Went in for the check engine light and, well...

[Frybel]

Hey gang, newbie to the forum here and was hoping some of you veterans might be able to help me out. I searched/scanned the threads, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I apologize if I missed any of this somewhere...took my 03 Sport trac in for the CEL and as some of these threads alluded, it was the MAF sensor. It wasn't blocked, but shorting out. The dealer proceeded to find over $2K in other issues. At 110K miles I'm not surprised, but without the $ in the bank right now I need to figure out what's critical to do right now and what can wait. I've been handy learning to turn a wrench on my motorcycle, so I think I could do some of these things, maybe rotors and pads and air filter, but just wanted more informed opinions as to what might make the truck quit on me if I wait another 6 months or so. Anyway, the list is below. They also recommended both rear shocks, but I had them leave it off the quote. Any help/advice is appreciated! Thanks!

Replace Mass Air Flow Sensor $410
Replace Air Filter $45
Replace Front Brake Pads and Rotors $480
Replace R.F. Hub Assembly $484
Replace Differential Cover $241
Replace D.S. Axle Seal $323

 

[Tech By Trade]

Did he include a tube of lube and a kiss with the quote? buy a 12 dollar air filter (probably 8 bucks in the US) and install it yourself. Brakes and rotors from rock auto, probably a hundred bucks and a couple hours if you don't know what your doing. MAF, check rock auto, if its as easy to change as it is on an 07, its about 1 minutes work. Rear diffy cover, easy job, probably about 50 bucks and a jug of fluid. Hub assembly, easy to do but you need access to a large torque wrench. My 2 year old cheap Chinese knock off was 60 bucks. Axle seal, that I don't know, but I bet it ain't that expensive.

 

[crankyjew]

yep

Did he include a tube of lube and a kiss with the quote? buy a 12 dollar air filter (probably 8 bucks in the US) and install it yourself. Brakes and rotors from rock auto, probably a hundred bucks and a couple hours if you don't know what your doing. MAF, check rock auto, if its as easy to change as it is on an 07, its about 1 minutes work. Rear diffy cover, easy job, probably about 50 bucks and a jug of fluid. Hub assembly, easy to do but you need access to a large torque wrench. My 2 year old cheap Chinese knock off was 60 bucks. Axle seal, that I don't know, but I bet it ain't that expensive.

what he said. rock auto is your friend. get a haynes manual while you're at it.

 

[Kjhadfield]

I've only been doing work on the st for a yr or so now and between this forum/YouTube and the installation guide from ford (I go to http://search.ebscohost.com/ and get all the steps and torque specs. I don't remember the pw but it's found on this site)

For parts like everyone- rock auto (don't forget the 5% discount for members) and Amazon (I get prime) so I compare the cost + shipping

Looking at the list I would assume difficulty in this order: Maf and filter seem the easiest followed by the diff cover/fluid. Then I would says rotors and pads followed by hub. With the axle seal the hardest. I've never done a hub yet but when you do the brakes your almost there I guess (I guess it would also depend on 4wheel or not). Never done axle seal so that's why I put it as the hardest. I would still research how to do it and then see if you can take it on.

To give an idea, I did my front brakes w/ quality parts for (I think) under 250. I would have to add it up but I did a comple front brake overhaul. Rotors/pads/calipers/hoses/clips/fluid/bolts etc. that's about 1/2 of your quote for just rotors & pads- which are probably just service grade parts.

The maf should be just a unplug harness and security screws/bits (5-10$ for an assortment). it shouldnt be a question to do the air filter, that saves you 30-35$.

 

[koda2000]

$45 for an air filter is nuts. For that price you could get a K&N reusable filter that will last forever (not that I recommend them), or 3 paper filters from the auto parts store or Rock Auto. Changing an air filter is about as difficult as replacing a toilet paper roll.

As far as the other stuff, with the help available here, none of it is that hard to do if you have decent tool set and a pair of safety stands. You can save major money by learning to maintain your vehicle and source your own parts. I shop eBay, Amazon, Advance to get the best price w/shipping.

Repair difficulty scale:
Replace Mass Air Flow Sensor - 1/2 wrench
Replace Air Filter - no wrench
Replace Front Brake Pads and Rotors - 2 wrenches
Replace R.F. Hub Assembly - 3 wrenches (2 if brake rotor is already off)
Replace Differential Cover - 1 wrench
Replace D.S. Axle Seal - 3 wrenches (2 the diff cover is already off)

Recommended tools:
Floor jack and safety stands
Torque wrench
Decent socket set with metric sockets
Impact wrench and impact sockets
Basic hand tools (pliers, screw drivers, hammer, pry bars etc.)

Specialty tools can be borrowed from most auto parts stores with a deposit. With what the dealer wants to do these repairs, you can buy all the tools you need, all the parts needed, do the repairs yourself and still save major money. I recommend you buy quality replacement parts, but Motocraft stuff is way overpriced. I almost never but Motorcraft parts unless there's no alternative, or unless the price is compairable.

 

[Frybel]

Thanks everyone!!

Thanks for the replies and great info! I found the following stuff at Rock Auto:

2003 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC 4.0L V6


POWER STOP KOE1923 Autospecialty; w/OE Replacement Rotors
Front; 4WD C $91.99

PENNZOIL PZA208 AIR FILTER EXPLORER SPORT TRAC D $6.89



SPECTRA PREMIUM / COOLING DEPOT MA160 Sensor w/ Housing MAF Sensor with housing
Sensor w/ Housing B $79.89


HAYNES 36024 Ford Explorer '91-'01, Explorer Sport thru '03, Sport Trac thru '05

With shipping everything comes out to $239.46, not too bad. I may have the dealer do the hub assembly and the axle seal, since those seem to be the more intensive items. That would be $807, for a grand total of $1,046.46. Much better than the dealer quote!!!

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[koda2000]

The hardest part of replacing the front hubs is getting the axle bolt, the 2 brake caliper bracket bolts and 3 bolts that hold it to the knuckle off (just because they're large and tight). That's where the impact wrench comes in.

The rear axle seals are easy to replace once the axles are out, which isn't that hard to do once the diff cover is off.

The folks here can walk you through these repairs if you want to tackle them yourself. Besides saving lots of money I find doing my own repairs very rewarding. I replaced both my rear axle seals with Motorcraft seals from RA for around $12.

When you replace your diff cover, make sure you can get the fill plug out first. There are alternative ways of refilling, but they're time consuming. I suggest you use Permatex Ultra Black sealant on the cover and follow the directions. There's no gasket. You'll also need 3 qts of full synthetic 75w140 gear oil and Ford's LSD additive if you have a limited slip rear axle.

RE RockAuto - Watch out for the shipping charges on multiple items. A lot of times they ship from multiple warehouses and you end up paying a lot more in shipping. I do buy parts from RA but I always compare shipping charges and get free shipping where ever possible. I buy most of my parts off eBay, but I buy known brands and buy from sellers with good ratings and free shipping.

 

[Frybel]

Thanks Koda!

So, I got back with the dealer and a big part of the cost for the MAF was the 1 1/2 hr labor they charged to diagnose it...seems a little suspect on their end that running a code and pulling a part that everyone on here says is a 5 minute job took them over an hour. Short story is I'd be out of pocket for $160 even if I didn't have them replace the MAF, so I told them to do that and the hub. Lesson learned that I'm never going back to this service department again!

Based on what all you guys have already told me, I called a buddy of mine who does all his own work on his trucks and he said we'd knock out the axle seals and the diff cover Saturday afternoon. A case of beer sure sounds a lot cheaper than the dealership labor!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[KajunBndit]

You can find a lot of DIY on youtube.

 

[david4451]

Front hubs

For $75 I got 2 front hubs on Amazon with new abs sensors, made in China from Detroit Axle. Here in philippines the dealer wants $895 yes $895 for one hub and that's just the part. The china hubs look exactly the same as oem, the difference is the bearing which is the heart of the assembly Timken on oem.
My ST only has 60k kilometer on clock and hubs are good but I got these as spares.
To make the china parts last I take out abs sensor and force high quality synthetic grease into bearing, this forces out China grease out of back of bearing. It will give best chance of making them last!

Also in an ideal world you should replace both hubs at same time as other hub won't be far behind bad one.

 

[koda2000]

Dealerships charge by flat-rate and have minimum times. 5 mins or an hour and half you get stuck with the flat-rate amount. I once had a dealership charge me for eight hours labor to change a transmission and the job didn't even take them 2 hours. Now that I have the time (and not so much the money) I do my own repairs.