High Mileage Explorer for Long Road Trip. Thoughts/suggestions?

[Wanderer94]

First off,

Hello everyone! Excited to be part of a cool community of car owners

Okay, so I am planning on taking a long road trip (Saint Louis to Pensacola, then to Sarasota) in my 200 Explorer XLT. I'm usually not one to worry about my car making it, but I haven't ever driven it this far before.

Some background:

The car has been in my family for around 8 years. It currently has 253k on the dash. Now, within the last 2 months I have replaced the spark plugs, wires, air filter, distributor cap and rotor, alternator, back brakes (pads, calipers, rotors) and flushed the coolant. She burns a little oil but not much by any stretch of imagination. Fresh oil change today. Tires have good tread and the belts all seem to be in good shape.

The car does seem to run a little on the lean side however. I suspect an o2 sensor. Think she'll make it?

I've personally driven cars in way worse shape from Nashville to Saint Louis on multiple occasions. Any feedback would be much appreciated!

 

[SupaSwope]

Slowly rebuilding mine for a trip next year across the country. So far I've done the brakes and bearings. Moving onto the suspension now. From the sound of things she sounds like shes in pretty good shape. I would bet my money that she would. But if your worried about it running lean have someone scan it, read the O2 and Fuel Trims and get someones expert opinion. Other then that. I say go for it!

Edit: your pretty much going downhill the way down here to Florida so thats the easy route. The real test would be going back! lol

 

[koda2000]

Your question reminds me of a true story that I experienced back in the 70's. I worked with this older woman who had a POS 4-cyl Chevy Nova. Her car barely made it a week w/out breaking down and she only drove it a short distance to work ad back. One day she announced she was going to go on vacation and that she planned to drive her car from CT to and from FL (a round trip of roughly 3,000 miles). We all looked at her in disbelief, reminding her that her car was barely able to make the daily 10 mile round trip to work each day. She told us that she had read where cars that are driven for longer distances tended to me more reliable. We managed to talk her out of her planned drive.

You know your truck, it's maintenance history and problems better than any of us. I would have no problem driving my '01 V8 Eddie Bauer Explorer (which has around 200,000 miles on it) cross-country and back tomorrow. It is very well maintained and I keep up with preventive maintenance (new ball upper/lower joints, tie rod ends, end-links, shocks, water pump, radiator, brakes/rotors, it burns no oil, only leaks a small amount from the rear main seal (as all 5.0's do), new hoses/belts/pulleys/fluids, plugs/wires, good tires, new fuel pump, filters and the truck has no known problems.

Would I anticipate problems on a long trip? No, but I would prepared for a breakdown just in case. Odds are you'll be fine, but you don't want to be a thousand miles from home facing a major repair, that you're most likely having to pay through the nose for, while you sit in a motel room twiddling your thumbs. Even something as simple as a 2WD front wheel bearing going out (something that might cost you $20 to repair at home) might cost you several hundred dollars with towing, parts and labor on the road.

Just trying to give you a reality check. Good luck, whatever you decide to do.

 

[JCat]

http://autoclubsouth.aaa.com/Membership/AAA_Membership_Plans.aspx


Look at the vehicle return and free rental features

Also:

Car Travel Interruption
If you’re traveling by car and are 100 miles or more away from home and have a breakdown or accident, or if your vehicle is stolen while en route, we’ll reimburse you for emergency expenses up to the value of $600 for Classic members, up to $1,000 for Plus members, and up to $1,500 for Premier members. Reimbursable expenses include: meals and lodging, car rental, and transportation home or to your destination within 72 hours. Please refer to your membership booklet for complete information.

 

[Turdle]

http://autoclubsouth.aaa.com/Membership/AAA_Membership_Plans.aspx


Look at the vehicle return and free rental features

Also:

Car Travel Interruption
If you’re traveling by car and are 100 miles or more away from home and have a breakdown or accident, or if your vehicle is stolen while en route, we’ll reimburse you for emergency expenses up to the value of $600 for Classic members, up to $1,000 for Plus members, and up to $1,500 for Premier members. Reimbursable expenses include: meals and lodging, car rental, and transportation home or to your destination within 72 hours. Please refer to your membership booklet for complete information.

My suggestion is "ditto"

 

[Mr. Alligator]

ditto above.... If your truck is in good mechanical condition, this should be no problem at all. If you are unsure, have a trusted mechanic inspect. I have a 1997 Explorer with 437,000 miles, and still drive annually from Florida to Colorado, and back. These trucks are tough, and yours sounds solid.

Drive safely,

Mr. Alligator

 

[lobo411]

So I'll bite...any guesses on how the op changed the distributor cap and rotor?

 

[SupaSwope]

You know your truck, it's maintenance history and problems better than any of us. I would have no problem driving my '01 V8 Eddie Bauer Explorer (which has around 200,000 miles on it) cross-country and back tomorrow. It is very well maintained and I keep up with preventive maintenance (new ball upper/lower joints, tie rod ends, end-links, shocks, water pump, radiator, brakes/rotors, it burns no oil, only leaks a small amount from the rear main seal (as all 5.0's do), new hoses/belts/pulleys/fluids, plugs/wires, good tires, new fuel pump, filters and the truck has no known problems

Hey Koda, You said a lot of the 5.0s have a rear main seal leak. My oil pan seems to be leaking all the way around. Slow leak. But when it does drip its in the back near the tranny and drips on the CatConverter. Have you had to change your oil pan gasket? I'm not burning oil or loosing that much every 3,000 miles when Im changing the oil. I'm hoping its just a pan gasket. Was curios on your take. Thanks.

 

[imp]

@Wanderer94

No one can predict the future. Everything about what is GOING to happen (to your truck), must be based on just what the gentlemen have said. Past history? Present running condition? How do you know it "seems to run a little on the lean side"? Not enough exhaust smell? Guesswork gets us nothing. Sorry for being blunt, but that's where it's at. YOU know best whether you think it will make such a trip OK. And keep in mind that with the kind of miles that truck has delivered, it would be very wise to not PUSH it too hard.

I'd take the trip, if it were me! Let us know when you get back. imp

 

[Mr. Alligator]

So I'll bite...any guesses on how the op changed the distributor cap and rotor?

The distributor cap and rotor are for the airboat on his trailer?

Mr. Alligator

 

[koda2000]

Hey Koda, You said a lot of the 5.0s have a rear main seal leak. My oil pan seems to be leaking all the way around. Slow leak. But when it does drip its in the back near the tranny and drips on the CatConverter. Have you had to change your oil pan gasket? I'm not burning oil or loosing that much every 3,000 miles when Im changing the oil. I'm hoping its just a pan gasket. Was curios on your take. Thanks.

If it is the oil pan gasket, changing it on the 5.0L is not easy. It's a major PITA if you've got AWD, but even the 2WD is far from easy because the steering rack is in the way. Valve cover gaskets can also leak and the oil runs down the block and it can look like the oil pan gasket is leaking. The rear main seal leak shows up on the bottom of the bell housing and drips on the center-mounted catalytic converter. All my 5.0's do this to some extent and typically require about 8 ounces to a quart of oil between oil changes. None of mine leak enough to leave a spot on the ground. Some believe that using synthetic oil (which I do) makes them leak worse because the molecules are smaller, but IDK about that.

 

[prayforsurf0]

I wanted to revive this thread since it was posted semi recently, and I was planning on asking a similar question regarding long distance. I was specifically interested in the over drive gear of the transmission and if anyone had any opinions on when I should turn it off ? For example, I was wondering if I should turn OD off before climbing a huge hill ? And should I leave it off during a large descent to save brake pads ?

 

[koda2000]

Use you best judgment regarding turning off OD on hills. If the engine is lugging turn it off until you crest the hill. I do this while towing my hay trailer.

As far as turning OD off when descending... I figure brake pads are a lot less expensive than repairing a transmission, but it will give your brakes a rest on a long decline.

 

[prayforsurf0]

Use you best judgment regarding turning off OD on hills. If the engine is lugging turn it off until you crest the hill. I do this while towing my hay trailer.

As far as turning OD off when descending... I figure brake pads are a lot less expensive than repairing a transmission, but it will give your brakes a rest on a long decline.

Good point on the cost of pads vs tranny. I guess I was really more curious about climbing hills anyway. Its so easy to let your car just work you all the way up the hill and not think about it because the engine is so powerful, but as I climb I always imagine myself on a bike and it really burns me out going up a hill if I dont down shift. I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on preserving their engine and tranny by gearing down in the same respect a cyclist does up a hill.