drive now.


Hitch question:
i'm getting a dirtbike soon and going to be looking for a way to get it to the trails. interested in one of those hitch carriers but i'm not sure it's the way to go on this vehicle. any insights? the bike is about 250 lbs, then add however much the carrier weighs, probably 50 lbs (just a guess)
- what's the tongue weight capacity on one of these vehicles?
- anyone used one with their explorer or have any recommendations? concerns?
- i'll need to use an adapter to switch from 1.25 to 2". does that matter?

there's also a fair bit of rust around the hitch receiver and the rear undercarriage. doesn't look awful, surface rust, but somewhat concerning. i could post some photos though i don't know if just looking at a picture will help anyone say "sure, go for it" or "ummm. no."

 

[Explorer0204]

put in probably another 2300 replacing:
- brakes and rotors,
- 4x general grabbers,
- 2x upper control arm
- 2x lower ball joints
- tail pipe
- a $50 ford bolt ;p

so i'm in for about 5k. truck's got 145k, but a younger engine with about 70k, rebuilt transmission, recently replaced front struts, not sure what else. feeling pretty good about it even though 5k is getting a lot closer to what i could have found at a dealership... but anything from a dealer probably would not have a newer engine and trans.

still have the electrical gremlins to look into, but at least the car is ok to drive now.


Hitch question:
i'm getting a dirtbike soon and going to be looking for a way to get it to the trails. interested in one of those hitch carriers but i'm not sure it's the way to go on this vehicle. any insights? the bike is about 250 lbs, then add however much the carrier weighs, probably 50 lbs (just a guess)
- what's the tongue weight capacity on one of these vehicles?
With the 1.25" receiver 350lbs. The 2inch receiver brings that up to 700. That being said if you are towing a trailer that would have 700lbs of tounge weight you are supposed to use a weight distributing hitch. Just mentioning this in case it became relevant down the road.
- anyone used one with their explorer or have any recommendations? concerns?
Never used one but I will say make sure it doesn't cover the visibility of the brake lights too much. If it does add brake lights to the carrier
- i'll need to use an adapter to switch from 1.25 to 2". does that matter?
Yes this does matter. When you use a converter you loose tounge weight capacity. Most of the converters say 100 pounds of TW on them. Reason for this is because you are adding leverage to the hitch which disadvantages it.
there's also a fair bit of rust around the hitch receiver and the rear undercarriage. doesn't look awful, surface rust, but somewhat concerning. i could post some photos though i don't know if just looking at a picture will help anyone say "sure, go for it" or "ummm. no."
Take a small hammer and start hitting it. If tons of pieces fall and flake off revealing holes it isn't stable. If you hit it and everywhere it is solid and the hammer does not feel like it is hitting something squishy then you are good to go. I actually have a 1.25" reciever...perfect condition waiting for a good home hehehe.

My .02 cents....I would buy a little 4x8 trailer or whatever and just tow the bike. I think it will be alot easier, less stress on stuff and you won't have to swap trailer hitches. Plus if yours is a little rusty if you only have 50-100lbs of tounge weight towing 500lbs or so you don't have to worry about it as much as if all that weight were on the hitch.

Finally I personally WOULD NOT carry the bike on the rack unless you got a 2 inch hitch. I got mine from a junk yard for 50 bucks...hard ish to find but they are out there.


By the sounds of it 5k dollars for what you now have (basically a fairly new drive train and mostly brand new suspension components from what I gather) isn't bad at all.

The electrical gremlins sound like stupid little stuff to me..hopefully that is what they are.

Goooluck!!

 

[Explorer7813]

Sounds like u didn't do too bad. I have an 03 Explorer and few things I have found to be common problems is door ajar light kicking on and off and causing alarm to go off. This was due to a faulty door ajar switch. And had an issue with the push button 4wd.

 

[el schwartzo]

My .02 cents....I would buy a little 4x8 trailer or whatever and just tow the bike. I think it will be alot easier, less stress on stuff and you won't have to swap trailer hitches. Plus if yours is a little rusty if you only have 50-100lbs of tounge weight towing 500lbs or so you don't have to worry about it as much as if all that weight were on the hitch.

Finally I personally WOULD NOT carry the bike on the rack unless you got a 2 inch hitch. I got mine from a junk yard for 50 bucks...hard ish to find but they are out there.


By the sounds of it 5k dollars for what you now have (basically a fairly new drive train and mostly brand new suspension components from what I gather) isn't bad at all.

The electrical gremlins sound like stupid little stuff to me..hopefully that is what they are.

Goooluck!!

thanks for this. pretty much confirms my suspicions. i'll use the 1 1/4 mount for my bicycle rack and such but quick researching moto-carriers unless i can find a 2" hitch myself.

don't need to look in my rear view after a bump and see my bike bouncing across the highway (and into other cars).

 

[Explorer0204]

thanks for this. pretty much confirms my suspicions. i'll use the 1 1/4 mount for my bicycle rack and such but quick researching moto-carriers unless i can find a 2" hitch myself.

don't need to look in my rear view after a bump and see my bike bouncing across the highway (and into other cars).

Definitely don't want that to happen!! A small trailer is just less stress on the suspension and stuff too. A better option IMO.

 

[phaser]

Electrical probs

Older Explorers are notorious for electrical probs.

Hi folks,

new to the site, to 4x4s in general. wanted to say hi as i start poking around to see what i can learn here.


about to purchase a 2003 explorer from my neighbor
145,000 miles, 65,000 on the engine. transmission replaced within the last few years as well, so i think i'm getting a lot of vehicle for the money (not finalized, maybe around 3k)

wondering if there's anything specific i should ask my shop to look at before i buy it. any known weak points in these trucks, or perhaps specific to this year, that i should know about?

looking forward to driving something other than a minivan. of course, there's always my motorcycles but something nice about owning a truck.

cheers

 

[thunder92]

Congrats. 5k sounds good considering the newer trans and engine. Love my explorer. I cry when she is broken down.