Learn me: 02-05 Explorers

Tomorrow I'm going to look at an Explorer that I can get for under challenge budget. It's my girlfriend's brother selling it. He's buying a new SUV and they won't give him hardly anything on trade in, and he'd rather sell it to me than see the dealer get it. Here's the info on the truck.

2002 Eddie Bauer edition 150k miles 4.0 (non-sohc) 4x4 Tow package(!)

The only bad thing we know at the moment is the A/C compressor makes bad noises, so I know that will need attention.

Common problems? Specific things to look for? Thanks in advance for any info!

Rust, Rust, rear leaf shackles, rust..... other than that I have a friend with the 4.0 and its got over 300k, original engine and tranny

tjbell wrote: Rust, Rust, rear leaf shackles, rust..... other than that I have a friend with the 4.0 and its got over 300k, original engine and tranny

2002 was the start of IRS, so no leaf shackles to worry about. And it has been garage kept since he bought it, that gives me hope that rust levels are low.

I am pretty sure that the V6 is the SOHC. It's listed in specs as 210 Hp, which is the rating of the SOHC engine.

If the transmission is the 5R55E, then check the 2-3 up shift. If the engine picks up 2-300 rpm on the shift and the drops back down, that is bad news.

I know of guys that are on their 3rd transmission. In fact that is the biggest gripe I have heard about them. If the towing package does not include an external trans cooler, add one.

blend doors. Thats the sole reason i wouldnt own one ever. there a common issue and a giant pain too change!

Vin number confirms that it is the SOHC flex fuel engine. Do those have timing chain issues like the v8 ones do?

Also learned that the rear diff was replaced last year (common problem apparently), so that's good news.

Trans: first thing I planned on looking for was an external cooler. Looks like most of them have an OEM external cooler with the tow package. If not I'll ad one ASAP. The towing ability is a huge perk right now, so that needs priority.

Blend doors: that's with just about any ford product. My dad and brother have had Rangers/f-150s for as long as I can remember, so I'm well versed in replacing them.

I'm hoping this deal works out and the truck is clean. My 06 Malibu just cracked 230k and is starting to give me quite a few problems (electrical headaches) and it's time to find a replacement, and the explorer check a lot of boxes on my list.

The problem with the timing chains is that if the right cyl bank chain is a problem, the engine has to come out to change it!

Listen for a rattling noise when accelerating from about 2k rpm and up. My 98 had the rattle later in life, but it is still running (with another owner).

EDIT: I should add that my 98 (previous gen to the one you are looking at), was without a doubt the most problem free vehicle we have ever owned. We owned it almost 11 years and only had $2500 in major repairs in it.

Rear diff is an 8.8 so I find it weird that its a common issue for them to go bad.

DaveEstey wrote: Rear diff is an 8.8 so I find it weird that its a common issue for them to go bad.

Interesting. Could the common issue be related to the IRS, as compared to a solid axle?

My co-worker has an 04 with the V6 with 130k-ish miles. He just had the trans replaced. It has a bit of rust around the edges, but not too bad for a 10+ year old Michigan vehicle.

Well, can't go look at it today. The owner is in the medical field and got called in today. It'll have to wait for another day.

neon4891 wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: Rear diff is an 8.8 so I find it weird that its a common issue for them to go bad.

Interesting. Could the common issue be related to the IRS, as compared to a solid axle?

This. Bearings go bad in the center section fairly frequently on these. Also the trans. And wheel bearings. I was talking to an old ford tech once about these and I stated my dislike for them, he said "I love these things, they put my kids through college." I'm not saying I wouldn't own one if I could pick it up for dirt cheap, but don't expect trouble free ownership

Spoolpigeon wrote:

tjbell wrote: Rust, Rust, rear leaf shackles, rust..... other than that I have a friend with the 4.0 and its got over 300k, original engine and tranny

2002 was the start of IRS, so no leaf shackles to worry about. And it has been garage kept since he bought it, that gives me hope that rust levels are low.

Real wheel bearings fail frequently and they are a real mofo to replace even with a shop full of equipment. Rear springs also fail with 100% certainty although if only one coil breaks you don't even notice. They go further than that, though, it's not like the Escorts where they'd break a spring and then go another hundred thousand miles.

neon4891 wrote:

DaveEstey wrote: Rear diff is an 8.8 so I find it weird that its a common issue for them to go bad.

Interesting. Could the common issue be related to the IRS, as compared to a solid axle?

Every single one I've ever seen had a right side output seal leak. Every one. Nobody fixes it because it's labor intensive and not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

But... if people go to Lube Stop for the 5 minute $15.99 oil change, nobody ever checks to see if there is any fluid in there, so that may explain things.

It's usually the cheap people who have problem cars, cheap people go to cheap places for service and they don't get SERVICE.

nb: I've never even heard of Explorer IRS rearends failing, just hypothesizing why it could be an issue. Another possibility is wheel bearings failing and people changing the rear thinking that it was the problem. When a wheel bearing goes bad you KNOW it. They get very, very loud.

I got to see/drove the thing after all today.

Needs a thorough clean/detail, as to be expected with 2 kiddos, but otherwise is in good condition. I crawled under it and the only rust I saw were the rear coil springs. I'll add those to the list for future replacement. The sad news is that it doesn't have the tow package as originally thought. It has the optional 3.55 gear ratio according to the window sticker, but no trans cooler and the small hitch on the back. The first 2 mods will be a big cooler and hitch.

The truck drove great. Quieter than I expected. The engine was nice and quiet (no timin chain noise) and the trans shifted fine. Made sure to drive it long enough to get up to temp and no change in the shifting behavior. All the electric gizmos work which is nice.

He said the AC compressor was out, but it worked fine and didn't make any noise. I'll look into it further just to make sure it's not an issue.

Looks like I'll be bringing this thing home in 2 weeks once he takes delivery of his new ride. I'm pretty excited to have something so versatile in the stable. Thanks to everyone for the tips and info! The GRM hive is the best!

Blend doors?

I have an 03 sitting outside in my shop right now. The Engine is OUT because it had a timing chain problem. My Aunt and Uncle had heard the noise but didn't know what it was. Both the front and the rear guides chain guides were jacked up. The rear one to the point it had slapped around and wore a hole in the valve cover. How it didn't skip time... I will never know.

Engine has to come out to get to the rear chain which drives the cam on the passenger side.

To do the job properly requires a special 200 dollar tool because the Cams and the Jackshaft are not keyed. I have a little over 600 dollars in parts at this point. Plus the special tool I bought locally for 260 bucks instead of waiting.

This is apparently a fairly common problem with these engines.

Its easy to swap to a larger OEM hitch from the junkyard. Its integrated into the bumper and they are easy to remove and swap. From my memory you remove rear tail lights & bumper cover and its 3 large accessible bolts on both sides.

The V6 had radiators that liked to leak, and the trans could be an issue.
We really liked our '04 Eddie Bauer V8 and if you have one available for Challenge money and need a nice vehicle, I highly recommend them.