EXPLORER OR EXPLODER ?

[CFISHN]

AFTER THE PROBLEMS OF A FEW YEARS AGO !

WHAT DO YOU GUY THINK OF THE EXPLORER IS IT WORTHY TOW VEHICLE ?

ANY OF YOU GUYS TOW 3500 POUNDS WITH ONE ?

AND IF SO WHAT YEAR AND HOW DOSE IT STOP ?

[FishiNJ]

I believe that was just an issue with the tire company...treds coming off not the trucks themselves.*006*

[capn luke]

I have HEARD (key word here is heard) from two guys who work here that say they had tranny problems with the explorer. I have not owned one myself but was recently looking at one on the way home from work at an attractive price. I mention this because BOTH guys said it voluntarily and neither person knows the other. Just thought I'd mention that because it was enough to persuade me from buying the vehicle, and I'm hardheaded about such things. All that aside, there sure are a ton of them still on the road.

[Whatever]

Hey guys this is very simple problem to solve..Buy A Chevy*laughing**laughing**laughing*

[tpurvis]

Hector, tell'em like it is!!! Buy a Chevy

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

My brother in law had a 2003 or 2004 and he also had tranny problems, they changed it(tranny) twice in a 3 year lease period.

[OBX Hokie]

Uhaul won't let you rent a trailer if you tow with an exploder! True. Don't know why. The ask me every time I rent a trailer.

I'm with Whatever, buy a GM!

My Tahoe with the 4.11 will tow just about anything that I am willing to tow....even Exploders!!!! ;D;D

[Willie]

I have a 1994 explorer with 146k miles on it and the same tranny it came with. also a 1994 ford ranger which has been pushing a snowplow for 9 years and pulling the skiff for 5 years and still going strong....knock on lots of wood....maybe 1994 was a very good year...*006*

[sportskiff]

2500 HD gmc 6.0 l, 6 spd, 4 dr, 8' bed. Or ya can get the duramax diesel.
I have a pal that bought a new hemi truck, an the dodge looks great, but we had to change the front wheelbearings at 74,000 ( an the Dodge shop wanted 500$ plus a side.)
I have been having a problem with an Eddie Bower exploder that another pal owns, seems ford quit making the anti lock brake module thats taken a GIANT sized *&%$ and 3 out of the junk yards aint worked yet. Ya touch the brakes in it a little hard an it locks up the wheels. (a new trannie just put in it, he picked it up yesterday)
I done pulled bot of em with my chevvy,

[CFISHN]

Uhaul won't let you rent a trailer if you tow with an exploder! True. Don't know why. The ask me every time I rent a trailer.

I'm with Whatever, buy a GM!

My Tahoe with the 4.11 will tow just about anything that I am willing to tow....even Exploders!!!! ;D;D

POP HAD A 1997 TAHOE 7 BREAK DOWNS REQUIRING A TOW MANY MANY FUEL PUMPS THEN THE FOUND THE WIRING HARNESS PINCHED REPLACED IT ! *004*

OL YEA IN THE SHOP 17 DAYS BEFORE 17K SOME MILES

WHEN POP ASK GM TO BUY IT BACK THEY TOLD HIM HE COULD TRADE IT IN AT THE CHEVY DEALER OF HIS CHOICE ! *004*

SO HE CHOSE A FORD DEALER ! :secret:

AND THEN A TOYOTA DEALER AND WE ALL KEEP ON NOT CHOOSING GM ! :secret:

THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT ! :secret:

YOU KNOW HE ONLY PAID 37K FOR THAT 1997 TAHOE LT ! :eek:

YOUR MONEY JUST DON'T GO FAR WITH GM ! *laughing*

[Dave]

I've been towing with a 2003 Explorer for nearly 4 years. Many trips from Rutherfordton NC to Tennessee (on I-40, over the mountains) pulling a 5x10 box trailer loaded with solid hardwood parts and lumber (no doubt overloaded a few times) without a problem. Been towing my utility trailer with wood and sheetgoods and my skiff around this area for the past year and a half. No problem there either. Strong motor (for what it is) but I don't get in a hurry, careful to accelerate easy and don't fly down the road (keep it under 65) when hauling anything of much weight. This vehicle is not set up heavy duty for towing and so I wouldn't call my Explorer an excellent tow vehicle compared to a real truck or heavy duty SUV, but it works for the kind of weight you are asking to tow. I'll also mention that I had an '88 S-10 Blazer 4x4 V-6 that the whole world would tell you was prone to transmission problems. I often towed it to the max and drove it for 16 years, including a few trips across country, and sold it to my neighbor when I bought the (salvaged title) Explorer, 4 years ago. He's still driving it, on it's second motor with original transmission.

FWIW, I'm a maintenance freak when it comes to fluids, oil, and lubricaton... the three things (if not attended to frequently and properly) that will quickly kill anything mechanical and made of metal.

Dave

[CFISHN]

WE LIKED THE SIZE NOT HUGE BUT NOT SMALL AND THE "REAL 4X4" NOT THAT ALL WHEEL DRIVE BUSINESS ! FEW VEHICLES NOW DAYS WILL RUN IN THE WOODS , FIELD OR MAYBE THE BEACH IF THE ECO TERRORISTS GO AWAY !

THEIR ARE LOTS OF THEM OUT THEIR ON THE USED MARKET TO PICK FROM I LIKE THEM BETTER EVERY DAY !

THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT , I JUST HAD THE OL THEY DON'T TOW THING IN THE BACK OF MY MIND *kickrock*

[Dave]

CFISHN, I forgot to answer your "HOW DOES IT STOP" question. I don't have brakes on my trailer and it stops plenty good... but again, I don't crowd folks. I do recall two times I was heavily loaded and had occasion to have to put my foot to the breaks hard to avoid running into something. The 4 wheel disc brakes did the job better than I expected. You definitely want to keep a check on your breaks and (especially) your front break pads. The rear pads last a lot longer than the front pads and if you don't check them, you may not realize how fast the front pads wear and consequently, your stopping power significantly reduced.

Dave

[Shakespeare]

Dave,

Didn't you put an add-a-leaf spring set on the Explorer?

[al_e._gator]

I have a 1994 explorer with 146k miles on it and the same tranny it came with. also a 1994 ford ranger which has been pushing a snowplow for 9 years and pulling the skiff for 5 years and still going strong....knock on lots of wood....maybe 1994 was a very good year...*006*

173k on my 1994 explorer with original tranny. If I could buy another just like it brand new I would. This thing has been in 4 accidents, only one my fault, in the last 5 years and it just keeps on chugging along.

[Slim to None]

depends on the year of the explorer. the older ones were much better about the tranys lasting. the newer ones (like 2000ish and up) went to a new 5 speed 5R55E/5R55W transmission, and my professional opinion is that they are junk!!! not to step on anybodies toes that has one of these trucks, but i do more work on this trany than ANY other new trany out there. ford did away with the trans dipstick on most of these tranys, so checking the fluid is almost impossible on your own, you need a lift to check the fluid. they also went to independant rear suspension on the new body style explorers and the early years (2003-2005) had major problems with the rear differentials. i've had to replace two differential assemblies on a 2003 and 2005 explorer with both having below 75k miles. the 2003 had only 45k miles on it when it went out, and ford wouldn't budge on helping my customer with the warranty. so if it is a newer body style (i think 2002 & up) i'd stay away from it for a towing vehicle. they were not made to tow much more than a utility trailer loaded down with some lumber. ford went all creature comfort with the newer smooth riding suspensions and the 5 speed trany. they do make great cruising trucks, with good amounts of interior room for their size, but they are far from a "truck" to do anytype of towing or hard hauling from. if you get one, change the trans fluid every 30k miles, just to be safe. these tranys are incredibly expensive compared to other domestic truck autos. again, i dont want to sound like i'm trashing someones ride, i just see this truck more than any other domestic truck, so i wanted to offer my opinion from a transmission shop perspective.

edit: also the 4x4 shouldn't be used for anything other than beach sand or muddy dirt roads, any serious trail/ mudd use i'd stay away from. ford went to a very weak transfer case. the chain in them is prone to breaking if any big torque loads are applied to it.

[al_e._gator]

Hey Slim, What about the current V8 models? I've been looking at getting one of those. The current rebate is $6k and the prices are looking good.

[Slim to None]

same trany. granted i have some customers with them and have had ZERO problems. i'm just seeing more than the "average" of the new ford explorers/ sport tracs. i wouldn't use one to pull my boat even if someone gave it to me. but that's just my personal opinion on ford products. *laughing*i will say, if you get one to never pull in overdrive, always disable it! this will extend the life of the trany, and always change the fluid every 30k regardless what the dealer tells you. these tranys were not built to be strong towing units. this particular trany would be more at home in something like a crown vic or grand marquis.

[Dave]

Dave,

Didn't you put an add-a-leaf spring set on the Explorer?

I did, and it seemed to work but was a temporary fix, trying to support the heavy tongue weight I have on my boat/trailer. With over 90K miles on the Explorer, figured it was time for new shocks, so I installing a set (front and rear) of Rancho 5000's a few months ago, and a much better solution. Still the extra heavy (way to heavy to manually lift) tongue weight drops the rear end to low for my liking... probably need to move the trailer axle forward some.

Dave

[al_e._gator]

same trany. Dang, that sucks. Thanks for the info. I figured that if the 5R55 was weak behind a V6 they would have used a 4R70 or similar behind the V8.

[Slim to None]

Dang, that sucks. Thanks for the info. I figured that if the 5R55 was weak behind a V6 they would have used a 4R70 or similar behind the V8.

it would make sense to put the bigger 4R70W behind the V8, but nothing Ford does makes sense.rotflmao

p.s. we are taking explorer trannies, and here pulls in a new customer with a 2005 explorer having tranny trouble. talk about timing!*laughing*rotflmao;D

[Ninet3mudluvr]

My dad has an '03 explorer 4x4 which has pulled its fair share of boats, including my skiff (when I let him);D. However the rear axle did have to be replaced a couple years back, I'm not sure why it went bad in the first place but it was covered under warranty.

I would have no problem owning an explorer... but I already have my 400hp Trailblazer SS... So I can have fun even when I'm not goin fishin. ;D

[MartyJ16]

... but I already have my 400hp Trailblazer SS... So I can have fun even when I'm not goin fishin. ;D

Guy in my neighborhood has a maroon one, and it is sharp!

[ma williams]

cant coment on the Explorer but my 1998 ranger pulls my 17 skiff just like my f250 like its not there.Had a chevy truck befor and it couldnt pull a flounder of ice

[Redfish]

i wouldn't use one to pull my boat even if someone gave it to me. but that's just my personal opinion on ford products. *laughing*i will say, if you get one to never pull in overdrive, always disable it! this will extend the life of the trany, and always change the fluid every 30k regardless what the dealer tells you. these tranys were not built to be strong towing units. this particular trany would be more at home in something like a crown vic or grand marquis.

Ouch, Slim. That one hurt. By the way, thanks again for fixing my Explorer SportTrac tranny.*thumbsup*

Seriously, I have owned nothing but Ford products since I was 18 and have had nothing less than outstanding service from them. I've got a 78 F series that still is on the road, and Mama's Windstar is a 98 approaching 200K with nothing greater than a couple of worn parts replaced. I've owned a couple of other Fords with similar results. That said, and as I indicated above, I did have a transmission problem with my SportTrac (65K miles), but Slim's shop put it right with a solenoid (still, as he said, not a cheap repair). He and I both agree that the problem I had was not related to towing, but I did have a tranny problem nonetheless.

Folks, Slim does know his stuff about transmissions, and I trust his assessment of the model, though he and I might not agree on "Ford products" in general. When I had my trouble, I did what any good internet jockey does and went the the web. There is a lot of info out there to indicate that the Explorer's had some issues with transmissions. Personally, I don't hold one repair in 60K miles against a vehicle, but there is a consensus that the vehicle has had its issues. I'll keep my SportTrac and drive it since I don't generally trade vehicles until I wear one out, but if I were buying tomorrow, and having the boat I have now, I would likely get something more stout.

[Slim to None]

Ouch, Slim. That one hurt. By the way, thanks again for fixing my Explorer SportTrac tranny.*thumbsup*

Folks, Slim does know his stuff about transmissions, and I trust his assessment of the model, though he and I might not agree on "Ford products" in general.

you're welcome, redfish! it was my pleasure to help out a fellow forum member!*thumbsup* and thanks for the vote of cofidence! i've been around all aspects of mechanics for as long as i've been learning. my first lesson, before kindergarten were about cars. and i'm just rippin' on ford, for the ford sucks in general comment, i'm just a chevy guy! there are some great ford vehicles out there, early 90s f150s for example. practically bullet proof. my biggest gripe with ford, and they've done this for awhile, is not getting their act together on their transmissions. they are incredibly sensitive to any abnormal use, i.e. wrong fluid, solenoid problems, or their valve bodies having issues and then cooking the clutches before you notice it. some people dont realize the newer sport tracs take Mercon V. or if something happens and you catch the problem early, you can avoid the large bills of a full rebuild. my opinion does get kinda soured b/c most vehicle i see the customer has waited too long. i just see more ford trucks for trannies than chevys, toyotas, or dodges. maintenance is the key! keep the filter and fluid changed and you'll be okay.

[Redfish]

keep the filter and fluid changed and you'll be okay.

Got my little "Performance Transmission" sticker still on my windowshield with the service interval written in. I'll be seein ya at 84K*thumbsup*