I have stumbled upon what I belive to be a decent deal. The vehicle is a 99 Explorer 2dr. 4.0 SOHC, 5R55E transmission. All options except leather.
125,000 miles. The owner is asking $2k because the fuel pump is out and a mechanic told him the transmission might last "1 mile or 50,000 miles". It's got a few other minor problems as well that I'm hoping for some help identifyng.The truck still runs and drives, you just have to keep the rpms over 1000 or it will stall. It starts back up easily. I have never heard of this happening with a bad fuel pump (which was apparently diagnosed by his mechanic). The only way I could see this happening would be if the fuel pressure was too high, but it runs fine above idle. As far as my experiance and research shows, this is an IAC problem not a fuel pump. What else could it be?
I understand the 5R55E is not known for being a long-lasting transmission. It shifted decent, the fluid looked good, and the O/D light did not flash. From what I understand, these tranmissions set a code when they start slipping and this causes the O/D light to flash. Correct? I priced a rebuilt unit at $1500.
The air bag light flashes for a while and then becomes solid. I'm not that concerned about air bags, but besides the air bags not working, what does this usually mean? I will not attempt to repair the air bag system myself.
Also, the rear wiper doesn't work. It appears that the arm has become slightly dislodged from the tailgate and could potentially allow water to enter the tail gate. Common?
Other than that, the truck is in decent shape. A few dents and dings, very clean interior. It will need new tires, but the glass is good. I'm looking at it because I will need a 4wd in the winter to get to my job sites. Unless the roads are snowy, it will probably just sit, because my car (which I will be keeping) gets 36mpg.
Thanks,
Carl