Should I keep replacing wear/tear items?

[BAMxi]

I've got a 2002 Explorer XLT with about 150k on it. Bought it from the original owner a couple years ago for $3000. Cosmetically it's in pretty good shape other than rust starting to form in the rocker panels. Not visible with doors closed though, so it doesn't really bother me. My father in law is a mechanic at the Ford dealership, so he's always been able to help with cheap parts and free/cheap labor for things I can't do on my own or need a lift for. Throughout the past couple years, it's been a pretty dependable rig, but obviously with this mileage, things start wearing out. Since owning it, I've replaced:

Valve cover and gasket
Door latch
All gas struts for hatch and hood
Front suspension parts (monroe quick struts)
rear window regulator
new battery
4 x Yokohama Geolandar AT

I have been thinking about tackling the rear suspension and other rear end bits. Plan is to buy a junkyard rear diff and have father in law rebuild at his shop so we don't have to take the explorer out of duty as a daily driver. My rear diff whine has become more of a grinding/vibrating sound so I think it's on the way out. But then I figure I might as well replace axles too since they're cheap and right there. I expect to end up spending probably $700-$800 in parts plus a little for labor to my FIL for his help and time in his bay.

I hadn't really thought much about replacing wear and tear items since they're a cost on any vehicle, but I'm starting to wonder if I should just abandon the ol girl. I really like driving my explorer and if I replaced it, it would only be with probably a 4th gen (ideally a v8), but prices seem a little high for explorers in general, even with higher mileage than mine. And even a newer one would inevitably need the same types of things replaced at some point. I have always told myself we could swap in a junkyard or reman engine or trans for a reasonable price if either of those things failed.

What approach do you take when considering spending money on your rig? I understand I'm not likely to get this money back out in the form of resale value, but do you think I'd be better off starting over with something newer or just replace things as they come up?

Side note: engine and trans seem OK for now, but you never really know with this trans, I guess. Engine has timing chain rattle on cold starts but it's the primary chain in the front and doesn't always do it, so I'm not super worried about it.

 

[gtyates]

We have an '04 Explorer that our son now drives. It only has around 137k miles on it, but we have owned since around 30k and we have maintenance records, even some from before we purchased it. Your situation is different than most because you have a mechanic readily available. If it were mine with the rear end gone and the chain rattle I would have to let it go because I am not a mechanic, so repairs are expensive for me. With you having access to a mechanic, and with the work you have already done, you might consider keeping it. I am not certain I would buy a separate rear end though, because yours can be repaired. If you need something to drive, rent you a basic econo car for a few days. But again, this is must my opinion, others will vary of course. My Uncle has an '08 with 225k miles and still running strong, so these engines and transmission can last, but maintenance is the key. On our '04 we have not had the chain rattle or rear end issue. Early in the life of mine and additive was placed in the rear diff, but I ahve since had the fluid replaced around 100k. My only major repair has been the rear wheel bearings, which are expensive if you are not a mechanic. Currently we have 2 issues to address on ours, though we may never fix one of them. Basically on ours the front defroster door flap has broken, so at one point the door was basically stuck closed with very little airflow to the windshield. To "remedy" this I ran some metal strapping down the defroster duct to keep the door open, which is working expect when my son wants to run heat to the floor only it comes out mixed with defrost and floor heat. The other issue is the max a/c door fell off of its mount and was sitting on top of the blower motor, restricting air flow. For now I have removed it so he has good airflow, but by this upcoming summer I intend to put it back in place. So having said all of this, it is obviously up to you to decide whether or not to keep yours, but you are at a crucial time to decide..

 

[Mbrooks420]

Chain rattle AND a bad rear axle? Plus rust starting to show? I’d dump it while it still has some trade in value.

 

[BAMxi]

Thanks for your replies. I think I'll just keep on searching for something a little newer/nicer and go that route. I never trade my cars in but I could probably get most of what I have into it back out if i sold on Craigslist locally. Been searching for a good condition gen 4 with lower miles for about a year now and they seem to command a premium.

 

[CDW6212R]

I agree with the others, but those are typical costs for any not-brand-new car etc. The engine, rear diff, or trans are big ticket items, those are big to worry about.

Choose a vehicle that you like, one you can afford and live with for a long time, learn about the issues, and commit to it. I prefer the 2nd gen Explorer to anything before the last few years of Fords. So for a used SUV, the 98-01 302 models cannot be matched for reliability, and ease(or cost) of repair. They are getting older, so you have to be selective to not buy one from a bad person(someone who treats their cars like sh**). A truck from south of you will have less rust, and it's worth the day of driving to go get it if you can trust the seller/description.

The costs to correct issues by previous owners can be high, the SOHC 4.0 is an expensive engine to have to fix, same for the 5R transmissions. The 302 and 4R70W are both very strong, and easy to rebuild for any decent Ford mechanic. The newer Ford IRS's have aluminum carriers, which they haven't figured out how to be as reliable as older cast iron carrier housings. The older kind if taken care of properly, won't ever whine, grind etc, last as long as the vehicle(without being rebuilt).

 

[BAMxi]

I agree with the others, but those are typical costs for any not-brand-new car etc. The engine, rear diff, or trans are big ticket items, those are big to worry about.

Choose a vehicle that you like, one you can afford and live with for a long time, learn about the issues, and commit to it. I prefer the 2nd gen Explorer to anything before the last few years of Fords. So for a used SUV, the 98-01 302 models cannot be matched for reliability, and ease(or cost) of repair. They are getting older, so you have to be selective to not buy one from a bad person(someone who treats their cars like sh**). A truck from south of you will have less rust, and it's worth the day of driving to go get it if you can trust the seller/description.

The costs to correct issues by previous owners can be high, the SOHC 4.0 is an expensive engine to have to fix, same for the 5R transmissions. The 302 and 4R70W are both very strong, and easy to rebuild for any decent Ford mechanic. The newer Ford IRS's have aluminum carriers, which they haven't figured out how to be as reliable as older cast iron carrier housings. The older kind if taken care of properly, won't ever whine, grind etc, last as long as the vehicle(without being rebuilt).

Good advice, I agree. My FIL actually drives a 99 explorer and hasn't had any major issues other than some kind of wiring issue with one of the tail lights that he doesn't really care to mess with. I was actually on the lookout for a good 2nd gen when I happened upon my 2002. Got sold by the original owner being in his 70s talking about always dealer servicing, all highway miles, etc. Knew him to be a good guy in the area, owned a small gun shop. And I liked that Estate Green was a unique color and body/paint was in good condition.

Just a point of clarification, the rear diff repair would be costing me $65 for the rebuild kit and optionally another $250 for a junkyard part so I wouldn't have to decommission the explorer during the rebuild, since it's serving daily kid hauling duty at the moment. I could feasibly do this repair for just the $65 plus the cost of some OEM seals and gaskets at my FIL's cost at his dealership. At that price it's not even a question really, as I spend more than that on a couple tanks of gas, as we all know. If I decided to move forward, I was thinking I could go ahead and replace the rear creaking suspension as it's a little bouncy on big bumps over the highway ($160ish total), and axles don't seem to have any issue but at $120ish for two of them, seemed like I might as well do it while we're in there.

Anyway, I think either way the rear end noise needs to be remedied before trying to sell to someone else, as it's pretty clear that there's more than just the normal rear end whine going on back there. Probably just fix it for as cheap as possible and keep looking for something else.

 

[CDW6212R]

That's a great deal to have a help with the labor, because that's about 80% of costs for most people. I do my own work for that reason, I couldn't afford to pay a dealer or any shop to do what I want done. Keep that thing running as long as you can, the 2002 had a few more new bugs, but the engine and trans were already minor known weaknesses.

 

[BAMxi]

That's a great deal to have a help with the labor, because that's about 80% of costs for most people. I do my own work for that reason, I couldn't afford to pay a dealer or any shop to do what I want done. Keep that thing running as long as you can, the 2002 had a few more new bugs, but the engine and trans were already minor known weaknesses.

Yep, I grew up wrenching on old beaters with my dad and even ventured off into German car territory for about 7 years. Not surprisingly at all, my dad and father in law both politely declined to help me work on my BMW, so I got a good introduction to the wonder of following youtube repair videos. Eventually got over that phase and went back to old Fords so I could use my FIL's skills, discount and shop to my full advantage!

Talked to my FIL last night regarding the likelihood of engine/trans replace coming up as well. He made me feel a little better about keeping our ex running. It's not exhibiting signs of failure and even if both of the engine and trans went out, we could get reman stuff in there at his employee cost and have a 4x4 truck in pretty good shape with all new suspension and drive bits for cheaper than buying a slightly newer Ex with slightly lower miles and starting all over. Or throw junkyard parts in there and sell it.

Decided to move forward with repair on the rear diff, actually got the best price on rock auto for the Timken rebuild kit for $62 shipped (doesn't include seals/gaskets, but will want to use Ford OEM for that anyway). Drove onto a highway on-ramp and hit a pot hole and the rear end felt really unsettled, so I've decided to do the rear suspension as well. Should drive like a new truck when it's all said and done.

And again, I would definitely not be doing this if i didn't have a dealership hookup. I probably never would have bought the truck in the first place without having a professional mechanic in the family. I think in the spring I'll give it a good detail and try to take care of the rocker panel rust myself. Don't have to worry about paint matching anything since it's behind the doors, so I'll probably and out the rust and hit it with some rust reformer and see what happens.