keith_h 420 Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Our 2001 Explorer has been a good vehicle over all but like many things when they get old has started to leak. We were hoping to get another year or two out of her but I'm not sure if that will work out at this point. I've noticed an oil drip from the area that would be from a leaky rear main seal. At the moment it isn't significant other than playing to my OCD of no oil on driveways however it is not the type of repair I will do on my own anymore. We have a couple of 1.5K-2K mile trips coming up and I know the leak will only get worse. I have also gotten estimates to replace the seal and all have come in around half the value of the vehicle. With all of this in mind we have started talking about moving up our replacement. For the most part we have leaning to getting an F-150 when the time came. We aren't into a lot of fancy features so were considering an XLT extended cab with an 3.5L Eco Boost engine, max tow pkg and whatever other additional options are needed for towing. I know the 2015's have aluminum bodies but that doesn't bother me. What I am looking for is opinions from anyone who's had some experience with the 3.5L Eco Boost, towing or 2015 model. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Have you tried switching to a higher viscosity oil, or using one of the stop leak products? They have gotten a lot better over the years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
arthuruscg 34 Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Did you verify that it is actualy the mail seal and not form the back area of the pan? I can't remember about the 2001 trans if there is an inspection/filler plate or if you have to remove the starter to see down into the trans bell housing. The insides of the bell housing would be covered in oil if the rear main was leaking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 Have you tried switching to a higher viscosity oil, or using one of the stop leak products? They have gotten a lot better over the years. I've been looking at the Bar Leaks Rear Seal Repair. They say it needs to be added every other oil change which is no big deal. My main concern is we have our first trip in 5 weeks so it doesn't allow much time to try something and have time to see if it really works longer term. If we were just camping within a few hours of home this year I wouldn't be as concerned. I also need time to get a new vehicle if we decide to go that way. Normally it takes me a couple of months to buy a new car and then a day or two of walking in and out with the final candidate dealerships before cutting a deal (I won't be rushed and drive car sales people crazy). Did you verify that it is actualy the mail seal and not form the back area of the pan? I can't remember about the 2001 trans if there is an inspection/filler plate or if you have to remove the starter to see down into the trans bell housing. The insides of the bell housing would be covered in oil if the rear main was leaking. I'm pretty confident it is the seal short of pulling the tranny. The drips are coming out of the bell housing where it meets the engine. The valve covers and manifold are dry, the oil pan is tight with no leaks and the PCV valve is free. The only place left is the rear main seal which isn't uncommon on the 4.0L of this age and mileage. If I was 20 years younger I would just put it up on stands and pull the tranny but I've reached an age and point in life I don't feel like laying on my back underneath a car wrestling heavy objects. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LONE-STAR 370 Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Both of my trucks are f-350's. But my work truck is a extended cab (next one will be a crew cab) and my personal truck is a crew cab. Even if no one was to ever ride with me again I would still buy the crew cab. Also a longer truck will hold the trailer to the road better. My neighbor just bought a 2015 f150 with the V8 and he wishes he got the echo boost. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ImDownWithDisney 342 Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 The reports that I have read say the 3.5 is a towing beast, compared to gas engines available a few years ago. The good mileage of the ecoboost goes to hell towing, though. If I didn't need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck I would drive one, for sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Both of my trucks are f-350's. But my work truck is a extended cab (next one will be a crew cab) and my personal truck is a crew cab. Even if no one was to ever ride with me again I would still buy the crew cab. Also a longer truck will hold the trailer to the road better. My neighbor just bought a 2015 f150 with the V8 and he wishes he got the echo boost. Good to hear your neighbors opinion on the V8. The dealers around here seem to have a lot of V8's and 2.7L V6's on the lot. Just from the specs the 3.5L V6 just seems to be a better towing engine. We are going to do some looking around but suspect I would have to special order what we want. I really don't like the crew cabs. If we need to carry folks we take the wife's CX5 which is a lot easier to get around in. Not to mention an extended cab will be a tight fit in the garage as it is. Anything longer will have to be kept in the drive. The reports that I have read say the 3.5 is a towing beast, compared to gas engines available a few years ago. The good mileage of the ecoboost goes to hell towing, though. If I didn't need a 3/4 or 1 ton truck I would drive one, for sure. Towing mileage isn't a big problem for us. Our 19-21 mpg Explorer drops to 9-11 mpg when we tow. One of the the things I hope to improve is the towing performance. While the 4.0L V6 is adequate and handles everything fine I would like a bit more oomph which I think we will get with the Ecoboost. I can also get a larger gas tank in the F-150 which means we won't be stopping every couple of hours to fill up. As far as what I'm going to do, I've decided to try the stop leak and see how it goes. At the same time we are going to do some shopping to see what is available. If the leak stops during all of this I will likely hold off on the new truck as we had originally planned. If it doesn't stop the leak we will follow through on the new vehicle and sell the Explorer and my B3000 pickup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Good luck whichever way you decide to go. I haven't looked for a new vehicle in 13 years, my 2002 ram is still going strong. Needs some minor repairs. I would keep it until it dies, but I just found a deal that I couldn't pass on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Good luck whichever way you decide to go. I haven't looked for a new vehicle in 13 years, my 2002 ram is still going strong. Needs some minor repairs. I would keep it until it dies, but I just found a deal that I couldn't pass on. We bought the wife a CX5 in the fall of 2013. Prior to that we hadn't bought a vehicle since the end of 2001 which is when we bought the B3000 to replace my 1987 Tercel wagon that was totaled in an accordion accident. The reason we kept the Explorer is over all it has been a good car and I knew it would be a good TV for a small TT. If we can get another year or two out of it I will be very happy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 It's a shame that the repair cost will be so high. Everything is so crammed together that a simple fix is now a major undertaking where you have to take 1/2 the vehicle apart. Bar's is a very good product. I would try that route, run it around town, hit the interstate for a 50 mile round trip and see if it helped any. And I would go up on viscosity if you can. it can't hurt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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