Thinking of making the jump to a 5th gen.

[06MountaineerPA]

So I'm thinking of getting a 5th gen(2011/2012). Hit me with the pro's and con's. What should I look out for? Has the exhaust into the cabin been corrected? Thanks

 

[94Eddie]

The first thing to look for is a bad water pump. IMO, this is the number one issue with the 5th gen Explorers. Actually, it is a major issue with any Ford that uses the 3.5L V6 with the internal water pump. My wife drives a 2015 Edge with this engine and with it having a little over 80k miles, and a warranty expiring at 100k miles, we have a big decision to make as to whether to keep it. The issue is the water pump has been known to fail on the 3.5L engines and many times when this happens it dumps a large amount of coolant directly into the oil and destroys the engine. If this happens under warranty then it isn't a massive financial hit. If it happens out of warranty then look for a $5k-$6k tab to replace the engine. If we end up keeping her Edge then we will likely do a preemptive change of the water pump. The downside is this costs around $2k because it requires a tear down of the timing chains and if one is in this far it makes sense to swap in new chains and guides. It is still $1,500-$1,600, possibly more depending on location, just to swap the pump and keep the old chains and guides. There are likely other things to watch for but, IMO, this is one of the biggest. I think this is why there are a lot of 5th gen Explorers for sell with just shy of 100k miles on them. I wonder if people are dumping them to avoid an out of warranty major repair. This is also why I went with a 2010 V8 4th gen to avoid this issue while saving a ton of money. Don't get me wrong, the 5th gens are great vehicles and overall the 3.5L is a very reliable engine not considering its water pump problem.

 

[peterk9]

So I'm thinking of getting a 5th gen(2011/2012). Hit me with the pro's and con's. What should I look out for? Has the exhaust into the cabin been corrected? Thanks

List of Useful Threads - Hints for a Pre-Pick Up Inspection & Used Ex. Check List
2013-2015 Explorer Sport Questions ( new to the vehicle )
PTU Problems
Hood Paint bubble issue only
Ford offers free repairs to 1.4 Million Explorers - Exhaust
These are a few of the threads on issues with the Explorer.

Peter

 

[BlakeTheExplorer]

I love mine. I cant think of a single complaint and I have had it for almost 2 years.

 

[Cometracker]

Consider moving on up to a 2017 and get one with SYNC 3 + NAV. Great vehicle.

 

[Stic-o]

Find a 2.3 Ecoboost, and then you avoid the water pump issue all together. That's going to be a 2016+

 

[Larryjb]

We had a 2014 Explorer for a week when our 2008 was in for a collision repair. We were so glad to get back to the 2008.

Up to 2014, many basic functions are built into the touch screen. Imagine driving and the seat heater gets burning hot and you want to turn it off. Now you have to take your eyes off a busy road, find the menus to get to the seat heater button, then turn it off. On the 2008 you just reach over and feel for the switch and turn it off, keeping your eyes on the road. I believe Ford put more functions back into hard buttons from 2015 on.

 

[94Eddie]

Find a 2.3 Ecoboost, and then you avoid the water pump issue all together. That's going to be a 2016+

The Ecoboost isn't without its issues. They have a carbon buildup problem that can be very hard to deal with. Catch cans are very useful in keeping carbon from building up if installed before the miles rack up. Ford did add a second fuel injector at some point to help keep the intake valves cleaner. Also, I stay away from turbos because they will fail at some point and many times it isn't much past 100k miles. I just watched this video about a minor part (waste gate) failing on an Ecoboost turbo and it isn't serviceable so a whole new turbo along with a catalytic converter are required to fix the issue. The parts alone are over $2k for this repair. Adding turbos complicates an engine and adds a lot of stress. If reliability is important then it is hard to beat naturally aspirated engines. I would probably choose the 3.5L and do a preemptive water pump replacement over having a turbo motor and an eventual turbo replacement. The water pump and timing chains/guides can be done on the 3.5L by a shop for around $2k so it is the cheaper option.

 

[Larryjb]

Unless I'm mistaken, port injection was added to the 3.5L Ecoboost only, not the 2.3 or 3.0L. Also, Isn't the waterpump internal on all FWD based Explorers?

If I were to get a '11-'19 Ford SUV, I'd look at the Expedition instead, look for a V8 2010 Explorer, or wait until I could afford the 2020 Explorer.

Now, there are a lot of people who drive the 5th generation Explorers with few problems. I'm sure maintenance is key. Keep up with oil changes, use full synthetic oil, check the pH of the coolant and change at regular intervals, install the catch can as suggested, always use a top tier gasoline, and you will have fewer chances of having issues. Of course, the problem with buying used is that you have no idea how it was maintained before. If the previous owner lies about maintenance and you buy a lemon, your stuck. I suppose if you buy from a Ford dealer and get an extended warrantee, that may help.

I liked the idea of the Ecoboost, but not until they added the port injection in there. Only time will tell if they add the port injection to the other Ecoboost engines as well.

 

[94Eddie]

Unless I'm mistaken, port injection was added to the 3.5L Ecoboost only, not the 2.3 or 3.0L. Also, Isn't the waterpump internal on all FWD based Explorers?

I am not sure about the port injection. I thought all Ecoboost engines got them because the carbon buildup happens on all of them. It seems I remember Ford doing this starting with 2017 models. All V6 5th gen Explorers have internal water pumps. Even the Explorer Sport models. I believe the V6 Ecoboosts in the Ford pickups was converted to external water pumps in 2012 or 2013. The 3.7L V6s in the Mustangs were external designs.

If I were to get a '11-'19 Ford SUV, I'd look at the Expedition instead, look for a V8 2010 Explorer, or wait until I could afford the 2020 Explorer.

I just replaced my 2002 Explorer a few months ago and had originally decided on getting a 5th gen. Then I started reading up on them and the water pump issue came to my attention. I looked at the Expeditions but the 5.4L 3V engines have their own issues too and it is too big for my wife to drive and it gets terrible gas mileage. After stewing on my choices I came to the conclusion that a 2010 V8 Explorer/Mountaineer was my best choice. The 4.6L 3V along with the 6R80 transmission is the most reliable engine/transmission combination put into the 3rd through 5th gen Explorers, IMO. So far, I really like the Mountaineer and time will tell if I made the right decision.

 

[Stic-o]

My focus ST was horrible with the carbon build up. One thing I learned was you had to jump on it from time to time to keep it clean. Will see how the Ranger does over time...with the ecoboost.

 

[jade97]

All the transverse 3.5L have the internal water pump. All the longitudinal 3.5L have an external water pump. There was no "conversion".

I had a 2011 F150 3.5 EB, 2011 Explorer 3.5 na (lost to a failed water pump), 2016 Explorer 3.5 EB (my current daily), and a 2018 Edge 2.0 EB (wife's daily). I never had a carbon build up issue & never used a catch can.

I would get an EB in my next planned vehicle, but it is not offered in that model. The 7.3L will need to suffice.

 

[94Eddie]

Your Edge is probably one with the added fuel injector just upstream of the intake valves. It functions intermittently to coat the intake valve with fuel to keep carbon from building up on it. Ford added this injector just for this purpose. I remember reading they made the decision to make the pump external for the F150s to add reliability since the internal pump would be a marketing nightmare for them with the most important model they offer, their full size truck line. The Mustang was a beneficiary of this decision. The external water pump design for the 3.5L engines didn't show up until 2011 which is 4-5 years after the internal design debuted. To me the external design is a conversion of the original since the overall design is the same between the two engines.

 

[Larryjb]

I had thought that the 3.5L was the only Ecoboost that had the dual injection. I seem to be incorrect:
Explained: Why Some Engines Have Both Port and Direct Injection | Feature | Car and Driver

 

[Kurama]

I came from a 2003 Eddie Bauer Explorer to a 2014 Explorer Sport. I'm very impressed with 5th Gen, and my Sport is a nice nod to my Eddie Bauer.