Just picked up a 1998 ford expedition

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Got it for $1300. Eddie bauer edition. 188k 5.4l 4wd 3rd row. The works lol. So the tires are shot and ones a differant size. I can fix that issue right away at my work. The shifter has a ton of play. Putting it in 2 is acutally drive. I read theres a plate i can tighten under the dash is the first thing to try. It had no oil on the stick when i got it so i did a oil change and about 4 qts of black came out. They said they changed it about 10-15k ago. Put in 5 qts of valv hm full syn 5w30 and 1.5 qts of m1 0w40. Thats just what i had laying around and a motocraft 820. Air filter was fine. Power steering took a few ounces to top off. Tranny was about 1/4 qt low. Tranny does weep i noticed. All the boxes underneth are full and dont seem to bad. It does have the famous 5.4 header leak. Replaced the pcv stuff. Had a bad coil at cyl 8, what a B to change. Was gonna do plugs and all coils next check. What do you guys think did i miss anything? And body is straight 6.5/10 clean and its dark green
 
All I can say is good luck to you and the Red Sox.

JK When I feel like writing a long story I will post later, I had a 99 with very few miles and it was like living with an evil entity.
 
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We only need it for less than a year. Wife is watching 2 more kids and in the am and they go to school. Next tax time we plan for a newer acadia with 3rd row
 
Re: What do you guys think did i miss anything?

You might change the other fluids. Brake, PS, antifreeze.

If it were mine I would NOT change the trany fluid because sometimes a trany with old fluid that has not been changed for quite a while will slip if you change the fluid.
 
I believe Dorman has a upgraded shifter tube that fails often on F150s/Expeditions.
 
Just before the next oil change, I'd put 6 oz of SeaFoam in the crankcase and drive it around the block, then change. Do that a few times and it'll settle right down.

Good family hauler. The EB package is very nice
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It sounds like you've addressed everything you can.

I wouldn't be afraid to refresh the ATF. To me, if the trans is so bad that a fluid refresh will kill it, you won't want your wife driving it as is anyway.

I have some friends that own early 2000s versions of these. One is the dark green, the other kind of a goldish color. No major issues aside from normal high mileage things like caliper and wheel bearings. They still look surprisingly good for that many years in the rust belt. No real visible rust from the outside.
 
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The sloppy shifter can also be caused by the shifter shaft and bushings in the column being worn, its a common thing on any Ford with a column shifter.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
The sloppy shifter can also be caused by the shifter shaft and bushings in the column being worn, its a common thing on any Ford with a column shifter.


+1

My 03 Ranger had the same issue.
 
For 1300 and it runs,,,good deal, sounds like it will make a year or 2, maybe more, run her till she breaks,,,imho
 
We had an '02 and my parents still have a 2000. Prior to the 2000, they had a '98. They are great vehicles mechanically, however they do have some issues, many of which are shared with the same vintage F-150 upon which they are mostly based:

1. Front suspension bits. They are hard on tie-rod ends and upper/lower balljoints. The Moog replacements seem to hold up well.
2. Exhaust manifold studs breaking off and leaking. Sounds like you've already got this going on. There are updated stainless studs available. It is usually the right side that fails.
3. The PI-headed versions of the 4.6L/5.4L had a tendency to launch spark plugs, particularly after the threads were damaged by the plugs being changed. This is not an issue with yours IIRC.
4. Rear axle seals on the 9.75" rear-end once the miles get on it. Both the '02 and the '00 have had these replaced.
5. The rear trailing arms can, in areas of heavy road salt usage, rot out.
6. The trans cooler lines can rot out (this happened to the '02)
7. The sunroof drains will back up and rot out the rockers (happened to the '02) from the inside
8. The rear parking brake cables will seize. So will the integrated rotor/drum parking brake assembly
9. The ABS controller dying, causing the pump to run constantly and killing the battery
10. The main power lead for the starter, the end will rot off.

And of course minor stuff:
- Coils failing but not setting a fault code
- The DTRL resister pooping the bed
- The heated drivers seat will fail


As you noticed, with rear HVAC, some of the coils are a monumental PITA to change. The plugs are worse. they 6" down the tube and on an angle. Take your time.

If the power steering is groaning a few drain/fills with M1 ATF or AMSOIL ATF will greatly reduce it or eliminate it.

The 4R100 transmission is close to invincible in this application (was designed to be behind the 7.3L PSD), as is the 9.75" rear-end. The front is also a very robust 8.8". We never had any drivetrain problems with either of them. Both are still on the road, I sold the '02 a couple of years back and the guy was going to drive it for the winter. Found out how good it was and it has been his DD since. Likely has around 200K miles on it now, as it had over 180K when I sold it. The 2000 has similar mileage.

They are pigs on gas and there's no way of helping that. It's a 240HP (in your case) V8 moving a 6,000lb behemoth mated to a massive antiquated 4-speed, which is in turn mated to a large BW transfer case with a clutched engagement mechanism for the front wheels, with two driveshafts that are always turning. It will pull the proverbial pooper out of the world in 4-LO and we had no issues doing extensive towing with both of them.

All-in-all, it got us through numerous ice storms, deep snow, pulled guys out that got stuck and generally was just a fantastic vehicle that really liked fuel. I was not easy on it, and it never left us stranded.
 
It wouldn’t happen to have the right rear tire blow out, driven on the wheel so long that the wheel exploded right?

crackmeup2.gif
Oh GHT...
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
It wouldn’t happen to have the right rear tire blow out, driven on the wheel so long that the wheel exploded right?

crackmeup2.gif
Oh GHT...


Thanks for dragging that back up, I had all but forgot about it!
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Definitely do a check and refresh on the suspension. Sloppy ball joints, tie rods, and bushings could be an issue if they are original. I know it's a temporary vehicle, but don't cheap out on tires either. You want as much stability advantage as you can get, especially with kids on board.

If the oil was that bad when you drained it, be prepared for the new stuff to wash a whole pile of crud out in short order. Might take a couple very short OCI "rinses" before it settles.

I'd lean on the side of a transmission drain and fill, maybe with something like Maxlife that could try to slow the weeping and refresh hardened internal seals. A transmission that dies after a fluid change was going to die soon regardless.

Flush the cooling system... it might be a rusty muddy mess by now if it was never done before.

Check accessory belts and related components and change if needed. Check battery and charging system. Check all exterior lights. Replace headlight bulbs even if they still work since they could be very dull from age. Adjust aim of headlights.
 
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