I have a 2003 Ford Expedition I bought used in 2004. It has 242,000 miles and has been a great car. I am faced with spending approx $3,000.00 to replace the flywheel, lower ball joint, upper control arm-Ford, upper Control Arm-Ford,Tie Rods, and align wheels. The car and body and interior is in great shape. My mechanic says he has seen transmissions go out with these miles but I haven’t experienced any issues. I am considering spending the money as opposed to buying another vehicle but wanted your opinion. Thanks for any help. Larry Hughes.
based on the mileage . . . and the fact your vehicle is a truck, not a small car . . . I have every reason to think the vehicle does need the parts you listed
As for the automatic transmission . . . have you been servicing the fluid and filter every 30K?
Or very infrequently?
Or never?
If it’s never or infrequently, then I might consider spending money on another vehicle right now
However, even if you’ve done a great job servicing the transmission, it might still soon be due for an overhaul, simply because you have 242K miles
What kind of usage?
Purely highway?
Or mostly stop-and-go?
what condition is the body in?
You said the word “flywheel” but I suspect that is incorrect. Vehicles with a manual transmission have a flywheel, but I think you have an automatic transmission, in which case you have a flexplate
Flexplates can crack, which cause a very deep and ominous sounding knocking noise . . . does this sound familiar?
from a financial standpoint, it makes no sense to spend 3K to do all the work you mentioned, but I suspect you already know this . . .
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I would not put $3,000 into a vehicle with almost 250,000 miles. It has already exceeded its design life expectancy of about 200,000 miles, and cannot really be expected to go much further without major repairs. Even if $3,000 lets it go another 30,000-40,000 miles without further repairs–which I find unlikely, I’m not sure that’s a good investment. That being said, perhaps not all of this work is absolutely necessary, and/or can be done for less money using aftermarket parts?
If the car has been meticulously maintained, and it suits your needs, I would spend the money on a quality repair. If not maintained well, cut your losses and get another vehicle…
There is a very high rate of engine problem with these but no transmission issues. Please read the following https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Expedition/2003/engine/spark_plug_blew_out_of_head.shtml
That’s not a big deal . . .
if it, happens, install a time-sert
Being a mechanic, spending money for repairs does not apply to me, but if the vehicle is clean and has been reliable I’d spend the money and keep it.
The transmissions are solid and reliable if taken care of so i’d service that also.
The transmission in my current LIncoln has almost 300k miles on and still shifts like new. Regular servicing prevents most failures.
The blown spark plug is not a big issue either.