Hello Mr.Kilmer,
I bought a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac with 163476 miles for 3000 dollar. I took it to a mechanic before I completed the purchase for check up. Both engine and transmission are in good shape, no miss fire or slipping when driving. The engine is 4.0 V6 with the 5 speed-auto transmission. It took me a long time a research to find one with good price and acceptable mileage rate. The things I replaced were the thermostat since it had minor leaking, I bought MOTORAD thermostat. The AC blower and connector were replaced since the fans won't blow air properly except on speed 4, new parts were from Dorman brand. Sway bar (Motocroft brand) and upper control arm (DELPHI) on the right side were replaced as well. I did the regular changes for engine's oil, brakes, filters, etc.... I used Mobil 1 high mileage and oil filter for better performance and to reduce or prevent sludge from piling up for first time, but I might use Pennzoil for better protection next time. As for the transmission, the owner told me he changed its oil at 160000 miles and he was the second of it. I'm aware of its timing chain issue and owners of this generation says the automatic transmission might brake down as well. I not towing with it but, maybe minor a payload. It's gonna be a daily drive truck than working and I hope it stays 2 or 3 years without making issues. What do you say about this generation of this truck?
PS. I'm a long time fan of you Mr.Kilmer and learned a lot from you through out the years on youtube.
@mohammed-117
I have a 2005 Sport trac w/ 160K miles and absolutely love it. I live in michigan and no rust yet, however it did spend 4 0r 5 winters in Florida. Only problems I've had are; thermostat, badly corroded wheels, loose shifter which I repaired, fuel gage not reading correctly which I am living with, new front hubs/rotors and front & rear brakes.. Used to put a lot of miles on it when going back and forth to Florida and northern Michigan but now I just use it locally. Good luck with yours.
Thank you and being the third owner of the truck, I hope it last for a good time until I sell or ship it back home. The thermostat is a common problem since it's made out of plastic and made the heat gauge read poorly as well then ford fixed it with metal ones, but I got MOTORAD thermostat since it has a very good review on amazon and rockauto. The only thing I didn't change transmission's oil and this thing can be a miss or hit even when done regularly.
Good job on buying that truck. Keep up with the regular maintenance.
@mountainmanjoe
Thank you for the video. I've watched when Mr.Kilmer uploaded it, but I think I need more details on the truck since there's a minor difference between it and the explorer suv. I think it's the engine's wiring that makes them different.