Just Bought 98 xlt 5.0l awd--advice Please?

[tvdaily]

Seems to be a nice driver. 100K miles, receipts for EGR valve, brakes & rotors.

What problems should I look for? I was going to change all fluids--transfer cases, diffs, AT, coolant, etc. Any suggestiuons? Is this the old 302V8 rather than the 4.6L they put in the Crown Vic? That engine in the Crown Vic is supposed to be good--how about the 5.0L in the Explorer?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,

Tom

98 XLT AWD 5.0L--Leather/Moon/6-CD--etc.
'03 BMW 540i-A M-Tech
'89 930--modified
86 928S

 

[Mbrooks420]

Welcome to the site. Yes, it is the 5.0. They are reliable motors, as is the transmission. The most common problem is leaking exhaust manifolds. Sometimes the passanger side developes a crack in it. If yours leaked you would hear a ticking under throttle.

 

[exploded99]

The 302 responds well to a good maf cleaning (instructions on this site - do a search) and a good throttle body cleaning. Taking the throttle body off isn't hard, clean it out with some throttle body cleaner and clean the idle air control valve while you are there.

Cleaned mine at about 55k, the low end response was quite a bit better.

 

[tvdaily]

Thanks!

Appreciate the info. Anything else you would like to pass along? Thanks, Tom

 

[tvdaily]

Thanks---how are things in "Dreary"--? I used to live in Buffalo, so I have an idea. Tom

 

[ezrider440]

as far as the motor goes you can't go any better than the 5.0 i have had many of them and never gave me problems except exhaust leaks. i even had a grand marquis with 450k on it and if the fuel pump didn't crap out on me i'd still drive it, one thing i would reccomnd is removing your front axle unless you need it, saves you a ton of wieght and gas. think about it, i have a rear wheel drive 5.0 i can keep up with any mustang

 

[410Fortune]

I agree with changing the fluids ASAP, the trans and T case should be serviced.
The truck requires Mercon V and a dacron trans filter.
the AWD t case gets worked 100% of the time, the fluid from trucks I have seen with high miles is not pretty. the trans and T case share fluid, so make sure both get filled with the same.


Some people have a full transmission backflush performed, if you go this route I suggest going to a BG products dealer equipped with the BG backflush machine.


You may also test the coolant, winter is coming.

These trucks also had some issues with the front sway bar, so you might do a visual on that. I have seen broken links and missing bolts, although I believe this was mostly fixed by your 98 model year.

Other then that I would be curious about the condition of the CV joints and U joints in the drivetrain. If they are OEM shocks it would ride far better with new ones, etc.

The engine in your truck is the GT-40 5.0L EFI pushrod. Basically the same as the Cobra mustang engine. Your transmission is a AOD-EW, a very stout unit.
IMO this is the best drivetrain they ever stuffed into an Explorer.


great purchase!

 

[tvdaily]

Many thanks for the informative Answer!

Best one I got. I sent you a private e-mail with description of my modified toy, in case you are interested in Porsches--Thanks, Tom

 

[tvdaily]

Thanks!

 

[ghh97eb]

Hi,

I am new to the Explorer forums, but after reading the posts in this "stock" 2nd Generation forum, I thought it would be most approrpiate to post my question here . . .

Like tvdaily, I also just purchased an Explorer with a 5.0 V8 engine, automatic transmission and AWD that had over 100K miles on it (102000)--a '97 Eddie Bauer with the towing package. My wife and I have driven it for almost 2000 miles since we bought it, taking it on trips to work (during which we cross over Afton Mountain on I-64 between Staunton and Charlottesville, VA) and recently on a little jaunt up to Harpers Ferry, WV. It runs really well, in my opinion, and I have no complaints. The previous owner obviously took good care of it, and I want to do the same.

My question is similar to tvdaily's--What kinds of maintenance issues should I expect on an Explorer with that many miles on it, and would they be any different than those you specified for tvdaily's 98 XLT? I thought the concerns would probably be similar, since it seems my Explorer and his have the same engine and transmission, as well as AWD.

I am going to take it over to the Ford dealership in about a week or so and have them give the AWD system and transmission a good inspection, and am considering a full fluid swap. Anything else you think I should ask them to look at specifically? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[IAmTodd]

CV joints are a common problem. They're constantly under stress. Mine are shot, and I think I have a bad u-joint as well. But we'll see about that when the axle shaft gets replaced.

Replace the fluids. Do synthetic if you can. I put Mobil1 in the Transfer Case not to long ago. Waiting on the funds to do the same to the transmision.

 

[ghh97eb]

Thanks alot for the advice. I agree--a full synthetic fluid is what I was planning to use. Expensive, but well worth it IMHO. I use full synthetic on our other 2 cars ('00 Mustang GT and an '01 Focus ZTS) for both oil and transmission and have had excellent results.

I'll also make sure to get the other items you mentioned looked at and get them to give me an idea of when I should plan on having them repaired/replaced. Having the AWD working to the best of its ability is extremely important, as we will be using the Explorer as our primary "get to work" vehicle in the winter.

Thanks again for responding.

 

[IAmTodd]

I will also suggest one thing, may seem far fetched, but after my latest incident, put the truck up on jack stands and let the wheels spin. Make sure everything runs smoothly and nothing wobbles. I had a bent axle from when I bought the car. Wish I new that sooner or I would've had the dealer replace it. Instead its costing me money now.

 

[Garth]

Check you lower balljoints to see if they were replaced. If it was its gonna have nipples. If it does then you should grease them up but if not you are ok for now.

 

[ghh97eb]

Garth and IamTodd,

Thanks much for your collective advice. I'm glad that nobody (so far) has said I should be on the lookout for any engine, tranny, or xfer case problems with a 5.0 v8 & AWD. It actually seems (from what I have read on the boards) that the 5.0 v8 & AWD is a dependable, "tried-and-true" combination. Good thing, 'cuz I'd like to get as many more additional miles out of the Explorer as I possibly can. Seems like 100K may be just a start.

 

[IAmTodd]

I think the weakiest link is the AWD Transfercase. So be nice to it

I'm still new to the 302 drivetrain, but thats my take on it so far.