Aviators

[bigbri7870]

I FINALLY talked my wife into getting rid of her minivan and getting a real 7 seater instead. Luckily for me it was easy to sell her on the idea of an Aviator. They look better and are much nicer than the Expeditions of the same year. (Plus it will look great parked next to my 98 Town Car.)

We’re looking at 2003, 04, 05’s all with about 100K miles. Not bad for that age of car. We’re going to look at them this weekend so I’m just wondering if there is anything I should be on the lookout out for. If there is anything to avoid, and what common issues do these tend to have.

Any advice, tips, or even criticisms is appreciated. It took me years to convince her so I want to make sure it pays off.

 

[Slick Fan]

Welcome aboard, Glad to have you here!

Are you looking at 2WD Aviators or AWD? With 2WD, there a bit less drivetrain issues that may crop up, that's the only reason I asked.
You might want to bring your whole brood when looking at one of these & see how well everyone fits. Because honestly, that 3rd seat is made for midgets. LOL I've been half tempted to remove mine.

I bought my '03 with 130K on the clock, and at about 140K I had to to the timing tensioners. The previous owner said he did them (even showed me photos), but once I opened it up, I could tell he cut corners. Grrr.
So I replaced everything with new parts.

On mine, the backup sensors pretty much work when they want. I haven't gotten under there to see if it's maybe dirt that's causing the issue.
The auto adjust when in reverse outside mirrors don't return back all the way, so I disabled that feature.
My DVD player hasn't worked at all, I imagine I will need to shop for a replacement.

Those are the only issues I've had with mine so far. Overall, I love owning mine! I do wish these had an optional black interior like the Navi's had.

 

[Pa03Aviator]

I an the second owner of a 03 Aviator with 156K and was told I need a timing chain by my Mechanic and another one told me I don't. The vehicle seems to run fine and I'm getting 14 mph on the average and do not know what engine maintenance the previous owner did. I was wondering what the cost is to replace the timing chain tensioners?

 

[driller]

The 4.6L DOHC engines are known for timing tensioner issues with age but they can run a very long time without replacement. It is common for them to be noisy on startup and then quiet down as the tensioners get oil pressure. Good oil, frequent oil changes and quality oil filters will minimize the problem.

The cost of the tensioners is very little compared to the labor to replace them.

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[Slick Fan]

The cost of the tensioners is very little compared to the labor to replace them.

For sure! Swapping the tensioners & related pieces is quite a labor intensive process, I discovered.

I'll add one more repair I had to make to mine last week...the right rear wheel bearing, at 155K miles. What a PITA that turned out to be! But it's all nice-n-quiet back there again & the back end isn't trying to steer around the front.