Hey guys, I drive a '98 Expy with just under 132K miles on it. So far, it has served the family well with no major problems since new (alternator is about the biggest problem). My question for you all is how much longer does it have left on the clock? Sometimes when I go to start it up it'll make a loud screeching sound. Typically, by the time I take out the key and go to start it up again it'll work. I'm guessing my Expy just needs a new starter for that problem, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, today I was driving at about 40 mph or so and the transmission seems to have something rattling about in it whenever I let it pull from 4th gear. The noise is barely audible so I can't tell whether or not it makes the noise when I downshift. Unfortunately, the noise is present in high RPMs as well. What's your take on this?

My car burns a bit of oil in the summer months (about a full quarter will take it back to mid-normal) but even just recently I had to add just a little more than a half quart for just over 2000 miles after the oil change. Whenever I get on the gas after the engine is fully warm, the RPMs seem to hit another octave in pitch. It goes from fairly throaty to a higher pitch after about 3500 RPM. What could be the case of this, besides being old? Also, my engine doesn't seem to want to warm up to it's optimal temperature, right in the middle of the gauge. It's still in the normal zone but just less than a 1/4 of an inch above the line showing the normal zone. Is this a sign that I'm losing compression?

To clear things up, about 90K of these miles have been driven extremely hard.

Being that I'm still fairly young, I'm gathering up all the knowledge I can about cars. Any advice you have will greatly help me out!

Thanks in advance
-rockstate

 

maintenance is the key to life. Burning oil is a symptom of wear. I'd do a compression check, wait till after a oil change or two and do anaother to see if there is a change.

the change in sound is due to the exhaust being clogged up from having so many iles on it and it heats ups and expands and the sound will change.

I don't do trannies and can't speculate on that. The large screeching noise could be a belt or the tensioner.

take care of the truck and you should be fine.

 

If I were you, I'd get out of it. Ford only warranties it foe 36,000 miles for a reason.Anything over that... you're on borrowed time.

 

there are a lot of people on this forum who have gone over and beyond 132k...it all depends on maintenance, and taking care of problems before they get bad.

take care of her and she'll take care of you, but if you're not big on proper maintenance you might want to get rid of her before she blows up.

al

 

Wrenchturner,
Good idea with doing a compression test. I have a feeling that I am losing compression. One of my buddies who has a F-150 (that he ironically rolled while mudding, but that's another story) said that there is a mixture, for lack of a better word, that will somehow restore compression. Have you ever heard of this? On a sidenote, I think that that rattling might be coming from my torque converter. A buddy of mine has an old I-RocZ Camaro with an auto and he replaced his torque convert under the same conditions. He noticed a "rough" start when coming from a stop, something that I've been looking for the answer to. Thanks for all your help!

Leader,
Although Ford warranties only last for 36,000 miles, my Expedition has put in years of hard work and dedication for me. To get rid of it now would be a pity. As silly as that sounds, I still prefer driving my '98 Expy over the '07 Sport Trac with the V8 haha.

-rockstate

 

Ah phooey, I'm treat my truck like a red headed stepchild, still running strong though.

 

hey, i'm a redhead!

i was just saying that since his truck has so many miles and is exhibiting issues as it is. i'm not trying to say these trucks are fickle in general.

al

 

I do take a little better care of my expy though, its the familymobile, and its an auto tranny ( I generally have a dislike of automatics because its one of the only things I don't understand enough to fix on my own).

 

Must be nice to trade them in every 36k

 

If you treat your ford like a baby (maintenance speaking) than your ford will treat you
with lots of fun and many years and miles of driving.
Two keys MAINTENANCE and not OVER DRIVING THE RIGS CAPABILITIES.

 

The compression check is a good idea. I don't know how much maintenace you've done on the tranny, but the next time you change fluids, look and see if you have excessive junk on the maganet. Do the smell test on the old fluid too. Make sure you drain the torque converter. Along with the compression test, scan the vehicle to see if you have any impending codes. If you're running with the original cops and oxygen sensors, you may have an issue there. Have you changed your belts?

 

Thank you all for your help!
sbclemens, I took a look today after letting my car heat up to it's "normal" temperature and after a run to McDonalds, I checked the transmission fluid. Seems to be a normal pinkish color so I appear to be good there. Although, since I'm still young and under my parents house I don't know much about the previous maintenance of the car. My dad never has been too mechanically inclined but I don't think he would skip out on maintenance. I'm about 500 miles away from needing an oil change, and my local dealer is having a deal for an oil change for $9.95, so I'm gonna take it up there to get the oil change. Anything I should have them check out while I'm up there, besides the compression check?

-rockstate

 

Is this a Ford dealer? If so, they can take a sample of the tranny fluid and test it. Have them give the belts a once over while they have it.

 

sbcclemens, that sounds like a good idea. I'll have to have them take a look at that. I heard some sad news that the dealership is going out of business around January 15, so I better hurry up and drive that 500 miles!
Do any of you know what a bad rod bearing would sound like? I took my buddy for a spin in it tonight while the engine was cold and he thinks a rod bearing might be going out. My first inclination was that the oil just hadn't thinned down properly to lube the pistons. Could that be my "rattling" sound I mentioned in my original post?

 

rockstate, you've been giving both good and bad (36K miles, give me a break) advice so far, here's my 2 cents worth.

1. Proper maintenance will help but is not a guarantee of long life. Case in point, I changed my tranny fluid every 30K miles as specified but completely lost my tranny with around 120K miles on the ticker.

2. These things are notorious for consuming oil between pit stops and doesn't necessarily mean the engine is worn out (although with 130K miles there is definitely some wear). Many an expy owner has complained about oil "loss" from day one. Don't fret it, just keep the oil level up if you're so inclinded.

3. The noise you hear at start up could be piston slap. Again, these engines are notorious for having the problem (so are Chebbys) but most agree that it is not a serious concern. Do a search and you'll find tons of info on the topic.

4. Check your steering and suspension components....I've changed all four ball joints on mine.