what is the difference between a 2nd gen x and a 3rd gen x?

[diesel_s]

what is the difference between a 2nd gen x and a 3rd gen x? Mechanically that is...........I have a 2001 Sport, the x that u dont really know whether it is a 2nd or 3rd gen.......the odd ball of the x family......my cousin has a 99 to 2000 xlt 4 door.......he told me i can have his truck and I want to use it as a parts truck, but i want to know what is mechanically different between the two of them.....or, what is mechanically different that requires tons of modification to use

 

[Dan Whitaker]

What part of the drive train are you talking? The front & rear diffs, transfer case are totaly different on the 2002 up 4 door. I also beleive the transmission is differrent. The engine I'm not sure about. I'm not up to speed on the V6 equiped Explorers.

 

[po-po 5.0]

2nd gen '95-'01 they all look the same whether 2 or 4 door. Some had 5.0 v8s.

3rd gen. 02-?? they all look the same whether 2 or 4 door, completely different looking than a 2nd gen. the v8 was a 4.6.

 

[sjr033]

It all depends on what parts you are looking to use. The 01+ Sports (2DR) are based on the 2nd Gen. But on the 01+ Sports the front breaks are bigger, the only axle ratio's that came in them is 3.73 or 4.10, they only came with the 4.0 SOHC.

 

[sjr033]

2nd gen '95-'01 they all look the same whether 2 or 4 door. Some had 5.0 v8s.

3rd gen. 02-?? they all look the same whether 2 or 4 door, completely different looking than a 2nd gen. the v8 was a 4.6.

Corrections. Ford never made a 2DR that looked like the 3rd Gen 4DR. The 3rd Gen Sport/2DR is based on the 2nd Gen 4DR.

 

[celly]

I view the 2001+ Sports as an extension of the 2nd gen and as you said, it's sort of an oddball. Some parts are backwards compatible to the rest of the 2nd gen. Some aren't. In many ways, 2001+ Sports and Sport Tracs are very similar (before the Sport Trac re-design).

The 3rd gen really only applies to 4 door models where there is a major difference between 2nd and 3rd. Not much compatible between a 2nd and 3rd gen Explorer.

 

[po-po 5.0]

Corrections. Ford never made a 2DR that looked like the 3rd Gen 4DR. The 3rd Gen Sport/2DR is based on the 2nd Gen 4DR.

you're right, but the 2002+ sports are visually different than a 2001- 2dr or 4dr.

 

[diesel_s]

you're right, but the 2002+ sports are visually different than a 2001- 2dr or 4dr.

actually guys, the 2001 to 2003 2 dr looks like the 3rd gen explorer......research it, the last 2nd gen 2dr was done in 2000.........and I was pretty sure that the 2001 to 2003 2dr were based on the 2nd gen x.......both are 2wd and 4.0 v6's

 

[diesel_s]

o yea, between the two trucks, i was planning on swapping parts here and there to nurse my sport back to proper health or go into reverse and nurse the xlt back to health or refurbish both and sell one of them. The sport is custom with some mechanical problems that just began to show, after I bought a new motor about 8 months ago

 

[celly]

actually guys, the 2001 to 2003 2 dr looks like the 3rd gen explorer......research it, the last 2nd gen 2dr was done in 2000.........and I was pretty sure that the 2001 to 2003 2dr were based on the 2nd gen x.......both are 2wd and 4.0 v6's

Yeah, the 2001-2003 Sports are cosmetically different than the 2nd gen (95-00) Sport, but they're closer in structure, design and parts to 2nd gen than they are to 3rd gen.

For example, I scored an instrument cluster off a 2003 Sport and it's a direct swap into my '99 Eddie Bauer, assuming I went that way (I just did the white faced overlays and red needles). I couldn't have swapped a 3rd gen cluster into mine. There are other direct swaps that work that way too. Things like tailights, front clip etc do not work.

I don't think 2001-2003 Sports look like 3rd gens (4 doors) at all. They pretty much stand out on their own except for the Sport Trac of the same years.

 

[diesel_s]

Yeah, the 2001-2003 Sports are cosmetically different than the 2nd gen (95-00) Sport, but they're closer in structure, design and parts to 2nd gen than they are to 3rd gen.............................
I don't think 2001-2003 Sports look like 3rd gens (4 doors) at all. They pretty much stand out on their own except for the Sport Trac of the same years.

I had a feeling that they were mechanically similar.......but i do feel that they closely resemble the 3rd gen, but to someone who knows their explorers......you know that certain things are different, i already knew that the 2nd and 3rd gen 4 doors werent compatible but like I stated, the sport is an oddball

 

[celly]

I had a feeling that they were mechanically similar.......but i do feel that they closely resemble the 3rd gen, but to someone who knows their explorers......you know that certain things are different, i already knew that the 2nd and 3rd gen 4 doors werent compatible but like I stated, the sport is an oddball

My impression is that the 2001-2003 Sports were Ford's effort to keep the once popular 2 door format alive a little bit longer without investing too much in a complete re-design. It also provided them with a platform to introduce the Sport Trac which is still alive to this day (albeit after a redesign itself).

I've owned 4 Explorers and the first 3 were Sports. I've got a sentimental attachment to them and almost pulled the trigger on an "oddball" 2002 brand new. I found a '00 Sport instead with only 13,000 km (7,800 mi) on it while looking for something to trade a Contour SVT on. I settled on it instead of a new one. No regrets as I had a riot in the 2 doors. Only thing that motivated me for something new was the birth of my son 5 years ago. The Sport is a pain getting car seats in and out.