I am looking at buying an Explorer for my wife, probably something around 2017. Is there any significant difference in reliability among the engine options, or model years for that matter? Is 4wd available in every engine option? I am kind of leaning towards a 2.3 4 cyl for the fuel economy, but honestly I would rather have the 3.5 ecoboost. If you were going to buy a used Explorer that was 2-3 years old, what would you pick?

 

I would prefer the 3.5L normally aspirated V6 over that of the turbo 2.3L just due to the fact that I feel the vehicle is pretty large to be using such a small displacement engine to propel it. If the GTDI 3.5L V6 is what you prefer, you will have to look for either Sport or Platinum trim levels, since those are the only two that are equipped as such. Of the three engine choices I believe the 3.5L NA V6 to be the most cost effective to select.

 

The only problem with the 3.5 in the Explorer is the internal water pump that goes out and wrecks the engine. I have one of those engines myself, and am trying to decide what to do around 75 to 100k miles.

 

Is there a preferred water pump to replace it with? Could I just replace the water pump at 50,000 mi just to be conservative? Do you both v6 engines share the same water pump failure? Is the 3.5 turbo the same engine as the 3.5 NA but just with turbos?

 

The water pump is inside the metal timing cover, ran by the timing chain. Major job to change.

 

Disclaimer I do not personally own a Gen 5 Explorer. However, my employer owned one from 2012 thru 2020 with the imfamous 3.5L NA

From what I read about the early 3.5s they a handful of them had early failures. However, many seem to last. My boss's 2012 Explorer had a 3.5L NA engine. His wife owns a 16 Exp Sport with the 3.5 EB. When he traded it in prematurely it had 212,000 miles on the odometer. There was an issue with the rear climate control in which it turned out the mechanis was able to disable to continue operating the vehicle. However, my boss went out and purchased a new vehicle during that period. This Explorer was driven by every company employee on a daily basis in some form or fashion. We towed with the vehicle on a regular basis all through out the Northeast US. There were weeks in a clip when a 12 foot cargo trailer was connected. However here is what I can attest to.

1)It drank like a sailor on liberty when a trailer was attached. No trailer, it got descent mileage.
2) For all the wear and tear this vehicle took over the course of 8 years of service, it had little down time. We performed regular oil changes for the engine. Over the last few years, we also did a trans fuild drain and fill. There a PTU remove and replace about 5 years in. The brakes were done at least twice. There was a pulley failure about 5 years ago during a road show trip. The local dealer fixed it and called it a day. Of course tire replacement I want to say 3 times. We were getting about 70,000 miles from each set.
3) I was not a fan of the interior in the early generation. 11-15 MY. To me it felt like an oversized car. MY 16-19 felt better and looked better.
4) The 3.5 EB was a rocketship compared to the 2012 Explorer. My boss would convince his wife to let him or I to drive it when we had far away deliveries with the trailer. She didn't llike us borrowing it but trusted our driving to allow it.
5) Complaint about the Sport. Nice drivetrain. The seating comfort sucked. Both my boss and i agreed the seats were not comfortable after only a couple of hours into a long trip.
6) My wife rented a 2018 Limited model for our trip out West a few years ago. We flew into Salt Lake City. Then proceeded to drive North towards Jackson, Wy for Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP. Very comfy ride for the journey. No complaints about the seats. Good fuel mileage for a NA engine in the mountians. I want to say we got around 20 MPG for most of the trip. I am pretty sure it was not an EB powered either. I would have noticed.

So the boss traded in his 2012 last summer. There rear climate control lines basically rotted out for the heat I think. I am pretty sure my boss discovered anti freeze near the rear of the vehicle. Originially the mechanic told him it was going to be a couple of thousand to fix the issue. He said look into it and he was going to look at getting a replacement vehicle. By the time the mechanic got back to him to let him know the system could be cut off, he bought a F150 pick up as a replacement. THe only thing he regreted was trading in the vehicle since they gave him $2500 for it at the time. He said for that price, we could have kept it around for another company vehicle for repair work so we didn't have to take the T350 van and/or connect out for repair calls. Plus it was towing capable.

good luck

 

Why Is that engine infamous? How has his experience been, do you know?

 

Sorry I had butter fingers when I posted. I editted my original post.

 

The parts themselves are relatively inexpensive (I mean the timing chain and water pump). It's the labour that's expensive. However, the rate of failure in these engines is relatively small in my opinion as a tech working at the dealership. Although this particular repair is one that I've been into hundreds of by now, the majority of failures I see are on the police versions of these vehicles. Police vehicles however, accumulate an insane number of engine hours relative to the actual driven mileage so I can attribute their high failure rates directly to their type of usage, which is extremely unlikely or rare for a personal use vehicle. That said, it's not like 9 of every 10 engines out there will experience this particular failure. I would say 2 out of ten would be a more accurate number. Would that prevent me from buying a vehicle with one? Well, I just bought my wife a 2019 Sport with the 3.5L GTDI back in April. Translation, God forbid her water pump and/or timing chain goes, I'm the lucky guy that gets to do the repair.

 

Did you pick that for the trim or the engine? Which engine do you think is most reliable?

 

Last year, I bought a 2016 with 3.5 EcoBoost, and now the truck's been in the shop for a month because the second cylinder leaked coolant into the engine. The extended warranty is denying the claim because they said it's a factory defect, and Ford is saying they will not assist with any repairs due to not meeting new FLP guidelines. I don't even know what FLP guidelines means. I still owe 5 years' of payments, and have been without my main vehicle for a month. I'd skip EcoBoost, for sure.