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My father passed away in Jan 2005. So now I have his his 97 Explorer Eddie Bauer it has around 95,000 miles on it, and yes it is a 5.0 AWD. The Gas Mileage was very poor and did not run too well when I got it, it was getting around 9.8 to about close to 11.0 around town and I would be lucky to get around 15 on the highway.I know all this for sure because it has the on board computer.Well I defenitly had to make changes due to the sky rocketing gas prices I live near Pittsburgh so gas is about $2.35 a gal. So here is what I did.

New plugs,wires,fuel filter,pcv valve,belt and a new center idle pulley,coolant flush and t-stat,changed the battery but it was leaking bad,strut mounts were broken replaced them,replaced the shocks,the exhuast had a leak so I had it replaced with a custom high performance dual muffler exhaust system with dual pipes in the back it cost me about $250 changed all the fluids and last but not least but not least changed the air filter to a K&N. Now I get a amazing 14 to 16 around town and around 19 to 21 on the highway and it runs like a champ now. All of this set me back about 6 to $700 but I thought it was worth it considering that I am going to hang onto it for a long time. Take Care

 

Sorry for the passing of your Dad.

How did they run the dual exhaust, beside each other or a Y pipe to move one to the left side?

 

i had dual exhaust put on my 96, v-8, awd, but i had to sacrifice my spare tire, i went with 2 magnaflows, which were great for me, i didnt want it really loud, but i pull a 20 foot camping trailer with it, aand not to mention, even though its not super loud, i still get alot of looks

 

If you aren't sure about the maintenance, I would change all the fluids. Engine oil, transmission, coolant, differentials and transfer case.

Mason

 

Howdy!

Since this is the first-timer's thread I thought I'd stick my $.02 in as well. Just bought a 97 Mercury Mountaineer about a month or so ago for my wife. It's a high-miler (162K) and since I've got it I've done nothing but fix, fix, fix.... blend door & plenum, spare tire assembly, was gonna R&R my leaking radiator today but absolutely could NOT get the fan clutch assembly off the shaft to remove the fan shroud, it's been changed to a metal fan and all the stock wrenches in the clutch kits would NOT work so I finally gave up rather then round the threads & screw up the water pump. Next stop is the shop for the radiator swap... Also charged the a/c (got the old original accumulator w/the insulation so it's no wonder the a/c was low), did new shocks (Monroe Reflex, makes a world of difference), new cruise switches on the steering wheel, fixed the stuck odometer & changed a bunch of dash lights (including the burned-out bulb in the headlight switch...), and changed out the bad Auto-Lamp control in the rearview mirror. I tried to put the message center option in but found that the base Mountaineer isn't wired for it (not enough wires going from the multi-conductor plug back to the vehicle)... I have the passenger crack in the RH manifold also, was contemplating a pair of shorty headers to fix it & the Flowmaster catback to make it sound better. I used to own the FHP Special Service Mustangs (had a 85 and a 87) so I sorta miss the tone from the 302... I'm pretty new to the SUV world, most of my other endeavors have been around cars up to now. Looking forward to participating in the forums & some good ideas!

Take care
Eric

 

I'm back from my trip over the mountains. It really did well. I was able to go over the pass at 60 with only part throttle. I checked the mileage when I filled up over there 13.3. I came back over a higher pass on the return trip. We'll see in a couple days how it did.

 

Don't know about '97 Explorer but, I have 1997 Merc Mountaineer AWD/5.0L with 90K miles. Just finished an 1,100 mile road trip @ 70 mph and got 18.5 MPG (yes, it's a gas hog but really tows well when I need it to). I'm afraid to check town mileage! Typical problems are:

1. EGR valve goes out
2. Cruise control pad on right side of steering wheel breaks
3. Left/Driver side front wheel bearing goes out

I have had these problems and so have several '97MM that are members of other forums.

 

I've got a 97 5.0L 2wd and the best I get is about 15.5mpg (5 tanks of gas - accurate measurement). Plugs wires filters and fluids didn't change a thing.

Good luck,

ynot2244

 

i have a 97 5.0 awd and have watched the fuel gauge drop for years. one of the thirsitest vehicles i've ever owned. awd does have its advantages though. i'm up around 120K and did lower ball joints both sides. have nasty manifold leak on right side. truck still has some ***** left on it. rear brakes were seized on first time i changed them. funky disk brake outer, drum brake interior for emerg brake. put big puller on, pb blaster and snapped the rotor off the axle. $3500 sounds pretty good to me.

 

Here I am 6 months later, still enjoying my Explorer. So far I've:
Replaced leaky front axle pinion seal
Replaced the gas filter
Had subwoofer amp fixed
Changed the oil/filter

No increases in mileage yet, still stuck around 14. I figured for sure that amp would've made a difference!

 

I still have my 96 Explorer 5,0 AWD and it now has 122,000 miles on it. I just went to Florida from Maryland, 2 adults, 2 kids, and the back filled with luggage. Here were my miles and fill up amounts:
415 miles - 20.4 gal - 20 mpg
372 miles - 18.1 gal - 20.2 mpg
402 miles - 20.3 gal - 19.8 mpg
336 miles - 16.1 gal - 20.8 mpg
368 miles - 17.7 gal - 20.8 mpg

Average was 20.32 MPG. I regularly get 16.5 - 17 MPG locally (not city) and about 14 MPG pulling a 2 horse trailer with one horse in it. It is really wierd how milage varies on these. I have a friend with a 99 V8 that only gets 18 highway. He is a maintenance nut like me.
I traveled 65-70 MPH above South Carolina and mostly 75 MPH below.
Tires are Michelin LTX M/S. I have kept all the fluids changed, power steering flush, differentials, transfer case, brake fluid, and have the transmission flushed annually. The last major work was done at 65,000 miles, this was plugs, wires, and IAC. I did do the shocks at 100,000 miles. Everything else is still original.
I find the Explorer one of the more reliable vehicles I have owned. My 1992 Explorer was sold with 168,000 miles on it and still ran great.

 

Wow! Those numbers are incredible! One thing though, how are you squeezing almost 21 gals into a 20 gal tank that wasn't even empty yet???

 

I usually put in fuel before the check gauge light comes on. On a couple of these fill ups the light had just come on. I always figured when the light came on I still had maybe 25 or 30 miles till empty. Glad I never tested that theory. I am now wondering about the calibration on my fuel gauge. It will stay on full for the first 100 to 125 miles and then drop more rapidly. I had always heard and I just looked at the owners manual to confirm that it has a 22.5 gallon tank. I just called the dealer who is going to inspect my new horse trailer and one guy said 21 and 2 others say 23. I have put slightly over 21 in it before and unless the filler pipe is a gallon it is at least a 21 gallon tank.
If it is truely 21 it is a little scary getting that close to empty on the highway.
Luckily I have never run out. Interesting however.
My father-in-law didn't believe my mileage on this thing. I traded him for a couple of weeks (he has a 2001 V6 Explorer) when he went to Maine last year. He said he averaged 19.8 MPG with mine and normally only gets about 18 MPG highway with his. I blamed it on the fact that I don't think the V8 has to work as hard or downshift on hills like the V6. Not a lot more horsepower but lots more torque.
Chuck

 

Hmmm, think the tanks got smaller in 97? I've never been able to get anywhere near 20 gals on a fill up, and I always wait till the light has been on a while. I'd sure like to do something to get your kind of mileage! Gives me hope that I'll find something wrong with mine.