Questions before buying.

[rawb4291]

I'm thinking about buying a 2002 ford explorer xlt v6. is there anything i should i look for while i look at it?Any help would be grateful.

 

[BLJ]

check radiator for coolant leaks.

 

[Styx]

How many miles on it??? Check for timing chain noise, Trans shift quality, and the A/C blend door ratcheting on start up...
There are othes but these stick out in my mind...

Cheers...R...

 

[rawb4291]

it has 154k on it. engine sounds good. there was no strange noises when running.

 

[Explorer0204]

it has 154k on it. engine sounds good. there was no strange noises when running.

If I were you...Run don't buy it..

Just kidding

1. Turn at full lock in both directions and and give it some gas and drive in circles. Listen for vibration, humming noises. (checking the viscous coupler in the transfer case to ensure correct operation and that it isn't locking up slightly when it shouldn't be) If it has this noise you may not want to buy it as it could get worse and it is expensive(ish) to fix.

2. Drive down the road at about 40+ mph and turn the wheel sharply to the left and to the right (safely of course you don't have to kill it). You are listening for a brief winning noise or humming noise. Long sweeping turns are good for this test as well. If you hear the humming noise turning left the right front wheel bearing is bad or going bad and vice versa. For this one I would still buy it but use it as a bargaining chip. They are 127.00 for a timken one on Amazon so not too too bad.

3. Rear glass. Inspect the crap out of it and the plastic panel piece that has the ford logo on it. They are known to crack or fall off. Mine did at 50k miles luckily I was able to reattach it and it hasn't fallen off since.

4. Timing chain noises as stated...

5. Trans. Big one here. Really test shift operation and shift from reverse to drive a few times in a row. They are known to clunk into reverse every once in a while.

6. Rear wheel bearings: Push on the side of the vehicle and see if it is making clunking noises. That would indicate a severely worn out rear bearing. If they are going bad it is harder to tell on the rear though it will make some noise going down the road.

 

[Bobmbx]

If I were you...Run don't buy it..

I'm not kidding, unless you really enjoy fixing cooling systems, timing chains and trannys.

If you're just looking for cheap, reliable transportation, you can do better.

 

[rawb4291]

now i have a little dilemma. lol. i have a chance to buy either a 01 sport trac or this 02 explorer. having a hard time in choosing between the two. What do guys think?

 

[Explorer0204]

now i have a little dilemma. lol. i have a chance to buy either a 01 sport trac or this 02 explorer. having a hard time in choosing between the two. What do guys think?

Really comes down to what you are going to use it for. If the sport track does everything you need it to do than go for it... And vice versa. Get the one that suits your needs the best.

 

[rawb4291]

your right. I think that I'm going to go with the exlorer over the sport trac because i like the space.

 

[mrmontebuilder]

I agree with bobmbx, I work at a shop so I deal with different cars everyday and can honestly say these vehicles are low on the reliability list I'm my honest opinion. Not to say they aren't good if they were maintained from day one and treated well BUT at 154k miles it is a crapshoot. The first major repair if you are paying to have it done can easily exceed value of the vehicle in a heartbeat. Just my .02 cents from a shop perspective, really like my Mounty but for a daily driver think long and hard about it.

 

[Explorer0204]

I agree with bobmbx, I work at a shop so I deal with different cars everyday and can honestly say these vehicles are low on the reliability list I'm my honest opinion. Not to say they aren't good if they were maintained from day one and treated well BUT at 154k miles it is a crapshoot. The first major repair if you are paying to have it done can easily exceed value of the vehicle in a heartbeat. Just my .02 cents from a shop perspective, really like my Mounty but for a daily driver think long and hard about it.

I'm not saying you're wrong...

But to the op, they sold 800k of these a year during the third Generation while the Chevy and Dodge equivalents sold 8 or more times less.

I'm not saying they are not unreliable I am just saying from a shop perspective there are a ton of them on the road so a lot more will run through shops..
He'll even civics sold like 900k units a year for that era give or take so to put it into perspective that is a lot of explorers per year

 

[mrmontebuilder]

I agree with the higher production numbers mean more will be in shops for work 100%. But, when these come in for state inspection the amount of work they need versus some of the other vehicles is usually quite high. Unless it is REALLY cheap the first major repair will be as much or more than it is worth. On the other hand if you do your own work and have access to a u-pull-it yard for major items cheap then it is a good deal. Just check it out thoroughly and if possible get a second opinion and service history is a plus as well. Good luck with whatever you decide on!!

 

[Explorer0204]

I agree with the higher production numbers mean more will be in shops for work 100%. But, when these come in for state inspection the amount of work they need versus some of the other vehicles is usually quite high. Unless it is REALLY cheap the first major repair will be as much or more than it is worth. On the other hand if you do your own work and have access to a u-pull-it yard for major items cheap then it is a good deal. Just check it out thoroughly and if possible get a second opinion and service history is a plus as well. Good luck with whatever you decide on!!

You would know better than me, but the real downfall of these are...

4.0l timing chains

Transmissions.. Specifically od on off flashing
light and the servo bores causing flared shifts

Wheel bearings

What else would you say you fix o a regular basis?

 

[mrmontebuilder]

All of that plus lots of blend doors, heater cores and transfer cases and front diffs on mountaineers. They are not bad vehicles and ride nice for a 4x4 and handle good too but with the cost of some of the repairs they are not for those with small budgets who cannot do their own work in my opinion. At my shop I can do pretty much anything I need to and if we can't do it I know someone who will who owes me a favor so I am in a different situation when I need to do work.

 

[Explorer0204]

All of that plus lots of blend doors, heater cores and transfer cases and front diffs on mountaineers. They are not bad vehicles and ride nice for a 4x4 and handle good too but with the cost of some of the repairs they are not for those with small budgets who cannot do their own work in my opinion. At my shop I can do pretty much anything I need to and if we can't do it I know someone who will who owes me a favor so I am in a different situation when I need to do work.

What's different about the front diffs in the mountaineer?

The t case was starting to go bad on my old one.. How hard are they to rebuild?

 

[mrmontebuilder]

Nothing about the diffs themselves but when the transfer case coupler goes bad it takes out the front differential if it continues to be driven. Never rebuilt one we always get a used one and swap it in.

 

[rawb4291]

I can honestly say that i have never had any problems with my 98 explorer sport except a slow power steering leak and a wheel bearing. I drove it for a year after rolling it over. I also went off road with it all the time. I can understand what bobmbx is saying but everybody i knew who had a explorer had them fun for a long time without no major problems.Bobmbx do you feel the same about the sport tracs?

 

[Explorer0204]

I can honestly say that i have never had any problems with my 98 explorer sport except a slow power steering leak and a wheel bearing. I drove it for a year after rolling it over. I also went off road with it all the time. I can understand what bobmbx is saying but everybody i knew who had a explorer had them fun for a long time without no major problems.Bobmbx do you feel the same about the sport tracs?

Same with my 02. other than bearings my family beat the crap out of that thing. We flat towed it way too far without stopping, went off road like crazy, and towed some heavy loads here and there with it. When I totaled it I was so sad I just had to buy another one... So I did. And for the most part I don't regret it one bit... Just wish I held out for a v8 but hey, can't have it all

 

[Bobmbx]

I can honestly say that i have never had any problems with my 98 explorer sport except a slow power steering leak and a wheel bearing. I drove it for a year after rolling it over. I also went off road with it all the time. I can understand what bobmbx is saying but everybody i knew who had a explorer had them fun for a long time without no major problems.Bobmbx do you feel the same about the sport tracs?

I absolutely loved my ST. Then it died with a timing chain cassette failure. It had 245,000 on the odo. I got $900 for it. I have owned nothing but Ford products (with a short stint with a Chrysler 300M), and will continue to do so.

When buying a used car, check forums like this and see what the major topics are for the year and model you're interested in.

 

[rawb4291]

Thanks for everybody's help. I ended up getting the 02 explorer xlt