Rejuvenate Or Sell - Looking For Opinions

[BarryCarey]

Hey All,

First time poster long time lurker.

I have a stock 2000 Explorer Sport 4.0 SOHC with 111k on it. I've owned it for the better part of 10 years now. It's been a wonderful vehicle and extremely reliable. I'm getting ready to dump about $1000 into it. However, I have recently found out about the SOHC's timing chain issues.

==== FOR THE TLDR CROWD ====​

v6 SOHC w/ 111k miles w/o timing chain fix. Owned for 10 years. Great body and interior. Is it worth the money to rebuild the front end and other maintenance or sell due to it being SOHC.

Some History

I parked it around 2 years ago and it sat the whole time. It was not properly stored, it was driven onto a gravel pad and there it sat.

Recently I decided to get it back on the road. I threw a battery in it and and to my surprise it ran and drive like it was never parked. Been driving it daily for a few weeks now.

I was getting ready to dump a bunch of money to clean up the ruff edges. Currently in my RockAuto cart I have have.

Moog Inner/Out Tie Rods
Moog Upper Control Arms
Moog Sway Bar Links
Moog Sway Bar Bushings
Moog Lower Ball Joints
Monroe Reflex Shocks Front / Rear
Brake Pads Front / Rear
Brake Lines Front / Rear.
Top / Bottom Radiator Hoses
Air Filter
New Belt

Right around $600.

I also just put 4 new tires on.

However, before making the purchase I started reading about the timing chain issues with the SOHC. This concerned me a bit. There is an audible sound when accelerating. I can only describe the sound as a chattering sound. Unsure of exact location in engine bay. However, it has ALWAYS done this. When I purchased it 10 years ago it made the same sound. I remember thinking it was weird when I first got the vehicle but then got used to it.

Due to this I'm unsure if I should be concerned.

The vehicle itself is in good shape. It has 111k miles on it. No major body rust (I live in Maine so there is a lot of surface rust on the underside), frame is good, interior is perfect, all electronics work. Only issue is the driver side running board is rusted straight through and the passenger side is still solid but not great.

The above is my long winded way of getting to my question. Do you guys think I should keep it, add all the above mentioned parts and not worry about the timing chain? Or should I sell it and looking into a newer model?

Any input you guys can provide would be wonderfu.

 

[shadowless127]

Fix it, I would. What would you rather have, a vehicle that you know like the back of your hand and know all the odd quirks and potential problems, or another used vehicle where you have no clue what is wrong with it.

I've been battling selling my Explorer for the past 2 years, and even more so recently with the almost $1000 I may have to dump into it, and I realized that even if I sell it, i'm just gonna inherit someone else's problem, so I might as well just keep replacing **** till everything is new.

Worst case scenario you get a 4L from an 06+ mustang and drop it in and you're good to go.

 

[colintrax]

What he^ said.

 

[bluestream1]

Don't go cheap; full frame off rotisserie restoration is the only way to go.

 

[drdoom]

I would fix that.

 

[BarryCarey]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I was leaning towards keeping it. Just wanted to hear it from people that know more than myself.

Time for the speed round...

Moog or Raybestos

 

[colintrax]

My vote is moog although I've heard their quality has gone down

 

[shadowless127]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I was leaning towards keeping it. Just wanted to hear it from people that know more than myself.

Time for the speed round...

Moog or Raybestos

I bought raybestos but only because I was cheap and my X spends most of it's life on tarmac. If you off road, go moog.

 

[Verse]

Obviously stated already but i would definitely keep it. You've had it this long, grown to like it, know what parts need work and what doesn't, etc. No point in buying another used car with a million unknowns when you already have a good truck on your hands. As mentioned, in the long run, if the engine gives you serious problems it'll probably be cheaper to swap the engine and other essential parts for a truck that'll last you another 10 years at least than to get another car.

Newer doesn't always mean better. good luck!