New member. Questions on my 2005 Sport Trac 2WD

[Eric SanMiguel]

Hi. I own a 2005 2WD Sport Trac XLT. Bought it used and owned it for about 4 yrs now. It currently has 102K miles on it. I had it for sale not so long ago but the market price for it is now low and decided that I will keep this truck for a long time. It has been pretty reliable and had no major issues for the last 4 yrs. Since I am keeping this truck now I want to focus more on maintaining it. The big negative on the truck is the horrible gas mileage. With the price of gas now its not a big deal but its still a gas guzzler. What MPG are you guys getting from the 4.0 liter ? I have some more questions and issues:



Truck was making a "growling" noise. First I thought it was tires. Then found out the front bearings are bad. Replaced it and a year later its making the same noise again.



I believe the truck is still on original shocks. How easy are they to replace myself? What brand are recommended?



I think the tires are still original. I want to replace them due to its age. Also the front inner area is worn out. Does this mean an alignment?



Are there any weak areas (common failures) in this truck that I should address now? I haven't had any overheating or any oil leaks. Are there any components that I need to change now before its too late?



Thanks in advance.

 

[Todd Z]

Welcome



1) Your driving makes a huge difference in mpg.... But tune ups and good maintenance cause a big difference too.... I get 13-15 if I beat on it 15-18 if I drive ok and 19-21 if I baby it.



2) Front wheel bearings go, sadly a lot of the cheep replacements only last a year.



3) Shocks are easy enough if you have the right tools and know how.. There is a projects section on the LEFT that is a great help...... I like the Monroe Sensatracks.



4) Change ALL Fluids and filters, Change the Thermostat housing and t-stat and senders in the housing.



Good luck



Todd Z

 

[Duane Foster]

My '02 4WD, 3.73 gears and 235/70/16 tires, 75,000 miles, gets similar mileage to what Todd listed for his. 19-20 mpg on longer highway trips, and that's without cruise control, which would probably help. Probably 15-18 normal local driving in summer with most trips under 10 miles. Worse in winter.

My '01 4WD, 4.10 gears and 255/70/16 tires, won't match the '02 for mpg, or performance for that matter. I've only had it out on the highway once for a 100 mile round trip with a 5x8 trailer load of firewood behind it going out. MPG seemed decent for the round trip, or at least a lot better than it gets locally.



Shocks aren't bad to change, especially if you have a box end ratchet, like a Gearwrench, for the top of the rear shocks. I put Sensatracs on the front of my '02, and air shocks on the back last summer. No complaints on either. Really stiffened up the ride over the worn out originals, and that's without going crazy with the air shocks. I put the air shocks on because I pull a 6x12 enclosed trailer short distances several times a week all summer.

 

[Duane Foster]

When you change the shocks, do them all at more or less the same time. I liked the way my truck rode with the old shocks, but put the air shocks on because of the way it sagged hooked to the trailer. I seriously went about 100 feet and realized the front ones needed changed, too. They were all shot, but I didn't realize how bad they were until I changed the back ones.

 

[user 66791]

I'll add that I have the 6 cylinder 4.0 liter engine and change the oil frequently as well as use Purple additives to keep the injectors clean and system clean in general. Every few months I go get 100% gasoline (no ethanol gas) at a station about 35 miles away. It's like giving the engine a treat and the mileage goes up a few MPG during the period I have that gas in the system.

 

[user 66791]

I was surprised to see the gas guzzler comment at 13-15 MPG. My 2008 Gen 2 Adrenalin gets 18-19 around town and about 20-21 highway. But that may be the Gen 1 versus Gen 2 differences. I did replace the exhaust system to let it breath more and improve sound. I replaced all the shocks with Monroe's and that was an amazing improvement in ride. I replaced the Scorpion tires with wider and taller tires from Bridgestone and that also helped improve the ride. I use the SCT programmer and use the 87 Performance program - huge difference in performance over stock. When it's stock the truck is sluggish and mileage a little less. So, that may be one area you could use to improve performance and mileage. I also replaced the spark plugs as well. I use a washable air filter by K&N which lets the engine breath better.



Lots you can do and have a different experience.

 

[gyates]

I am getting 15 mpg around town in my '05 2 wheel drive. I have 101k on mine now. As to shocks, very happy with Monroe Sensatracs.



As to weak areas, it all depends on maintenance history of the vehicle. I have had no major failures on mine. My alternator and power steering pump both died a couple of months ago, but I suspect they were somewhat related since they share the same serpentine belt.. but this is a guess on my part.



Overall very pleased with my 'Trac. It does what I bought it to do. Shame it is no longer produced. :btddhorse:



If you want to see bad truck gas mileage, talk to Toyota owners. My boss has a Tundra 2 wheel drive and gets about 12-13 around town. He is not happy... And I know the Tacoma is not known for the best mileage either. They, like our 'Trac, are all trucks..

 

[Mark K 2]

Use Moog wheel bearings.

 

[Igor Smetaniuk]

@GTYATES



You got that right! I seen it labeled as a SUT years ago and you can't expect any more than that when it comes to gas mileage. It's a TRUCK! If anyone wants good gas mileage, they have to head on over to a local Ta-yoter Dealer and get a Prius. Pretty tough to haul a garden tractor/mower or throw 40 - 2X4's in one of those from Home Depot when you're headed on the way home.



My best gas mileage is when I'm home all day and the Trac sits in the driveway, otherwise it's like 17-19mpg.



As far as inside tire wear goes, I've wore out the inside annually with 25-35,000 miles ever since I've owned it. It's never been in an accident and it doesn't matter if it's been aligned or not. I've gone through every tire manufacturer there is and gotten my best wear from Firestone Destination LE 2's. Even the expensive Bridgestone Dueler Revo and Goodyear Fortera's bit the dust quicker at much greater price. With the Firestone being less aggressive in design more of a conventional tread design, I still get outstanding traction in snowy winters with it in 4X4. The road noise is minimal too vs the others with their aggressive tread. I fault the inner wear to high center of gravity on a short wheel base chassis coupled the way I drive here in the mountainous rural roads of NY . The roads are far from level and going around bends at higher speeds you can feel the understeer causing shear on the opposing inner tire portion. I've never bothered changing to the heavier sway bears because many have reported that it stiffens the ride. I got spoiled in my younger days with owning the BIG Cadillac Coupe Deville and Lincoln Towncar so I like my Trac to stay a soft riding as I can.



Shocks - 10-4 on the Sensa Tracs. Again I would still prefer a softer riding shock but there's really no other choice. The rears shocks can be a bitch! You gotta' take the spare off to make it easier. Then, I take a large box fan and aim at the underside of the truck to move any venting gas fumes, because; I disconnect the bottom of the shock so I can move it on an angle and then I cut the shock off right below the ear on top with a 4-1/2 inch angle grinder using a metal cut-off disc. After, I switch to a thicker grinding disc and buzz the heads off the bolts. I got too tired over the many years of fighting with some of these rusted bastards on the blind in the many vehicles I've owned.



@Mark K - I'm losing faith in Moog as they seem to be getting caught outsourcing to China with their sheet these days. I changed both of my front axle shaft/bearing assemblies only once in the entire 13 years it's been on the road and that was back in 2007 according to my receipt. IMHO, if it has to do with bearings, it's got to be Timken!



Enjoy burying it into the ground muadib69!