Prospect62
New Member
- Joined
- September 28, 2004
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Upstate, NY
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 99 Sport
Hey guys, been a lurker for awhile and never actually owned an Explorer - but now considering the purchase of one. I'm looking at a 2014 Explorer base 4x4 with the 3.5 naturally aspirated engine. The truck has 75,000 miles and for the price I can get it at, I was very excited to pull the trigger.
Of course, in my due diligence that I always do before buying a model I've never owned before, I stumbled upon this relatively recent issue with 3.5 water pumps going bad and dumping coolant into the crankcase, thereby blowing the motor with little, if any, warning.
Even though I'd more than likely purchase a mechanical breakdown package through my credit union (which is quite robust), I still don't feel like having this happen to me. This truck would be the newest vehicle I've ever owned since I was 16 (I'm 36 now) and my wife would seriously doubt my adulting skills if I blew the motor a few weeks into ownership.
My question is, just how common is this issue? Is it limited to a small percentage of 3.5 motors? Seems to me that at every point in an engine's life, the water pump goes bad. It happens. It's a fact of life. But with the design of the 3.5, once it goes bad if you don't happen to catch the few little droplets of coolant from the weep hole, you're in for certain destruction.
Seems like an ass-backward engineering design, which Ford is known for and is the main reason why I've never owned a Ford in my 20 years of driving. I want to give an Explorer a try, but I need advice from the experts on whether or not this is a good bet to take. What do you guys say?
Of course, in my due diligence that I always do before buying a model I've never owned before, I stumbled upon this relatively recent issue with 3.5 water pumps going bad and dumping coolant into the crankcase, thereby blowing the motor with little, if any, warning.
Even though I'd more than likely purchase a mechanical breakdown package through my credit union (which is quite robust), I still don't feel like having this happen to me. This truck would be the newest vehicle I've ever owned since I was 16 (I'm 36 now) and my wife would seriously doubt my adulting skills if I blew the motor a few weeks into ownership.
My question is, just how common is this issue? Is it limited to a small percentage of 3.5 motors? Seems to me that at every point in an engine's life, the water pump goes bad. It happens. It's a fact of life. But with the design of the 3.5, once it goes bad if you don't happen to catch the few little droplets of coolant from the weep hole, you're in for certain destruction.
Seems like an ass-backward engineering design, which Ford is known for and is the main reason why I've never owned a Ford in my 20 years of driving. I want to give an Explorer a try, but I need advice from the experts on whether or not this is a good bet to take. What do you guys say?
