Wal92tt
Well-Known Member
Our 2004 Acura MDX has a blown head gasket. I drove with it for about 8 months topping off the coolant the days I drove it. It usually required about 16oz but last month went about 5 miles, began to heat up and required a complete fill up when I got home. There's been a slight oil leak but now it's more pronounce too. I decided not to pursue fixing it since it has 244k and a list of small issues waiting to be repaired as well. Since I haven't worked since 2009 due to my back and 2 major surgeries/spinal fusions, money is very tight! My wifes sister and husband gave us their 1999 Expedition EB 4x4 with 229,*** miles. He replaced the air suspension and lifted it 2" along with turning the torsion bars. It's been sitting under oak trees in their yard the last 8 months getting neglected since they bought a new Durango. By the way, they bought the Expedition at an auction for very cheap. So it's history is unknown except knowing that it has spent most of its life up North due to the extensive rust underneath.
So I've purchased a set of Hankook Dynapro AT-M RF10 P265/70R17 113T tires on stock 17 wheels.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hankook-Dynapro-AT-M-RF10-P265-70R17-113T-Tire/17792289
It was putting out codes 171 and 174, if I remember correctly? I cleaned the maf sensor and ziptied the pcv hose to the pcv and to the other end it connects to. Codes gone!
This week code 301 popped up. I know my inlaw swapped all the coils so I was worried since it's the same code the MDX has due to the head gasket leak! I unplugged the coil and no change. I took out the plug and it looked like it had been dropped from 20' onto the diode cover! I corrected this, gapped it, put it all back in, and now it runs smoothly! Way, something went my way for once!
My brother inlaw, BL from here on, mentioned that the AC had a slow leak. It would work for 8-12 months in between a charge. I took it to a shop, mentioned this to them, after an hour they had it working! They filled it up and said the expansion valve was stuck open from sitting unused but should begin working after some use. This was a Thursday. I enjoyed my 1st drive home in it with cold ac! It sat until Sunday when we all got in to go to church. The ac does not work!?!? I'll go into detail but on the drive to the ac shop, the passenger rear tire had a belt which separated and caused the truck to shake violently. It felt like driving on oval tires! The steel frame the condenser sits on, in front of the radiator, is very badly rusted with parts simply gone! Turns out the corner of the condenser sat on a sharp rusted piece which caused the slow leak. The separated tire belt caused the condenser to jump on the rust and cut a gash. AC was kaput! One of our sons friends dad had the gear, know-how and time to help me out. After a whole day and driving back and forth to auto stores, we fixed the ac! We figured out the issue, replaced the condenser and filled up the system. YAY! It's been holding cold for almost a week now!
While working on the ac, I slipped under the truck to inspect the transmission sensor. The shift lever is hard to shift, it binds. After a lot of spray and playing with it, trying to remove it, I got it to shift slightly better. I could not take the sensor off. It's as if it is welded in place? Until I figure out how to remove it, it stays. After working on it, the truck would not start unlessyou press the brake, turn and hold the key in the start position, and move the shift lever between R, N, D until it started. This was fun figuring this out!
Yesterday I crawled back under and repositioned the sensor until it started normally. I guess it's very pick?
The odometer cuts on/off, so I will have to remove the cluster and resolder the pins as in a video I've found.
I will be replacing all sway bar bushings and links very soon since the truck and a bad lean/sway and play when turning. My BL said he replaced these about 30k ago. I'm shocked since parts of the link bushings are disintegrated and missing?!?! Not sure how or why this may have happened? I'm guessing the lift and weight of the truck has something to do with it?
The 4x4 doesn't work and has been clunking from the front end. Here's a thread I started today on this topic, rather than include it here: https://www.expeditionforum.com/thr...he-front-end-clunking-when-4x4-engaged.37272/
The cruise control doesn't work. It will not turn on. I've checked the fuses and found nothing. I've looked under the dash and the pedals but found nothing. I'm not sure where to go from here? When I press the buttons on the steering wheel nothing happens. I'm not sure where and what to look for under the hood?
Any help is appreciated.....
I do have a question concerning the rear hatch door. When I close it, it sounds very cheap and hollow. I don't see anything missing such as seals or rubber mounts? Did Ford simply cheap out on this? Did it really sound like this when new? I guess I'm just used to the MDX sounding solid....
I'm shocked that the 3rd row seat has nothing to hold it up and inplace when folding up and out of the way? When driving it simply falls down into place, damaging/crushing anything in its way. Is this something Ford didn't think of or just cheaped out on? No, there is not a bar or straps to hold it. Those came in 2000+ models from what I've found in another thread.
The cd changer is missing from the center armrest. Does anyone have pictures of what it looked like in place?
The rear corner windows which push out a couple inches with a motor, the driver side doesn't work. I took the panel off, took off the motor, tested it, it works fine. I put everything back in place and it worked for a few days and is now dead. The passenger side works fine. Any thoughts on what it may be? Maybe the actual button? I'll have to take the overhead apart and test this theory.....
Just last night, the ac will only blow on front window defrost. I did get it to blow ac through the dash vents but then it went back to defrost. All the buttons on the ac control panel do work, so I'm not sure what's going on? The blend door would have nothing to do with this since that blends the cold/hot air, right? The system simply thinks I want defrost instead of dash vents right now.
Things I need to do soon are: clean the throttle body, change the engine oil, differential oil, upgrade the speakers and probably head unit. I hate backing up in the truck since I can't see anything. A rearview camera will help! I know the stock speakers are 5x7, but has anyone put in 6.5's? I can easily take out the Infinity's I put in the MDX and use them in the Expedition. Has anyone found a bracket or found and easy way to do this? How about the rear subwoofer, if you can call it that? Has anyone upgraded it but retained the factory head unit? I don't want to spend too much $$$ on this thing....
There's probably more that I can't think of right now but that's it for now!
So I've purchased a set of Hankook Dynapro AT-M RF10 P265/70R17 113T tires on stock 17 wheels.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hankook-Dynapro-AT-M-RF10-P265-70R17-113T-Tire/17792289
It was putting out codes 171 and 174, if I remember correctly? I cleaned the maf sensor and ziptied the pcv hose to the pcv and to the other end it connects to. Codes gone!
This week code 301 popped up. I know my inlaw swapped all the coils so I was worried since it's the same code the MDX has due to the head gasket leak! I unplugged the coil and no change. I took out the plug and it looked like it had been dropped from 20' onto the diode cover! I corrected this, gapped it, put it all back in, and now it runs smoothly! Way, something went my way for once!
My brother inlaw, BL from here on, mentioned that the AC had a slow leak. It would work for 8-12 months in between a charge. I took it to a shop, mentioned this to them, after an hour they had it working! They filled it up and said the expansion valve was stuck open from sitting unused but should begin working after some use. This was a Thursday. I enjoyed my 1st drive home in it with cold ac! It sat until Sunday when we all got in to go to church. The ac does not work!?!? I'll go into detail but on the drive to the ac shop, the passenger rear tire had a belt which separated and caused the truck to shake violently. It felt like driving on oval tires! The steel frame the condenser sits on, in front of the radiator, is very badly rusted with parts simply gone! Turns out the corner of the condenser sat on a sharp rusted piece which caused the slow leak. The separated tire belt caused the condenser to jump on the rust and cut a gash. AC was kaput! One of our sons friends dad had the gear, know-how and time to help me out. After a whole day and driving back and forth to auto stores, we fixed the ac! We figured out the issue, replaced the condenser and filled up the system. YAY! It's been holding cold for almost a week now!
While working on the ac, I slipped under the truck to inspect the transmission sensor. The shift lever is hard to shift, it binds. After a lot of spray and playing with it, trying to remove it, I got it to shift slightly better. I could not take the sensor off. It's as if it is welded in place? Until I figure out how to remove it, it stays. After working on it, the truck would not start unlessyou press the brake, turn and hold the key in the start position, and move the shift lever between R, N, D until it started. This was fun figuring this out!
Yesterday I crawled back under and repositioned the sensor until it started normally. I guess it's very pick?
The odometer cuts on/off, so I will have to remove the cluster and resolder the pins as in a video I've found.
I will be replacing all sway bar bushings and links very soon since the truck and a bad lean/sway and play when turning. My BL said he replaced these about 30k ago. I'm shocked since parts of the link bushings are disintegrated and missing?!?! Not sure how or why this may have happened? I'm guessing the lift and weight of the truck has something to do with it?
The 4x4 doesn't work and has been clunking from the front end. Here's a thread I started today on this topic, rather than include it here: https://www.expeditionforum.com/thr...he-front-end-clunking-when-4x4-engaged.37272/
The cruise control doesn't work. It will not turn on. I've checked the fuses and found nothing. I've looked under the dash and the pedals but found nothing. I'm not sure where to go from here? When I press the buttons on the steering wheel nothing happens. I'm not sure where and what to look for under the hood?
Any help is appreciated.....
I do have a question concerning the rear hatch door. When I close it, it sounds very cheap and hollow. I don't see anything missing such as seals or rubber mounts? Did Ford simply cheap out on this? Did it really sound like this when new? I guess I'm just used to the MDX sounding solid....
I'm shocked that the 3rd row seat has nothing to hold it up and inplace when folding up and out of the way? When driving it simply falls down into place, damaging/crushing anything in its way. Is this something Ford didn't think of or just cheaped out on? No, there is not a bar or straps to hold it. Those came in 2000+ models from what I've found in another thread.
The cd changer is missing from the center armrest. Does anyone have pictures of what it looked like in place?
The rear corner windows which push out a couple inches with a motor, the driver side doesn't work. I took the panel off, took off the motor, tested it, it works fine. I put everything back in place and it worked for a few days and is now dead. The passenger side works fine. Any thoughts on what it may be? Maybe the actual button? I'll have to take the overhead apart and test this theory.....
Just last night, the ac will only blow on front window defrost. I did get it to blow ac through the dash vents but then it went back to defrost. All the buttons on the ac control panel do work, so I'm not sure what's going on? The blend door would have nothing to do with this since that blends the cold/hot air, right? The system simply thinks I want defrost instead of dash vents right now.
Things I need to do soon are: clean the throttle body, change the engine oil, differential oil, upgrade the speakers and probably head unit. I hate backing up in the truck since I can't see anything. A rearview camera will help! I know the stock speakers are 5x7, but has anyone put in 6.5's? I can easily take out the Infinity's I put in the MDX and use them in the Expedition. Has anyone found a bracket or found and easy way to do this? How about the rear subwoofer, if you can call it that? Has anyone upgraded it but retained the factory head unit? I don't want to spend too much $$$ on this thing....
There's probably more that I can't think of right now but that's it for now!
