2001 Mercury Mountaineer

[Memphis]

Hello, it's been awhile since I've been on here. I sold my Ranger and have been mad at myself ever since! I am looking at this above mentioned Mountaineer. It is for sale for $5,200 and has 107,000 miles. It seems in good shape, but I haven't seen it yet.
What are some things to look at? What are some trouble issues? Good vehicle? Bad vehicle? Thanks, Scott

 

[Earl43P]

The same as an Explorer.

If it's a 4.0, try to find out if the timing chain cassettes have been changed / updated.

Over here is the good forum for those trucklets:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php

 

[Memphis]

It is an 8cyl.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I love mine, it a 99 Eddie Bauer Explorer.

Other than the normal wear and tear, the only real problem is the Awd transfer case is junk.

There is a viscous coupling in the case that is known to go bad, and lock up. Makes it like driving around in 4hi all the time.

The engine is a tried and true 302, the transmission is an overkill 4r70w.

Mine has 206k mi on it and the case is just now locking up. So that one should have a ways yet. Make sure the front driveshaft is in it when you buy it, because that's how people hide a bad t-case to sell it.

The price does seem a little steep... I paid $2500 for mine, I haven't seen an Ex go for more than $4500, and the Mountys usually go cheaper.

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[Memphis]

How bad is the transfer case? Really expensive? I like to think ahead......

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Basically you can't rebuild it reasonably, the coupling is $800 and impossible to find, and every case in the junkyard is wore out too.

There is a F150/Expedition case swap that will give you 2hi/4hi, but those cases are getting hard to find and requires driveshaft modification.

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[EMB1230]

It is an 8cyl.

The engine is a tried and true 302

I believe most Mounty's had the 5.0. Kinda hard to find Expys with the V8, wasn't it?

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I believe most Mounty's had the 5.0. Kinda hard to find Expys with the V8, wasn't it?

No.
It's a very common engine for the 2nd gen Ex. I see them everywhere, and have at least 10 in our shop customer base.

When I bought mine I had 6 to choose from on Craigslist and only one was a Merc, but they all had 5.0s and there were a few more that were out of my price range.

Keep an eye out when you see a 2nd gen Ex, if it has the 5.0 it'll have a small V8 emblem in the middle of the front fender behind the tire. V6 trucks had no emblems there.

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[UrbanRedneckKid]

Here's mine.
FWIW... They tow like sh!t iii

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[Memphis]

Thanks so far, guys! I'm encouraged by what I've read. My main concern is, are these reliable? How is it going to hold up? Do they do really good in the snow? I've never had a 4WD before. The transfer case issue concerns me a little.
When I look at 'carcomplaints.com' and 'carsurvey.com' they seem to be a good vehicle, but when I check on the Ford Explorer they seem to be plagued with troubles. I'm a bit confused on that......

 

[Thed]

The engine and transmission are both bulletproof. Transfer cases are what you want to look out for because of the previously-mentioned coupling issue. It won't make it un-drivable, you'd just always be in 4WD.

 

[Memphis]

At worst that would burn more gas.....wear tires and suspension faster.....

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

At worst that would burn more gas.....wear tires and suspension faster.....

Grenade front axle housings, strip cv axles, and ruin front driveshafts.

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[shane96ranger]

My Brother had a 2001 Explorer with a bad viscous coupling. It grenaded 3 front axles before I figured out what it was. The coupling itself was around 400 dollars. At that point, we replaced the axle one last time (wrecking yard warrantied it) and he drove it slow to a dealer and traded it in. It was fine as long as he kept it under 40 mph. But anything over that caused so much heat that the oil would boil and blow out the vent.... then kaput. The best fix is to switch out the case for a manual 4406 out of an F150.

I had a 98 Mounty 5.0 and it ran absolutely flawless. They are awesome in the snow. The only thing that I traded it in for was fuel mileage. The person that has it now lives pretty close to me, so I still see it every now and again. I always want to say "You know that scratch on the rear passenger side door? I did that".

The engine and transmission are both bulletproof. Transfer cases are what you want to look out for because of the previously-mentioned coupling issue. It won't make it un-drivable, you'd just always be in 4WD.

I would consider not being able to go on the freeway un-driveable. Also, it's an AWD - it has no 2WD. So if it's working correctly, you will still "always be in 4WD".


One last thing..... here is a GREAT little deal on the swap to a manual 4406 case like I mentioned: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166726

 

[Memphis]

Ok, when I go look at this, how do I test the 4wd or AWD to make sure it's working properly? How do I make sure it's not stuck in 4HI? Thanks, Scott

 

[shane96ranger]

Ok, when I go look at this, how do I test the 4wd or AWD to make sure it's working properly? How do I make sure it's not stuck in 4HI? Thanks, Scott

If it is a V8, it's an AWD. There is not a selector, manual or electric, for any change to the transfer case. It is always engaged. Therefore, there is no 4HI to be "stuck" in.

To check the VC you can do one of two things.

1. You can pull the front driveline and park it on an incline. Put mark on the ground and/or tire and if the viscous coupling is working properly, it will "creep" forward about an inch in an hour.

2. Jack up the rear end. Put a 2X4 all the way in front of each front tire, and it must touch both tires (so don't get it at Home Depot). Start the Explorer, and put it in drive and let it idle. It should just sit there. If it tries to pull itself over the 2X4's - the coupling is toast.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Or just drive in a slow tight circle and see off it binds...

My Ex will just barely roll in drive with the wheels turned all the way. And if it turn tight with any kind of moderate speed it does a weird hobble thing, leaves black marks on the pavement, and you can hear the tires slipping and sliding.

Judging by all the customer cases I've diagnosed, I consider my coupling to be 1/2 way from locked up, it still slips but forcefully.