Purchased 2001 EB 5.0 AWD any future issues?

[Tedshuey]

Just purchased a 2001 EB 5.0 AWD with 170000 miles on it. What are some of the issues for maintenance and repair I should be looking at over the next few months? What i know from his maintenance history is new exhaust manifolds and bolts have been replaced, EGR valve and tube and new DPFE sensor. I am not sure when the Serpentine belt was lat replaced. Give me some feedback.

 

[SoNic67]

Careful with the spark plugs. If they look rusted in the heads, they might break at removal. They needed to be replaced already... at some 90k miles.

 

[deweyville65]

There's no way to determine what is going to fail next. One thing I have learned is, if it is mechanical, it will break down. If preventative maintenance, and reasonable care is given to a machine, it will reward you with holding up better than if it is thrashed. I guess it just depends upon how much time and money you are wanting to spend. Me, I would rather drive smoother and easier than waste money on gas and repairs.

 

[shadowless127]

Check shocks, check u-joints, check ball joints, flush brake and power steering fluid, flush differentials.

 

[Cranmaro99]

When I bought the same car as you a year ago (A Limited instead of a EB, but same car) I have replaced:

-Ball joints
-Radiator
-Heater Core
-Sunroof drain hoses
-Cam Positioning Syncronizer
-Rear diff. pinion seal.

These are all items that are somewhat "common" for the 5.0 Explorers. Mechanically everything seems great so far, too. That list does NOT include preventative maintenance items like spark plugs, etc, that I've done. Car has 120,000 miles on it.

Just take care of it and inspect any warn suspension parts and replace what fails down the road. It's all you can do.

 

[koda2000]

i just bought an '01 5.0L EB myself and i am very pleased with it. mine's RWD, as i don't need the AWD and i prefer the simplicity and weight savings of the RWD model. it had 179k on it and had recently gotten a new radiator, water pump, thermostat, serp belt and hoses, alternator, new upstream O2 sensors, new shocks and rear brake pads.

during the test drive i noticed a binding noise when the steering wheel was turned. after purchasing it i discovered it needed upper and lower ball joints, as the boots were gone and front sway bar end links. while replacing the ball joints i checked the spark plugs, which needed to be replaced, and also installed new ceramic front brake pads, as they were pretty worn. last week i noticed the 5th shock was leaking (and it made noise). i just replaced the 5th shock yesterday. still on my to-do list are tranny and rear diff service. oh, i also replaced the leather driver's seat bottom and installed a K&N air filter.

my truck is super clean inside and out and has never been subjected to road salt. all in all the 5.0L is a very reliable engine and the transmission's strong too. i'm hoping to get many more miles out of mine.

as far as checking your serp belt, you can look for cracks or missing rib rubber, but with modern serp belt material you're really looking at the depth between the ribs. some auto parts stores have a plastic gauge thing (free) to measure depth.

i am not aware of any particular problems with the '01 V8 models, just normal maintenance and wear items. good luck with your's!