What to look for when buying a gen 2 expy

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mfdbackdraft

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Carefully look at bottom of radiator core support where it attaches to the frame mounts. My 06 is way rusty and I don't know how long it's been in WI.
Air Suspension is always tricky. Think shops keep replacing parts til it works.... I found the seals on the connections loose elasticity in the cold and leak down.
 

JesseLamba

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I have been looking at some high mileage 2nd Gen expeditions (03 and closer to 200K miles), and this thread is really helpful. Will help me make sure that I check out the tell tell issues.

Thanks for putting all this together guys.
 

EliteFord

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arrived back from a 3500ish mile road trip last night. seattle to sacramento to palm springs to orange county to palm springs to lake havasu to lake tahoe, and all the driving in between. Expy ran very well, no engine issues. Kept fluids at right levels, very smooth. Right before trip replaced front pads. On a leg heard clanking from right front and appears the caliper clip came off. Picked one up at autozone and popped it in. pulls dead straight on the freeway if all tires are the same pressure. 162k now. Grateful for this vehicle. have a great week.
 

the bus

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Something I posted on F150online awhile ago to someone looking for buying advice:


Another issue, though this should be obvious, is the fading outer trim of the XLTs.

Also, some 05s may have injector issues. They may stick open or closed, resulting in engine damage. You would have to contact the dealership to see if the vehicle is affected. They extend the warranty on the injectors (and anything that might be damaged from a stuck injector) to 11 years or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Really !!! I had that happen .. injector failure but passed test. Burned hole in piston, resulting in a ford reman 4.6. Ugh!!
 

Bolt snapper

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So if my understanding of all of the foregoing posts is correct, the 2004s and 2005s are the most reliable? The spitting out sparkplug issue is past and the cam phaser issue hasn't come effect? I'm super interested in picking up one of these rigs, and I can do most easy to moderate repairs, but obviously want to avoid the unjustifiably expensive issues. I would sincerely appreciate any advice that you current and past owners can give!
 

Bolt snapper

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I meant to say: 2003s and 2004s. It sounds as if the 3v 5.4 began production, though, sometime during the 2004 model year?
 

ExpyMo

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Hi, new here. I know this thread is old but I've found it very helpful and wanted to thank everyone who contributed.

I am on the search for an 05 (doesn't have to be, but gen 2's seem to be available in my price range, some with lower miles like I want).

One thing I did not see mentioned was how many miles are too many, if it's been maintained and not rotted to death? I'm afraid to consider 140k miles and up in my search, is that justified?
 

Lizard

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I currently own a 2002 explorer base model(3rd gen) and have been debating whether or not to trade up to a 2nd gen expedition, I found a 03 eddie bauer 4wd with about 160k miles and was wondering what to expect and look for
 

Lizard

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This thread has been very helpful, I'm pretty new to buying cars, this would be the first one I've bought, the explorer was my fathers and was hoping to keep it but the problems keep mounting up due to the previous owner using whatever he could find that fit to hold the 4.0 v6 together after a rebuild and I've already replaced a quarter of the engine because of it. Was worried at first about the spark plug ejection but the v2 v3 thing solved that, I'm looking at a 03 today, hope for the best
 
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