What to look for when buying a gen 1 expy

[rewarder]

Model Year Type/model
1997 4-speed E4OD automatic
1998–2002 4-speed 4R100 automatic
1997–2002 4-speed 4R70W automatic

I did find this link on the For Enthusiasts Forums. One of the users says that the 4R100 is the "bigger beefier transmission"

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/215983-which-transmission-4r100-or-4rw70.html

My Expy has the 4R100. That makes me feel good!! I believe they said all the bigger motors ie. 5.4L has the 4R100 & the the smaller motor has the other tranny. I could be wrong, but my research came up with this conclusion.

 

[tshannon76]

What should be typical?

I get 12.5 (blended highway/city) out of my 5.4...

 

[jimpascale]

Newbie here. Thanks very much for an excellent thread. I'm very glad it's "stickied" here.
I just bought mine & am taking it to my mechanic this Weds. to inspect (I know, I did it ass backwards). Anyhow, below is what I've gleaned from previous posts to this thread & will ask my mechanic to look over. If there are any other things he should inspect (or if I mis-worded the list below (I'm not a mechanic, so the wording my not be correct) please post them here by this Tues. if possible.
Thanks in advance!
Jim
Items to inspect:
chk. w/a code reader
chk GEM module - if wet, chk windshield(upper corner on the driver's side)
upper & lower ball jts.
make sure coolant hose is not leaking on #4 COP
bushings on the front sway bar
tie rods
all suspension bushings for cracking and rot
check the upper & lower trailing arms
idler and pittman arms
saggy coil springs
weak shocks
vacuum leak at elbow MAF (the 90 deg elbow "thingy")(I don't know what this means)
air suspension
exhaust manifold leak
rear pinion seal leak
oil cooler lines leaking
ac lines rusted out at the ac compressor
worn hardware kit on rear disc brakes
the heat shield above the driver side cat , they rust,come loose and rattle and ting.
EGR valves
inside bottoms of the doors for rust
rocker panel rust
fluids
belts
hoses
tires
ticking sound (timing chain)
put never seize around the front hubs if you have factory aluminum wheels

 

[hammerg26]

jimpascale - what did you get?
I am taking my '99 EB 4x4 to my mechanic today as well... just a final check... wish me luck

 

[jimpascale]

Good luck! I hope your inspection went well.
I bought a '99 EB, just like you. Mine cost $8K. It only has 60K mi. & looks brand new.
My mechanic appmnt. was rescheduled to next Tues. Wish me luck.
Jim

 

[hammerg26]

Posted this over in General, too...

Just got back from the mechanic. Here is what they found:
Everything looked really good under the truck and on top of the truck. There was some minor leaking from the rear speed sensor on transfer case. That was really about it - rear brakes were low. They did recommend the following:
1. Transmission Service (flush and fill) (~$220)
2. Transfer Case Drain and Fill (~$85)
3. Front and Rear Diff Drain and Fill (~$120 / ~$185)
4. Rear Brakes (~$200)

The bad: There is a torque converter shudder... thought is try to do the trans flush and fill, add an additive, and then see if the shudder is due to the clutches needing to be lubed up (truck did sit some). If that does not work, looking at $1000 or so for a new torque converter... - so much for saving money on a used car...

Anyone have any thoughts on this??? How easy is it for me to do the transfer case and diffs (I think the rear diff has to have the cover removed)...

HELP!

Hammer

 

[jimpascale]

Yikes! I wish you well.....

 

[diesel3]

things to look for? let me see, instrument cluster lights, odomiter flickering/going in and out,front heat/ac climate controll function, and my personal favorite, RIGHT SIDE HEAD GASKET OIL LEAK!!! turn the wheels hard left and look in the wheel well at the starter, if there is oil present you might want to look under it for a head gasket leaking oil onto your bell housing, starter and your cat converter. this is a very expensive fix. so it pays BIG to check it out. it is a known problem for the 4.6 and the 5.4. i have read this whole post and no one has mentioned this, so i thought i would. i just purchased a 99 expedition with 152k on a sweet running 4.6L triton with a small oil leak that turned into a 1200 dollar head gasket job. good luck and happy hunting

 

[bdt61]

Up North, keep an eye out for the underside rotting out. I bought my Expo and didn't think to look underneath since it was so clean. Put it on the hoist a few days later for an oil change, and there's 2 cross-members that were completely rotted away. Nothing a bit of flat steel won't fix, but still a pain in the ass

 

[shadow460]

Posted this over in General, too...

Just got back from the mechanic. Here is what they found:
Everything looked really good under the truck and on top of the truck. There was some minor leaking from the rear speed sensor on transfer case. That was really about it - rear brakes were low. They did recommend the following:
1. Transmission Service (flush and fill) (~$220)
2. Transfer Case Drain and Fill (~$85)
3. Front and Rear Diff Drain and Fill (~$120 / ~$185)
4. Rear Brakes (~$200)

The bad: There is a torque converter shudder... thought is try to do the trans flush and fill, add an additive, and then see if the shudder is due to the clutches needing to be lubed up (truck did sit some). If that does not work, looking at $1000 or so for a new torque converter... - so much for saving money on a used car...

Anyone have any thoughts on this??? How easy is it for me to do the transfer case and diffs (I think the rear diff has to have the cover removed)...

HELP!

Hammer

DON'T LET THEM TOUCH THE TRANNY! My mechanic tells me a power flush will blow seals in the transmission. The only thing you need to do on a tranny service in a vehicle this old is drop and clean out the pan, change the filter, then put it back together and refill it. It's just as easy as changing the engine oil. Make sure you wipe the greasy gray glob out of the pan, too. The only thing you'll need that you won't use on a regular oil change is a 3/8 universal joint with your ratchet. Fluid is $7 a quart (times 5 or 6 quarts) and the filter is $12. You can reuse the stock gasket or use the gasket that comes in the filter kit.
Granted the whole system takes around 12 quarts, but you just need to replace the fluid that you discard when you clean out the pan.
This worked for me. My transmission was whining badly and it was starting to slip when I'd take off from a red light. When I changed the filter and five quarts of fluid, all the tranny issues vanished faster than last week's paycheck.

It's hard to say if the pumpkins need drained and refilled. I'd probably go ahead since you don't know if they've ever had water leak into them from being submerged.

 

[dardenja]

The Issues With My 2000 EB Expedition

I purchased a 2000 EB Expedition back in February 2013 with 138000 miles. The issues that I had to address are as follows:

1. Ball Joints (Upper and Lower) for the left and right side.
2. Heater Core (That was a pain in the butt)
3. The ABS sensor light is on.
4. If you have a sunroof ensure that it is not leaking.
5. The rear door locks don't always unlock. You have to do it manually. Sometimes the rear doors do not open from the inside.

The truck is running strong. I drove her down to NC and back up to MD and I am loving the no car note factor. Hopefully she'll be around for a while.

 

[mocrawlin]

The odometer flickering on and off... its bad solder points on the guage board.

Anyone have a "how to" artical to fix that? mine is doing it. also, i dont have a door ajar light, but none of my interior lights or running board lights come on when any door is open. lol

 

[mocrawlin]

my running board lights/interior dome light was the relay! just an FYI

 

[mnoutdoos]

It's been said, but here's my list:

Rust - Bottom of door seams, rear trailing arms, radiator support, quarter panel fenders

Front Sway Bar Linkage - often goes 'missing' (rusts away?)

Upper & Lower Ball Joints - Front suspension wears out quickly, most people don't replace before selling

Exhaust Manifold Leak - due to warped manifold and/or broken studs; pretty common

exhaust man. leak here. any fix it advice?? sounds terrible

 

[mnoutdoos]

Up North, keep an eye out for the underside rotting out. I bought my Expo and didn't think to look underneath since it was so clean. Put it on the hoist a few days later for an oil change, and there's 2 cross-members that were completely rotted away. Nothing a bit of flat steel won't fix, but still a pain in the ass

agree! i'm in minnesota and it is rusted and rotted beyond belief.

 

[hortonguy]

Oil cooler problems mine was mixing oil and coolant. easy fix and great way to get a good deal on a truck. I just deleated mine and now the filter is on the block.

 

[ks10308]

DON'T LET THEM TOUCH THE TRANNY! My mechanic tells me a power flush will blow seals in the transmission. The only thing you need to do on a tranny service in a vehicle this old is drop and clean out the pan, change the filter, then put it back together and refill it. It's just as easy as changing the engine oil. Make sure you wipe the greasy gray glob out of the pan, too. The only thing you'll need that you won't use on a regular oil change is a 3/8 universal joint with your ratchet. Fluid is $7 a quart (times 5 or 6 quarts) and the filter is $12. You can reuse the stock gasket or use the gasket that comes in the filter kit.
Granted the whole system takes around 12 quarts, but you just need to replace the fluid that you discard when you clean out the pan.
This worked for me. My transmission was whining badly and it was starting to slip when I'd take off from a red light. When I changed the filter and five quarts of fluid, all the tranny issues vanished faster than last week's paycheck.

It's hard to say if the pumpkins need drained and refilled. I'd probably go ahead since you don't know if they've ever had water leak into them from being submerged.

He's right, DO NOT touch the transmission. My father was a black cab driver in the 80s and 90s so he knew his lincoln/ford stuff. He said every time he got the transmission flushed or cleaned, it failed 15-20K miles later. Fords are known to have great engines but pretty bad transmissions. He had about a half a dozen lincolns (and a mercury), and on all of them the transmissions failed before 200k and the ones he had cleaned/flushed whatever, they failed much sooner. He even took it to a shop in nyc that was probably one of the best tranny shops in the city and his cars were well maintained since he was a decent honest black can. Be very careful on that, My expedition has 141K and i never touched the transmission, only added some tranny fluid.

 

[toms89]

If you need a little more pep I would look for one of these under the hood.



Warning: Would recommed built tranny to handle the additional torque and the transfer case may need more frequent servicing.

 

[99EB4x4]

defective plug on the blinker multi function switch. individual wires can easily come unclipped and work their way out the back causing fast blinker only middle tail light and other problems... maybe the reason expeditions catch fire since there is a wire that is energized at all times in that plug and wires falling out.... this should be a recall. I fixed mine by pushing all the wires firmly in and shooting a little hot glue around the wires on the back of the plug.

 

[Pedition2000]

I purchased a 2000 EB Expedition back in February 2013 with 138000 miles. The issues that I had to address are as follows:



1. Ball Joints (Upper and Lower) for the left and right side.

2. Heater Core (That was a pain in the butt)

3. The ABS sensor light is on.

4. If you have a sunroof ensure that it is not leaking.

5. The rear door locks don't always unlock. You have to do it manually. Sometimes the rear doors do not open from the inside.



The truck is running strong. I drove her down to NC and back up to MD and I am loving the no car note factor. Hopefully she'll be around for a while.

Same year and almost exact mileage on the one I just got. Luckily the previous owner, and only owner, had the majority of big stuff replaced by the dealer. The only issue I have is the rear of the truck around corners feels like it's sliding, and the whole truck feels like it's going to tip on its side in corners also. Plan is to replace the shocks, and possibly the trailing arms.


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