2003 Ford Explorer XLT sport 4.0

Asked by carrie Apr 12, 2018 at 02:04 PM about the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport XLT 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 03 Explorer XLT sport 4.0 is loosing coolant and
I don’t know where it’s going. I check my oil and
there are no signs of coolant in my oil. So now
where do I go from here??

7 Answers

25,700

The leak maybe small and is evaporating or just being burned by the heat of the engine. The coolant can be leaking from the radiator, a head gasket or the thermostat housing which is made of plastic and can develop a crack letting the coolant to leak slowly. Also, there is the heater core, if it has a leak the coolant is going inside the car, so look under the floor mats and see if it is wet in that area.

I checked for the heater core my floors are wet but I also don’t have any heat. I didn’t see no water in my oil some I’m almost positive I can eliminate heads. So maybe it’s the thermostat housing

25,700

If the car floors are wet as you say, the heater core has a leak and the coolant is going inside the car. If I am understanding you correctly, then the thermostat housing is fine. Even if you don't have any heat blowing into the car or never turn on the heater, there is coolant circulating through the heater core unless the hose taking coolant to the core is removed.

Sorry I didn’t word that correctly. But no there is not a drop inside my truck at all

25,700

O.K. then the thermostat housing may be cracked and leaking. Run a dry clean paper towel around the housing and see if there is any indication of coolant, remember it is hot be careful. If you need to replace it, remove the hose that goes to it from the radiator and the heater hoses first. The housing is attached by three 8 mm bolts, once it is loose, carefully unplug the sensor. You should be ready to install the new one and, at this point, I would drain the radiator and put new coolant (antifreeze) as recommended in the manual. Ford says to use the orange coolant, but you may want to check.

Your Answer:

Explorer Sport

Looking for a Used Explorer Sport in your area?

CarGurus has thousands of nationwide listings and the tools to find you a great deal.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    640
  • #2
    chassy
    Reputation
    410
  • #3
    Peter Nichols
    Reputation
    280
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford Explorer
59 Great Deals out of 1,907 listings starting at $6,990
Used Ford Explorer Sport Trac
16 listings starting at $5,995
Used Chevrolet Tahoe
20 Great Deals out of 774 listings starting at $7,499
Used Ford Mustang
33 Great Deals out of 1,565 listings starting at $5,977
Used Honda CR-V
172 Great Deals out of 4,937 listings starting at $440
Used Dodge Durango
57 Great Deals out of 1,822 listings starting at $6,987
Used Ford Expedition
17 Great Deals out of 656 listings starting at $7,894
Used Ford F-150
311 Great Deals out of 13,471 listings starting at $4,888
Used Ford Escape
136 Great Deals out of 4,147 listings starting at $3,999
Used Ford Ranger
23 Great Deals out of 701 listings starting at $8,999
Used Honda Pilot
31 Great Deals out of 982 listings starting at $1,230
Used Toyota 4Runner
20 Great Deals out of 536 listings starting at $7,770
Used Toyota Tacoma
41 Great Deals out of 752 listings starting at $9,975

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.