Opinions on 2002 Ford Explorer 4x4

Ranger Sport Honduras · Jan 13, 2011

so my brothers 2nd kid was born today :yahoo:

a nice healthy kid.
anyway he drives a 00 3.0 ext cab Ranger. its a nice truck and has no flaws. works like new.

but as u know its not a family vehicle. so we went looking around at some car lots, and we found this nice explorer.
2002 4.0 auto 4x4. with 104,xxx miles.
the guy knows us, so hes giving him a good deal on it.

we couldnt test it today because the battery was dead. the guys said it will have a new one for tomorrow.

so im asking, what u think about the 02 explorer? its a good suv/truck? its a good Ranger replacement?
im asking because we havent had any explorer before, so idk if they have issues with transmissions or electronic modules.

i would like to read a good number of opinions, since he could make the deal tomorrow on it.

thanks! :icon_thumby:

Boggin · Jan 13, 2011

nice lookin explorer, and congrats uncle RSH

Ranger Sport Honduras · Jan 13, 2011

Boggin said:
nice lookin explorer, and congrats uncle RSH

yup it looks really nice, and the interior is really clean.

Thanks man! :icon_thumby:

Ranger Dave (B25) · Jan 13, 2011

Congrats Uncle Pancho! Need a cigar-smoking smilie....

Exploder looks good. What's the guy asking?

edit: Are those Dodge truck wheels on there?

Ranger Sport Honduras · Jan 13, 2011

Ranger Dave (B25) said:
Congrats Uncle Pancho! Need a cigar-smoking smilie....

Exploder looks good. What's the guy asking?

edit: Are those Dodge truck wheels on there?

thanks Dave!
hes asking
6800 USD, and hes taking the blue Ranger u can barely see in the back for
3700.

and those are the Explorer stock wheels lol.

i would like some opinions on reliability and common issues to look at.

Ranger Dave (B25) · Jan 13, 2011

Ranger Sport Honduras said:
thanks Dave!
hes asking
6800 USD, and hes taking the blue Ranger u can barely see in the back for
3700.

and those are the Explorer stock wheels lol.

i would like some opinions on reliability and common issues to look at.

Yeah, realized that after I looked at one of the other pictures and saw the center-cap.

shane96ranger · Jan 13, 2011

Ranger Sport Honduras said:
i would like some opinions on reliability and common issues to look at.

My buddies transmission shop sees a lot of these. They have junk valve body's but after they are sleeved (pressure regulator - see link below) they are great. You also have to align the torque converter just right or it will vibrate.

I realize that could happen on any torque converter, but these in particular are ultra sensitive.

http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/4R44E_5R55E_pressure_regulator_sleeve_p/400-03794705k.htm

Ranger Sport Honduras · Jan 13, 2011

shane96ranger said:
My buddies transmission shop sees a lot of these. They have junk valve body's but after they are sleeved (pressure regulator - see link below) they are great. You also have to align the torque converter just right or it will vibrate.

I realize that could happen on any torque converter, but these in particular are ultra sensitive.

http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/4R44E_5R55E_pressure_regulator_sleeve_p/400-03794705k.htm

is there a chance that Ford replaces/fixes this issue?
ive seen some common problem sites and the tranny has a lot of complains.

shane96ranger · Jan 13, 2011

Ranger Sport Honduras said:
is there a chance that Ford replaces/fixes this issue?
ive seen some common problem sites and the tranny has a lot of complains.

When you say is there a chance Ford fixes it, do you mean under warranty? If so, then no because they usually take a dump at 90-100,000 miles. So it's out of warranty at that time. When Ford DID fix these under warranty, they just slapped another valve body off the shelf in them instead of re-sleeving them.

I have a friend who had an 02, but it was a 4.6 liter (they use the same transmission though). His had the pump go bad which he had replaced. Then the converter went out, and then the whole trans. All within 10,000 miles. He sold it and won't ever own another one.

I need a bigger vehicle, and this is one of the main reasons I'm not thrilled about the 02-10 Explorer. I really would like the 3rd row seat. I might do it though because my friend with the trans shop can just sleeve it for me.

Now, I want to warn you of an even bigger mistake. Most people who decide not to look at these tend to look at the Freestyle. This looks like a shortened Explorer. All of the Freestyles have CVT transmissions, which are absolute garbage. These things are outrageously priced to repair. Should your brother look this way, slap him. LOL. No seriously, if he does, look at the 08 Taurus X. It's the Freestyle with a new name, but it has a 6 speed transmission. It appears all of manufacturers are dumping the CVT transmissions.

shane96ranger · Jan 13, 2011

LOL, I was just looking at some photos of my car here and noticed something. My car is being stored at my friends trans shop for the winter. Look what's in the photo next to it.

4.0B2 · Jan 14, 2011

my biggest flaw for them is.. aint they IRS? but anyways..
yeah i've heard about the trans issue.

but a friend of mine, her mom has one and loves it. drives it for a company vehicle and its got a good bit of miles on it for an 03. no major issues. her trans has been just fine. and it rides pretty good.. great family vehicle.

shane96ranger · Jan 14, 2011

4.0B2 said:
aint they IRS?

Yes, they are an 8.8 pumpkin with IRS.

Ranger Sport Honduras · Jan 14, 2011

dont worry, he wont even look at the freestyle. and he doesnt want a car(taurus, focus-anything with low ground clearance). hes either going for tis explorer or keeping his truck for a little more time, but i doubt it will work as a family vehicle.

a friend just got a nice mazda 6. great car. but again it sits too low. even a stock Ranger could drive over it on a crash. thats why he doesnt want cars. hes been in crashes driving one and he feels saver on something bigger/taller(thats why he got the ranger).

and as 4.0b2 says. there area lot of them driving around and seem to work fine. its a shame that sucha great vehicle has a weak transmission. ive seen a lot of them and until now, ive never heard about tranny issues on one(at least here)
IRS is what gives the really nice ride on them LOL.

i dont know what to tell him. damn!

85_Ranger4x4 · Jan 14, 2011

They have the same tranny as a Ranger. Parents has somehwere around 100k on it it and it still shifts fine. I think it had about 40k on it when they got it.

Given what else the Explorer has had it is probably the best tranny in a V6 Explorer.

The IRS makes a plumb fool out of the '94 Ex that it replaced on a road trip. Totally makes it look stupid. Somehow the bigger body doesn't catch as much crosswind either.

You probably don't care down there but they are a friggin tank in the snow with a L/S. :icon_thumby:

I always laughed that the Freestyle looked like a rolled Explorer :icon_rofl:

Not too many of them or the Taurus X that replaced them around here.

straycat · Jan 14, 2011

I won't buy a '02-'03 model. The 04 and up were much better with no real tranny issues. I have friends who had the '02-'03 models and they had nothing but troubles with them...some recalls as well. There were so happy to get rid of them!!! My sister's best friend back in '08 bought a really nice looking 02 at a dealer near me in Ocala. It had 60,000 miles on it when she bought it. One year later and after she put 6,000 miles on the Exploder she lost a wheel (right front) and the whole right assembly had to replaced...right and left new upper arms and upper and lower ball joints and a new front rotor and brake pads because those parts got ground up when the right wheel came off. It cost her almost $1900+ the tow charges and sh had to rent a car to get around for a few days. Then.... two weeks later she was towing their small get away camping trailer and the tranny went out while they were up in Georgia on a week long camping trip. That cost a bunch as well. My sister's friend traded it in on a new Chevy SUV!!!

Opinions on 2002 Ford Explorer 4x4

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