I'm not a Ford guy(Don't shoot me!), but my Mother-In-Law has a 96 Explorer Eddie Bauer edition. It has about 88K on the clock, and went in for it's 90K servicing. It is still under warranty.
Only 3 days after the extensive 90K checkup/tune-up/general inspection($900 worth!), she was on a trip and while climbing a grade it started to act up. She was running the AC and the radio at the time. As the service engine light came on, she was coasting to a stop.
It was towed to the dealer where it was checked in for a general diagnosis. Their diagnosis came back "blown motor", and it is supposedly not under warranty. They say the tensioner failed and the serp. belt was slipping on the water pump which caused it to throw a rod(?) Sounds more like a head gasket or a cracked block to me...
Anywho, the service included inspection of the pulleys/tensioner and belt, and somehow they missed this. I think she's being taken for a ride on this one, and I'm not happy about it. If the belt was slipping that much, the battery wouldn't have charged and the AC wouldn't have worked...but they did. And if the belt slipped enough to overheat it, it would have taken a whole lot more than a few minutes to overheat.
Anyways, I guess my question are about Ford's engines. Are there any TSBs on the water pump, spring tensioner, or belt? Does this scenario even sound plausible to you guys? It seems a bit fishy to me. Have any of you had issues like this with your Explorers?
Thanks for your time!
Sam