How does the 5.0 AWD Work? Also Gas mileage? + More questions.

[1998Limited]

Well, i have made my decision, it will be a 5.0

But, how does the 4WD work? It is always in 4wd? I see they use the term, "AWD".... Is it full time AWD or part time? So lets say we get 2 inches of snow, it is going to be RWD intill it the rear wheels starts to slip? Or is it going to be in 4WD no matter what? Also, what is the real life gas mileage like from people like you? Highway, city, does not matter.
Is AWD harder on suspension components, and tires? Any trouble spots on the Explorer/Mercury 5.0 with AWD, minus the manifold?
I will be looking at years 96-99. mileage 125-150K. Anything else i should know about them? Sorry about all the questions, but i have never owned a V8, AWD, or a SUV... :O I was looking at going to something else, a jeep, or jimmy, but most ford products treated us very well. so i am going to stick with ford.
Thanks much!

 

[MrQ]

AWD -
All the wheels are continually turning and it is on all the time. There is no 2wd and the transfer case does not have the ability to switch to a higher or lower gear.

4WD -
Part time: The vehicle is in 2wd until 4wd is selected and the hubs are locked. Can select 4wd High and Low.
Full time: The vehicle has a special transfer case connected to a computer that detects slippage and automatically engages 4wd when it occurs. Can set the 4wd manually and select 4x4 high and low.
Manual 4WD- The transfer case is controlled by a manual shifter.
Electrical 4WD- The transfer case is controlled electronically, usually by a computer receiving user input.



You can convert a AWD V8 to a part time 4wd by swapping out the transfer case. Case in point: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166726

 

[my pos mounty]

You will love having AWD in New York when the snow flies. 2 inches of snow in this truck is nothing, it will drive darn close to not having any snow on the road at all. I have driven from New Hampshire to NYC in snowstorms without any trouble, except with other vehicles not being able to stay in their lane. Keep in mind ice is a whole different animal and no truck/car is wonderful on that stuff.
The power is split in the transfercase somewhere around 65% to the rear and 35% to the front all the time, the truck doesn't need to "turn on" or "sense" anything for the power to be directed to the front. No driver input necessary nor possible.
"Real world" mileage? I get about 15, but my right foot is a heavy one. One thing to be aware of when owning an AWD, you MUST replace all your tires at the same time, thus avoiding them being different circumferances. If you rotate them when your supposed to, that wont be a big deal anyway, just something to be aware of. (if the tires have enough of a difference in circumferance, the viscous coupler in the transfercase can overheat, so can the fluid in the differentials, costing lots and lots of $$$ and time to fix)
As for being harder on suspension components, no, I have had 0 problems with suspension components other than the typical. Those being the front sway bar links breaking and the rear leaf springs losing their arch. Exploders and Mountaineers ALL have the same problem.
Might I suggest that when you do buy the truck, change the front/rear diff fluids, transmission oil/filter, transfercase fluid, fuel filter change as well as engine oil change. Alot of guys use synthetics everywhere (required in rear diff with modifier, recommend everywhere else).

If you plan to drive this truck only on the street, AWD will be the way to go. However, if you plan on driving offroad much, you might want to think about the manual shift transfercase mod. Not too difficult to do and will result in an excellent off road drivetrain. Beware, once bitten by the "wheeling" bug, I hear its impossible to shake.

 

[Kriegen]

I get 14 mpg with all city driving

 

[piercexlt]

I usually get around 275 miles per tank. That is driving to Boston and back which is all around 55 miles or so, in stop and go traffic. I have got over 300 miles a couple of times but I do have a lead foot.

 

[410Fortune]

yes AWD is much harder on front end, because power is being sent to the front end all the time, the cv shafts, ball joints, tie rods, tires, bearings, everything up front will wear out faster

the AWD also effects gas mileage, of course with power being sent to the front fuel mileage suffers compared to a 2wd

Why arent you looking at 2000 & 2001 models? the 5.0L AWD was made up until the Gen III truck came out in 2002

some of the exhaust manifolds leak, some dont... the stock manifolds definatley rob power however

I too converted my 96 5.0L to a true 4x4 transfer case, removing the AWD transfer case

they are good trucks with the AWD, they are TANKS with the 4x4
My steering is looser, my front tires wear much better, I have ALOT more power to the ground, improved MPG, and the low range in the new transfer case is LOW, lifted with 4x4 these 5.0L trucks are IMPRESSIVE daily driver/tow rig/ camping mahcines

 

[Electrohacker]

i've gotten up to 21mpg on he highway with the cruise set and the conditions working with me

17 mpg with a rural mix

12-15 city

 

[my pos mounty]

yes AWD is much harder on front end, because power is being sent to the front end all the time, the cv shafts, ball joints, tie rods, tires, bearings, everything up front will wear out faster

I didn't have my first bad ball joint until I hit close to 150,000 miles.

Both CV's, upper and lower balljoints (both sides),outer tierod ends (both sides), and drivers side hub bearing had to be done when my wife listened to a relative of hers that told her it was OK to put a 15 inch spare tire on my AWD truck (I have 16's) and to attempt to drive from New York City to New Hampshire (over 250 miles). Also "pooched" my front differential, but that took me a few weeks to realize. Waiting for $$ to swap to the BW 4406.
I bought this truck in 2001, put tires on it in 2002, replaced them late last year due to dry rot, not tread depth. (Michelin LTX/MS). Truck is a daily driver and I am not gentle with her at all. Was driving from NH to Boston Mass every day, from the first day I bought her, until December last year because that is where I was working. (132 miles round trip)

I don't think thats "wearing" out faster than the A4WD, or a 4X4, do you?

 

[410Fortune]

I am just stating that AWD is harder on front end components then 2wd

 

[jremington59]

I get 15 to 16 mpg with the weather warm but it drops to about 12 when the outside temps drop below 20.

 

[1998Limited]

yes AWD is much harder on front end, because power is being sent to the front end all the time, the cv shafts, ball joints, tie rods, tires, bearings, everything up front will wear out faster

the AWD also effects gas mileage, of course with power being sent to the front fuel mileage suffers compared to a 2wd

Why arent you looking at 2000 & 2001 models? the 5.0L AWD was made up until the Gen III truck came out in 2002

some of the exhaust manifolds leak, some dont... the stock manifolds definatley rob power however

I too converted my 96 5.0L to a true 4x4 transfer case, removing the AWD transfer case

they are good trucks with the AWD, they are TANKS with the 4x4
My steering is looser, my front tires wear much better, I have ALOT more power to the ground, improved MPG, and the low range in the new transfer case is LOW, lifted with 4x4 these 5.0L trucks are IMPRESSIVE daily driver/tow rig/ camping mahcines

Thanks for the replies. this truck will never see off road, maybe dirt, but never going up mountains/trails.

I have around 3000 cash to spend, and do not want to finance, and at this point, the 96-99 seem to be the most affordable.

 

[blackout881]

Have owned my 98 5.0 AWD for 3 years now.

I bought it for 6k, and have put about 3k in repairs into it over the three years...

Most of it was because of lack of maintenance from previous owners.

ALWAYS CHANGE ALL THE TIRES AT ONCE!!!!!!!!!! I learned the hard way. Burnt out the front differential, had to replace for about 1,200. Then after I changed it, 3 months later a seal went on it! (probly from sitting around in a warehouse for years and rotting). Two seals went on my rear differential also. The 5.0 302 V8 is a solid tank of an engine. It has the original 12 year old plugs and wires and runs smooth as new (96k). Flushed tranny and radiator at 85k, shifts smooth as butter. Ive ran through very deep snow with my explorer, never a problem.

Id say look at the Air Ride system good before you buy it. I wasnt familiar with explorers at all when i bought mine, but over time and with the help of this forum i learned a lot. My air shocks were leaking bad and the pump kept running. took me a while to realize what the sound was! Had them replaced with regular gas shocks to avoid that problem in the future. Truck sits a little lower but its not bad at all.

good luck!

 

[MR SCARY]

I have a 98 xlt 5.0 awd with 229k.I'm getting the avg 15 mpg but my best was 20 on a long highway trip.It's my daily driver and tow vehicle for my boats.Its not the prettiest but it does everything I need it to do no matter the season.

 

[1999 XLT AWD]

I have a 99 xlt awd with a 302ci and im only gettin 9 miles to a gallon. does any body have any ideas wats wrong. I keep all my tires at 36Psi and still do not see any better results. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP. My wife is gonna make me sell it if i cant fix it.

 

[Kriegen]

I have a 99 xlt awd with a 302ci and im only gettin 9 miles to a gallon. does any body have any ideas wats wrong. I keep all my tires at 36Psi and still do not see any better results. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP. My wife is gonna make me sell it if i cant fix it.

What is your driving style? If it's aggressive, you are going to get horrible mileage. I get 14.4 avg with all in town driving at a reasonably non-agressive style.

 

[jremington59]

I have a 99 xlt awd with a 302ci and im only gettin 9 miles to a gallon. does any body have any ideas wats wrong. I keep all my tires at 36Psi and still do not see any better results. PLEASE SOMEBODY HELP. My wife is gonna make me sell it if i cant fix it.

You have something seriously wrong. When's the last time it was tuned up? How's the air filter? What do you have for tires? Do you hear a whinning sound when you drive it? Is the CEL on?

I bought mine and have installed a cat back exhaust, new tires and tune up, and put on a MAC cold air intake. Since the weather has gone into the seventies I get 18 with mixed driving

 

[1999 XLT AWD]

You have something seriously wrong. When's the last time it was tuned up? How's the air filter? What do you have for tires? Do you hear a whinning sound when you drive it? Is the CEL on?

I bought mine and have installed a cat back exhaust, new tires and tune up, and put on a MAC cold air intake. Since the weather has gone into the seventies I get 18 with mixed driving

I did a full tune up about 6 months ago, replaced the air filter a week ago, my tires are 235/75R15 BFG KOs. No the CEL isnt on and their are no DTCs. So im kind of stuck. I do hear a squeal when im driving Im pretty sure its the wheel bearing though.

 

[1999 XLT AWD]

What is your driving style? If it's aggressive, you are going to get horrible mileage. I get 14.4 avg with all in town driving at a reasonably non-agressive style.

I just cruz through town

 

[jremington59]

I did a full tune up about 6 months ago, replaced the air filter a week ago, my tires are 235/75R15 BFG KOs. No the CEL isnt on and their are no DTCs. So im kind of stuck. I do hear a squeal when im driving Im pretty sure its the wheel bearing though.

When you let off the gas doesit coast easily? A wheel bearing isn't going to squeel long before it starts grinding. Would you possibly have a break holding up? That vehicle should get a lot better than 9MPG.

 

[1999 XLT AWD]

When you let off the gas doesit coast easily? A wheel bearing isn't going to squeel long before it starts grinding. Would you possibly have a break holding up? That vehicle should get a lot better than 9MPG.

No it coasts right away