Hi, I am looking a buying from a friend a 2004 ford explorer XLT AWD (also has 4x4 switches on dash) with 4.6 litre engine, auto trans, with 218,000 KMS (about 135,000 miles I think) Canadian truck. Good interior and exterior condition for age.
-iS THIS awd DRIVE system good? Do not know anything about that system
-I have some service history from the last 2 years...the following work has been done: lab toe control link right RR, Lab ball joint 4wd lower both... lab control arm upper, both---lab control arm ball joint---front link kits---lower ball joint---cooling system leak fixed and pressure tested---shift indicator cable---rear speed sensor changed, ABS?---left front wheel bearing replaced---4 wheel alignment---rear brake pads and rotors replaced---just about every bulb on the exterior of truck changed---cruise control sensor replaced.
ALL WORK DONE IN LAST 2 YEARS. I am thinking with this amount of work done it should be a safe buy as so many items have been fixed? drives nice, shifts nice but am worried tranny fluid has never been changed. what are your thoughts?
Tyler
I had a 2007 Explorer and the transmission went on me had a 180 something thousand miles but it was rebuilt at like a hundred thousand miles so you may be needing to replace the transmission soon
Those vehicles aren't worth very much and the cost to rebuild the transmission is about the same as the price of another Explorer
a whine or hum coming from rear of vehicle at about 50-60 Kilometers per hour.
I would walk away. I don't buy noisy vehicles unless I know exactly what it is and why it happened.
Well unfortunately the weakest thing in that is the transmission and if the fluid has never been changed, what's that kind of mileage? I would assume that that train is probably and it's last legs. Price what a rebuild transmission would cost and kind of subtract that from the value of the car cuz you probably have to do that soon
THX FOR YOUR REPLY-- If I check tranny fluid and it is not black but reddish, would that be a sign it HAS been changed? IF it has been changed at least once would it be safe to change it again to help lifespan? (I saw your videos and others about not changing tranny fluid if its never been done)
If I check tranny fluid and it is not black but reddish, would that be a sign it HAS been changed? IF it has been changed at least once would it be safe to change it again to help lifespan?
See the FAQ.
Hi again, I test drove the truck today, it actually drives pretty darn good for age/mileage but....
some lifter tick I think in engine, and a whine or hum coming from rear of vehicle at about 50-60 Kilometers per hour. It goes away after 65 KPH or so as far as I can tell. Any ideas of what to look for there? Thoughts? Keep in mind this just a short term purchase for a couple years till can afford something better.
Wheel bearings, differential maybe.