StreetCreeper
Active Member
Greetings everyone, I've been lurking for a while and just recently acquired a 2003 Lazer Red Expedition Eddie Bauer 4wd with 155k miles.
This truck belonged to my folks who bought it new back in 2003. There wasn't anything wrong with the truck, they just needed space for a newer vehicle they plan to buy. So I was quite happy to get that "old pesky truck" out of their way!
I know the vehicle history and it's been very well maintained. It has maintenance records going all the way back to the original dealer window sticker. Sticker price was $49,000+ as I think it has every option that was available aside from air suspension and an in-cabin air filter...which I don't understand how Ford engineers figured these trucks needed fans & filters inside the seats to whisk away those hot-broccoli farts after a meal at the Chinese buffet (ok not really, but I told my kids this)— yet Ford didn't think the whole interior passenger cabin didn't need a filter too?...
Well anyways, I plan to use this thread as a sort of "build thread", even though I'm not doing a build per say, but rather documenting whatever I wind up doing to her maintence-wise.
I'm not a mechanic — but I turn wrenches on my other ride which has nearly half a million miles on it (original engine and tranny too – not rebuilt either). It's also a 4wd and has been my primary truck for the last few years, so I learned quick to take care of it. The Expedition is taking over that primary role now and my other Toyota will become my personal project vehicle (if my wife were reading this part — she'd be rolling her eyes...)
For now though, my focus will be on the Expedition and restoring all the lost functions that I've found so far ... and then maybe doing some fun stuff since the general upkeep is up to date and there are no real pressing issues aside from a front windshield that either needs to be replaced or be resealed. It appears to be losing the battle with moisture in the lower passenger side of the windshield.
I've already started my research and will continue to do so, however, I've learned that there is no substitute for experience – I'm hoping the collective wisdom of this forum can provide a general course of direction for a few of my issues.
First though, here's a few pics of my new truck. I'm really enjoying this thing so far and plan to get to working on her issues pretty quickly.
This is my first modern Ford vehicle, and I'm not familiar with Ford technology or terminology – so bare with me. Here's a short list of things I need to investigate & repair:
1) Mirrors will not work with switch but will move when vehicle is in reverse. So the motors work, but the switch is suspect. Are these known for failing? Visually checked fuse and it "appeared" good – as did all the other fuses I checked while investigating other issues. Also, the heated mirrors do not appear to work. No light visible even with the rear defrost and heated seats activated. There is a light inside the mirror when the defroster is active right? So mirrors have power as I've seen them move, but I can't control it with the switch and they don't seem to heat up.
2) Key fobs suddenly not working well. They both worked great and then last night they seemed to stop working. I checked the batteries with my meter and both were pushing around 3.1v. I went ahead and replaced both batteries with new ones tested at 3.3v – but they don't really work well either. They work sometimes and only if I'm literally sitting inside the truck – but only sometimes. So I'm thinking it's a reception issue? Anyone know where the key fob receiver is located? I'm thinking it's closer to the passenger side as I can more often get the locks to move if the key fob is literally touching the passenger door handle – this doesn't work on the drivers side when I tried it though.
3) Door ajar message is always on. So I'm guessing a pin-switch or something is bad. Will probably just find a donor switch at the junk yard if they are pricey. This is annoying the shit out of me as it plays havoc with the dome light at night.
4) TPMS sensor fault. Guessing I'm buying a new sensor soon. Do local tire shops have these or do I need to order it? This is the first vehicle ive owned that had these.
5) Rear center-console HVAC switches (not the overhead rear HVAC switches) do nothing. The stereo controls work as does the 12v plug port — but no bueno with the controls. I looked in the operators manual but didn't see an obvious connection between the systems that don't seem to work. Perhaps I've missed it though. Is there some common fuse/relay or whatever between the rear HVAC controls and the mirrors and key fob receiver?
6) Passenger seat won't move forward. Thankfully it was set all the way back when it stopped working. I'm thinking maybe a fried motor or something?
7) Driver seat makes word noises if seat button is moved in certain directions. I'm guessing stripped out worm gears. Does Ford use plastic work gears? Sigh, I hate those damn things. Toyota seems to love them...
Other things that need attention are things like a front passenger seat front motor cover. Seems that got lost somewhere in the last 15 years or so. I think I'll replace the drivers side seat-bottom cushion soon too. Its a bit hard on the bum! And the air-cooled seat option seems pretty weak so I think the air passages are blocked or crushed. Passenger side is still comfy though but haven't tried the cool-butt option on that one yet.
I'll definitely want to get the front side windows tinted to match the rear before summer hits. Love having it done on my Toyota. Makes a big difference to me.
I've also been debating removing the running boards or step boards (or whatever Ford calls them) but not sure yet. At first they annoyed the shit out of me and they looked kinda ... "Soccer-mom'ish" or something that my long-gone Grandpa would've used. But after a couple days...damn it — they're kinda growing on me! So maybe they'll stay...
To be honest, I'm slowly realizing this Expedition is not ever going to see the kind of shit my 4wd Toyota sees. So ground clearance isn't really an issue and I'm actually thinking of putting some 20's on it and just embracing the "mothership" aspect of this thing. Unlike my Toyota which is more akin to a nimble little helicopter gunship – the Expedition feels like a friggin aircraft carrier. I'm not hitting the trails with this thing — worst it might see is some snow or mud and maybe some old forest service roads. I've affectionately nicknamed it the 'The Tank'.
So what are some commonly accepted and "reasonable" performance mods available for these 5.4s? I'm enjoying the V8 but not the fuel mileage – 11.7 gallons around town...damn! Par for the course I suppose with an older V8. But I figure if I'm going to get shit fuel mileage – I ought to at least have a little more horsepower to show for it.
Does anyone have a link to a second gen Expedition field service manual or dealer shop manual? Or am I stuck with trying to find a hard copy version on eBay? My experience in other automotive forums is that someone usually has a PDF file or something that gets passed around.
So who am I? I'm just a former trucker who after getting hitched 13 years ago – is now a happily married 40 something father of three who likes smoking pot and doing yoga ... among other things. Hobbies include working on my truck (now trucks), most things MMA related, antiques, science "stuff", aliens/paranormal and other tinfoil hat "type" of stuff too. I'm a bit odd...
This truck belonged to my folks who bought it new back in 2003. There wasn't anything wrong with the truck, they just needed space for a newer vehicle they plan to buy. So I was quite happy to get that "old pesky truck" out of their way!
I know the vehicle history and it's been very well maintained. It has maintenance records going all the way back to the original dealer window sticker. Sticker price was $49,000+ as I think it has every option that was available aside from air suspension and an in-cabin air filter...which I don't understand how Ford engineers figured these trucks needed fans & filters inside the seats to whisk away those hot-broccoli farts after a meal at the Chinese buffet (ok not really, but I told my kids this)— yet Ford didn't think the whole interior passenger cabin didn't need a filter too?...
Well anyways, I plan to use this thread as a sort of "build thread", even though I'm not doing a build per say, but rather documenting whatever I wind up doing to her maintence-wise.
I'm not a mechanic — but I turn wrenches on my other ride which has nearly half a million miles on it (original engine and tranny too – not rebuilt either). It's also a 4wd and has been my primary truck for the last few years, so I learned quick to take care of it. The Expedition is taking over that primary role now and my other Toyota will become my personal project vehicle (if my wife were reading this part — she'd be rolling her eyes...)
For now though, my focus will be on the Expedition and restoring all the lost functions that I've found so far ... and then maybe doing some fun stuff since the general upkeep is up to date and there are no real pressing issues aside from a front windshield that either needs to be replaced or be resealed. It appears to be losing the battle with moisture in the lower passenger side of the windshield.
I've already started my research and will continue to do so, however, I've learned that there is no substitute for experience – I'm hoping the collective wisdom of this forum can provide a general course of direction for a few of my issues.
First though, here's a few pics of my new truck. I'm really enjoying this thing so far and plan to get to working on her issues pretty quickly.
This is my first modern Ford vehicle, and I'm not familiar with Ford technology or terminology – so bare with me. Here's a short list of things I need to investigate & repair:
1) Mirrors will not work with switch but will move when vehicle is in reverse. So the motors work, but the switch is suspect. Are these known for failing? Visually checked fuse and it "appeared" good – as did all the other fuses I checked while investigating other issues. Also, the heated mirrors do not appear to work. No light visible even with the rear defrost and heated seats activated. There is a light inside the mirror when the defroster is active right? So mirrors have power as I've seen them move, but I can't control it with the switch and they don't seem to heat up.
2) Key fobs suddenly not working well. They both worked great and then last night they seemed to stop working. I checked the batteries with my meter and both were pushing around 3.1v. I went ahead and replaced both batteries with new ones tested at 3.3v – but they don't really work well either. They work sometimes and only if I'm literally sitting inside the truck – but only sometimes. So I'm thinking it's a reception issue? Anyone know where the key fob receiver is located? I'm thinking it's closer to the passenger side as I can more often get the locks to move if the key fob is literally touching the passenger door handle – this doesn't work on the drivers side when I tried it though.
3) Door ajar message is always on. So I'm guessing a pin-switch or something is bad. Will probably just find a donor switch at the junk yard if they are pricey. This is annoying the shit out of me as it plays havoc with the dome light at night.
4) TPMS sensor fault. Guessing I'm buying a new sensor soon. Do local tire shops have these or do I need to order it? This is the first vehicle ive owned that had these.
5) Rear center-console HVAC switches (not the overhead rear HVAC switches) do nothing. The stereo controls work as does the 12v plug port — but no bueno with the controls. I looked in the operators manual but didn't see an obvious connection between the systems that don't seem to work. Perhaps I've missed it though. Is there some common fuse/relay or whatever between the rear HVAC controls and the mirrors and key fob receiver?
6) Passenger seat won't move forward. Thankfully it was set all the way back when it stopped working. I'm thinking maybe a fried motor or something?
7) Driver seat makes word noises if seat button is moved in certain directions. I'm guessing stripped out worm gears. Does Ford use plastic work gears? Sigh, I hate those damn things. Toyota seems to love them...
Other things that need attention are things like a front passenger seat front motor cover. Seems that got lost somewhere in the last 15 years or so. I think I'll replace the drivers side seat-bottom cushion soon too. Its a bit hard on the bum! And the air-cooled seat option seems pretty weak so I think the air passages are blocked or crushed. Passenger side is still comfy though but haven't tried the cool-butt option on that one yet.
I'll definitely want to get the front side windows tinted to match the rear before summer hits. Love having it done on my Toyota. Makes a big difference to me.
I've also been debating removing the running boards or step boards (or whatever Ford calls them) but not sure yet. At first they annoyed the shit out of me and they looked kinda ... "Soccer-mom'ish" or something that my long-gone Grandpa would've used. But after a couple days...damn it — they're kinda growing on me! So maybe they'll stay...
To be honest, I'm slowly realizing this Expedition is not ever going to see the kind of shit my 4wd Toyota sees. So ground clearance isn't really an issue and I'm actually thinking of putting some 20's on it and just embracing the "mothership" aspect of this thing. Unlike my Toyota which is more akin to a nimble little helicopter gunship – the Expedition feels like a friggin aircraft carrier. I'm not hitting the trails with this thing — worst it might see is some snow or mud and maybe some old forest service roads. I've affectionately nicknamed it the 'The Tank'.
So what are some commonly accepted and "reasonable" performance mods available for these 5.4s? I'm enjoying the V8 but not the fuel mileage – 11.7 gallons around town...damn! Par for the course I suppose with an older V8. But I figure if I'm going to get shit fuel mileage – I ought to at least have a little more horsepower to show for it.
Does anyone have a link to a second gen Expedition field service manual or dealer shop manual? Or am I stuck with trying to find a hard copy version on eBay? My experience in other automotive forums is that someone usually has a PDF file or something that gets passed around.
So who am I? I'm just a former trucker who after getting hitched 13 years ago – is now a happily married 40 something father of three who likes smoking pot and doing yoga ... among other things. Hobbies include working on my truck (now trucks), most things MMA related, antiques, science "stuff", aliens/paranormal and other tinfoil hat "type" of stuff too. I'm a bit odd...
