I bought a 99 Explorer with 92k miles 3 weeks ago. It had a few problems the dealer was willing to fix (defective oil pressure sender, improperly balanced tires, siezed parking brake), but a few that he won't.
The car does not idle properly on cold starts. It idles at about 1,000, and then drops down. If it is not too cold it will then jump up to 1,500, and down to 1,000. It will then repeat until it warms up. If it is really cold, it will just stall unless you give it gas to jump up on. Any idea what is involved here?
Second problem is a noisy timing chain. It seems to go away after a few minutes, so I am guessing it is the tensioner rather than the guide. Ford says it is not a problem other than annoying. Is that true, or will it likely fail later on? I can live with a little noise, but not with a liklihood of an expensive repair in the near future. Any easy way to be sure it is the tensioner rather than the guide; as Ford also says a bad guide can lead to engine damage.
The dealer says he lost money on the car already and can't afford to do expensive repairs. His contention is the the car is 6 years old, I got a good buy, and a few problems are to be expected. If push comes to shove I can sue him and win, but I don't want to go there if at all possible. If these problems are not as serious as I fear, working something out will be much easier.
Thanks.