OT: My 200K Explorer

Daniel Nighteyes · October 26, 2009, 08:53:57 PM

Well folks, we've reached a major milestone. On Sunday, after some careful calculations and planning on the part of yours truly, my trusty 1998 Explorer reached the 200,000 mile mark in a beautiful local park. SWMBO and I celebrated with a bottle of champagne and a picnic at the scene of the milestone event.

Here's some photographic evidence:

FWIW, I plan to continue driving this Explorer until the wheels fall off, get my mechanic to put 'em back on, and then drive until they fall off AGAIN...

-- One Happy Nighteyes

GunClick Rick · October 26, 2009, 09:29:06 PM

Dave Ramsey would be proud! Clark Howard would be exstatic,me i'm gonna do the same i hope with my Ford Ranger Edge.my truck fits me like a good hat,i bet yours does too.

Howdy Doody · October 26, 2009, 09:30:12 PM

I had a 96 ford f150 with the last of the 302 engines (5.0) and I sold it at 268000 +. I traveled a long way to and from work 6 days a week and it was easy mileage. I only had a check engine lamp once. It was an oxygen sensor. I replaced tires about 5 times. front brakes once, serpentine belt once, wiper blades about 4 times and that is about it. Ran great, used very little oil.

I have a Dodge with the hemi now. 40K + on it. I have replaced the battery and wiper blades. On my own I installed a magnum ECM for the fuel mileage ( I just got 22.2 MPG to Norco and back) and so far it has been a good truck too.

If you can keep from ever overheating either engine or transmissions, cars and trucks seem to last a long time. Get to 230 degrees though and you will have issues on the engine. 275 on the transmission.

yes, I have been a mechanic all my life, although I am a service manager now.

So, good on you and your ride Daniel. You are doing great and I'll bet the champaigne went down smooth.

Forty Rod · October 27, 2009, 01:05:23 PM

I had 191,000 on my Crown Vic with a 302. The transmission went out at about 90,000 and when it went the second time I sold her.

Daniel Nighteyes · October 27, 2009, 04:11:43 PM

Quote from: Howdy Doody on October 26, 2009, 09:30:12 PM
I had a 96 ford f150 with the last of the 302 engines (5.0) and I sold it at 268000 +.

Interesting. My Explorer (a '98) has a 5.0-liter V-8, the one that goes in Mustangs. Power out the wazoo. In fact it will pass nearly anything on the road -- uh, except a gas station! $:-\$ $:-\$

I think it has the trailer-towing package, because it only gets 15 -17 mpg on the highway.

Delmonico · October 27, 2009, 06:24:26 PM

I have an F-150 1990 model with 225,000 on it. Gets about 18 in town and 23 on the highway. Recently changed to taller tires and been gettin' about 20 in town. Only time I've had it on the highway with them was when I went to Ft. Hartsuff 3 weeks ago, had over a ton on it and it only got 18 on the way up, but lighter load better balanced and it got 21 on the way back. 300 CID in-line six and a 5-speed.

Danny Bear Claw · October 27, 2009, 06:32:47 PM

Mine is a 1986 Chevy K-20, (that's a 3/4 ton 4X4), pick-up. 210,000+ miles. Still going strong. Last of the 350 engines. Last one with lock-out hubs. Last one with factory duel exhaust. Last one made with a carberator. All steel, no plastic. On it's 5th set of tires now... off road knobbies, of course. Standard transmission. It ain't for sale!

Forty Rod · October 27, 2009, 07:24:59 PM

My BIL has about an '86 Suburban with a 350. Guess I'll ask how many miles he has in it. Had it refurbed about six years ago because "the new stuff is all plastic and tinfoil". Also, it has 16 or 18" split rims which he says he can't get anymore. I know he had a new transmission put in it at least once.

He drove it on the job for nine years back when he was a supervisor for Utah Power and Light. It isn't a 'low-mileage' truck.

Adirondack Jack · October 27, 2009, 07:32:43 PM

Good to hear this stuff. I'm kinda bummed on vehicles these days. Got a 96 dakota with only 104K miles and it's been nothin but trouble. It's had tranny work, water pump, timing chain and gears, fuel pump for $600, two radiators, two sets of rotors, oxygen sensors and complete exhaust from the crossover back, including a converter, brake lines all rotted away, (nearly got killed in it a couple weeks ago with total brake loss), can't even get an emergency brake cable out of dodge these days.... Oh, it is a V6 that only gets 15 or 16 MPG on a good day, and 11 towing a 2500 lb trailer. Little odds and ends like locks froze up, window hardware broke, etc that ain't gonna get fixed..... My car butcher just informed me the frame is showing the start of some hairlines......

I want a BETTER truck, (not new, can't afford it) and wonder about longevity and economy on any of em. Wish I could find a diesel with less than 150K on it I could afford......

Daniel Nighteyes · October 27, 2009, 07:54:03 PM

Quote from: GunClick Rick on October 26, 2009, 09:29:06 PMmy truck fits me like a good hat,i bet yours does too.

Absolutely! In fact, I can't seem to picture myself in another vehicle.

Howdy Doody · October 27, 2009, 10:15:49 PM

Quote from: Daniel Nighteyes on October 27, 2009, 04:11:43 PM
Interesting. My Explorer (a '98) has a 5.0-liter V-8, the one that goes in Mustangs. Power out the wazoo. In fact it will pass nearly anything on the road -- uh, except a gas station! $:-\$ $:-\$

I think it has the trailer-towing package, because it only gets 15 -17 mpg on the highway.

But if they went to the smaller displacement 4.9s for the '97 models and eliminated the straight sizes and went with v6s only, was that just for pickup trucks? I know the frame, body and the engines/transmissions changed with the model year 97.

Now for kicks and giggles, I was looking at a shelby mustang on the sales floor of the dealer here in Bakersfield a month ago. It had a sticker price of $59k. It was of course put together by shelby and it had turbo and a lot of other goodies under the hood, the body had shelby mods on it too, but 59k in this economy? What are they thinking?

Trailer packs usually do include bigger volume radiators, some different wiring harnesses and a lot of times a bigger trans cooler and lower gearing. I know my Dodge has lower gears compared to non tow pack. That is why I went with the Dodge magnum ECM. When on the highway, my engine cuts 4 cylinders and runs on 4. That is how I got my mileage up from 18 highyway to sometimes as much as 23mpg. The later models do the same, but mine is a 2004 and it only cut 2 cylinders at highway cruise speeds or idle. I have read that a cold air intake would help, but it would take me 10 years of the little I drive now to offset the cost.
I use all that as an excellent excuse to ride my Harley whenever I can.

Daniel Nighteyes · October 28, 2009, 08:42:31 AM

Quote from: Howdy Doody on October 27, 2009, 10:15:49 PMBut if they went to the smaller displacement 4.9s for the '97 models and eliminated the straight sizes and went with v6s only, was that just for pickup trucks? I know the frame, body and the engines/transmissions changed with the model year 97.

Beats me. I bought mine used in 2000 -- it had just come off a lease. IIRC, the 98 Explorers had two V-8 engine choices, and the 5-liter was the larger of the two. This one is definitely an 8 and its marked as a 5.0-liter. There's little "V8" emblems on the sheet metal just behind the front wheels, too.

Forty Rod · October 28, 2009, 11:11:10 AM

Quote from: Adirondack Jack on October 27, 2009, 07:32:43 PM
Good to hear this stuff. I'm kinda bummed on vehicles these days. Got a 96 dakota with only 104K miles and it's been nothin but trouble. It's had tranny work, water pump, timing chain and gears, fuel pump for $600, two radiators, two sets of rotors, oxygen sensors and complete exhaust from the crossover back, including a converter, brake lines all rotted away, (nearly got killed in it a couple weeks ago with total brake loss), can't even get an emergency brake cable out of dodge these days.... Oh, it is a V6 that only gets 15 or 16 MPG on a good day, and 11 towing a 2500 lb trailer. Little odds and ends like locks froze up, window hardware broke, etc that ain't gonna get fixed..... My car butcher just informed me the frame is showing the start of some hairlines......

I want a BETTER truck, (not new, can't afford it) and wonder about longevity and economy on any of em. Wish I could find a diesel with less than 150K on it I could afford......

My wife's brother was a long-haul trucker all his life until he retired, and has driven Dodge diesel pickups as his personal ride for the entire 45 years I've known him. Back in March he told me the latest one, a 2004 model with a passenger compartment bigger than some apartments we've lived in, is a great disappointment. Transmission went at 55,000, fuel and electrical problems almost from the beginning, brakes every 25,000, and body and minor mechanical problems. He's about ready to look for something else and says that diesel isn't economical any more and he may start looking at gasoline rigs.

Howdy Doody · October 28, 2009, 11:56:02 AM

My Dodge is a 04 model too. I have the model they call the SLT Big Horn. I had to have that one. I'll tell ya about it some day. I think I only got a small warranty on it. These days they are giving a 7 year deal I think it is.
Sometimes you get lemons. I see it myself when someone brings a truck in and says they are continually having trouble and the next guy says he hardly ever does.
Same with motorcycles. I ride Harleys. Some have all kinds of problems and some never do. The warranty has now run out on my bike, but it never had anything wrong with it to take it in.

Delmonico · October 28, 2009, 02:08:13 PM

Back in 2005 a guy my brother knew special ordered a new F-250 4WD with the 300 six. Don't know if you can still get one. The thing is and industral engine and was first used in tractors and combines. Lots of the pump water on corn fields out here.

Long stroke, small bore, plenty power on the low end, not great at high rpm's. Perfect pick-up engine for a pick-up that is used like one.

One;s like that with a 4 or 5 speed and the older GMC/Chevy's with the 292 six are often called farmer specials around here.

Daniel Nighteyes · October 29, 2009, 08:26:55 AM

Quote from: Howdy Doody on October 28, 2009, 11:56:02 AM
Sometimes you get lemons. I see it myself when someone brings a truck in and says they are continually having trouble and the next guy says he hardly ever does.

One reason for that is the phenomenon of Tolerance Stacking. Its also the reason for the occasional "peach".

Since all "acceptable" manufactured parts are within the specified tolerance ranges for that part, they are not truly identical. Most of the time these slight variations work together pretty well, and sometimes even cancel each other out. Every now and then, though, a product will be assembled with parts that are all at the upper limits -- or all at the lower limits -- of their tolerance ranges. Each part is struggling against all the other parts, thereby producing poor performance, high wear/failure rates, etc.

The "peach" is a vehicle where all parts are at or very near the center of the tolerance ranges.

[Returning professorial garments to closet]

-- Nighteyes

Adirondack Jack · October 29, 2009, 12:34:31 PM

Quote from: Delmonico on October 28, 2009, 02:08:13 PM
Back in 2005 a guy my brother knew special ordered a new F-250 4WD with the 300 six. Don't know if you can still get one. The thing is and industral engine and was first used in tractors and combines. Lots of the pump water on corn fields out here.

Long stroke, small bore, plenty power on the low end, not great at high rpm's. Perfect pick-up engine for a pick-up that is used like one.

One;s like that with a 4 or 5 speed and the older GMC/Chevy's with the 292 six are often called farmer specials around here.

The classic 300 six with a long stroke and low power output for it's displacement that ran forever and a day was ruined by EPA and CAFE requirements that led Ford to put EFI on it and raise horsepower, thereby making an engine that DID have enough power to hurt itself. I was selling them at the time, and though they had performance for days, and better fuel mileage, it was the beginning of the end of the 300 six. What finally killed it was weight, and the ability to make a LARGER displacement V6 that weighed less and made more HP, though at the cost of longevity.

A fellow up the road from me has a 1980 ford 300 six single axle dump truck with 300K or more on it. It doesn't smoke and sounds good, despite the rotted exhaust. Nothing great for horsepower, gobs of torque, and lousy economy, but it'll run until the old truck breaks in half.

Delmonico · October 29, 2009, 04:01:18 PM

My EFI one normally gets 18-19 in town and 23-24 on the highway and will pull up a hill empty from 35 mph in 5th. Had to shift on a few hills to 4th on the way to Ft Hartsuff, to 4th, but we had most likely about 2500 pounds on it and it still got 18 mph despite the wind. Down to about 2000 pounds load we got 21 mph despite the wind.

Yes I have 4 ton plates on it.

MontanaSlick · November 01, 2009, 12:30:39 AM

Keeping my 1995 Dakota, how could I get rid of an old friend.

205,000 and even passed the emission tests with flying colors...20 mpg

gharrod · November 08, 2009, 04:24:30 PM

Our '98 Explorer Limited recently hit 160k. We got it used in '04 with 65k on it. Runs great, everything works, still looks great in spite of being used mostly as a hunting, fishing and gun cart and dog hauling vehicle in the last coupla years. It's the most reliable and most comfortable vehicle we've ever owned, and most important of all, it's long since paid for. It'll be driven till the wheels fall off, and then we'll get another one.