Want to buy, What to look for

[Matt Johnson]

This site looks like where I will be spending some time looking over information while I am in search of a good Sport Trac to buy. I come from a respectable 4 wheel drive background and just sold my beloved Land Rover Discovery series II. It was lifted 3" and sported some chunky 33" tires. I have also owned lifted Jeeps and Nissan trucks and now want to venture into the Ford scene. I don't mind wrenching on any type of vehicle and get my hands dirty. Enough about that, I am looking for a good used 2005 Sport trac 4wd with anywhere from 60-120k miles on the clock. I have read a few places to make sure and check suspension components particularly balls joints on the sport trac. My main concern is engine and drivetrain related problems and what to look for. Do many sport tracs have cooling issues? Do they develop head gasket leakage or cracked blocks on these engines easily? I keep reading about timing chain guides needing replacement, is that a common problem? Are the transmissions pretty stout on these vehicles? I dont plan on doing too much offroading with this yet and will not be lifting or adding larger tires any time soon so I'm not concerned with that. In general, What should I be looking for when buying, in particular, a 2005ish sport trac?

 

[Matt Johnson]

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Having owned three 2WD Tracs (new 2002 Gen1, used 2007 Gen2, used 2008 Gen2 Adrenalin), I think there's nothing specific you'd look for in your car hunt. Ford made millions of Explorers (with same drivetrain) so all the common issues are well known. Of course your ideal candidate is a one-owner car with a full stack of service receipts; good luck with that. As an aside, I gave my son the '02 a few years back and continued to maintain it for him, Texas location its entire time. He recently sold it for $6500 with 120K miles on it. Regular fluid changes (AMSOIL), no breakdowns and only big job I did on it was a recent front end rebuild. Solid car its entire stint with us. Good luck with your hunt, and let us know what you find.

 

[Yardsale]

Not completely applicable, but a good read.

 

[swshawaii]

FWIW

 

[ZoNiE]

If you don't need a V8, and don't mind an older truck, find a good one-owner low mile Gen 1. Better built as the chassis design was already 10 yrs old when the 01's came out. The Gen 2's are not as well built, but do drive much nicer. I have an '01 2WD and an '09 Adrenalin AWD.

 

[Gavin Allan]

Gen II Tracs are a much improved design. They outperform Gen I Tracs in nearly every way. Hard-core off roaders like Gen I better, though, because the old-fashioned straight axle is cheaper to lift or swap out.



Be especially careful of Gen I Tracs, as they have had problems with failing timing chains, transmissions, rotting body mounts, horrible shock absorbers, PVC valve leaks, vacuum lines rotting, worn out ball joints, axle leaks and bearings failing, crumbling seat lumbar supports, headliners drooping, running boards rusting away, bad front wheel bearings, etc.



Gen II Tracs had transmission problems in '07-'08, leaky 3rd brake lights, and the trim piece at the top of the tailgate is retained by childish plastic pins that snap the first time you haul anything.



I have owned a 2003 Adrenalin, an '07 limited, and an '10limited, all 4x4s. The '10 is by far the best built, best performing Trac of them all. Ford never stopped making improvements every year they built them. The V-8 has only a 1 MPG penalty, and the smooth, powerful V-8 is so much worth it, especially for its sweet exhaust note.



Good luck.

 

[Duane Foster]

What about towing capabilities with the 2nd generation STs? Do they all have hitches from the factory? From what I've read, if a 2007 and later Sport Trac or Explorer doesn't have a factory hitch, you can't add one like you can on the earlier models.

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Duane, you're wrong. My 08 STA has a factory hitch, Class III/IV (it was a $225 option). On attached label it says 5000# Carry, 500# Tongue. If weight-distributing setup added it's rated for 7300# and 730# respectively. That aside, forget U Haul for hitches and trailer rental. They will not touch a Ford Explorer (incl Sport Trac) for anything, period.

 

[H D]

Lots of missing the question here.

In general, What should I be looking for when buying, in particular, a 2005ish sport trac?

Timing chain tensioners were fixed in the 2002 model and shouldn't be a concern on an '05.



Normal maintenance items may need refreshing but I wouldn't consider ball joints, tie rods, hoses, shocks, etc. as items of concern. Those are serviceable parts that should be expected to changed after 10 years if the current owner hasn't already addressed them.



The body mounts are an issue but they're easy to change and the Prothane kit is inexpensive. Link at the bottom.



I haven't seen anything about cooling problems. I've run my truck for full days in the Georgia heat in low gear and 4 L and have never had an issue with overheating.



I have a Job1 '01 and the only thing I've replaced that might not necessarily be a normal maintenance service is the steering rack. Probably my fault for asking it to turn 35x12.5 tires on 17" steel wheels, though. The drivetrain has served me well and is currently at 110k miles. I would have more confidence in an '05. It is surprisingly capable offroad with minimal investment if you do think you'll go that direction.

 

[Duane Foster]

Hugh is correct. We did drift from the original question.



Vic, you missed my point/question, but I probably didn't word it correctly. I know the 2007-10s are very capable of towing. My point/question is - if you want to tow with a 2007-10, you need one that came from the factory with a hitch because you can't add a hitch to a 2007-10 like you can the '01-'05s. It's my understanding the hitch is part of the frame, not a bolt-on like other vehicles. Is that correct?

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Correct, Duane. Hitch on my Trac (I bought it used, not new) came from factory with hitch installed on frame. It's listed on window sticker as a $225 option. VIN is 1FMEU33868UB20690 if you want to see it.

 

[Yardsale]

It was worded correctly.

 

[Matt Johnson]

Thank you all for the input and advice on what to look for and where to start. I ended up buying a 2 owner 2005 ST adrenaline 4x4 with 90k on the clock. It is super clean and is black in color. The interior is spotless except for a little foam deterioration on the driver seat. Almost all ST I looked at seem to have that on the seat. Other than that it was well kept vehicle and everything works the way it should. I, and my son, love the fact that the rear/back window rolls down. The undercarriage is in great shape and virtually rust free and no oil drops or leaks. The transmission shift very smooth and the previous owner never towed with it or molested it off-road.



One question I do have is what stereo to upgrade to and still keep stock adrenaline amp. I would like something to play ipod/iphone and perhaps have bluetooth but i dont want to get rid of the nice sound from the adrenaline package sound system. From my understanding/research I cant simply hook up an auxiliary cable to the stock pioneer head unit and am stuck with installing something aftermarket.