Some help 2007 EL questions

[pennyanguy]

HI all,

Have a few questions...as I have posted on here in the past I have been searching for a EXPO EL price range is about 10K and trying to stay close to 100K mi...not many for sale period, no less fewer in western NY...sooooo I may have found one locally...2007 with 125K miles... went to look today..decent vehicle...clean underbody, has some paint flaking on the hood and rear deck...but otherwise clean.

1. upon cold startup ( I checked it was cold) there seemed to be a exhaust noise for maybe 20 seconds...I would have attributed it to a manifold leak...but it went away so fast I could not crawl under the car fast enough to hear it...did not hear it on subsequent startups... any ideas?

2. NO BACKUP CAMERA??? has nav system...with no backup camera?? could that have been an option? could the camera be retrofitted and interfaced with the nav screen?

3. undercarriage as I said is clean...free of rust...however the dealer did tell me up front he had a local car restorer custom make and install rocker panels...the originals were rusted...they are in fact steel rockers, and the bottoms of the doors are nice and clean..no rust... I did not know rockers were something to go on these EXPOs...there is NO rust anywhere else...surprising... anyway anything special to look for? I think he is being honest here as he did not even try to hide the hood and deck paint issues....and I would think they would be more detrimental to value being obvious in your face cosmetic issues.

this is my third EXPO EL I have driven...boy these things feel so much more solid then a Suburban...but they also feel under powered.... question is can they really tow successfully? We have a 5K # camper and were thinking with the bigger truck we might go bigger...I have towed tons of boats (was my business for years) with many trucks (F150 diesel, chevy van, dodge 100, 4 burbans...)...this just feels like it works hard to move itself...no less another 5-7K # behind it. Does anyone have any advise here...I love the truck so much I have to have to default to another burban!

Thanks for the feedback

 

[stamp11127]

Since the rockers were replaced you can bet on rust being elsewhere. How can the undercarriage be clean of rust but the rockers rust away?
It has been cleaned up for resale. If it was me I would stay away from it. A few members on here have had trans issues with the 2007's electronic controller around 100,000 miles. Just the board was around a grand list price.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

I'm not sure about the 07 but the 03-06 was notorious for rusted radiator supports. I don't believe that Ford made any major design changes so you might want to look at the radiator supports as well. The rockers on my 05 were shot. I had Ziebart treat the 17 with their rustproofing and undercoating to prevent this one from rusting a way. The new 3.5 L twin-turbo Ecoboast V6 engine has lots of power and accelerates faster than the 5.4 L Triton V8.

Before I decided to buy the 2017 EL, I was looking for used ELs and any that I found that were in decent shape were in the $25,000 to $30,000 + range. Anything in the $10,000 range is going to need work and if it has the 3 valve V8 with over 100K eventually is going to need cam phasers and timing chains and all that fun stuff. My old 05 had 146,000 + miles on it and it was going to need that work done soon and I just couldn't see putting that kind of money into a rust bucket.

 

[gixer2000]

1) manifold studs are very common to rott and break in these and are not a simple repair because the strut tower blocks the front half of the manifold. See if they'll do the repair before signing anything.

2) Backup camera didn't come factory till 2008 so would have to look into aftermarket options if that's a must have

3)por15 can cure a lot of rust issues of its not through and the metal is still somewhat solid. It cleans, converts and seals the rust with a ceramic like coating. Its works very well and I've been using it in me vehicles for years. I have a clean 07 that was developing rocker rust only where the fixed running board mated up to it. I pulled them down and applied por15 and it's solid.

 

[Ghostika]

I have a 2008 exp EL for sale but in California ‍.. No backup camera and stuff tho..
Currently in service to replace solanoids ( if I spelled it correctly) but otherwise in good condition. Certainly NO rust or flaking

 

[Snag]

I would stay away from it. Sad living in the East with the rust issue, out West normally not an issue except in some high mountain areas. Anyway that being a 125k 3v engine and already showing cancer I wouldn't buy it. I have owned both the Chevy's and the Fords and IMO that Chevy LS engine family is far superior for power and reliability. Get a Burb with the 6.0 and pull anything you want.
good luck
Gary

 

[Triplet Dad]

I have a 2007 EL and a 6000lb empty camper and even on fairly flat ground around Houston it struggles to get up small inclines. I am also having what feels to be misfiring when pulling the load. I am currently thinking about upgrading to a diesel Excursion for the extra pulling power...I wouldn't push it on the towing weight.

 

[pennyanguy]

I have a 2007 EL and a 6000lb empty camper and even on fairly flat ground around Houston it struggles to get up small inclines. I am also having what feels to be misfiring when pulling the load. I am currently thinking about upgrading to a diesel Excursion for the extra pulling power...I wouldn't push it on the towing weight.

Now that concerns me...even though these are rated to tow 9K # you are saying you don't have enough power? we have hills here...lots of them...is yours an isolated incidence or is the general opinion that the EXPO EL cant tow...please more feedback here...

 

[Triplet Dad]

I guess I should clarify - when I say struggling I mean there is a lot of downshifting and the RPMs getting above 3000 when I go up an incline. Keeping speed above 60-65 mph is also a struggle and when you are there mine seems to stay in fifth gear. I don't have the towing package so I think my towing capacity is a little less but the engine is still the same. I'm not saying that it can't tow 9000 lbs, I'm just saying that it doesn't do it with ease.

 

[Flexpedition]

I have owned both the Chevy's and the Fords and IMO that Chevy LS engine family is far superior for power and reliability. Get a Burb with the 6.0 and pull anything you want.

Really? Here is something you can pull: Somebody else's leg.

A 6.0 Suburban is rated to tow, maximum, 5400 pounds. So it'll pull anything you want, as long as its light.

A 5.4 Expedition, when properly equipped - is rated to tow up to 9000. Important key words like "up to" and "when properly equipped" are often overlooked. A 2007 Expedition EL without the HD tow package, like Triplet Dad's, is only rated upto 6000. Which is still more than the superior Suburban.

A 4.0L Ford freaking Ranger can out tow a 6.0 "Burb".

 

[outdare]

Make sure the spark plugs have been changed. That is a pain if you do it yourself or expensive to have it done at the dealer or independent shop. I have a 07 EL and I broke 3 plugs when changing the spark plugs. The difference in power is noticeable for me as well as th 1.5 mpg I gained. My expie has 107k miles.


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[Snag]

Glad you are Ford fan, they are certainly needed. I own many Fords and have had the various rigs.

I own a Ford Expedition with the Towing package, the 5.4 and the 3.73 gear ratio. For me its not a tow rig. It has very good power just off idle but nothing at mid range.

Shit, a ranger, I have had many of those and not a very powerful rig IMO. But thats the nice things about opinions and ********, we all have them.

 

[pennyanguy]

Make sure the spark plugs have been changed. That is a pain if you do it yourself or expensive to have it done at the dealer or independent shop. I have a 07 EL and I broke 3 plugs when changing the spark plugs. The difference in power is noticeable for me as well as th 1.5 mpg I gained. My expie has 107k miles.


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OK, found another one , 98K miles in Virginia...so should be rust free (they say it is) one owner clean carfax but with no service history on the carfax or the autocheck (odd?) so I am going down Monday to look it over...

What should I look for?
how do I see if the plugs have been changed? how would I know visually?
how do I know if it has the HD towing package?
anything else? I have read posts about Phase noise...what does that sound like? can you here it from inside the cabin?

I spoke to a local ford dealer near the dealer I am buying it from (BTW it was a trade in...buying it from a NEW car dealer...I have learned to stay away from the used car outlets)..they can do a prepurchase inspection for $150 seems reasonable...but they say its pretty basic , check brakes, suspension, electrical...is that worth it since I am buying from a Honda dealer anyway...they have checked things over already.

I really want one of these...but can not afford a 2011/2012...just not in the cards. I am so concerned about buying a 2007 though...I don't tow a lot...but the primary reason for buying this is to be able to tow the camper farther then 50 miles (about as far as I dared towing with my old trailblazer)...the camper is not heavy ( 4900# max GVW)...biggest concern for me is making sure its a solid vehicle I wont be throwing thousands into...any advise you guys could give would be greatly appreciated!

 

[outdare]

You can take the truck to a mechanic you trust and have them look it over. Bring up the plug concerms etc. I would make them do the 100k service and plug change as part of the deal. I have not had any issues with the cam phaser etc. I did have my mechanic check it . At 98k the fluids need to be changed brake, coolant, trans flush rear diff. That way they own it. Second you can buy a aftermarket warranty if you want to go that route.

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[pennyanguy]

Unfortunately the truck is 400 miles from me...so bringing it to my trusted mechanic is not possible. Already negotiated a deal, so including anything more is probably not in the cards either (unless I see something I don't like when I get there)...that's why I want to know what to look for before I get there.

 

[outdare]

I would used the maintenance as part of the negotiations. Also look at texas direct auto. They sell on ebay but they deliver and guarantee the condition etc.
https://www.texasdirectauto.com. They are local for me, but that is where I bought mine.

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[ExpeditionAndy]

Bring a change of clothes and a flash light. Crawl under it and get a good look at it from one end to the other. make sure that you check for leaks check for rust at the radiator support and at the rockers also inspect all of the those body stiffener braces, they look like small frames and they have a tendency to rust they get flaky inside.

Look for bubbling paint on the Tailgate and under the front lip of the hood. Check for cracking paint on the roof in the corners where the roof creases meet. Look at the hinges in the rear liftgate glass, you are looking for small hairline cracks. Pop the rear window and make sure the wiper turns freely.

Inside if it has heated and cooled seats make sure they work The seats should get hot pretty quickly. Grab the top and bottom of the steering wheel and see if it wiggles. On my 05 it was wiggling, I'm not sure if it was a loose nut or some other issue.

Run the engine and listen for a tick tick tick sound at idle coming from the front of the engines that will be to sound of the cam phasers. It isn't necessarily an immediate requirement to fix them but in about 50,000 -60,000 miles you will need to have them and the timing chain replaced.

After you buy it change all of the fluids and the spark plugs. Have them put in new cam phaser solenoids even if you don't need them. It will keep the problems at bay.

 

[pennyanguy]

Andy,

That's all good advise, I didn't know there were issues with the roof welds and rear deck hinge points...all great info.

This plug issue is bugging me...is there any way to ID the factory plugs vs replacement ones? are all replacement ones not two piece? (I can not believe they made a two piece plug!)... how about coil packs?

I have driven a few of these now (4) so I think I have an idea how they should feel... any hints of stuff to look/listen for under hard acceleration that would be an indicator of troubles? All 4 I have driven have been smooth, not really rockets but decent acceleration if you stepped on it.

One thing I did not notice...do there have an instant mileage function on the info center?

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

Andy,

That's all good advise, I didn't know there were issues with the roof welds and rear deck hinge points...all great info.

It's more of a paint issue, although I have heard of some guys that that had to have sheet metal cracks welded but that has not been my experience.

This plug issue is bugging me...is there any way to ID the factory plugs vs replacement ones? are all replacement ones not two piece? (I can not believe they made a two piece plug!)... how about coil packs?

I believe the newer plugs are one piece. Mine had new plugs in it when I bought it so in the three years I had it I just drove it and didn't have any bad plugs or coil packs

I have driven a few of these now (4) so I think I have an idea how they should feel... any hints of stuff to look/listen for under hard acceleration that would be an indicator of troubles? All 4 I have driven have been smooth, not really rockets but decent acceleration if you stepped on it.

Listen for grinding noises coming from the front wheels, if you hear it then switch to all wheel drive AWD, and if the noise goes away you could have a bad IWE solenoid. Of course listen for rear wheel bearing noises that change pitch and frequency when the vehicle slows down.

One thing I did not notice...do there have an instant mileage function on the info center?

My 05 had it in the message screen in the center of the dash, The 17 has it but it's buried three or four screens down on the left hand display.

 

[pennyanguy]

Well, For all of you that may be interested...I bought the 2007 I went to look at in VA. Beautiful truck with every option but Sirrus...SUPER clean, no hood or deck corrosion, NO rust anywhere , even underneath...even on the exhaust! I spent a good two hours under and throughout the truck before committing. The guy I was dealing with pretty much left me alone until I went looking for him...so I gotta give him credit for that.

I have not yet confirmed that the plugs or coils have been changed...another sales guy that supposedly took the thing on trade from the old folks who had it said the old guy told him he just spent $1K having a dealer replace all the coils and plugs....but who really knows... I offered him a reward if he could get me in touch with the original owner... nothing yet though.

I left Chantilly, VA and drove directly to my dads...about 200 miles, that evening...on the highway, dead flat roads going through Eastern VA...at 65-70 mph on the cruise she was getting 21 MPG... I thought that was pretty damn good.

On the 10 hours trip back to upstate NY I averaged 18 mpg still awesome figuring I was going over the Poconos.

ONLY thing they did not have was the 5 digit code for the door keypad...anyone know if there is a way to override that?