New to me tow vehicle

[25thmustang]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Ford's little solid axle rear end they put under there isn't anything to be proud of behind a V8 motor.....

Just a ticking timebomb.............

Please do explain this one?

Explorers came with 8.8, 31 spline traction lock rears. These are well known to be very strong. Unless I'm missing something, I never heard bad reviews on the Ford Rear ends...

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Worst SUV ever....

I bought a 93 bronco for 1k instead...... couldn't ever drive one of those things.

I do have some real world experience with them (drove my uncles 1000 miles to a vacation spot, used it all week and then drove 1000 miles back.

4wd went out 10 mins after I hit the beach with it (babying it the whole time). Reverse didn't work on the way home..... etc etc etc.

Not to mention the thing sagged in the rear

 

[Topol_86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

"I bought a 93 bronco for 1k instead...... couldn't ever drive one of those things." The explorer is what the bronco turned into.

"The "Exploder" designation because of the transmission problems is well known and well earned. Two of my friends have each gone through two transmissions in their Explorers before they got rid of them" Likely the v-6 models, feel free to correct me though.

stevetedder, by far the most useful post on here so far, thanks for the info!

Again, thanks to all for voicing their opinions, I had my "exploder" out in the rain today and couldn't break the tires loose. Makes me feel quite comforted knowing the Mrs. won't be freaked out by sliding. (She's used to a 1400lb, rear-wheel,5 spd manual sports car, but has driven larger vehicles frequently) Keep the opinions/info coming, I'll try my best not to get too defensive of any post, but i'm loving my "exploder" more and more by the minute

Also, as it's been dubbed the "exploder" what more fitting stereo to put in it than a sony explod? (Yes, i know. Cheap stereo, this one or it's uncles brothers system is better. I'm not debating stereo manufacturers. I know there's alot better ones out there, but the sony explods work just fine for what i use them for)

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Please do explain this one?

Explorers came with 8.8, 31 spline traction lock rears. These are well known to be very strong. Unless I'm missing something, I never heard bad reviews on the Ford Rear ends...

until the vent gets plugged from a failed vent tube and the thing goes nuclear at 75mph down the highway!

I've changed out dozens of rearends on those vehicles because of a faulty vent..........

I worked at Sears Automotive as a mechanic for 5 years after I got out of the Navy. I'll bet I worked on more Exploders than any other single type of vehicle. Just a word of experience.

And when I say "Nuclear", I mean it. They explode and make nice holes in the inspection covers........they can catch on fire from the heat and the oil and that spreads fast to the rear compartment of the vehicle.

EXPLODER

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Reelfishin,BigB9000 thanks for the real world experience input. ClassyGlassy, I also thank you for your input, although i'm unsure if you actually owned a ford, or just speaking of stories you heard, either way, i thank you for your input as well. as a following thought....if you're so hung up on u-haul, why not just rent one of their P.O.S trucks to pull your boat? if you wouldn't do that, why care what they'll rent to you to tow something else? some food for thought. My $0.02.

I had an exploder and need to rent a small moving trailer to move my daughter from Dallas, TX back to Colorado Springs, CO after her mom died. They wouldn't rent me a trailer because of it........I ended up having to buy a used trailer off craigslist down there and towing her stuff up here that way instead. I did make it, but that was just the beginning of my downfall with Explorer.

I now drive a Suburban for the better room and the cost I purchased it for. I had the rearend go out on the exploder during a trip from Salt Lake City, UT to Glenwood Springs, CO. It caught the rear seat on fire and melted the gas tank which fueled the fire for a while until we got it out with the 3rd fire extinguisher. Thankfully my kids and I were able to get out in time..........

This is all from experience.........

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Wow 80 million 8.8's on the road and yours "goes nuclear, catches on fire and burns the truck to the ground", guess I'd be driving a Chevy too.
Maybe a nice vortec v8 with bad intake gaskets and dirty dexcool.

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

maybe it was just my bad luck personally.....but I did work on a lot of Explorers with a multitude of problems......maybe the owners we've heard from here that haven't had problems are the lucky ones!

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Pretty sure tens of thousands of early 4.0 SOHC users had the engine blow and will never buy another Ford, big surpise and a pile of junk.

Oh well, some go and some blow.

 

[ClassyGlassy]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

How about a Triton 5.4L that blows spark plugs straight out of the head during take-off and in turn taking out the coilpacks along with them?

We can take this dance all night!

 

[UpperUpsilon]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Hey, at least we don't have to worry about the ol' Fords taking off without our consent! Curses to drive-by-wire!

BTW, I'm a Ford man. Have both a 1995 Ranger and 2001 Explorer, both awesome vehicles. Both have had less problems than our 2006 Honda Odyssey combined. AND they are older...

The reason you hear about so many Ford problems is because there are so many of them, and many are neglected!

 

[jfadool]

nevermind

 

[brianvolt7]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

I don't care what anyone says, it's still an "Exploder" and Uhaul won't rent you a trailer if you own one, so I wouldn't tow my boat with it either!!!

My wife and I loved the Exploders. The first one a 91 no tranny problems, 165k when we sold it. The next one a 96 V8 AWD, blew up the tranny at 101K our last one an 03, blew up the tranny at 55K. Then at 85K it started to not go into gear or bang into gear. We traded it in on a 05 Nissan Pathfinder with 25K. Has 48K on it now and has run strong with no problems yet.

I wouldn't tow anything with an Explorer, it cost me two trannys.

 

[symonds86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Ford's little solid axle rear end they put under there isn't anything to be proud of behind a V8 motor.....

Just a ticking timebomb.............

its actually an 8.8 rearend the same that came in the f150s till at least 96 just narrower and with disc brakes, the 8.8 also comes in the v8 mustangs so the axle is not the weak link. i had a 99 sploder sport v6 awd for my dd for about a year ,to save miles on my superduty, it was a solid rig had a few egr issues but nothing to major just a rotted out dpfe tube and a leaking dipstick. i loved mine but my friend sister offered my 1700 for it and i paid 600 so i sold it

 

[symonds86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

How about a Triton 5.4L that blows spark plugs straight out of the head during take-off and in turn taking out the coilpacks along with them?

We can take this dance all night!

most the time its due to the owner or some dumb#@$ at a shop not torquing them to spec to tight or to loose and the threads are compromised. still not a good design by ford to have so few threads in the head but still most the time its improper installation of the plugs. you a dodge guy who likes to replace ball joint and all other kinds of front end parts or a chevy guy who like to replace fuel pumps and intake gaskets, o and the entire rear disk brake system including backing plates and ebrake parts after a couple winters

 

[Pontuned]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

most the time its due to the owner or some dumb#@$ at a shop not torquing them to spec to tight or to loose and the threads are compromised. still not a good design by ford to have so few threads in the head but still most the time its improper installation of the plugs. you a dodge guy who likes to replace ball joint and all other kinds of front end parts or a chevy guy who like to replace fuel pumps and intake gaskets, o and the entire rear disk brake system including backing plates and ebrake parts after a couple winters

LOL, yeah....pick your poison. (BTW, I have a Dodge and a Ford)


I am calling BS on some of these "problems" that are just hearsay IMO. The 8.8 rear end in the 2nd gen Explorers are great in comparison to their counterparts from GM and Jeep. The 4R55E and 5R55E were prone to have valve body issues which could lead to failure but it was usually over 100K miles. The problem with the 4405 transfer cases is in the design, yes it is bad. The shaft rides in the back case half and over time wears out the the housing. The excess play causes wear to the cam and selector and in turn causes noise, binding and in some cases....loss of reverse. The 96 V8 AWD is arguably the best setup possible on an explorer. I have seen many of them go over 200K before having any drivetrain issues.

I have owned 2 Explorers, a 95 4.0 Eddie Bauer and an 03 V8 AWD 100th anniversary. I had great service from the 95 and the 03 is going strong with no problems at 80K, some of which were spent pulling a pontoon.

The late model explorers have had their fair share of drivetrain problems but most of them are on the v6's. The rear ends need to be serviced regularly and may still not keep the carrier bearigs from going out. The transmissions on the late model v6's wear out quickly due to excessive shifting and poor design. The servo bores wear out and cause issues in 2nd and 3rd gear which require machining and re-sleeving of the case to correct.

They may have their hiccups but on the whole an Explorer (year for year) is as good a vehicle as a Blazer, Durango or Grand Cherokee IMO.

 

[Topol_86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

I'm actually quite surprised this thread is only 2 pages. Basically when it comes down to it, you're gonna buy what you've had/heard good experiences about. I personally love the late 90's suburban Dad owns a '96 gmc suburban in europe [exported from CAN], but for 700 bucks, the exploder took the money. I've worked on many different vehicles, and if you believe FORD stands for "found on road dead" believe my ford will be fixed quicker than any other with the same problem

 

[Topol_86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

Another side-note, I'm not sure if Fords were designed this way, or it just happened to be, but i find a Ford to be the easiest vehicle to work on hands down. Any other takers?

 

[symonds86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

the older ones yes the newer superdutys and f150s not so much lol pull the cab to pull the motor lol but none of them are easy to work on at home anymore

 

[Topol_86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

The 8.8 rear end in the 2nd gen Explorers are great in comparison to their counterparts from GM and Jeep. The 4R55E and 5R55E were prone to have valve body issues which could lead to failure but it was usually over 100K miles. The problem with the 4405 transfer cases is in the design, yes it is bad. The shaft rides in the back case half and over time wears out the the housing. The excess play causes wear to the cam and selector and in turn causes noise, binding and in some cases....loss of reverse. The 96 V8 AWD is arguably the best setup possible on an explorer. I have seen many of them go over 200K before having any drivetrain issues.

Mines the '97 V8 AWD. So with proper maintenance (and hopeful thoughts previous owners didn't beat the crap out of it) I should likely get 50 000-100 000 km before expecting a serious issue? regardless, I buy "disposeable" vehicles because they're cheap. Drive them to the ground, get what you can for them, and move onto the next. IMO better than buying a brand new vehicle and watching 6 grand drop in depreciation from simply driving off the lot.

 

[Topol_86]

Re: New to me tow vehicle

the older ones yes the newer superdutys and f150s not so much lol pull the cab to pull the motor lol but none of them are easy to work on at home anymore

I'm of the price bracket of not buying anything newer than 10 yrs old. I find Ford of that era a million times easier to work on than any other vehicle manufacturer.