I'm currently looking at 2 '98 explorers, 1 with a 5.0 liter V8 & the other with an SOHC 4.0 liter V6 + towing package + 4.10 differential. I don't believe the one with a V8 has the towing package. Will the V8 version do a whole lot better job pulling my 3800 lb. boat ? Does anyone know the difference between the 2 engines in terms of HP/torque ? What about reliability/dependability. Both trucks have around 100K miles on them. Your input is appreciated.

Brian

 

I have a boat about the same size as yours and have had three explorers. My first two were the 4.0 ohv 6 and the current explorer is a '97 EB 5.0 V8. The other two, my 95 and to a lesser extent my 92 were OK as tow vehicles. The 97 5.0 is really excellent, quiet, very reliable and tons of low rpm torque. The 4.0 SOCH motor is not that good for towing because it lacks in low rpm torque and the cam tensioners stuff could be worrysome or expensive. All 5.0 explorers come with a 3.73 All Wheel Drive system with viscous coupled power transfer system for truly seamless full time four wheel traction, even lock-to-lock on dry pavement. The only service issue that I know of may be cracked or warped exhaust headers that may leak and cause noise. Otherwise bulletproof, tows about 6300lbs and uses a bit more fuel. To reinerate, almost any explorer with a 3.73 axel will tow your boat but the V8 is best!

Hope this helps..
John

 

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 21-Jun-01 AT 06:30 PM (EST)[/font][p]The 5.0L could also be gotten in 2WD. Unfortunately until the 2002, the 5.0L only came with the 4-speed automatic. The SOHC comes with the 5-speed automatic which makes up for the lack of low-end grunt of the 5.0L. I have towed a 4,000 lb trailer from Ohio to Arizona and all over the Phoenix area in stop and go traffic. My SOHC has absolutely no problems getting up and going with the trailer attached to my hitch. The exra gear between 1st and the original 2nd helps a lot. Sure I can feel the trailer, but the one time I used a 5.0L to tow it, I felt it then too.

The cam-shaft tensioner issue became a "non-issue" when Ford issued a recall on them and extended the warranty on the tensioners to 6 years / 72K miles and on the guides to 7 years / 100K miles.

 

Yes, there are 5.0 2WD Explorers but who needs 'em. As for the cam tensioner thing, read the topic "97 EXPLORER SOHC" and be your own judge! That 4.10 axel will really adversely affect fuel consumption. But in the final analysis price may be a factor as well as which model - EB vs XLT.

Best of Luck!

John

 

Someone that just wants the room, the ability to tow 6000 pounds, and lives in warm climate would probably prefer a 2WD 5.0L Explorer. Basically the same reason some people get 2WD trucks whereas others get 4WD. Depends on the tipe of surface you drive on. If you never go off-road nor see snow, then I doubt 4WD would come in much use for you.

As far as the cam tensioner thing, I have read and participated in the thread for I have a '97 SOHC 4.0L with 73K miles on it. After getting the latest version of the camshaft tensioners installed in 11/00 I can still say that my engine is every bit as quiet as it was the day I bought it. I did have my tensioners replaced twice before, however the noise only went away for a couple of months before it returned. Now eight months later, and my engine is still quiet. I am confident that the problem has finally been resolved. The only way for me to know for sure is to keep putting the miles on it. As far as the thread goes, 21 of the 24 messages were posted before 2/23 which was right in the midst of everyone getting their updated tensioners. The three posts since then was a post by me, posting a copy of the Ford letter. Then there was a post by 64Ford regarding just getting the letter and having his tensioners replaced. Now he mentioned tensioners, however Ford sent out two letters, one was for the tensioners back in December, the other was for the cam chain guides back in May. The tensioners have a 72K warranty, the guides have a 100K warranty. I think 64Ford may have gotten the guides replaced rather than the tensioners since he mentioned the 100K warranty. If he hasn't had the tensioners replaced and still has noise, then I would suggest he look into that as well since they are also covered. The third message was by me pointing that out to him.

It's amazing that I still frequently run into people with the SOHC that has the rattle noise on startup. They just thought it was a condition of the engine. I don't know if they just didn't get the letter or maybe they did and just tossed it, not realizing what it was. It can be easily fixed and at least in the case of mine has now worked for the last 8 months, 12K miles. With 72K miles on my engine now and it being as quiet as new I'm not concerned about it.

I do agree that with 4.10 axles instead of 3.73 you would see a reduction in mileage, only if the tire size remained the same. The fact of the matter is though that the largest tires that Ford offered with the 3.73 were 235 75R15 (28.9"). The only tires available with the 4.10 were 255 70R16 (30.1"). The best mileage I ever got with my 4.10 was 20.5 MPG at 80 MPH. That puts it right in the same range as most other people get with all different axles. I have seen some averaging as low as 14 in the city with 3.55 and some 2WD Sports getting as high as 22 MPG. The SOHC does liked to be revved more than the 5.0L and 4.0L OHV, so I am not surprised that the best mileage I ever got was at 80 MPH. When I run the usual 70 MPH around here, my mileage is in the low to mid 19s. Oxygenated fuels have more of an affect on MPG than axle ratio does. The two months of the year when oxygenated fuels aren't required here in Phoenix, my mileage went up from the usual 16.8 to 19.2. Unfortunately with July coming closer, more and more stations are getting the oxygenated fuels again so my mileage is back down to 16.8 with half highway, half freeway rush hour.