Road Trip Worthiness

[hlygrail]

I am a new owner of a 2005 EB with about 98K miles. I've only owned it for a few weeks, but everything has checked out fine by my mechanic, runs smoothly, and has all appearances of being well-taken care of.

We have a few road trips planned, and I was curious how everyone might gauge when their Expedition is no longer fit for long trips (8+ hours of continuous driving).

Any tips on what to look for, or signs to me wary of?

Thanks!

Chris

 

[IAExpy]

the only thing i can advise at this point is speed. i routinely drive to see friends 2 and half hours away, and if I go 70mph I tend to get about 16 mpg, however if i can stand to get passed and keep it around 62mph i see my mileage jump all the way to around 21mpg.

i built a cold air intake and have a muffler delete, so that speed usually keeps my revs right around 1300, which anecdotal evidence seems to help the most, maybe a bigger gear head could confirm or deny

 

[alaskanexpy]

so long as shes in good running condition and maintained i dont see why any car/truck of any age cant make long road trips.

 

[sgtowing]

I bought my 05 Ex in january and drove to Chicago for a week in April. It did just fine and was in the same condition as yours. The only thing I did before I left was change ALL the fluids.

 

[Spooky]

I drove from Va to Tx in 2 days and had no issues. The seats are comfortable and the drive position is good. The gas mileage sucked, but I had my truck packed full.

I do recommend getting something similar to the Pioneer 4300. With that and my iPhone, I had Gps, tunes and movies. Made the trip bearable.

 

[GAINMOB]

i have an 04 with 96K...drove from florida to virginia to michigan to alabama and going back to florida for christmas...no concerns and no reason to be su****************ious...if you take care of...it will be faithful to you...keep in mind...normal wear/tear and shelf life of components...you'll eventually have to replace something at some point...to be expected...but if you dont stay on top of your routine/scheduled maintenance...then you'll have probs...

 

[Rod240sx]

I have an 06 approaching 90K - I travel quite a bit and tow about 8K pounds for several thousand miles and never had a problem.

Like everyone said, stay on-top of all your fluids and do a tune-up (replace spark plugs, belts,etc.) I think a full tune-up is due at 100,000 miles. I'd also suggest checking your rear differential for any leaks... seams to be one of a few common problems.

And just as a heads up, if you take your truck to get the spark plugs changed, be prepared for an unexpected surprise. The spark plugs have the tendency of seizing inside and they are a pain in the a&% to remove. I changed mine at 72K when I first bought the truck and 5 out of the 8 were seized. The truck was in the shop for 2 weeks.

Other than that, they are solid trucks and should last you a long time

 

[ScottyDsntKnow]

Took ours on a 5 hour each way trip up into the blue ridge mountains in August and it was fine. I changed EVERY fluid including the diffs, transfer case, the trans using the transmission cooler line disconnect trick to bleed the torque converter, oil and fresh coolant. Way overboard but I had also, like you, just bought it and that transfer case fluid for sure needed changed...

Sent from my boost Epic 4G. Legendary rom, 1.5ghz overclock.

 

[KC Dave]

I just took my 2005 NBX out of town over Thanksgiving. 375 miles one way, I got 18.3 mpg, running at 70 mph with the cruise on. We traded our explorer for the expedition and it is hands down a better vehicle. Comfortable, roomy, and sits higher for better visibility. In fact, it just FEELS better. More stable too.

The only reason we would ever take the car again is for gas mileage. (28 mpg vs 18 mpg) If you can swing the lower mileage than a car, I would take your Expedition. I dont think you would be sorry you did.

 

[GAINMOB]

im going to florida for christmas...oil change...tire rotation/balance...check belts and fluids and riding out!!!